Oh yeah, Groot definitely deserves a resounding bravo for his outgoing confidence.

Just keep in mind, confidence can be shown in various ways. There's a difference between a confident person who walks around harassing everyone in the room and another confident person who properly introduces oneself and avoids being a laughingstock.

Groot certainly isn't the person harassing everyone, but I think that we all can benefit by choosing to show our confidence in healthy, unoffensive ways.

That was a fun read. Good for you, Groot! Virtually all of my Japanese friends urge me to just start SPEAKING JAPANESE, hard as it is, whenever I have the chance. Once you do, it's easy enough to tell if the other person is interested in continuing, as your experience so entertainingly illustrates.

One can hardly generalize about how all Japanese people will react. I'm not proficient and I'm awfully nervous, but I've experienced everything from blank stares to long, rewarding conversations with native Japanese speakers, and it was worth enduring the former in order to enjoy the latter.

And I think that someone who hasn't grown up in a population that includes a mix of Asians can be forgiven for incorrectly identifying the probable native language of people at a resort hotel that caters to a mix of Asians, and which is located in a place with a resident population that includes a mix of Asian-Americans AND a mix of non-American Asians. Anyone here think they could do better?

bodhisamaya Wrote:If you are in Oahu, get away from there! You will never experience the real Hawaii on that island. Go to Kauai or Maui and find some hippie to show you the heavenly spots hidden away from even those born in Hawaii.

Is there an emoticon for rolling one's eyes? Because I need one here.

thistime Wrote:

Mushi Wrote:I don't think I'd want to be accosted by a Japanese practicer, especially while on vacation.

Yeah this was definitely my feeling from reading the OP, too. I just felt really sorry for the Japanese people because I know how annoying it can be when strangers come up to me out of nowhere when all I'm doing is minding my own business going about my day trying to practice English and not really having anything to say. Communication is supposed to be a mutually beneficial thing and I don't see how nihongo benkyoushimasu is beneficial to the other person. I'd say unless you have a reason that you need to tell them something just leave them alone. But maybe I'm just a Grumpy Gus because I've been asked the same five questions ( Where are you from? Why did you come to Japan?Can you speak Japanese? What's your favorite Japanese food? Can you eat sushi/natto?) in the same exact order so many times that I'm ready to pull my hair out.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Drives me insane if I am out shopping and someone just walks up to me out of nowhere and tries to talk to me. Actually it gets right up my nose and puts me in a bad mood. I just feel sorry for non-English speaking white people who are automatically assumed to speak English just because they are caucasian. And if you are white, then generally you are assumed to be American. I have had 10 or so older Japanese people grunt at me 'American?' when I have been on the bus or train. I think that annoys me even more...

A fantasy of many foreign language learners (FLLs) when they come in contact with native speakers (NSs):

*FLL is reading a textbook or some thing in the target language, NS (who is attractive) notices them and immediately comes over to talk*
NS: (In the target language) Hello! Are you studying my language?
FLL: (clearly and smoothly in the target language) Why yes. But it's nothing, I'm only a begininer.
NS: Nonsense! Your sentence structure is perfect! Your grammar is appropriate. Your accent is that of a native university professor.
FLL: Thank you.
NS: You're welcome! I have so many questions I want to ask you about yourself!
FLL: I'd be happy to share my interesting culture with you in your language.
NS: I'm so glad I met you, let me introduce you to my many exciting friends. Do you want some money?
FLL: That would be nice.
NS: I'll be your lover, too.
FLL: I know.

esgrove Wrote:A fantasy of many foreign language learners (FLLs) when they come in contact with native speakers (NSs):

*FLL is reading a textbook or some thing in the target language, NS (who is attractive) notices them and immediately comes over to talk*
NS: (In the target language) Hello! Are you studying my language?
FLL: (clearly and smoothly in the target language) Why yes. But it's nothing, I'm only a begininer.
NS: Nonsense! Your sentence structure is perfect! Your grammar is appropriate. Your accent is that of a native university professor.
FLL: Thank you.
NS: You're welcome! I have so many questions I want to ask you about yourself!
FLL: I'd be happy to share my interesting culture with you in your language.
NS: I'm so glad I met you, let me introduce you to my many exciting friends. Do you want some money?
FLL: That would be nice.
NS: I'll be your lover, too.
FLL: I know.

Quit having the same dreams as me

In all seriousness I've had a conversation almost like this but with a few minor details here and there Oh and we ended up speaking in English since I suck at Japanese.

esgrove Wrote:A fantasy of many foreign language learners (FLLs) when they come in contact with native speakers (NSs):

*FLL is reading a textbook or some thing in the target language, NS (who is attractive) notices them and immediately comes over to talk*
NS: (In the target language) Hello! Are you studying my language?
FLL: (clearly and smoothly in the target language) Why yes. But it's nothing, I'm only a begininer.
NS: Nonsense! Your sentence structure is perfect! Your grammar is appropriate. Your accent is that of a native university professor.
FLL: Thank you.
NS: You're welcome! I have so many questions I want to ask you about yourself!
FLL: I'd be happy to share my interesting culture with you in your language.
NS: I'm so glad I met you, let me introduce you to my many exciting friends. Do you want some money?
FLL: That would be nice.
NS: I'll be your lover, too.
FLL: I know.

完璧だ。

esgrove Wrote:A fantasy of many foreign language learners (FLLs) when they come in contact with native speakers (NSs):

*FLL is reading a textbook or some thing in the target language, NS (who is attractive) notices them and immediately comes over to talk*
NS: (In the target language) Hello! Are you studying my language?
FLL: (clearly and smoothly in the target language) Why yes. But it's nothing, I'm only a begininer.
NS: Nonsense! Your sentence structure is perfect! Your grammar is appropriate. Your accent is that of a native university professor.
FLL: Thank you.
NS: You're welcome! I have so many questions I want to ask you about yourself!
FLL: I'd be happy to share my interesting culture with you in your language.
NS: I'm so glad I met you, let me introduce you to my many exciting friends. Do you want some money?
FLL: That would be nice.
NS: I'll be your lover, too.
FLL: I know.

これは俺の夢だ。

You know that this dream CAN became true.

All you need is some pick up skills plus some Japanese skill.

mentat_kgs Wrote:You know that this dream CAN became true.

All you need is some pick up skills plus some Japanese skill.

You forgot to mention a mindset detached from any sense of reality

Not at all, man.
But if you can't pick up girls in your country forget doing it where you don't speak the language.

mentat_kgs Wrote:Not at all, man.
But if you can't pick up girls in your country forget doing it where you don't speak the language.

Read the dialogue again Sure, it's possible to get a date during the first meeting, but do you really believe that someone will seriously ask you to "become lovers?" I've never heard anything like that actually happening aside from jokes and movies.

Thora Wrote:(Quincy, for eg. ) hehe

I was sticking up for the OP who seemed to be polite in his dealings and didn't deserve to be called insensitive etc.

In a place like Hawaii where you can expect a lot of Japanese people I don't think it's wrong to ask someone if they're Japanese or try speaking to them in Japanese if you have a reason to think they are. (something a bit more than because they're Asian of course)

In the case with the Korean women he was certain (to the best of his ability anyways) they were speaking Japanese. It's an innocent mistake and he could just say "sorry, for some reason I thought you were speaking Japanese, I get the languages mixed up sometimes."