「ハーフ」is an ongoing photographic documentary series that photographs mixed Japanese race individuals residing in Japan. The series aims to raise questions about the assumptions surrounding national and cultural identity. ¬Ha-fu is the Japanese term for an individual who is born from one ethnic Japanese parent and one non-Japanese parent. The word is derived from the English term “half” and from the corruption of the word “half-caste”, implying that the person only partially belongs to Japan. In a 2018 census, 98% of the Japanese population was considered Japanese, making it an incredibly homogenous nation. When the vast majority of the people generally share the same features, those who do not fit the norm become anomalies and stand out. These mixed Japanese individuals recounted ostracizing experiences that vary from passive comments to overt racism. Each person’s experience is important because it touches on a variety of perspectives, developing a larger narrative of what it means to belong to a country. 「ハーフだから可愛いよね。」 You’re good looking because you are mixed. 「あなたのパパは外国人だからあなたは日本人ではない。」 Your dad is a foreigner so you are not Japanese. 「日本語上手ですね。」 You’re so good at Japanese. 「ハーフなのにあなたの顔は残念だね。」 For someone who is mixed, it’s a shame you look like that. Oftentimes people are unaware that these comments can be discriminatory. And though these comments may be insignificant for the person saying it, those who hear it are repeatedly reminded that they do not belong. These ostracizing experiences that they recount can shape the perception of their own multicultural identity. Many ha-fu may say that they do not belong or that they do not fit the stereotype that is perpetuated by the Japanese society for mixed individuals. And though that can be packaged as negativity, it is a reflection of social ideologies that exist globally. Our attention and questions should be directed to the society that expects multicultural individuals to fit into a singular cultural and national narrative.