I wouldn't say that Japan was "safer" or "cleaner" than other countries though. There are different dangers in Japan, depending where you go and who you are. It can also be really dirty too. Also, the Hub chain has a bit of a rep for being pickup places for foreigners, but to be honest, although I've gotten a fair amount of attention when I've been sometimes, it's never yielded me a girlfriend from there (even though some girls piled on the compliments and in some cases, approached me first there).