Here's a great excerpt from the Loco in Yokohama blog about teaching English in Japan:

I teach them how to interact with people they wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to interact with. And I think every student that spends three years with me will go out into the world with little or no fear of the un-alike. To me that is much more important than whatever English they might be able to retain from my lessons. I mean, most of them will never use English in their lives…but what I teach them will probably make them more inclined to open their minds…if I can even approach achieving that goal, then I feel I’ve done a world of good. I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. And the students benefit, as well.  It’s a win-win.

Loco is a Black-American male like myself but the quote is applicable to all foreign teachers here. Japan is a very homogeneous country and it's surprisingly (for someone coming from a mixed American city) rare for anyone--students and professionals alike--to come into contact with people who are "different". Here's to remembering that as English teachers, not only are we teaching the language, we're also teaching diversity.