If someone is hyper sensitive about racism, they would not even consider going to Japan, as they are amongst the most racist people in the world. They are just so polite about it (usually) that most people do not notice.
“If someone is hyper sensitive about racism, they would not even consider going to Japan, as they are amongst the most racist people in the world. They are just so polite about it (usually) that most people do not notice.”
Ironically, this is one of the things I like about Asia, they don’t have a guilt complex and hypersensitivity about race. They just say it like it is, whether you’re a gaijin or someone else. They do, however, each think that their own culture is superior to all other cultures, including all other Asian cultures. Which is also ok with me, but makes for some interesting dynamics.
One thing you do learn very quickly is the Japanese hate the Koreans (think they are inferior), and the Koreans hate the Japanese (for what the Japanese did to them when they were occupied from 1910-1945). The funny thing is most anthropologists think the Japanese originated from the Korean peninsula.
The other interesting thing is the Koreans in particular are on a cultural, technological and economic upswing and see themselves overtaking a lot of the decadent west, especially the U.S. You can see it in their attitude—basically, what does it take to get it done, vs. the U.S. which is pretty much completely dominated by folks telling you you can’t do anything.
What is lurking in the Japanese and Korean cultures, however, is their abysmal birthrate, resulting in an aging population and big problems in the future, according to a lot of folks. Encouragement by their governments to have babies is having zero effect, apparently.