Japan is different from most of the rest of developing Asia...and frankly the honesty level there is probably the best you'll find anywhere in the world. You have to know your own limitations, so maybe China is indeed not the place for you, at least not as an independent traveler.

Interesting that when I visit my home country (the USA), I am constantly on my guard for violence, theft, carjacking, etc. Which I never worry about anywhere in Asia. Go figure. The difference is in Asia, YOU can be in control of your surroundings and who you deal with, you just have to not play the chump. In the USA, sh*t comes to you with little warning and you have less control. This week, you can ask people minding their own business in a California beauty salon about that one.