Saturday, October 24, 2015

Japan's hidden caste of untouchables...

Japan has a reputation of being a homogeneous, mostly harmonious society. There are few foreigners, linguistic differences are rare and on the surface class distinctions are largely absent. But, as Mike Sunda discovered, there is one, often hidden, exception: Japan's untouchables.

In the corner of a pristine room tucked away in Tokyo's Shibaura meat market is a table topped with a stack of crudely composed hate mail - evidence of a prejudice that dates back to medieval times.

Slaughtermen, undertakers, those working with leather and in other "unclean" professions such as sanitation have long been marginalised in Japan. That prejudice continues to this day and especially for those working in the Shibaura abattoir.

Never mind that the men here are dicing up some of the most expensive and highly prized animals on the planet. This is where Japan's world famous wagyu beef is prepared - prime steaks, shot through with ribbons of fat, that can set you back eye-watering prices. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Dalit women and village justice in rural India...
  2. How a Vedic school in Telangana is breaking caste and religious barriers...
  3. India lower caste still removing human waste...
  4. Nepal's Dalits face caste discrimination...
  5. British Indians seek legal protection from caste system...
  6. Indian woman ostracised from village for taking sweeping job...

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