Play the hand you are dealt. People are going to hate you or be fascinated by you for being a foreigner. That is just a fact of life living in Japan so deal with it or better yet use it to your advantage when you can. Be strong and smart w/o being an ass and you can do good here. One thing that is certain about Japan is that the Japanese do respect strength.

My children dominate in Japanese schools. Academically I do my job as a parent by making them study and by sending them to the same after school cram schools as their Japanese counterparts. However being fluent in English is a MAJOR plus in schools here and my children excel because of it. Physically my children are strong due to genetics, good diet, playing sports and the fact I been lifting weights with them since they were in Elementary school. My son is an instant starter in any sport he chooses to play (which is now rugby) and my daughter was just selected to represent our prefecture (state) in the national all-star basketball tournament.

Perhaps some shameless bragging but none of this came easy, a lot of hard work was involved. The Japanese are racist, sure that is true but everywhere I have lived I have seen racism. Foreigners can and do succeed in Japan all the time