Just for the context of my experience with international people was in person (to reference your point on internet vs person), but I agree internet and in person vary. I also would probably agree to US people are overbearing which can be both sweet and icebreaker or "OH MY GOD GET OFF ME DUDE" lol. My wife, who wasn't born here, is almost appalled that I (and others to me) greet each other even though we don't know each other just as we're walking around (context being it's a casual walk, if you hit main cities it's usually too busy to do that).
That said the propensity to be 'xenophobic' has been something I've seen, and hear, very frequently both online and offline for Japanese - though all of this is mostly from 5 year old information. I assume, like most social issues, they'll slightly oscillate but almost always are trending upwards aka improving (for most places at least). As I don't do some of the things that put me in contact with people as often now, more of a quiet life lol. This also lines up historically.. so I wouldn't think it's out of bounds or rude or vaguely inaccurate to call out that this is probably a 'downside' (just like having some person approach you for no good reason and start asking you weird question you didn't want to answer, AND GIVING THEIR OPINONS ON IT lol, might be a downside for Americans).
Also can confirm that the usual response to why they excluded others or were more in a group was because of fear of looking bad / disrespect. But the thing is because they did it the other people felt they were rude lol, so the fear of looking bad made them look bad. Did not play out in their favor. I addressed this to some of the more open to communicate and they made direct attempts to fix that which was endearing. (This isn't a post to say how evil the Japanese are lol, just that I find that people tend to not have a very international view and will usually make one sided comments or worse weirdly biased ones.. like when you see "worse racism is in X country, everywhere else is a paradise" and anyone with any sense of outside is like.. "LOL".. though that doesn't change the importance of solving whatever issue is to be had. Nothing really gets done if everyone is doing 'whataboutisms'.



. Did not play out in their favor. I addressed this to some of the more open to communicate and they made direct attempts to fix that which was endearing. (This isn't a post to say how evil the Japanese are lol, just that I find that people tend to not have a very international view and will usually make one sided comments or worse weirdly biased ones.. like when you see "worse racism is in X country, everywhere else is a paradise" and anyone with any sense of outside is like.. "LOL".. though that doesn't change the importance of solving whatever issue is to be had. Nothing really gets done if everyone is doing 'whataboutisms'.
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