Are Japanese xenophobic?

Buntaro said:

The YouTuber named Paolo makes a very good point in the video linked to below. The idea of teamwork is very strong in Japan, and one way this manifests is how Japanese people are very courteous and try not to inconvenience other people. At 2:53 in the video Paolo tells us how Japanese do not stand in the way on a sidewalk and try to move to the side so they don't block the sidewalk. When foreigners do this, Japanese people see this as very rude. Look at 3:24 and you will see how Japanese people stand to the side to keep the sidewalk clear for people walking by.

It is these kinds of things that cause many Japanese people to 'have a problem with foreigners'.

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• I agree with Buntaro that people generally try not to stand in the way of others. If they pay attention, that is. I often find situational awareness severely lacking, especially in the urban context, aggravated by noise-cancelling headphones and keitai zombyism.
• (Non-)compliance with traffic regulations, especially by pedestrians and cyclists.
• Squatting? I thought this was a Japanese pastime.
• Have you ever ridden on a train with scores of high-school pupils on board? I wish they taught train manners at school.
• Foreigners talking too loud? Sometimes they might, but I guess the irritation stems from non-Japanese talking in foreign tongues most Japanese don't understand. There certainly are lots of Japanese "loud speakers" around, too.

thomas said:

keitai zombyism.

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