Going to japan was the biggest mistake of my life.
 

As an anime fan it had always been my dream to go to japan. But when i went it was a total nightmare.

See...my uncle works for a travel agency so i was able to go to japan for a pretty low price. Despite the low price this is easily the biggest waste of money i have ever spent. I was shocked to see how racist japan is! They HATE whites. Everyone there gave me dirty looks, they were rude as all hell to me, and once when i went into a store one of the guys who worked here yelled "no foreigner!!!! no foreigner!!!!" After that i noticed that TONS of businesses had signs saying "No foreigners" "No westerners" and for some reason "no filipinos" Worst of all i was mugged in broad daylight and when i went to report this to the police they didnt seem to care and made me feel like i was wasting their time. This all happened my first 3 days there... after all this crap happened to me i scrapped the rest of my plans and spent the rest of my time there alone in my hotel room.

I have never felt so unwelcome and unsafe anywhere in my life.....and im from the worst part of detroit, and im glad to be back.

Just wanted to share my experience with everyone.

This is your first problem. You probably went with no clue of what Japan is really like. It's not some romanticized "anime world".

They don't "hate whites". I like how you make it seem so factual, when in reality you have an extremely shallow sense of what Japanese people are like. You are apparently disgruntled about the whole thing-- but seriously, your username is "biggestmistake"... You're obviously a little biased about the whole situation.

I've been to Japan, and to me they are unusually polite to Westerners. Throughout all my travel I did not once receive any negative attention nor did I see any "No foreigners" signs. It was nearly the complete opposite, Japan is one of the most humble and hospitality filled places you can visit-- especially if you're white.

Japan, unsafe? If you are seriously from Detroit, you have to be kidding me.


You were only out for 3 days. In Tokyo, I assume?

Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the world-- and Tokyo is the only city I've been where you can walk around at near midnight and have no worries. I find it really hard to believe you were mugged in broad daylight... The Japanese police are extremely proficient and would go to extreme lengths to help you find a lost umbrella, let-a-alone a full blown mugging.

Maybe you can give us some details?

The city I live in probably has a higher crime rate than anyplace in Japan. I might be biased, since I've never been to Japan, but I have a difficult time believing that you found it more dangerous there than anyplace here in the US.

I agree with burkhartdesu in everything.

While I was in Japan I felt extremely safe. I walked up to Lawson by myself at midnight and I felt completely safe. People there were very friendly to me and I never had any sort of problems with anyone.

To the OP, what part of Japan did you visit?

1) Yes i am seriously from detroit and no im not kidding.

2) Yes, it was Tokyo.

3) Im sure japan is a very safe place...if you are japanese.

4) Im sorry that you have "a hard time believing" I was mugged in broad daylight. But thats exactly what happened and theres nothing i can say that will make you believe me. Believe me or dont.

5) Details? specifically what else do you want to know?

Same here! :vsign:


But seriously... "biggestmistake"... If a short, unplanned trip to Japan is truly the biggest mistake you've ever made, you are really young and have a lot of mistakes to make.

I am not Japanese. It was completely safe.


I would say that Americans are even safer from crime than the Japanese-- because who would choose such an obvious target? I want details about your supposed "mugging". Did he hold you up with a chopstick, or what?

Have you ever studied Japan/Japanese before going?

Did you plan any sight-seeing?

Are you sure this was Japan you went to and not some other country?

Seriously, your description sounds NOTHING like Japan. It does sound like a whole lot of trolling though...

No foreigners signs are pretty much limited to the red light district, on those sort of businesses. Now unless you`re going to admit you spent all your time wandering in and out of soaplands looking for an easy lay, I am not going to believe you encountered any at all. Mugged in broad day light is an extreme stretch for even the worst red light areas though...

I`m also very very doubtful that anyone was rude to you... Or maybe you were walking around testing out your anime acquired yakuza slang on people?


But... Your ip is saying you are in New Jersey? Way to gouge your believability...

1) I know this is only going to make the story seem even LESS believable but i was mugged with some type of kitchen knife. He didnt even say anything to me he just grabbed me and held the knife up to me and i just handed him my wallet and hoped for the best. He took it and then ran off.

2) Yes i studied japan before going. I know a few phrases of japanese but im not fluent by any means if thats what you are asking

3) Yes i planned on sight-seeing but i scrapped those plans and just stayed in my hotel room the rest of my time there.

Im not in detorit right this second. I have family in Jersey. I'll be back in Detorit this afternoon and i'll post from there once i get back to prove im not lying.

I have a question. Why did you register to this board if you're so "against" Japan, because of your bad (still fishy to me) experience there? Seems kind of pointless to be here just to complain and you're not giving any constructive criticism.

My point was to share my bad experience. I think forums like this should be used to share all experiences good and bad.

Im not against japan in general. I love anime and i love their culture...i just hate their racism.

I don't know why we're trying to appease the OP to be honest.

I got mugged in London and taken advantage of as a foriegner in Chicago.

I got over it and had some of the best times in Britain and the US.

London Chicago and New York were awesome places to hang out!

I also got some dirty looks from some people on my travels.... whatever.

What....you guys think i just randomly woke up this morning and thought to myself "you know what would be fun....going to japanforum.com and making up a story about having gone to japan and having a bad experience"

Seriously....what do i have to gain making this stuff up? Also if i was gonna lie i would make the story seem more believable by saying i was mugged at night rather than in broad daylight.

You guys think that Japan is some sort of utopia where nothing bad can happen to anyone.....and anyone who went there and had a bad experience MUST be lying.

I thought internet forums like this welcomed people shareing their good experiences as well as their bad ones.

Nobody here is trying to appease me...in fact everyone here is claiming my story is a complete work of fiction.

Also i could have "gotten over" my mugging and enjoyed japan but i lost most of my money in said mugging.

Well that sucks... but you have to be rational about the whole thing.

You're blaming Japan for your misfortune because it happens to have criminals in it and you happen to be the unlucky victim of a crime.

Really if you were going to blame anyone... blame your lack of foresight.

Also... how do you know your mugger was Japanese? There are many Asian immigrants in Japan... not that I'm suggesting that you direct your irrational scapegoating on any of them.

I dont know the mugger was japanese and i never said i knew. But i can tell the difference between an east asian and a south asian....he was east asian for sure. Now MAYBE it was chinese or korean...but still does it really matter?

No you're right... it doesn't matter... I'm just trying to make you aware that your irrational judgement of Japan is off in more ways than one.

Bottom line, you were in Tokyo. It's one of the biggest cities in the World... Anything can happen.


But that still doesn't change the fact that you've misinformed yourself through out this whole experience... Japan is a great place and is generally friendly to its tourists...

Don't forget that you didn't get to see any of Japan-- and basing a country off of a bad experience is shallow.

It's kind of sad... I can tell that for the rest of your life you'll always go around reminding people how evil you think Japan is-- when in reality it's a great place and a great tourist destination.


And by the way, you never acknowledged what Nyororin said...

:mtongue:

Why do I assume you might be lying?

Because we get a huge number of people who want to bash Japan left and right on here. Usually they start out by citing horrific racism, etc - and most of the time they`ve never even so much as been to Japan.

In fact, the most common type of non-advertising spam we get on this board is from people who dislike Japan for some reason or another (not personal experience) who come on here to talk about how awful the country is because they saw a youtube video with a bunch of soapland and hostess clubs posting no foreigner signs.

But your message goes even a step above that and accuses everyone in Japan of giving you nasty looks, which just doesn`t happen... Unless there was a GOOD reason for it - like walking around with one of those "looking for a Japanese girlfriend" shirts or acting like a complete and total idiot...

So I believe that either your story is a fabrication like countless others - or there is a lot you`re not telling us.

1) i was not in the red light district but i still did see anti-foreigner signs.

2) If he doesnt believe that i was mugged in broad daylight well....not much i can say that wouldnt lead to a "did not!! did too!!! did not!!! did too!!!" argument.

Now for what you said...

1) I base my views on something based on my own experiences with it....EVERYONE DOES THAT. Its like....If you went to japan and had a good time there good for you....im not going to attack you because you liked japan.

2) Of course i am going to bring up my bad experience with other people if the subject comes up. Its like...suppose you went to a restaurant and got horrible service and the food was terrible. From that moment on if anyone brought up said restaurant you are going to talk about your bad experience there. Its human nature.....im sure theres a certain business of some sort that if someone brings up it is going to instantly remind you of your bad experience with said business and you always tell people about your bad experience with it if someone does brings it up. Again its normal for people to talk about their bad experiences.... Is this how you treat everyone who reports having a bad experience in japan?

Anyways this is going to be my last post here. No point in dwelling on my bad experience and since everyone here ether thinks i randomly decided to come here and make this whole story up or thinks im horrible for sharing my experience in japan....i see no reason to continue posting here.

:rheart: I smell a troll, oh how i love trolls :rheart:

bai2u

Honestly, I don't think it should be your last post... Hang around and inform yourself.

Oh god, I've seen those shirts far too often. It doesn't help much that they actually sell those in tourist shops here IN JAPAN.

If you really were mugged, that is an awful and mind-changing experience. You spent the rest of your vacation in the hotel room...not really "experiencing" Japan, right. One might even think the entire country of Japan was racist after being mugged by one nut.

I have lived in Japan for a few years, and am actually in Japan at the moment, and nothing of what you says jibes with any experience I have had. I am wondering why this this thread hasn't been closed yet, actually. It smells of baloney and racism.

That's simply bulls**t. It isn't true. I have spent months in Tokyo and have NEVER seen a no-foreigner sign.
White people are not the targets of crimes by Japanese muggers. Yakuza don't even mess with foreigners.


I don't think either. I know you are making it up. I don't know why, but you are.

Wow, I can’t believe people are so defensive for Japan… Who would’ve known, Tenchu might actually be right and this forum might actually be full of “Japanophiles making excuses for Japan.”

People have been mugged in police stations before, yet everyone seems to have a problem with accepting that someone got mugged in Japan. Lol… wow! Kinda pathetic to be honest! The Japanese people I know never defend Japan the way you guys are. They happily admit that there is crime in Japan, that Japan isn’t perfect, that Japan should work on its international relations, that there are “only Japanese” signs in many places, not only strip bars etc…

Anyway, I’m not going to dismiss this persons experience because it doesn’t sound as unlikely as everyone is saying. That doesn’t however mean he’s giving me a negative impression of Japan. To be honest, the people defending Japan with everything are the ones making Japan seem fishy to me. There is always advice to teens saying you shouldn’t think Japan is some wonderland, but to be honest, you guys are trying to portray Japan just as that…

Noodle, the OP's original post can't be true. He might have been mugged in broad daylight at knifepoint in Tokyo...I am sure that happens...but it is a rare event for that to happen, especially to a white foreigner. But it happens.

What isn't true is the dirty looks and tons of no foreigner signs on shops. This is TOKYO...one of the most international cities in the world. It's simply not true. It's not about "defending Japan" or being a "Japanophile"...it's about telling the truth. And biggest mistake isn't telling the truth.

You were unlucky. What happened to you in Japan could happen to you in ANY city around the world. Most Japanese people aren't racist. They're just not used to foreigners like Americans are. America is a melting pot. We're used to diversity and they aren't. They were probably staring at you because you're white but maybe you were imagining the staring rudely part because in our culture staring itself is rude? About Japanese police- I have heard on multiple occasions Japanese people criticizing their own police. Apparently they're a big problem in Japan. But you have to do your research before you go to another country. Every country in the world has its bad side and you should be prepared so you can avoid it and enjoy yourself. THAT was your mistake. Not going to Japan, but going to Japan unprepared.

People stare at foreigners in small towns in America, just as they stare at foreigners in small towns in Japan.

People don't stare at foreigners in Tokyo, just because there are 10s of thousands of them walking around. It's 2009. There is nothing special about a foreigner in Tokyo (Osaka,Yokohama, Kobe, etc...)

Personally, the mugging bit is what I find LEAST unlikely about his post. Crime happens everywhere, and there is a chance that he was unlucky enough for it to happen to him. My husband was mugged once, so I`m not going to be one to say "Oh that can`t be true!"

It`s the OTHER stuff that makes his post look like it`s made up - which ends up making me question the mugging. Not to mention that he wasn`t even in Detroit, and apparently won`t be coming back to show that he is even really from there.

There are a number of things that make the post suspicious. Add them up and the whole thing smells of trolling.

Either way, I`ve lived here 10 YEARS and have yet to encounter a SINGLE no foreigners sign anywhere in the country. Even in Tokyo. Even in red light districts. I`ve also never had people give me nasty looks and tell me to get out of any store, anywhere.

Defending somewhere from accusations that seem totally out of line is not "Japanophiles making excuses for Japan". It`s conveying fact.

I`ve seen you defend China many times noodle - I`m sure you understand that clearing up misconceptions isn`t the same as saying somewhere is a wonderland.

Oh my.

First off, you obviously joined this forum specifically to tell us this, with no other motive, such as becoming a part of the community. You probably planned on looking for any thread where you could possibly recount your tale. This is initially rude. It's kind of like trying to become someone's friend just so that you can use them in some statistics report. It's also known as a form of trolling.

Now, about your experience (if it's true). I can believe in someone getting mugged in broad daylight in Tokyo. If a child can get kidnapped right outside of a police station in my US town, a mugging in Tokyo is possible. I do, however, doubt that it was because you were white. Like MMM said, few Japanese criminals go out of their way to target whites. If anything, they may have targeted the tourist that looked like he might carry almost all of his spending money on him at once.

The no foreigner signs I have a very hard time of believing. I've never been to Japan, but everything I've heard leads me to believe that in Tokyo you only find very many no-foreigner signs in the red-light district, and for a good reason, honestly. Are you sure you didn't maybe catch sight of an old-fashioned guest-house with a no-foreigner sign or something, and then exaggerate it to being that the signs are everywhere? Tokyo's economy would waver a bit if no-foreigner signs were as common as you claim. Westerners are easily offended by that sort of thing, and it would likely be mentioned in travel journals rather often.

Maybe you're just not the type that ought to travel, eh? Perhaps you have a nice comfort zone in your own culture, and leaving it makes you antsy. That's fine, lots of people are like that. I have a feeling you'd have a similar experience with just about any big tourist-destination.

One of the most international cities in the world? I doubt Tokyo can really be called that. From what I can remember, Tokyo population has roughly 2.5% foreigners. Out of those 2.5%, 2/3 are East Asian. So that leaves lets say 1% of foreigners that don't look anything like Japanese.

Therefore, I doubt the Japanese are at all used to seeing foreigners which makes me believe that a tourist that isn't in a typical tourist spot WILL get stares (whether you take it as dirty looks or not depends on your personality. Someone with admiration towards the Japanese will surely not take it as dirty looks, but someone neutral will likely find it uncomfortable and slightly uneasy, especially at first, hence the feeling of dirty looks).
I don't blame people for feeling they are dirty looks. I too felt that in China, I had non stop dirty looks until after the first week when I got used to being where I was and felt a sense of security. Being abroad in a place you don't speak the language is already intimidating, so having people look at you doesn't help until you get used to things.

EDIT: You're probably going to reply something along the lines of, "even if you believe they are dirty looks, they really arn't. They do not mean bad by it"... which is true, but doesn't change the fact that they are dirty looks for some people. Many, believe staring is rude! Just because it is done in Japan without malintent, doesn't mean it's not rude!

Me defending China and this situation are not the same. This person says he just came back from Japan. Me defending China is usually against people that have never stepped foot on China and usually have strong feelings based on what they have seen on TV. So, if someone comes to me and says "when I was in China.... so and so happened...", I will not defend it, the way Japan is being defended right now. Anyway, my main point is that even my Japanese friends here are not so defensive. They don't even deny the fact that there are "Japanese Only" signs scaterred here and there. I'm sure TONS is an exaguration, but it seems pretty obvious that they exist!


EDIT: Anyway, I shouldn't really debate this because I have never been to Japan, but I don't think people should just jump on someone because he's given a negative view of Japan. People need to hear about the Negatives of everywhere, Japan included. I'm sure people will not take it as Japan being a sh*tho*e! The most likely thing it will do is open peoples' eyes and make them realise Japan isn't perfect, which I've seen you guys say before. But saying Japan isn't perfect isn't really that helpful unless you give examples (even extremely rare ones).

This is why the OP is being successful in his facade.

NO ONE gets stares at in Tokyo. You could have two heads, and people will walk past you without a second look. It is similar in that way to New York, London, Hong Kong, etc. It more than the population density of foreigners, but life in a massively huge city.

You can say Tokyo isn't international if you want, but that seems pretty naive to me. How many media outlets, major corporations, fashion designers, etc. have offices in Tokyo? Hell, my podunk home state of Oregon has tourist and business offices in Tokyo. So only 300,000 foreigners, 100,000 of which are Westerners live in Tokyo...that's a pretty significant amount, if your numbers are correct.

Let us say that someone comes along and says "I just got back from China! Everyone threw rocks at me, beat me every time I tried to go into a shop!!! And all the kids were slaves. There were human rights violations everywhere I looked! And everyone was eating dogs! It`s so awful!" ... etc etc - giving examples of an experience seriously removed from what you knew of the country (but not from negative media about China). Don`t you think that maybe, just maybe, you might doubt some of what they were saying? That maybe you might find it hard to believe that they had really visited the country?

I don`t want to fight with you over this, but I don`t think it`s fair of you to snap at those of us who actually have long life experience in Japan saying "Wait a second, that doesn`t sound realistic at all."

ETA; Also, the number of foreigners living in a city is a moot point. More important is the number of foreign tourists on a given day - and there are a TON in Tokyo.

I can imagine the employees shouting "No foreigner!"... That's pretty funny.

I have to be honest, I think you were just unlucky.
In addition to my own experience there, I have met and talked to virtually hundreds of other "foreigners" who have visited and had a great time. This isn't to say that I haven't heard or noticed bad things about Japan; However, in this case, the positives out-weigh the negatives.

If you still like Japan, I think you should definitely give it another try -- perhaps in another city/province. Afterall, no experience is ever exactly same, and if there are bad experiences to be had there, there are also good.

Do these estimations include people who live there as well as people who visit?

MMM, if I ever go to Tokyo, I'll let you know if I think people stare or not. Nothing else I can say apart from that not EVERYONE thinks there is no staring.

Nyororin, this situation isn't nearly as exagurated as your example (speaking from what others have said). But like what I just said to MMM, the only way I can be sure is to actually visit myself.

As for the population thing, I was taking into consideration the tourists, hence the 1% rather than 0.83'% (There're 35k foreign tourists per day in Tokyo, so if you count 35k as living there, the 1% is justifiable). So, it's not a mute point!

I apologise if you think I snaped at you guys! My point was to actually say you guys shouldn't snap. I guess I was slightly hypocritical! Apologies!

1) I have yet to see a "no foreigner" sign here in tokyo, red light districts included. (Could be because im not looking for them?)

2) No one is going to give you funny looks unless you're staring them down expecting one; or do something to deserve it.

3) Ive strolled outside late at night many times and have yet to encounter anything more dangerous than a drunk person wanting to conversate.

4) I'm not quite sure how a mugging could take place in such a crowded metropolitan, its quite rare to ever be alone on the Tokyo streets.

As far as racism, I dont think I have encountered any so far. Maybe a bit of discouragement when I ask if they know english for an explanation or important topic I would feel more using my native tounge.

Everyone has their own image of Japan if they have never visited before. I myself had a few expectations upon my arrival, but its just logic; Japanese people are no different than any other populous in the world, they're just living their lives. The country isnt there to make your dreams come true. That goes to all the fanatic school kids on this forum with the "I want to live in Japan" mentality. Japan is Not an anime, dont expect it to be.

I think part of the issue has to do with emphasis of the unusual or negative.
As an American, you probably aren't used to seeing a "No Foreigners" sign, so finding one (or a few) will have a pretty significant impact on your experience in the country -- and, by extension, your view of the country... Especially, if you are led there by unrealistic expectations and are from an immensely different culture. This argument, however, does not excuse the existence of such signs.

This is just my theory.