I was surprised at how much I heard Debito's name thrown around in the late 90's. I didn't even need to look into him to know what kind of guy he was, and the first time I saw his picture I just shrugged; He was exactly how I thought he was.
It was also surprising that his rise in 'fame' was also the time of decline for the rockstar english teacher type of guy. A lot of girls began to make fun of english teachers and by the end of the 2000's Japanese girls were more discerning in their taste for foreign men. This had the two fold benefit of making the desperate 'loser' foreign dudes more aggressive and therefore more outcast, and also for Japan's tolerance to guys like Debito to reach an all time low.
I still know a number of long term foreigners in Japan but I see it less common now that someone will put down real family roots. Many are just not ready to actually commit to cultural amnesia, which is essentially what the Japanese require. And even then, good luck being accepted.
Oddly, the most accepted westerner I know is a trash talking farmer who lives in rural Oita. She gets shittered in the baseball stands with local oyaji, hacking darts and cheering local teams. She hops on her shitty old bike after the game and wobbles her way back to her farm. She is a land owner, outspoken in local politics, and is pretty attractive. She speaks near perfect local dialect and many of her mannerisms come from the local farmers and oyaji she spends her time with. She has been pretty well accepted, and besides skin color you might think she was 100% local. But even then, she admits that she will probably be back in Canada one day.
