Foreigners and the Japanese

The most common word for "foreigner" in Japanese is gaijin, written with the characters for outside + person, although since this word has a slightly negative connotation you'll generally hear the softer-sounding gaikokujin -- outside-country-person -- spoken on the news. Foreigners serve many purposes here, teaching English or translating or working as fashion models or manufacturing goods in factories. Since native English speakers usually work as ESL teachers, the first impression most nihonjin have of non-Japanese is the English teacher who taught him to say "apple" and "banana." To the Japanese, we foreigners often come across as overly outgoing, and very emotional, always expressing our joy or dislike on the surface rather than holding it inside, as is more common here. That's part of the general character of gaijin, though, and if we weren't getting excited and going on about something, they'd probably ask us what was wrong. The Japanese have become quite comfortable with the fact that many gaijin are advanced anime otaku, and are no longer very surprised when they encounter a foreign visitor with extensive knowledge about obscure anime and manga.

Native English teachers provide the first impression of gaijin to most Japanese, and yes, this guy looks creepy