trouble making japanese friends

Well I am an English teacher here in Japan, and I will tell you frankly that so far since the 4 and a half months I have lived in Japan, I have no Japanese friends, only Filippinos, blacks and Latino expats I have as friends. Japanese are a xenophobic people and it takes longer for you to make friends with Japanese, even if you are studying the language.
Most of all, don`t get too opinionated in touchy subjects dealing with religion and politics. As for feminism, Japanese women have a different kind of feminism than western women and I know this will hurt but western feminism is rejected by Japanese people, and I who hails from Canada does not support the western feminist ideology either.
So the best thing to do if you don`t have Japanese friends is to start with making friends with foreigners only. I don`t want to advocate Jim Crow or anything like that, but that is the best way to start out. If you belong to a religious organization, go to a Japanese congregation and see what result you may get from there.

I agree with what a previous poster said, you may come off as trying to make friends just because they are Japanese and not because you like them as people. I live in Japan and nothing turns me off faster than language/culture leeches who just want to have an American friend. They mean well and it comes out of an interest in my country, but I'd rather have friends who share my interests as opposed to a friendship based on suiting someone else's interests.

Japanese people are also very sensitive to people who are KY (can't read the atmosphere of a situation) so try and read body language and tell where you're going wrong in the conversation.

Yeah, I feel kinda ridiculous for coming on too strong. In my friend's case, when she's forward, its fine with the Japanese, but when I'm forward, I get blown off. We're both black hispanic, but she's tinier and has a cute little shape whereas I packed on a few pounds this winter...
maybe the japanese kids perfer her because she's small and petite (she's 4'9, I'm 5'0), and maybe not so petite... lol. But then again, looks probably have nothing to do with it, or I hope that they don't. I also have really huge breasts and I think it freaks the japanese girls and boys out alike. I dunno, comparing myself to my friend makes her more of a rival than a friend... which makes things more strange, she doesn't speak an ounce of japanese and I'm pretty fluent.

I find people trying to make friends with me all the time just because I'm Scottish, a Highlander Scottish to be more exact.

Let me tell you, it gets on my nerves so much. It's a horrible experience because you know they don't like you because you're you, but just because you're of a certain culture and nationality.

You may want to cut that out, it's probably the reason they're not enjoying your company because you're making them feel a bit crappy, because they know what's going on.

You may had wanted to mention you're not in Japan first, though.

Try and make friends with people because you want to be friends with them, not because of their nationality.

Are you trying to speak with them in English or Japanese? You say you're "pretty fluent" but a lot of people tend to overestimate their own language ability and most Japanese people aren't used to communicating with non-native speakers in Japanese and so have trouble with accents and poor word choice, plus a lot of people get annoyed if it seems someone is trying to squeeze language practice into a conversation that is going just fine (even if you're just doing it to try to make them comfortable). If they didn't speak any English it would be fine, but if you're in an English speaking country and they want to speak English it is better to do that (just like a lot of foreigners who speak Japanese find it rude when people of lower English ability insist on speaking English in Japan).

No one can speak all languages, so English historically became an universal language. It could be German now with a different history :)

While English appears to be THE universal language (actually there are many many versions of international English) it never ceases to amaze me how many people can speak French around the world.

In Japan of course (there are also lots of French restaurants, bread and pastries shops etc. in Japan) but also in the USA, China, the Middle East, South America, India, Vietnam, Africa and all over Europe.

Have a look at TV5, an international TV chanel in French..

You sound like you're an extrovert (you depend heavily on outside influences), so this might seem a little strange, but if you're really talkative, maybe try to tone it down a little? The Japanese in general are very shy and try to keep everyone in the group happy. If you're very vocal in your opinions or you try to get the group to do something without hearing everyone's feelings first, you'll come off as selfish (which is seen as a very negative trait in Japan - less so than America).

In all honesty and I don't mean to be blunt, but it sounds like you're trying too hard. Be yourself - don't try to get them to like you. Just be who you are BUT try to keep others feelings in mind.

A side note - you'll benefit from reading the book "Getting Along with the Japanese" by Kate Elwood. Japanese ideas of friendship and relationships in general are a little different from ours. Friendship doesn't mean you hang out constantly - you're considered a good friend if you're dependable and kind, although you'll benefit from group activities as well.

Have you tried joining a club that interests you? Maybe a fresh start is what you need. Don't let a little difficulty ruin your experience abroad. I'm a Japanese major as well and I'll be studying in Japan starting in September.