What is Japan like foreigners living there?

Question:

I was accepted into an American university in Tokyo, but besides what I know from practicing Judo for most of my life, I know next to nothing about what it is like. My brother who was a marine stationed in Okinawa said they don't like foreigners and try to avoid them. Many other things I have read say that Japanese can be down right racist and outside of Tokyo you will be basically shunned.

I'm very worried that it will be hellish if that's the case but it will also be a great experience. I'll be living there for up to 6 years well I work on my degree, as a very white American what can I expect, will I be ostracized my entire time there?

Answer:

Okinawa isn't Tokyo. Okinawans have in many cases different experiences with the US military then say people who live in Tokyo.

>>"Many other things I have read say that Japanese can be down right racist and outside of Tokyo you will be basically shunned" <<

I've traveled around to many places in Japan, in all my years, everyone has been nothing but helpful. No one has spit at my face, or attempted to kill me. There is no "KKK" group of Japan out to kill foreigners. I saw on the news the other day in America, there was a group of white teenagers who's goal was to go out and kill black people, they found one guy and killed him in the hotel parking lot, that's racism in America!. Groups like that do not exist in Japan.

If you want to walk around on a high horse thinking you are a superior white american acting like a fool, yeah Japanese people and other Americans and foreigners in Japan are not going to like you. Act respectfully, respect the culture and more people are generally going to be ok to you.