Have you encountered discrimination or prejudices in Japan ?

[Mikawa Ossan]

I didn't expect it, because I have lived in such countries as Spain or Italy where I was almost as clearly a foreigner as in Japan, and was never treated much differently from the locals

I came from the USA originally, and as you well know, they have many issues with minorities there. I have always thought of it as a cruel but unyielding fact that minorities face many obstacles that a non-minority has a hard time understanding.
Interestingly enough, I have a Japanese friend who moved to Italy, but finally moved back to Japan because, as she said, "No matter how long I lived there, they never accepted me as one of them." I don't know exactly what she meant, but I assumed it was exactly what this thread is discussing here.

I am fed up of their lack of interest and knowledge for serious subjects.

I know many people who like to talk about serious subjects, but I should clarify. When I talk to co-workers, I never have this problem. When I talk to fellow volunteer members, I do. It really depends on who I'm talking too.

This mostly happened to me when the guy could speak English and addressed me in English as if I looked like an English-speaker.

But you see, the guy spoke to me in JAPANESE without skipping a beat. That's what was so shocking! I was really flattered, actually. It was like the guy didn't even notice I was a foreigner!

On a slightly different note, has a Japanese person ever come up to you at say the train station and asked you for help buying the right ticket? It happened to me once by a little old lady. I don't think she could see so well...