Hey everyone! So I'm in Bali right now, and about 60% of the tourists here are Japanese. Most things are written in Indonesian, English and Japanese. I want to talk to some of these Japanese people because back home in Ireland I have literally never met any Japanese people. It's a great opportunity but the only problem is, I'm incredibly awkward. And my Japanese level is probably between N5 and N4. And I'm a teenager, so I don't know how they would react to me talking to them. We're going to a Japanese restaurant tomorrow so then would be a good time.
Anyway, this thread can be about strategies for overcoming awkwardness when talking to Japanese people.
寿司をひとつください！

Just because you are eating at a Japanese restaurant doesn't mean the asians that work there are necessarily going to be Japanese. You might want to practice in a more comfortable environment if you are nervous. Try Skype and this: http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/Default.asp

Slowly and carefully. Try not to shuffle your feet too much and only swing the net when you are in the perfect range.


But on a more serious note, what Hashiriya said. It sounds like you are on a holiday (?) so I'd suggest just having a good time and interact with people how you usually do. If that involved Japanese people, there's no harm in making an effort to use your Japanese (he/she/they might even find it cool that you made the effort).

There's still plenty of time to practice speaking, and when you are older, being able to around Japanese in an adult setting (bar, pub, etc.), if you look like a foreigner, will more than likely bring (hopefully good looking ones, am I right?) Japanese people too you, out of interest. A lot of Japanese people still take interest in foreigners, even if it is an excuse to use the English they were made to learn in school.

uisukii Wrote:Slowly and carefully. Try not to shuffle your feet too much and only swing the net when you are in the perfect range.

Damnit. I wanted to be the one to say that.

Stansfield123 Wrote:

uisukii Wrote:Slowly and carefully. Try not to shuffle your feet too much and only swing the net when you are in the perfect range.

Damnit. I wanted to be the one to say that.

ahahahah

There is always that one bastard to beat you to it.

Hirakana Wrote:Hey everyone! So I'm in Bali right now, and about 60% of the tourists here are Japanese. Most things are written in Indonesian, English and Japanese. I want to talk to some of these Japanese people because back home in Ireland I have literally never met any Japanese people. It's a great opportunity but the only problem is, I'm incredibly awkward.

I am also Irish, and just back from my first trip in Japan. My level is around the same as yours, I had never spoken to a real Japanese person before so it took alot of guts to approach a group of men in a shrine in Kyoto to ask what the word for "Entrance" was in Japanese, but after getting over the initial awkwardness I spoke to many Japanese people randomly after that, often warning them that my Japanese was 強くじゃ内　：）

It's easy to remember 出口 (exit)　because the verb 出る (to leave)　has the same "de" sound. But as a beginner I was confused by the different readings of　入　as a noun 入り口 (entrance) "iri"　and the verb "hai" 入る (to enter), so I thought this was a good excuse to ask a random Japanese question. I think a question about Japanese is a good icebreaker and shows you have an interest in their language
What I said to them before asking them the question was something along the lines of...
すみません、日本語の質問がある、いいですか？
Best of luck buddy!

When I was in Maui, a car rental agent said to me "Mahalo de gozaimasu." Laughter ensued. Humor's a good way to break the ice, too.

Ok lol so I'm on holiday in England with my girlfriend (japanese) and it's the same situation with like 60% of the tourists being Japanese.

approach them → slight bow (会釈) →　「こんにちは、日本の方（かた）ですか？」

^^ is generally how we do it when we want to approach them. Had quite a few good conversations here actually