Why do the Japanese make so much fuss about "gaijin" ?

[lexico]

Well that what happens when you're not exposed to the outside world that often. If you lived in a small community all your life and have never seen a foreigner before in your life (except on television or whatever) it's easy to be supsicous or just simply very clueless. I mean, to me. When you're stared at are even gawked at I think it's only because people simpy don't know anything. Am I saying it's just a display of ignorance? Yes.

You raise three very important key ideas here, MaCherie. 1) isloation 2) ignorance 3) gawking. Let me add a fourth, 4) responding to gawking.

1) isolation & 2) ignorance: Geographyand history are in the past and cannot be helped. But is it seen as a problem as such or an obstacle to be hurdled depends on how one thinks about isolation and ignorance. Are the Japanese viewing these as something positive, something negative but without any possibility of improving, or something that can be fixed by planning and work. It seems that some people are disappointed with the complacency the Japanese are expressing. It is a legitimate question to ask, why not do something about it ?

3) gawking: As a natural result of isolation and ignorance, gawking at novel sights is understandable. Even if the British appropriateness is applied, and somehow people refrain from gawking, is it much better ? A little maybe ?

4) response to gawking: One can choose to accept the situation, and not take offense whenever seen with uncomfortable gazes. or become ever more sensitive and reactionary by the strange treatment. This is also a cultural matter that is similar to problems resulting from 1) and 2). Why can it not be helped ?

Going back to the problem of ignorance, it's not inherently bad to be ignorant. A lot will depend on how one goes about "ignorance." Some thing's gotta give to meet on middle ground, but as long as 2) ignorance and 4) reaction refuse to change and improve upon their past, not much will happen. Do the two have any mutual respect for each other ? Neither party would easily admit to being in the wrong; aren't humans all like that wherever you go ?

[Maciamo]

Going back to the problem of ignorance, it's not inherently bad to be ignorant. A lot will depend on how one goes about "ignorance." Some thing's gotta give to meet on middle ground, but as long as 2) ignorance and 4) reaction refuse to change and improve upon their past, not much will happen. Do the two have any mutual respect for each other ? Neither party would easily admit to being in the wrong; aren't humans all like that wherever you go ?

There is ignorance and "display of one's ignorance". I'd say that 90% of the people in developed countries are quite ignorant (regarding general knowledge, not specific knowledge related to one's occupation) by my standards, and this comes close to 100% in not so developed countries (except maybe India).

In my experience, the Japanese don't seem to be much ashamed by their own ignorance (maybe because knowledge is less valued than in Europe) in the way they ask some questions (eg "Is there McDonald in America ?") or their readiness to display their ignorance (eg. "Is Argentina in Europe ?", "Is Uganda a country ?"). Does the ignorant part of the USA also behave like this ? I think they tend to keep it between them, and the people who don't know don't really want to know anyway.

What startles me in Japan is that many people want to know and ask lots of questions to foreigners, but are ignorant anyway. My question is, if they are so interested in learning about "other countries" (gaikoku), why don't they just open an encyclopedia or atlas and start learning by themselves (like I have always done since my childhood) ? If they do, they must have serious memory problems (so I can only assume they do not, and the interest they show when meeting foreigners is just hypocritical politeness in most cases).