I wouldn't mind being seen as a tourist, I hear Japanese people are pretty nice. Even if they do ignore you, you can just do your own thing (as long as you're not being disrespectful or annoying). I'd love to teach English to some college students in exchange for getting free meals! My friends who go there always tell stories about being asked at every place how to say something in English. I'm not worried about being a 'gaijin' at all, even though I'll try to 'fit in.' Sometimes, it just doesn't work...
Yeah, I go to Japan in January, and stay 'til May. Got my ticket already for $1,200, and staying in Tokyo for New Year's. I'm excited! But definitely, I can meet up with you after I study in Hikone, which gets out on April 18th. Woo! I'm also planning my trip at
Kimani's Travels if you'd like to see what resources I used.
Basically, if you stick out, you stick out. So what. You can still enjoy being in another country. You don't need to 'fit in' to find friends in Japan, or develop connections.