Quote Originally Posted by Taiko666 View Post
It's amazing that you've never seen it with your own eyes.
I'm no party animal, but by the time I'd been in Japan only one year I'd already been refused entry to 4 ('normal') bars specifically for not being Japanese (in Ogikubo, Nishi-Ogikubo and Harajuku.)
But then, reading your post further, it seems you have seen it with your own eyes, at least twice...
Actually, no, I have never seen a sign like that even once. I was told vocally once, and I'll freely admit that, but I have never seen a sign like that.
Your acceptance/approval of this discrimination makes very depressing reading. Even the guy's intolerance of non-Japanese speaking people is bad enough, but he goes one further and has a 'no foreigner' policy unless you can convince him that you're not 'like a foreigner.'
Actually it was just if you could convince him that you spoke Japanese.

And as I said, I agreed with him after hearing his story. It's somewhere else, but let me relate it to you again as best as I remember.

The barber never used to have such a policy, and gladly served foreign customers. I assume that he never had many foreign clients before, but he had nothing against them.

Then one day a Brazilian couple came in. I think what happened was the man wanted a hair cut and explained what he wanted through the woman, but she left immediately afterwards. The barber did the best he could with what he was told.

Finally the man saw his haircut and was furious. He kept yelling something or another, but of course the poor barber couldn't understand a thing. I don't remember the story very well after this point, but anyway, you get the point.

He decided he didn't want a repeat of that and changed his policy.

I thought it was a rational choice.
Whatever one might think about Debito's controversial style, it's obvious that you and he are on opposite sides of the fence. He expends a considerable amount of time and energy opposing discrimination, while you seem to accept and even excuse it.
I think life is too short to search out for things that make you unhappy.

I suppose that I should add that I am of the opinion that if you plan to stay for more than a short vacation, I think you should try to learn the local language of any country you go to.

Perhaps I am wrong, but personally I don't find mild discrimination of non-citizens nearly as problematic as discrimination of citizens. Yes, there are human rights and they are to be observed and respected. But being allowed into a certain drinking establishment/onsen/etc. is not an inalienable human right in my opinion.

I live in a country of which I am not a citizen. I am a minority. However I am able to freely enter into contracts, live and work where I want to, participate in the national medical and pension systems, live without fear of religious or ethnic persecution, and make friends with whome I chose.

It is not a perfect society or place to live, no place is, but the minor restrictions and inconveniences I have to face to live out my life as I have chosen are very small indeed. Nothing in life comes for free, and I just see it as the price I pay to be a foreign national.