Have you encountered discrimination or prejudices in Japan ?

[Maciamo]

So that brings me to the conclusion that is is dependant on the particular person. I dont think it matters on your sex, your looks or your language ability, but on your character at a first glance.

Interesting theory. But I guess it varies with the local population. For example, when I was in Germany, I was asked the way "all the time". In Belgium a few times. In Japan, never. If I am with my wife, they address my wife and completely ignore me. So she has to ask me, but when I explain some people faint not to hear or understand, so my wife has to repeat the exact same words to them. This does not just happen for directions, but anything ! today again at the restaurant, when I asked the waitress to be moved to a non-smoking area, she looked at my wife, who had to repeat what I said to be sure. Yet, if I explain something in Japanese to some students, they understand immediately, because they know I speak Japanese and are not taken aback when I start speaking it.

I find this strange, because whenever a foreigner asks me something in my home country (or anywhere else), whatever their looks and the language they use, I have never been particularily surprised, and never to freeze like the Japanese do. I wonder if they have this disposition to freeze in the genes, like some animal freeze and feign to be dead when they see a predator.