Why don't the Japanese differentiate more between foreigners ?

[Mikawa Ossan]

I may not be Japanese, but as a permanent resident married to a Japanese, speaking Japanese and knowing at least as much about Japan as most Japanese, I think it would be unfair to put me with the "tourists", as Mike call them.

I don't disagree, but just by looking at you, no one can possibly know that.

Then they should do it better, based on stricter and more accurate criteria. For example, if people from "x country" steal a lot of bicycles in Tokyo, no need to stop people from "y country" (assuming they look distinctly different). What are statistics made for ? Contemplating ?

But you're talking about average people. How many of them do you think actually know or care what the statistics like that are? Also, no one can possible know for certain what country you're from just by looking at you.

No, I don't frequent "bad people", whatever their nationality (well as far as I know). In fact I had never heard of foreigner not paying their bills properly in Japan. But I admit knowing very few foreigners in Japan outside this forum.

Well, I try to avoid "bad people", too, but when I did Eikawa, I knew foreigners who did the darndest things. Every last one of them was a white American, Austalian, Brit, or Canadian (No Belgians, though ). Why does race matter? Because that's what people SEE.

As I don't know many foreigners in Japan, it's difficult to answer. But anyone who had stayed at least one year in Japan should speak japanese well enough to answer such basic things.

Maybe they should, but I don't think most of them do. And even if they do, just by looking at someone, you can't know how long s/he has been in Japan or his/her Japanese ability.

I was wearing a suit and riding a bicycle, so the guy should have guessed that :
1) I was not a tourist but somebody working there habitually (so I probably knew at least some Japanese)
2) I probably lived in the area if I was on my bicycle (so I knew the area)

From this, his judgement was forcedly mistaken, and his reaction must have been that :

1) Foreigners, even living and working in Japan, cannot possibly speak Japanese (=> racist assumption)
2) Or he just didn't want to talk to a foreigner (cowardice or xenophobia)

I am sorry, but my way of thinking based on logics and deductions, and if I am wrong I cannot see right now what element I may have missed in my reasoning.

I think we probably agree on a lot more than we disagree on. It's probably just our different ways of interpreting the same thing. I think your suit and bicycle are non-issues, because there are other explanations. I would say that based on what that guy saw, he could reasonable assume that you were an honest, clean person, but little else.

I don't mean to put you on the defensive, and I'm sorry if it sounds that way. I used to feel very similar to how I think you do, so I'm just trying to help you find a less stressful approach to your situation.