[samurai007]

You shouldn't worry about it too much. I saw some trucks like that, but they are usually for a political candidate at election time rather than general anti-foreigner messages. I was never accosted or attacked for being a foreigner, and in fact, the Japanese people often went far out of their way to be helpful and accommodating.

Let me say a little something about Japanese nationalism and national pride. While many Japanese are proud of their country, I encountered quite a few that did not seem willing to show much national pride, (perhaps because a foreigner was present). I'm sure part of it was Japanese humility, but they'd often say "Japan is a small country, insignificant in the world, the economy has been failing for a long time and will never get better, we are sinking into obscurity, etc". Several also apologized to me for Japan's actions in WW2, and many asked if Americans still hated or feared Japanese people because of the war. I told them the vast, vast majority of Americans hold no anger towards Japan today, and they see Japan as a good ally and close friend and trading partner. I told them that every country has done things in the past they may not be proud of, but every country also has things it's citizens should appreciate and take pride in. Japan's incredibly fast technological advancement while still maintaining many of its traditional values is something that they should be very proud of, I said. People should have (and not be afraid to show) some national pride in things like that, and I said that I was not offended at all if they were proud of the good things in their country... I think Japan has a great many things they should be proud of, just as I think the US has many things to be proud of. I'm much more offended by someone who can only say bad things about their country (like the "Blame America First" crowd) than I am by someone showing some national pride and patriotism (though of course that can go too far too).