A lot of the great things were blown out of proportions even in my own point of view when I first arrived, as were the bad things.
Japan to me was a land of greats and worsts.
The greats seriously overshadowed the worsts though, in fact some of the worsts I secretly home to take advantage of when I get older
By the way, I don't sit beside foreign tourists, .... they STINK!! haha, I bet I did too when I first got here...
And if they don't stink, they're obnoxiously loud, and are ultra KY.
regarding the conversation so far,
kids are hardly a good representation of any culture, granted they are much more honest, but hell if America was defined by the way it's children behaved... lol
I've been on the good and bad end of the discrimination, and I'll take the bad any day for a few days of the good each year
I know the rock-star charisma man thing is a bit of a sensitive point and is someone dismissed as a thing of the past, but it's alive and well if you've got what it takes.
and regarding the marriage thread off-topicness,
I've been propositioned to have affairs by more than few married ladies here with absent (probably also cheating) husbands. This land is no different when it comes to people wanting sex/money/love/fun before they die.