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Tachikoma - Don't be surprised by the question - "Why are you speaking Japanese?". They are just either trying to show of their English. OR 1000 times more likely, used to stupid F-ing gaijin who are arrogant enough to speak in English to a Japanese person prior to the Japanese person confirming they understand English!

Sample questions to me from Japanese university friends -

Why don't gaijin ask if I can speak English before they talk
Why don't they learn Japanese
Why do they think I speak English

Very true. I reckon young people are getting more and more pissed with gaijin in Japan who just bellow at them in English. You know I understand tourists like that, but I know people whol live in Japan and do not try. But tourists can be bloody awful, taking pictures of people without permission and not even using set questions from the back of a guide book.

I saw this one guy in a perfume shop in Harajuku yelling "How much?" three times to the staff. And the staff said to him in Japanese, "I hate serving people like you" (quite funny!). She did not help him and he left. So yeah people are starting to get a bit pissed off.

Some of my friends who speak English even pretend they don't to rude gaijin! And do not get me started on the gaijin Nanpa who have turned up in Shibuya! I watched this one chancer speaking to every girl that passed in English. They all practically ran off. I did not think it would be possible to have a lower success rate than the guys on Takeshita street in Shinjuku - at least they try to nanpa in Japanese!

Well that was another rant. I don't know what it is about this thread...

 

I tried to speak some japanese, but my pronuciation sucks and nobody understood me , so I chose to write in japanese what I wanted, and show it to the staff

 

That's probably more impressive than speaking :nod:

Yakumo

 

Agreed - writing is nails

I have two close friends in Japan. One is 21 and I met him in Manchester when we were living in halls. He's really cool and we know each other really well. He knows that I can understand a bit of Japanese and he roughly knows how much I can speak, by allowing me to just try. He also knows I can understand situations, and he never asks me to speak Japanese to anyone else - I almost always try, or ask him for help.

My other friend is 29 (I am 24) and he is also a Ph.D student. We all go out (me and the previously mentioned 21 year old) and this is when I get annoyed sometimes. I put up with it for the most part, here's an example of when I get pissed off:

We were all having a drink and some yakitori, when this other guy turns around and starts speaking english. He's an ex-JAL pilot and wants to practice some English and he can tell I am not American and wonders where I am from. Fine, no problem, this is a nice situation. He talks to the waitress and she brings over 3 beers to our table. He's obviously just bought us a round - but mr.29 then turns to me and says, in English "He's just bought us these drinks, so you should say thank you. in Japanese". Now, Mr.29 knows my ability quite well, but he has a habit of completely embarrassing me sometimes. The last time he did this (above example) I said "I know he did" then said "Thank you" to the guy.

Later that evening, after more drinks, the waitress told me I was handsome. How sweet. She, however, is not pretty. At all. Completely not my type and needs her teeth operating on immediately (another rant in there about Japanese teeth). When she's gone, Mr.29 tells me that I should tell her she's cute, so I think; ok, I'll say I will, but I will just forget about it.

Next time she comes over, Mr.29 says " (MY NAME) has something to say", so then I say "なに？", then he just says "remember, you want to say something", so I just say "(waitress)はかわいいです". She giggles, says thank you, blushes and leave. Mean will, 外人さん is sat here feeling like a fucking dancing monkey.

/rant over

I know he is being friendly and all that, but really, he is showing people that I can speak some Japanese. My other friend at 21 years old already knows I can speak a bit and I join in where I can. If I order 生三つ it is not some amazing world-stopping event. Welcome to the closed-country of Japan.
Everyone is surprised I can read things, or understand things.

/second rant over

My friend (English) just got A at AS level Japanese; we're in the same class but I didn't sit the exam because I was away on work. Thing is, he's much, much better than me, but to be honest, I used to care but don't now. I want to be able to get by, hell even be fluent one day, but I am not going to carry a Kanji book around with me all day. I used to. Give me a DS or my NGPC to carry around any day, I will dedicate a few hours a week to Japanese - not my life.

 

Give "Nazotte oboeru otona no kanji renshu - (kanzenban)" (NDS) a try. You need some level of understanding written Japanese (maybe 2-kyu level) though, otherwise it can be frustrating.

@Rants about Japanese making compliments when you say "arigato" or want to through some random English at you: these could go on forever so I don't even start. Either you learn to be very patient with people (like you seem to be) or you freak out (what everyone does at some point, I guess).

 

I have a few Kanji games that are really good fun actually. There's one about some "square bird" that's really cute.

Hopefully, I am patient enough with it. I won't lose my rag with my friend, but I might tell him next time he stops an entire conversation, just to explain something I already have realised, or for me to say something, I will just say "thanks (name), but I can understand ".

I am not telling a girl she's cute like that again. Was so awkward. I am blaming him being a lightweight.

 

lol, even my working colleagues for now over 3 years are surprised everytime from the new, when i come up with something they never expected i do know about (オォ～、良く知ってるね。。）.
just get used to it, and i know they're not such familiar with foreigner and how to handle 'em as probably we european (an american) are.
most of 'em never had any relations or confrontations to foreigner in their whole life. so i'm not that surprised about their behavior from time to time^^

 

Sure, but in this example, my friend speaks good english and has many friends, works with an Irish lad, is 29 and should realise how awkward things are. Afterwards, the 21yr old said he thought it was really awkward... I dunno, there's showing off your friends, and then treating them like complete outsiders... 外人ね

 

Keep the rantings, it's a very funny read

 

Sitting in departures of Kansai airport right now, totally pissed after an all nighter. 19 hour flight coming up, joy!

Mr 29 fancies this girl from the yakitori restaurant, and she ended up asking me how many times a week do I wank (after much prompting from Mr 21) and then we all discussed whether we are S or M personalities. I am an S. 29 is an M but says he is an S and 21 is an M - by a mile.

Why do I always see so many hot women in airports? There are loads around here. They don't walk around Manchester. that's for sure. I also know the KLM staff will consist of at least one hotty.

Some local guy that knows the owner of the yakitori place that I have spoken to a few times (the guy, not the place) came in and then was told it was my last night. He went home and burnt me an AV DVD. Seriously weird night.

About 12 btw.

 

Bless her heart. Get her number.

 

got her mail, but I am now in amsterdam, on my way back. Hey ho!

I use watashi mostly btw.

 

Sounds like you'll have to wait for her to visit. As a resident of Tokyo, it would have to be an amazing piece of ass for me to try to pull anyone working in Narita... the shit is just too far away.

 

I "use" watashi, but, as I said before, I don't speak XD. Another thing that I do when I'm in Japan is bowing to everyone that salutes me, I know that it's stupid, but if someone says "hi/welcome/something similiar" I can't answer, so I bow XD

 

I often had the exact same experience here. As if all white foreigners are Americans and speak only English.
Worse sometimes, however, is when you tell them you come from a European country which is not GB, France, Germany, Spain or Italy. Some (a very small minority but still) duly assume you're from a poor eastern european ex-USSR republic, or say things like "So you speak Belgianese right?" :x

But really, there's all sorts of Japanese people though.
Some might never have met a foreigner before, or have always stayed in Japan. Others might have been in Europe, Australia or the States or might even have studied there. This is why there are quite a few different attitudes towards foreigners, from positive to negative. =)

I've only had one bad experience with a guy in Kyoto yelling hysterically in bad english to stop riding my bike on the pavement. At first it was only me he was yelling at, but as an older Japanese man on his bike passed us, the guy realized he couldn't let the other one just pass like that so he started yelling at him too. I acted as if I couldn't understand any English, told him in Japanese he should better take a look at all the other bicyclists and realize there's no one riding on the road, before venting out.

 

Tell him to go fuck himself. You are legally entitled to ride your bicycle on the sidewalk or the street. It is the one and only perk of cycling you have, as automobiles and pedestrians alike are required by law to ignore you, and cut you off at any possible time.

 

Yep. The amount of times I've had dumb blink idiots just walk right in front on my bike. They deserve to be ran over if you ask me :nod:

Yakumo

 

It's still better than Hawaii. When I ride in the street (where I'm legally only allowed to) I have people scream at me to "get out of the fucking road".

 

By the way how is the wife and kid?

 

Generally pissed off at me about something.