There's all these threads on page 1 popping up right now complaining about the leveled blocks, or Premium, or how full the blocks are, or how limited the blocks are, or something, and there's always been a general feel of uneasiness amongst the English community for whatever reason.

I never played JP Episode 3 or JP PSU - the last times I remember a Japanese version being so important, and plus, these games required a Japanese subscription (and imported copy!) so unlike PSO2, the English communities were probably not as big. PSO2 is probably the first time the Japanese servers are having such a huge influx of non-Japanese players.

You have to remember that this is the Japanese release of a video game, and Sega must therefore appropriately cater - if that's even an appropriate way to put it - to Japanese players. Just because a bunch of westerners come out of nowhere, they have no obligation to cater to us. But at the same time, that doesn't mean they hate us or they're trying to phase westerners out by slapping numbers on block names. In fact, if they actually did dislike westerners, like so many people have been saying, the game would have been region-blocked and non-Japanese IPs would be barred from even being able to get on. They want to let us play. Japanese players like us around.

The leveled blocks were probably planned all along. There were up to 50ish blocks in Open Beta, and they added level suggestions to the block names on release. This is an appropriation of the block system and meant to aid new players.

Also, here's a world clock site:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Japanese players are on at the same time as we are... in our own time zone. So when it's 6 PM through past 11 PM, that's primetime. Considering that PSO2, especially as a free game, might just be a big release in Japan, a lot of online game players should know by now what happens during primetime on release week of any online game. They work and sleep like most everyone else in the world does, and for American players, they work just as hard as we do, so they play just as hard too.

Think about it: There are probably some Japanese players that are blaming the full servers on western players. It's just opening day congestion for everybody.

Sega of Japan aren't aliens that are out to get you, and won't understand you just because they speak a crazy 'moonrune' language. In fact, on American terms, by the standards of American English and the scary statistics and stereotypes about the literacy of English, a bunch of Japanese probably know their way around English more than a bunch of other players.