Talking to people in Japan - advice?

Japanese
#1

I’m going on a trip to Japan (first time!) later this year after about three years of study. I’m interested in having conversations with people there - I want to practice my Japanese, but I would also love to let people practice their English on me. Unfortunately I’ll only be there for a week or so, so I don’t have time to build up long term relationships and language partners.
My question is this - how can I find people to practice with? I figure it would probably be too weird to sit myself down in public with a big “FREE ENGLISH PRACTICE IN EXCHANGE FOR CONVERSATION” sign… I’m a pretty forward person who’s okay with coming across as a little bit “off” even in America, so I’m comfortable just going up to strangers and putting myself out there, but I have a feeling that wouldn’t go over so well in Japan and I want to be respectful. Any advice welcome. I will be going to a convention (not anime, an education convention), I’m a visible foreigner and I’ll have a companion with me, if that helps.

Also, nothing risky or date-like please. I’m a small woman and I don’t want to get hit on more than I have to. Thanks!

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#2

In my experience Japanese people are usually the least hesitant to try speaking English when they’re drinking (shocker I know). Outside of work I’ve probably had the highest number of candid conversations with people in bars and Izakayas. I’m male though so I don’t typically get hit on any more than I’d like to be. If your companion is male you might not be hit on as much in those places though. If however that isn’t the case or it just isn’t your scene then you might need to try and speak to them in environments where they’re slightly more comfortable, but not completely free of their inhibitions.

The second most talkative group are school students, but some of them are also really really shy and in most cases only know a few bits of English. There is however the unfortunate risk of being viewed weirdly when approaching them. In my case I usually get spoken to by them first in public places like bus stops or on the train and platforms. They might not directly speak to you, but you might see some of the braver ones standing near to you and feverishly debating how to say something in English. You can try to pipe up and let them know how to say the thing they wanna say and that usually opens up the conversation.

Other than that you can try restaurants that are slightly less busy. The servers will be more than happy to converse with you when they aren’t too busy. It might just feel like you’re holding them hostage though :joy:

Finally, I’m sure you’ll meet people with similar interests at a convention and it seems like a more relaxed place so you could maybe just try being forward there.

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#3

As drunkgome noted, izakayas are perfect places to practice, especially if your companion is there with you as well. I would also recommend standing bars (tachinomiya/立ち飲み屋) as you can easily leave or move around if the vibes are off. Wine bars are also a good option. If you converse with the master/mama-san and they like your vibe, they may also include you into conversations with some of their regulars.
Good luck!

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#4

There is a very good chance you’ll actually get a lot of people to try that, actually. lol But you may be looked at as an entertainment piece rather than a person/tourist.

I’m assuming you’re going to Tokyo? Most people will try to speak english to you. Though either way +1 for izakayas. In fact, you can also get insanely good Japanese practice too.

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#5

Definitely izakayas! Almost every time I’ve gone to one with friends people from other rooms/tables would come over and try to talk to us.

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#6

I highly recomend staying somewhere besides Tokyo. What specific Japanese things do you need to do? The smaller the town, the more likely they’ll want to talk to you in Japanese
Old people are great for Japanese practice too! You can get a breakfast at a dinky mom and pops. Half the time I go a customer asks me “留学生?”
This is more useful for people living in Japan longer term… I like going to a community center. They have classes and clubs attended by retireies. Say something like “すみません、見てもいいですか? メンバーじゃないですけど…” and some clubs will say no. But what if they say yes!

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#7

I’ll be in Osaka and hopefully Kyoto and Nara too, if that helps! No small towns on the itinerary, I think. But talking to old people is a great tip, thank you :wink:

#8

Osaka will have more outgoing Japanese in general than compared to Tokyo IMO (although I love Tokyo Sumida-ku and Koto-ku izakayas). In general, I stick to izakayas off the main roads and with just a few tables and counter seating. I always prefer to sit at the counter. Upon entry I make sure to speak Japanese immediately so I don’t get booted. For example, a simple 「二人んですけど。。。」 will suffice in your case.
YMMV (as I am Japanese-passing)

#9

Hey, I’m living in Japan right now, though in a quieter and more relaxed city so that might make a difference (Kobe). I haven’t had many issues finding people to chat with, but yes you will have to make the effort. I’ve been lucky enough to find some coffee shops through which I’ve managed to get to know some staff and regulars. Sometimes I’ll just start up a convo with someone and see where it goes. Anything with alcohol is a bit easier as well, especially bars where you are close to other people (and not at a separate table).

As for the initial contact, if you start with English it’s game over. They either will be more likely to continue with it or just not engage with you (because of the language barrier). Bust out the Japanese from the start and pretend you’re better than you might be :rofl:…the good thing is that most people here don’t have a lot of experience speaking English so they are usually happy to go with Japanese.

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#10

Unironically that is great advice. The greatest advesary to progress is fear. -some scientist or something, I dunno.

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#11

It’s certainly helped me! We can be our own worst enemies sometimes. It can be a scary experience using an unfamiliar language, especially with native locals. Also it helps that people here are very nice about it when you fail or stumble over your words. You never know what they are thinking of course but outwardly nobody will give you a hard time for trying.

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#12

They can be pricey so you’d want to be careful and make sure you understand what you’re paying for, but honestly girl’s bars and smaller maid cafes are awesome places to just chat. Places like Maidreamin’ or At-Home Cafe aren’t so good because they’re just too big and run more like a restaurant than a girls bar, but if you go to a smaller place the staff will happily sit and talk with you. Popular areas like Akihabara will be more likely to have some English abilty and more used to imperfect Japanese, but I’ve had good experiences in some places way out of the way too.

#13

Oh, sporting events is another good one. Go to a Hanshin Tigers game and hit up the ojisan next to you! Just be prepared to understand only about 10% of what they say :sweat_smile:

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#14

Hi! I hope you have a wonderful time here.
When I want to practice my English and help others learn Japanese, I sometimes go to language exchange events. There are quite a lot of them, especially in Tokyo! You can find groups on an app called Meetup.
(Usually, there aren’t many creepy people, but occasionally, you might run into one… so please be careful! )

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#15

I have been on 3 Great Expeditions to Asia, each of which has included a Japanese section, so I have traveled all over Japan and accumulated about 2 months’ worth of experience or more. So I actually think I can answer this question fairly well.

Convenience store employees should be your initial targets. Just ask basic questions, like if you can pay with a credit card, if certain ingredients are in a food, etc. If you are buying a lot of items, and/or the place is rural and/or it is late at night, you should have time to at least talk “at” them. Just describe your travels and where you are funny.

Research all of this beforehand, practice in your head, maybe look up necessary vocabulary on your Google translate app.

Don’t practice with the hotel staff, initially … they tend to speak very formal Japanese, so again, at best you can talk “at” them.

After you have a little practice, go to the temples and buy items from the monks. They will enjoy a brief chat. You can also go to the maid cafes and chat with them.

In the beginning, you will mainly be talking “at” people. In time, you will start to understand responses.

I hope this helps.

#16

I can’t say from experience yet how well it works, but this is my plan to maximize my Japanese use:

I added a template you can fill your name in and print for yourself. Maybe you want to try. Especially useful in places like conventions where people are in a “let’s meet” kind of mood.

#17

Besides what’s been said above about older people and izakayas - both the cook behind the counter while it’s slow as well as people sitting next to you - I’ve found the most talkative people on hiking tracks, especially the mountains. You anyway often say thanks and excuse me and sorry when passing people or letting them pass there. It is then easy to continue even with phrases like it’s hot, it’s cold, it’s rainy, it’s tough. Often the conversations follow. And especially in mountains many of the hikers are also older people.