A South Asian American traveler to Osaka reports experiencing unexpected consideration and warmth from locals, directly challenging widespread claims about anti-South Asian racism in East Asia.
"I'm making this to challenge the claim that all east asian countries are racist against south asians (something I've read on some reddit posts)," the traveler wrote on r/solotravel. "What I experienced was like 'reverse racism'. Yes people noticed that I look different and instead of giving me a hard time, they tried to make my experience easier for me as a foreign tourist."
The post, which garnered 89 upvotes and 31 comments, details multiple encounters during a 2025 Osaka visit where staff went out of their way to accommodate dietary restrictions and language barriers.
Small Gestures, Big Impact
At a takoyaki shop in Dotonbori, the cashier asked "pork or no pork?" - demonstrating awareness of dietary restrictions. "I thought that was very considerate of him," the traveler noted.
In a Pokemon shop, an employee brought a shopping basket when she noticed the traveler carrying multiple plushies. She then helped explain whether items were washing machine safe, leading to a conversation where "we were both laughing at the awkwardness" of communicating through broken Japanese and rusty English.
Another Pokemon shop cashier, seeing the figures being purchased, said "Good choice!" and became excited when learning the customer was American, finding it "very exciting that pokemon is so popular in the US."
At the expo, a gift shop cashier gave a free notebook as a "presento" with a purchased paper fan, while event workers proactively offered translated audio assistance.
Big City Hospitality vs. Rural Concerns
The traveler explicitly noted these experiences occurred in , a major city, and couldn't speak to smaller towns or villages - an important caveat for travelers planning rural itineraries.
