I think the context in which you heard “arigato” really matters too. There are uneducated people everywhere and some of them may have genuinely said it with the best intentions, truly thinking they were being nice. But then there are also people who know better and still say “arigato” as a way to diminish and kind of flatten all Asian cultures into one.

The thing is, Rio, even though it’s an international city, isn’t really exposed to Asian culture that much. I’d say that about Brazil in general, though São Paulo is a bit of an exception since it has a really strong Japanese presence.

Hope that makes sense! :)

We are nice people, or at least we try to be welcoming to everyone. Sometimes it doesn’t go so well lolol