The whole "White people are highly venerated in Asia" thing is about as grounded as "Japan is an otaku haven". Yeah, it's there if you're looking for it, and there are those who purposely play up that image, but actually going there and you'll find that there's still a lot of people who have a dislike for both white people (and otakus). It is strange and for some even attractive. But the more common alternative isn't exactly pleasant.