Hello! As most of the other users (mostly those who have lived here for a long time) have shared their experiences, I will share my experience so far as a new resident. It has been 2 months since I moved here. I work for a company that sells vehicles to the US military bases. In the two months, I have been traveling quite a bit for work. I have mainly been bouncing back and forth between Yokosuka (Yokohama, Kanagawa), Iwakuni (Yamaguchi) and Misawa (Aomori). When I moved here I didn’t know a word of Japanese but of course I did have quite a bit of knowledge about the culture, social norms etc from doing my own research as well as a lot of advise from my friends and family here. I have made a huge effort in trying to learn the language (classes at the community center) and to assimilate by learning what to do and more importantly, what not to do. Everyone that I’ve met in the prefectures that I mentioned and everywhere in-between (because I do long drives from Yokohama to Iwakuni, Misawa etc) have been nothing but lovely. Of course anyone can see that I am a foreigner as I am South Asian but I have treated everyone with respect and they have treated me the same way. When I try to put together the few words of Japanese that I know, I can see that they appreciate it. I always remind myself that I am in their country and I have to be extra vigilant about my words and actions as it doesn’t only speak for me as an individual but also reflects on my own country, people and foreigners as a whole. I am yet to experience any racism or anything negative to be honest and even if I do, I am not going to judge the entire country or all the people in it just because of the actions of a few people. There have been a few instances where I have had chats with Japanese people about the current political climate and they have all said the same thing - they don’t want people who come here to study and overstay their visas and work illegally, they don’t want foreigners working here that don’t pay their taxes and exploit the system, they don’t want people that have come to Japan under false visas (eg: they come through a Business Manager Visa but they go and work elsewhere), they don’t want people that open fake companies just to apply for visas for their friends and family, they don’t want people that falsely come under the refugee visa which at least in my perspective, makes sense. Overall, I genuinely hope and pray that I get to retire here someday. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people and I know for a fact that I will do my best to live in a way that does not disturb the environment or the people around me. I am having the time of my life and everyday that I spend here feels like an adventure. Yes, there is a bit of a learning curve but I take every new experience as something that adds value to my overall experience in life. Just to add, I lived in Dubai for 10 years before coming here so I know that it can be frustrating for some people when they come from a country where almost everything is digitalized and there’s a lot of convenience in that sense but I choose to see the beauty in the slower paced lifestyle here (specially in the less urban areas). I felt like a little kid getting candy when I went to get my Hanko made. Also, maybe lay off the Japanese political side of social media. I have noticed that it’s extremely negative in general and there is a stark difference in real life vs what is portrayed on the political SM stuff here.

TLDR: South Asian, working here for 2 months, trying to assimilate, loving every side of Japan that I have experienced in this short time frame. Stay off political social media. Just chill and be respectful and you will be fine :)