How long does it take to be accepted in a Japanese community?

Have you had the experience where you felt like you where not completely connected with a Japanese friend.

I live near a port and every July the locals take their fishing boats out to Kanzanji park to watch fireworks from the sea.
It's an experience that normally you wouldn't have.

Lots of laughs, foods, and drinks.
Watching the great Japanese fireworks.
We felt like one, equals and friends.

After a few weeks passed by from the day we went to see the fireworks.
One of the people that was on the boat was with his local friends and I approached with the same vibe when we met at the boat.

Something felt different.

It seemed as he was minding who he was with.
It's hard to understand why he behaved this way if you are new to this country. Japanese people change the way they act and how they interact in certain situations.

Living on a compact island with so many people.
They have learned how to keep peace by knowing where they stand within the group.

If you are older with in that group, the younger people will act with respect.
The same people that were in the younger group will act differently when they are the older one in a different group.

So where do foreigners come in?

There is a Sempai Kohai relation and also a local or non local relation.
Foreigners or Gaijin are non locals, they know how they need to interact with you. It takes time and effort to really be accepted as an equal.

Weird but interesting culture.
Japanese people are good at keeping a tight but Strong relation.
Where as foreigners tend to have broader relations but not as strong relations with the Japanese people.