''there are "no foreigner" signs, a lot of landlords won't let you rent an apartment if you're a foreigner''

I read something about that in my English class. A man of third generation Japanese-Canadian went in Japan and a ryokan owner didn't want to let him stay there for the night when he learned he wasn't Japanese even if he looked like one of them. The ryokan owner was afraid about shoes on the tatami, etc. Personally, most of the time, I don't wear shoes inside and I'm from Canada.