[Sangetsu]

Racism does exist in Japan, but it's very subtle, and most foreigners would not even notice when it occurs. Foreigners are very rarely called names (baka gaijin!), or harassed in any way, but in some Japanese you'll see an obvious change in manners when they are dealing with a foreigner. This change would be considered quite rude to other Japanese, but foreigners are generally oblivious to it.

As a rule, Japanese parents are horrified at the thought of their daughter dating a foreigner. But that horror usually does not extend itself to making their daughter's new boyfriend unwelcome in her parent's house. The parents will be polite, because being polite is an even greater rule. My girlfriend put off my meeting her parents for years, I suppose she wanted to make sure that I learned enough manners and language (though both her parents speak good English) to avoid being an embarrassment. I get along well with her family, with the exception of her father. He is polite, but not particularly friendly or personable.

As for Japanese girls, I doubt that some of you expressing your opinions here have ever had a face-to-face conversation with a real, live, Japanese girl. Personality-wise, they are the same as girls anywhere else. Cultural differences, and the fact that many foreigners are teachers, tend to make them more approachable than women outside Japan. Women who hang out in bars or clubs are approachable as a rule, regardless of which country you happen to be in.