Am I an Expat or an Immigrant?

In Tokyo, where I live, almost none of the foreign friends I have refer to themselves as “immigrants.” The term immigrant has connotations of people from poorer countries, who had to come here under desperate circumstances.

And even though I have friends from places usually associated with the term, they would only call themself an “immigrant” with a sense of ironic commentary on the race and class biases that come with the word. Most of them have about as much wealth and freedom as I do.

Some of my friends would definitely be described as “expats”, short for “expatriate.” As I write this, I can’t be totally sure if any of the people I know have ever actually described themselves that way, though they might. It’s a far less insulting term.

In Tokyo, if you say “expat,” the image that usually comes to mind is someone who has been sent to work in Tokyo by some huge international company based out of America or Europe, and they have an unusually large apartment, their kids go to expensive private schools, and all sorts of other wealth and perks, like a membership at the Tokyo American Club, which is a citadel of denial for foreigners who don’t really care to be here.

A lot of them live in a kind of bubble, where they don’t experience Japan much different from an extended holiday. Everything is catered to them in…