Regarding Yu Sato's Sept. 28 letter, "No offense intended to 'gaijin' ": I have been to Japan only once (I am going again in November), and I can honestly say that I have never been treated with more courtesy by anyone. The word "gaijin" (foreigner) doesn't bother me. I've been called worse by my own countrymen. Being Scottish, I have had all the usual comments and nicknames from English people: "jock," "haggis," etc. It's something you get used to.
To me "gaijin" is just another word. If I were cornered by gangsters who wanted to smash my brains in for looking at them and they called me "gaijin" while pummeling me, then it might hurt a wee bit. I can understand why some Japanese people might be reluctant to welcome those of us from Europe or America. We bring so much cultural baggage with us. Basically I don't care what people call me. Japan is my favorite place on Earth, and I'm happy just to be there for however long.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.