Beings that I am born to a japanase mother and a german and other things (father).
Skin Color, does not make you Japanese. Their are some kids, whose parents quit most of the Japanese Customs. Does that mean that the kid should act Japanese even though he never experienced much culture related to Japanese?
The thing about names, is honestly if you are going to to live in America, why give your children names that no one can read or say correctly? They will get picked on. Almost, no one can say, my mothers maiden name correctly even after we teach them how to say it. Which does indeed get irritating.
I can't say your completely off. But at the same time, I'm a Japanese American as is my family. We're not going to walk around in yukata's, and be completely Japanese. Because we're not. Many of us still go to obon festivals. Some still do Bustudan. And a lot of other customs, that growing up, I didn't question or think, Japanese do this, white people do this. I just thought, my family does this. I came to realize some of the things, most Americans don't do.
But ultimately, if your a white dude and you live in Japan for a length of time. You're likely going to do more Japanese Customs, and while that occurs you might change your customs to fit their culture a bit more. The same occurs here in opposite fashion. And there are Japanese that are from Japan, that force themself act like they're white or american. But there are Americans that do the same acting like they're japanese. I'm sure you've heard the term weaboo's before.
At times, being japanese. You are motivated to not be so Japanese in the US in front of non-Japanese, racism still occurs a lot. And some of my relatives were put into internment camps just because they were Japanese. Some of my uncles fought for the U.S. Against the Japanese in WWII. That's not to say, I'm ashamed of being partly Japanese, but I'm not ashamed of being partly white or American either. I'm just not going to rub it in everyones face that I am Japanese, unlike for instance Tim Tebow who likes to rub in everyones face that he's christian.
I'm not saying I know all, because I am not completely Japanese, I am a mix, and my situation differs from some other Asians in the west. But, I am a mix of both customs and heritage.
