I wasn’t allowed in some night clubs in Korea due to being a foreigner.
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Jim Crow Fuji exists in Japan.
I was thinking there would be some form of this on my trip, but I was pleasantly surprised. I think I’ll ditch Korea altogether.
The only discrimination may be issue of online forms not accepting ARC number, impossibility of getting credit cards or phone plans, etc.
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I didn’t take it personally. I’m a libertarian conservative though so my definition of racism is narrower and doesn’t include communication problems. The Yakuza who run the red-light districts in Japan are definitely racist though even by my definition.
You know what? Sometimes it’s just better to steer clear of folks like this, racist or not.
I also would not wish to mess with gangsters in Taichung. 
Guy
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I don’t seek them out . . .
Susukino (すすきの) is Japan’s largest entertainment district north of Tokyo. It is packed with stores, bars, restaurants, karaoke shops, pachinko parlors and red light establishments. Of special interest to noodle lovers is the Ramen Yokocho , a narrow lane lined with shops serving Sapporo’s famous ramen.
In February, Susukino serves as a site of the Snow Festival, hosting an ice sculpture competition.
That one is easy. Sapporo ramen sucks! 
Guy
Criminals are always racist.
Go to any prison in the USA. The higher the security level, the more racist and segregated the prison become. This isn’t anything to do with the guard, department of corrections, or anything. If anything they would like to make it more integrated. The problem is the inmates themselves. If wardens decide to go ham fisted and house AB with Bloods or Crips, then they are going to have riots on their hands.
So it would not be unreasonable to expect Yakuza to be racist too. Maybe they keep foreigners away because they don’t want any prying eyes getting into their business?
But by and large criminals are often the most racist people.
The rudeness goes both ways though. I’ve noticed enough Westerners going to East Asia behaving as if they were exempt of any law and responsibility and treating the locals like funny-sounding animals.
People hopping on taxis without enough change for their fare. People leaving bars and taking the glasses with them. People lighting fireworks in places where it’s explicitely forbidden.
When I was renting a place in Hsinchu I was helped by an English-speaking real estate agent, a very kind person. I helped her find new tenants (foreigners too) to take over my apartment. One year later I texted her to ask how things were going, she said the new tenants had left and she’d decided never to rent to foreigners again.
So when I hear about foreigners being refused service, what I picture first is the owner having had a bad previous experience with foreigners, and saying “no more.”
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other way around isn’t it?
That’s still racism or xenophobia.
Those owners would have bad experiences with locals too.
Although I do understand your point about tourists behaving badly… .A worldwide phenomenon!
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This is why I wish that the Yakuza was wiped out. They serve no good for Japan.
This is why they need to publish the Japanese version of the Green Book for foreigners.
No, I am not talking about the movie, I am talking about a directory for foreigners travelling to Japan or living in Japan where they can give their patronage to establishments that are friendly to foreigners, such as hotels.
I believe that’s called “Lonely Planet.”
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That’s a funny one.
Ya ok, that one’s not original, but that was the cherry on the top with a roomie of mine who broke just about every rule of the residence we were living in. That ass almost got us evicted.
Most Northeast Asians are nicer to mostly white foreigners because too many Asian people worship white people.
Not anymore. Watch the new Netflix movie The White Tiger if you want to see what current year thinking among young Asians is towards white people.
yup, and it’s why I’ll never go back, my experiences (many over a week) were in Kyoto.
TW GF (at the time) in her broken Japanese secured a couple of seats while I hid around the corner.
The second they saw me…full/reservations only.
Japan, never again. I went primarily for the food, but none of the local trendy places would even let me in the door.
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