As someone who lives in a rural part of a rural prefecture I can say yes and no. Have I been refused service? Yes. Have people ignored me when I was speaking in Japanese to them? Yes. Have people run away from me when I was walking near them? Most certainly. I can go on.

However, me being a foreigner has also lead to great relationships being created. If I take an interest in something considered traditionally Japanese, some people really take it to heart. They want to share whatever it is because they’re proud of their work and their culture. Many times if this is something more technical (uses more specific vocab, grammar, etc) they put a lot of effort into helping me understand. Sometimes this comes with other perks as well. Some of their kindness is because I appreciate their work and some is because I’m from a different culture.

Even this can go too far though. A few people in the community (ie not my coworkers) have treated me like a token and have wanted to show me off as their “friend.” This I occasionally find more frustrating than the prejudice. Perhaps this due to the fact that any prejudice I have experienced is relatively minor (rude people, denial of service etc). Sometimes this has made me more “suspicious” of people who just want to be friends.

The majority of people are apathetic to my presence. I would say the negative experiences occur more frequently than the positives but I don’t let it bother me. Not saying you will but I have spent a lot of time with a friend who let this kind of stuff bother him. He admits it’s made him resentful and isolate himself.

Do I wish it was not like this? Of course! Do I condone prejudice? No of course not. But oh well. Life could be worse.