Absolutely. In my personal experience (approximately a year and a half spread over roughly five years of long-term stays for work in Japan), most Japanese are kind and considerate people. They don’t always understand gaijin any more than gaijin always understand them. But the stereotype of Japanese as xenophobic racists is really reductive and about as constructive as applying that stereotype to any other culture.
My hosts would sometimes laugh at something I did differently. They weren’t being cruel. There are absolutely some Japanese humans who are jerks.
Caveat: I have more privilege than the average gaijin, and racism and sexism are harmful anywhere in the world.
Over the years, I’ve had the happy opportunity to teach maybe a half dozen willing mealtime companions how to use chopsticks. It usually takes a few minutes. And I’m not doing anything special, just teaching as I was taught. I found chopsticks to be an incredibly useful utensil for many (but by no means all) dishes long before I ever set foot in Japan. That said, if someone doesn’t want to use them or wants to use their hands or anything else, life is short so get that deliciousness into your mouth anyway you want.
If I were aboard a Klingon warship, I’d be the one p’takh eating gagh with chopsticks.
