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Tokyo's 'Little Nepal' a microcosm of Japan's evolving identity

23 Comments
By Dave Hueston

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A friend of mine is a highly skilled chef and has a Nepalese restaurant. He has complained to me that there are too many Nepalese coming in and pretending to be chefs as they can get the visa by claiming to be a specialized chef. Families set up these restaurants so that they can bring their relatives over even though they can’t cook. This is why so many Indian/Nepalese restaurants are hit and miss.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I have worked and still do work alongside many of them, and let me tell you I have only met very few that are any good.

Mostly they are very rude, intrusive trouble makers

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Unless they are in their early twenties, they are probably already married or arranged to be married. Nepalese culture share many similarities with Indian culture. They don’t even need passports to travel between countries.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I basically have good feelings about immigrants of all kinds...unless they come and pointedly refuse to allow inter-marriage. I don't know what is up with the Nepalese community, but I have not seen a mixed couple among them yet. If its an actual near universal personal preference okay. But if this is being enforced I cannot abide by it. Not expecting a high rate of inter-marriage or inter-dating or anything, but it seems there is zero and that gives me pause.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And can we have some roti please?

i am tired of nan all the time.

LOL! I posted in another thread that most Indian and Nepalese people don't eat a lot of nan in their daily. That is just for the customers in Japan. I made a comparison to the Nordic countries because the locals don't eat a lot of whale, but they sell it to the tourists as a traditional meal in large amounts as well export. People gave me tons of downvotes like I was being racists. The guys at the Nepalese restaurant I mentioned above told me that!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Yet the Nepalis coming here are sticking to their traditions and will marry another Nepali from home.

Language barriers are still a problem.

And can we have some roti please?

i am tired of nan all the time.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Nearly every "Indian" restaurant in my vicinity is actually run by Nepalis. Some are really good, others so-so.

All are great value.

If they were run as "Nepali" restaurant's than most of them will go out of business, the "Indian" curry brand sells like anything.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Great, now where is a 'LIttle India' evolving, with restaurants, spice shops etc...?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Japanese do not have the same anti-Muslim feelings as UK or US people, so relations are smooth.

Most Nepalese are Hindu, so why this comment?

12 ( +13 / -1 )

I’ve worked in the Middle East with guys from Napal...everywhere I went, they were there.

Hardcore workers.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Most of the staff at my local conbini here in Kumamoto are Nepalese. Their English is excellent, but we usually use Japanese.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The workers of the restaurant that I frequent lives there. “Little India” is east Tokyo and west Chiba. Little Nepal is growing and spilling over into Okubo. I wouldn’t call Okubo “Korean tow” now. They are the most established community there, but it is more like “Foreign town”.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Japanese do not have the same anti-Muslim feelings as UK or US people, so relations are smooth.

except Nepalese like Indian are predominantly Hindu about 80% , only about 5% of their population is Islam, about 15% in India. majority of Indias Muslims now live in a country called Pakistan  seems like Japanese suffer from the same stereotyping as the west

16 ( +19 / -3 )

Which part of Japan is that?

Yokohama.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

My local Indian restaurant is staffed by Muslims. No problems

Which part of Japan is that?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Japanese do not have the same anti-Muslim feelings as UK or US people, so relations are smooth.

-17 ( +5 / -22 )

I enjoy communities internationalizing. Just don’t make slums out of them. We have a growing Asian as well as European (white?) community in northern Tokyo. We are only just beginning to see changes here. In a few generations it’ll be like other large cities in the world, very integrated. All for the better. The old. Japan is now behind us.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Good for them. And yet still some people claim Japanese resist immigration! They in fact support them, and their restaurants and businesses.

-10 ( +4 / -14 )

Nearly every "Indian" restaurant in my vicinity is actually run by Nepalis. Some are really good, others so-so.

All are great value.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

A very nice story, a great example of legal immigrants that contribute to Japanese society through hard work, education, and dedication, and make their neighborhoods the better for it. No handouts, no complaining, none of the nonsense you see in other places.

3 ( +12 / -9 )

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