What is Black Women in Japan?

We are women striving and thriving in the land of the rising sun.

A few years ago, two black British women decided to create a Facebook group to be a source of support and friendship for black women of all national and professional backgrounds living in Japan. In September 2014, Avril Haye Matsui and Stephanie Fay Gayle founded Black Women in Japan (BWIJ), and what started out then as an online discussion group has since blossomed into a full fledged community of culturally diverse women. 

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From women sharing stories about their daily experiences to women building support for their small businesses, BWIJ has come to mean different things to different women of African descent living in Japan. Among the myriad of reasons for joining the group, many of our members have cited moral support, beauty advice, being able to speak openly without the need to code-switch, the sense of camaraderie that comes with communing with people who have shared experiences, advice on raising families in a foreign country, and the desire to avoid the sense of isolation that is so often a part of ex-pat life.

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With over 2000 members from over a dozen countries, our community has helped women of African descent thrive in Japan without that feeling of isolation.  We are looking forward to continuing to strengthen this sisterhood with events like regular meet ups and our annual convention, while giving our members the tools to contribute to their adopted communities here in Japan.