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RE: No Chicken at the Chicken Place--They Must Be Racist! (Thoughts on the dangerous cocktail of assumptions, prejudice, and alcohol)
Yeah, there is definitely racism here, though usually aimed at Chinese and Koreans, and Junior High Schools can be brutal as far as bullying goes.
All that said, we just overreacted. I've been here 7 years and the situation certainly isn't the norm. As a foreigner, though, it is true that you can never be allowed all the way "in," in most cases, as that is how the society is set up.
Whereas in America a person can come in and "be American" after a while, I can never be Japanese as full citizenship is not offered. Not that I mind, as an anarchist ;)
But yeah, it felt good today to go back and let the guy know I'm not a total heel. He seemed to appreciate it.
Yeah, I heard about the "Gaijin" phenomenon that you can't really become Japanese and you will(probably) always be a foreigner. But also heard that they often say it without any bad intentions. As I think about this, we tend to say it too during casual conversations in my country. "Yes, he is a foreigner, he is from xy", "the foreigner girl?" etc. without any bad intentions. That full citizenship law is rare though, as far as I know in most countries you can take up the nationality. Hm, different laws, different culture.
Anyways, what about crimes? Is it safe in the evenings? Like walking alone or going out at night, etc.
Totally safe. Unbelievably safe, actually.