The Japanese (at least many of the older ones)
Are incredibly xenophobic, still thinking of themselves as the master race and all the rest of us as barbarians. But I've received many acts of unselfish kindness, and so I'm just confused. During WW2, more residents of Okinawa were killed by other Japanese than by Allied forces. Because they look a little bit different.

But the younger Japanese people whom I met when I lived there (1985-87ish), both the educated ones with whom I worked, the blue collar guys I met in bars, and the college students (I lived just outside of Shibuya in Tokyo - university town) were almost universally interesting, interested and accepting. I had a blast. And the dickheads were about as commonplace as diskheads in any major city.

Once, though, I got lost somewhere near Takadanobaba, down towards the docks. Walking along, 6' tall and 200lbs of pale-skinned, blue-eyed goodness, I was welcomed by my own kid patrol who walked along with me shouting "gaijin, gaijin" so loudly that the local cop-in-a-box followed me to make sure I got off his patch without eating a child or spoiling the area.

Didn't bother me. I went home to a huge apartment and my Japanese honey. Score!
(IHaveComeAmongThee__Twice Tissues on the left. Self-esteem on the right., Thu 1 Apr 2010, 22:52, Reply)