nice overview Karmoon. It does paint a completely different picture then the one that guy painted. From your personal accounts including the whole post 9/11 thing Japan sounds far more benevolent then the abusive story. but then again that was over a decade ago. Foreign policies could've changed slightly, becoming more strict in some places. I guess what it all boils down to is our own personal experiences.
Heh. Tell you what. Why don't you actually GO to Japan and make up your own mind?
I'd love to go there someday as I seem to have an unknown attraction to that place since first being exposed to th culture. But I don't like traveling alone which is THE major drawback.