[GoNative]

I doubt very much if any of you criticising Debito have ever truly read much of his writings. He is not as petty as you try and make out and although some of those posting on his site certainly are he doesn't just side with them on every little issue they raise.

To be honest Nyororin you really do sound very much like the sort of gaijin who I calissify as a denialist. You seem to feel the need to defend any sort of criticism of Japan and truly can't accept that there is anything valid to criticise in this country. Everything here is utterly perfect is it? You continually provide excuses to explain away any criticism or claim that the criticism is unfounded because whoever is making it doesn't really understand the language or culture. The fact that you personally haven't experienced racism first hand does not mean that others haven't and that their experiences are not valid. Like it or not, like every other country on the planet, there is a segment of Japanese society that is very racist. It's not just poor misguided gaijin who can't understand the language and culture misinterpreting things.

There is another class of gaijin here who I feel fall into a guest mentality. They feel that they and all foreigners are guests of this country and have no right to criticise it. Personally having bought a house, business and having my first child here I don't feel like a guest. When I lived in Aus I was very critical of many things there and now I live here I see no reason why I can't also criticise things here. Japan is great place to live but it is hardly some utopian wonderland!