A video by content creator @annatituude on TikTok is generating a lot of buzz. It features the testimony of Aoï, a young French-Japanese woman, who recounts a harrowing experience upon arriving in Japan. Having come to work as a hairdresser, she quickly encountered hurtful and discriminatory treatment.
A cold reception and discriminatory remarks
When Aoï met the person handling her administrative procedures, the person coldly asked her, "What brings you to Japan?" she recounts to content creator @annatituude. A haughty tone, according to Aoï, made her feel illegitimate in a country where, being of French and Japanese heritage, she thought she would integrate naturally. The young woman also relates that this person refused to use her Japanese first name, Aoï, preferring to call her by her middle name, Alice, which he considered "easier" to pronounce. "He was racist towards me," Aoï declares to the camera.
@annatituude If you haven't clicked on the episode yet, know that it's available on my YouTube channel 🤭 Link in bio! @aoiwat thank you again, my sweetie, for coming ❤️ Editing: @jade.roussi ♬ Original sound - Annatituude
Massive reactions and similar testimonies
Under the video, internet users reacted. Among the comments, some offered their support and shared similar experiences. "We, the 50%, are still Japanese," wrote one user. Another commented, "It's the same as with mixed-race people in France." Aoï's testimony thus resonated beyond borders and highlighted the difficulty of belonging to two cultures in societies where difference is sometimes still poorly accepted.
Between indignation and solidarity, this incident reignites the debate on the perception of people with dual nationality in "homogeneous societies" and on how identity can be denied or rewritten through seemingly innocuous gestures or words. For many, this story illustrates a still-taboo reality: that of everyday racism, which continues to affect people who don't fit into established categories, wherever they may be.
