It is true that there is some ignorance and misunderstandings between Westerners too, but not to the same level as seen in Japan.
The kind of stereotypes or generalizations Europeans have between themselves are usually limited to : Germans eat sausages and wear flashy shirts on holiday; Brits drink tea and are Euroskeptics, Dutch people are stingy and travel with a caravan, Italian people speak fast, loud and are often excited, etc. These may be stereotypes, but at least there is some truth in it.
But never have I seen a Westerner asking another Westerner (from a different) country if they also had vegetable graters in their country, and then make an astonished face with a rude "eeeeh" of disbelief when they were told that "yes". So the problem of the Japanese is not just one of ignorance, but attitude to ignorance. They just can't hide their contempt and sense of superiority, although it is disguised under the appearance of naivete (but believe me, when it comes to business or sex, the Japanese are NOT naive).
When I was in India or South East Asia, the people were less well educated than in Japan, most had never been abroad (whereas 90% of the Japanese I frequently associated with had been abroad, often to Western countries). I have heard stereotypical statements, but never as naive as in Japan, and not always as a comparison to their own country in a way that clearly meant that their culture or society was superior, like I usually felt in Japan.
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