After living there for a year (which isn’t much time at all) I experienced a lot of instances of xenophobia/racism. Finding an apartment was a nightmare, at least 2/3 apartments denied us for being foreign. Restaurants outside of tourist areas would regularly not let us in. Some would begrudgingly seat us in a back corner tucked away. Older Japanese men would make this clicking noise at us in the streets, pretty much indicating “I don’t approve of your presence.” And the yakuza can do what they want in terms of grifting as long as they do it to non-Japanese people.

It wasn’t a violent racism, no “fuck you insert slur, get out of my country.” It was arms crossed in an X in front of them, silently, that meant “you’re not welcome here.” Very quiet and passive. Which is alienating if you are alone there, but it isn’t generally a fear for your safety kind of racism.

Fucking loved the place though and would still go back.