Have you encountered discrimination or prejudices in Japan ?

[jmwintenn]

Police have no right to ask a person to identify themselves without just cause. Since you have never been to Japan, I thought I should explain that.

well,the "just cause" of it would to make sure you're there legally,which is what I was trying to imply. I honestly see no harm in that. I agree police can abuse their powers, and often do.

Then why stop only the foreigners on bikes and not all people?

I'm sure they have stopped Japanese citizens before, and I hope you don't argue against that.

Not legally they don't.

Really? A privately owned business doesn't have the right to turn anyone they think won't/can't make the payments away? That's the arguement I'm sure they use, or something similar, and it'll probably hold.

Since you admit you have absolutely no experience in this matter related to Japan, you are not going to understand. "Get over it" is an expression to use only if you have a justifiable experienced reason. I prefer to say "Learn to adapt", but people should also know what to expect before they come here (or learn as much as possible).

Those "funny looks" you pooh-pooh can make some people pretty uncomfortable. Try sitting on a bus or train and have nearly every set of eyes on you simply because you look different. Do this day in and day out.

I'll admit I won't understand it since it's related to Japan, but I can empathize. I moved to MS the last semester of my senior year this past January. It was a town with a population of 1,300. The principal of the school had me running in circles for 21 days before he finally caved(because I had notarized papers from the state) and let me enroll. He wouldn't put me in honors classes like I had before, even though there was room. He pretty much made the last 5 months of high school as crappy as he could for me. I didn't do anything to him, at my father's urging, he didn't like me because I wasn't "from 'round there." Also everyone in the town(and kids in class) would stare at me when I went somewhere. The first month I was there no one would say anything to me, just stared at me.

Personally, I like quiet, so I didn't mind(about the staring). I will yeild that some people can't handle it, but I'll also say that they shouldn't put themselves in a position they cannot handle.

The funny part, my Tennessee homie, is that the ones who complain the loudest and hardest about Japanese noticing they are foreigners (and treating them as foreigners) very often owe their ability to make a living in Japan to using their foreignness as a commodity.

English teachers getting pissed off because Japanese assume they speak English and therefore belong in a Monty Python sketch.

Honestly, it doesn't surprise me. When I heard someone say "they'd rather be a popular idiot than a lonely genius" , I knew things had hit the ceiling.