Rural & City Japan React to Foreigners Speaking Japanese

Are Japanese people shocked by foreigners speaking Japanese? What is the difference in reaction between Japanese people in the city and rural areas when they hear foreigners speaking Japanese? After living in Japan for years, I video taped a few conversations that are good examples of people of different ages in different places reacting to me and my friends speaking Japanese.
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[Oriental Pearl]

I’m not here to brag, just to encourage people to study Japanese and other languages. I always try to keep the content really simple to help people that are learning (and save time on substitutes). If you are interested in Japanese I highly recommend this website www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=810124&l=%2F

[Somchai SaeTang]

Thank you cause I’m actually wanting to brush up on Japanese again I’m more better at Thai but I’m wanting to study in japan

[3raser]

Even if you were bragging, you have all the rights to do so! You are a great Japanese speaker who must have put so much effort in their studies and I admire you. Do not let others tell you what you can do and what you can't do. See you in your next video!

[Oriental Pearl]

3raser_F Thanks, I sometimes get comments saying stop bragging. That was never the purpose of this channel.

[KokGDog]

I became a member on Japanese pod because of your videos and encouragement! Not only that but you gave me that push to enroll in a language school in Japan to study and learn Japanese! I’ll be heading to Japan this upcoming January, you’re content is amazing

[nisancashi2241]

your an amazing woman

[georgie]

As a Japanese person I can 100% agree it's surprising seeing foreigners speak Japanese very fluently!

[matthew ulrich]

That is what I think when in America and I see a Japanese person speaking perfect English.

[ᗩᕲᗷᒪᓍᑢᖽᐸᘿᖇ]

SMOKE WED EVERYDAY 420 MXETH XDDDDD

[matthew ulrich]

@haley I must apologise. I was being facetious. I just find it to be reverse racism when people are shocked to see caucasian people speak another non caucasian language. I used to live in hawaii to and I get it

[nina]

youre so lucky you can watch anime without subtitles HAHAH

[Didge Wilson]

ETA me ne

[Daniel Thompson]

Doing this in Germany is always fun. You can speak perfect German to someone and they'll respond in perfect English, almost completely ignoring the fact that you're speaking German. It's either due to wanting to be a good host, or that many Germans are quite confident that their English is better than your German lol

[Tommaso Paba]

Try France... They will answer in French whatever language you used! 😄

[Maurice :O]

Hey I'm a German and I'm quite certain that most of us are just trying to be polite. Not having to speak you a "foreign" language sort of trying to make it easier and more comfortable for the others.

[Morike Mieow]

@Tommaso Paba It depends, they could speak English if you can’t They speak with French accent though so i prefer to speak French

[SgtGo]

@Tommaso Paba And they will get mad if your French is sub par...

[Gihan]

sometimes they may be distracted by you looking non-German, and their brain chooses English to talk with you. You talking in German means they get the information, but brain still wants to talk to you in English

[BADGUY 1]

The problem I found in Japan: Unless you speak PERFECT Japanese they are somewhat put off. FIRST they are in shock that you can speak ANY Japanese. THEN they think you might be a dummy unless you can speak it with no mistakes.

[ParodyNet]

Damacki Dragnis Not really, this can be applied to every country. Unless you're able to speak the language fluently, there will always be some people that will think of you as a dummy!

[GrantyTime]

I had a think about this - in the uk where I live you get so used to hearing not so good English from lots of people coming over from Europe, tourists etc. In Japan, a lot of people probably aren’t used to hearing ‘bad’ Japanese. It’s either perfect or non existent

[BADGUY 1]

@GrantyTime Exactly! Just not that many foreigners traveling around in Japan, let alone foreigners that speak ANY Japanese.

[Curtis English]

I'd say this depends a lot on the type of person, for example, I used to work in a fast food place here in the UK on one of our main motorways. We'd see a lot of foreigners come through who barely spoke any English. I always had a good laugh with them, it'd be a game of charades and Google Translate sometimes but we got there in the end! I find it helps calm them down a little too as they're usually worried that they won't be able to communicate. :) Of course you'll have other people who will be annoyed that someone can't speak flawless English, but I feel like especially with younger generations who are connected to so many people from so many countries through the internet, it's becoming far less common!

[Giannil Yanicks]

@ParodyNet not anybody want to learn a language for ten years . and english is supposed to be international

[Wong Hong]

Its amazing how you are willing to open up and speak up too. Things like praising strangers for their clothing sense, striking up conversations. All these may seem simple when you know the language but having the courage and willingness to initiate a conversation is really tough and hard to do so kudos to you for showing us all these content through your videos!!!

[Takuma S]

Cicadas in the background is actually relaxing for me and never sound like noise. You hear different species during the day and in the evening around the sunset, during mid-summer and beginning of autumn. Those tones make the Japanese seasonal transitions and remind me of different scenes in my childhood.

[earlysda]

I love cicadas too, but wish they'd start their chorus a little later in the mornings. :)

[Samurai JackOff]

Helps me with my tinnitus

[Formula Nostalgia Channel]

Story time! I once was a paid extra in a Japanese chorus singing in Paris. They were so friendly, smiling and polite! A Japanese-speaking extra (French-born), who was there with me, told me they were saying many compliments about me and all of us when talking to each other (the Japanese singers had no idea my French colleague understood Japanese). Beautiful people, it was a wonderful experience.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thanks for sharing your story.

[Maegal Roammis]

no. They were just showing him their politeness.

[英語学習チャンネルオナキ]

People living in a country side in japan are actually really kind and friendly. They just don’t know how to communicate with foreigners. Nobody criticized you because of the nationality or that kind of things for sure.

[britturk123]

It is just a cultural thing, nothing wrong with that. I would have expected some sort of reaction or acknowledgement, but you have explained it well enough for me to understand.

[britturk123]

And you are exactly right the older ones were perfectly freindly.

[CaptainNerd]

When I went to Matsushima with my friend (we're both American) we stopped in a kokeshi doll store owned by an elderly couple, she ran the store and he made the dolls. What was funny was at first when we went into the store, my friend said the woman looked a bit scared to see us hulking foreigners wander in, but as soon as I used my simple Japanese she brightened up and we had a great time talking about the store, how they rebuilt after the tsunami, and other things. I had the same kind of reaction from the owners when I went to an enka store in Ueno, a shop in Ameyokocho under the train tracks. もう楽しいでした、と思う。

[britturk123]

@CaptainNerd The power of language.

[Andrew Williams]

@CaptainNerd I’ve had that same experience many times. I think most Japanese people fear English more than the foreigner. Once I went into a doctor’s office for the first time and there was a collective intake of breath and then a huge sigh of relief from the entire reception staff when I started speaking Japanese. Once they realized that they would not have to speak English, they were bending over backwards trying to help me.

[Zal ザール ch.]

The moment at 5:35 has got to be the most family wholesome thing I've seen all day. Truly warmed my heart seeing this.

[Oh, That’s nice]

I’m actually trying to learn Japanese though it’s hard knowing I’ve just become a freshman in high school! I plan to be fluent and visit Japan often! This really inspires me, thank you ❤️

[Oriental Pearl]

You can do it! You are starting much younger than I did.

[shift]

Lol same

[Luxaly]

if u focus on speaking its not that hard if u want to read it its a different story cause of Kanji... but japanese are polite and helpful so in a restaurant u could just ask what it is cause u cant read Kani (or forgot that Kanji) and they might be very happy to help you out ^^ a game is coming out soon that has japanese VO and text etc. so u could learn japanese with a game playing in japanese (has options to display furigana(hiragana over the Kanji) i believe)

[スポンジボブ]

頑張れ💪 日本に遊びに来てね

[UnderTheBridge]

Here is a tip: learn kanji from the start. I studied japanese for 4 years, but always ran away from studying kanji, now while I can hold a conversation, I can't read or write at all. Definetely regret that, still trying to get around to actually learning.

[Don Johnson]

One time when visiting Japan about 10 years ago, I got left together in a house with a Japanese guy ( I think maybe my wife's second cousin or something like that) who was told that I spoke Japanese, so not to worry. I guess he just assumed that I could maybe say "Hello", "goodbye" and "please" and "thank you" in Japanese. So, later he was standing looking out a window and I struck up a conversation with him...speaking his language. It shocked the heck out of him and his reaction was pretty funny. Now, looking back at that incident, I'd guess that I was living in Japan teaching English and speaking Japanese on a daily basis LLOOOONNG before he was even born!! And back in those days (late 1960s and early 70s) Americans in Japan that spoke pretty fluent conversational Japanese were pretty rare, so I was quite accustomed to seeing funny reactions...especially from teen aged and on down kids!!

[Oriental Pearl]

Ha ha, some people have a big reaction.

[Burning Bridge Studios.]

Marakis Dagnils I see you're also "anti-english"...

[Greg Monks]

I've had that experience with a rural restaurant- all the staff came and sat with us, and even tried giving us our order on the house. Some of the older guys wanted to practice their English on us. I don't think I've ever laughed so much.

[olem]

The difference between urban and rural is so true. In Tokyo people were polite but of course you are just another stranger and they understandibly don't care that much, but on the countryside people would sometimes stop and greet me from across the street and be very happy that I at least attempted speaking some Japanese despite being poor at it. Two very different experiences!

[EPICCAMPER]

The images from the countryside were indeed very interesting, those places seem to be so relaxing! It reminded me of the time when I used to visit my grandpa in the interior, I would sit on the sidewalk on sunny days and simply watch the streets.

[Oriental Pearl]

Yes, the Japanese countryside is very charming.

[Henrique Seidi]

BR?

[Vagaba Assassina]

@Henrique Seidi Brbr tatata brbr tata brbr br

[Tino Trivino]

Its amazing how good your accent is. Being an American with a lot of phonetic problems for foreign languages you talk like you were living there forever. hugs from Spain

[Ismail Niyaz]

Japanese folk in cities and big towns don't even bat an eye when they hear you speak Japanese. The first thing they asked me whenever I approached them for help was if I spoke Japanese. If you go to the more rural communities, those places are mostly inhabited by older retirees and even they don't react like they stumbled across a gold mine when you communicate in Japanese with them. If anything, you just see mild relief on their faces, because for some reason they think they're letting you down if they're unable to speak English properly.

[Didi]

Wow, how much it has changed in 15 years. Back then speaking foreigners were a very rare sight

[Titan]

Wow that's a really good point to make note of. I've always wanted to visit Japan but know almost no Japanese so naturally I feel really embarrassed walking around the country as just another white American visiting their country. I've heard that the people in Japan are really helpful and friendly, but of course I still feel guilty thinking about wandering through the country. I hope to one day live there although we'll see, I'd like to at least visit before I make that kind of commitment.

[tama tama]

​ @Titan I'm a Japanese from Tokyo and we are very much used to both tourists and foreign residents. Unless you are visiting super countryside, pretty much everyone is used to foreigners with no Japanese. 95% of English-speaking tourists don't even attempt speaking Japanese, so you have no reason to be embarrassed. My advice is, just say easy keywords very slowly instead of using full sentences. Something like "sorry-where-train-to-Tokyo?" is much easier to understand than "excuse me, may I ask where the train...". People like helping tourists out in general and free wifis are everywhere so don't worry too much!

[Hentai Master]

@Titan how is being an white American embarrassing?

[T]

Exactly! I appreciate your comment!

[Laird Dougal]

My wife and I found ourselves at a small izakaya near Aomori a couple of years ago. It was very much a locals’ place and, although everyone was scrupulously polite, we were a bit unexpected. Foreigners were rare visitors. Our Japanese is limited, but as always we made the effort and from that point our experience was the same as your own. Everyone joined us and once our Japanese was exhausted, phones with translator apps did the rest. It turned out that many there were All Black fans (we’re from New Zealand). It had been noted that during the Rugby World Cup the All Blacks made a point of bowing to the home crowd after each game. That helped break the ice even further. A lot of sake was drunk, there was much laughter and we had the best time. I greatly look forward to returning. Thank you Japan.

[Sagiri Izumi]

In Japan I rarely get asked why I speak Japanese. It's like, "You're here. Of course you do."

[Alex Salazar]

It’s like America, seeing a Chinese speaking English even if it’s broken nobody cares because you just expect them to speak English.

[Alexandra Radeva]

雨の日 I am a Bulgarian, and I can definitely agree that everyone in Bulgaria expects foreigners to speak Bulgarian 😂. So I also expect that when I go to Japan or another foreign country the native people are also going to think I can speak their language. It is only natural like when you go to the UK everyone expects you to speak English. But I love learning Japanese language and I look forward to studying there. How was your trip to Bulgaria?

[mai]

I'm Japanese. In my opinion, many Japanese people can't speak foreign languages because Japan is isolated island. (I think education system is also one of the reasons😅)So Japanese people expect foreigners to speak Japanese. But I'm surprised if foreigners speak Japanese and I respect them !! (Sorry my English is not so good 🥲)

[fruitydudexD]

@mai your English is good 😊

[Oceanmango]

I’m only on my second semester of learning Japanese so i’m pretty much still a beginner but this made me really excited to continue and major in!! Right now we’re on chapter 8, which is all about shopping and prices. I’m at the point where I can understand select words and phrases, but i still have trouble speaking instead of writing :) thank you for motivating me!!

[Zyndr]

That coastal scenery looked amazing! I've never seen those kind of views in Japan before. It reminds me a bit of the South Coast of England.

[Oriental Pearl]

Yeah, we had really good weather that day.

[James Dettmann]

Yh I've always thought of China as the US of the far East, and Japan as the UK counterpart

[Nine Dragons]

@Oriental Pearl where was that by the way? everytime i get to the coast in japan it's completely overrun with people trying to sell stuff or kind of ruined and not in good shape

[Moreland Mi]

NooooOoooo

[Sanigdhaya]

I went to Japan around 5 years back, and my japanese was really broken and bad back then but the people were so appreciative of me trying to learn japanese and japanese culture. I was in Osaka and kyoto

[P]

I'm proud to be Japanese😻Enjoy your trip! I will continue to cheer people who study Japanese!

[Almighty]

I wish I was born in Japan 🇯🇵 hehe. It’s so goooooooood , I love Japan . Will try to learn Japanese kinda hard tho

[Simple.]

@Almighty I don’t mean to offend you but Japan is not better place to be born. We have to work like hell and lot of bully cause high rate of suicides. I’m Japanese and I like my country’s culture too but I could definitely say this is not a better place to live.

[Simple.]

Sarah Richter Both. Japanese politeness are just superficial. Some of us seem very friendly however they diss you behind your back. We always watch news about a suicide of student who has been bullied. You know suicides are everywhere no matter what nationality you are..

[I like Cheese]

@Simple. Here in New Zealand we also have a high suicide rate. People seeming friendly and then dissing you behind your back is also fairly common.

[drmoynihan]

We miss Japan soooo much! We would love to be back this Christmas . . . . but . . . . My wife is a MK and born and raised in Japan. We have been married 40 years (Oregon USA) and periodically visit Friends and Relatives in Japan. Every time we go, she gets a reaction many times. My translation is the Japanese reacts with surprise and says, "Your accent is perfect!!!" It doesn't matter where we go in Japan - we get the same reaction. And then the friendliness and surprising familiarity opens up!!! We love Japan, with the last time being in January at the Sapporo Winter Festival, and then Sendai with Friends like Family, and then Nara with Family.

[Oriental Pearl]

I hope that you can get back to Japan as soon as possible. Japan misses you as much as you miss it.

[Joshua O'Reilly]

Lovely interactions. Being able to communicate in a foreign country is beautiful and rewarding. I’m envious right now of these conversations!

[Mustafa Seker]

“Guy walks into Mexican restaurant and speaks perfect Spanish”

[Myst1c]

Turns out he’s Mexican.

[ななみちあき]

@Myst1c me

[Fran Madaraki]

In my experience two guys walk into Mexican restaurant and shoot down a guy two tables away from us. I nearly shit my pants... I kinda miss El Rubi, Mexico

[Klea🐱]

@Fran Madaraki For real?💀

[Fran Madaraki]

@Klea🐱 yup

[potollomuck]

Kudos to you Anming You’re really a beam of sunshine in this ever dividing world. You show us that we are capable of getting along together no matter of our origin or culture.

[Mig S.]

Absolutely!

[Cloneskiller]

Ive always wanted to learn either spanish or an asian language. It just seems so cool to be able to communicate with other countries.

[Doge TGE]

Aaaa hacelo pibe, el español es un toque complicado y depende de qué país lo aprendas quizás uses un dialecto u otro, pero dejando de eso no sé si es demasiado difícil. Con la práctica, hábito y constancia vas a estar más cerca de tus sueños y se van a dejar de ver imposibles o irrealizables. You should definitely start learning another language, it opens a big world of entertainment (? At least that was my case. Also you might be interested in finding the most "pleasing to hear" accent in Spanish or the language that you're ttrying to learn. Personally i like the British accent, it is so relaxing, and maybe the swede accent too, it sounds so friendly.

[I like Cheese]

Then start! It takes time and practise, but it's definitely achievable!

[Fatima]

Learning languages are so cool you should definitely try. I only know 2 because I grew up speaking them but I would definitely want to learn more.

[El Pino]

@Doge TGE Me compadezco de los pobres extrangeros que se tienen que aprender las conjugaciones XD

[DutchVikingGuy21]

It feels really good to see people appreciate the effort you take to learn their language. I remember speaking Chinese in Taiwan with another foreigner (I'm Dutch, he's Portuguese), and so many people were suprised we didn't communicate in English but in Chinese haha. One of my best memories, so much fun.

[Maessy Chan]

Woah! The first American woman who's speak in Chinese Mandarin and Japanese language FLUENTLY! 很有親切感👍❤️

[skeletondance]

Loved this! I recently started learning Japanese and I feel so good about it! I left university like 6 years ago and feel my brain degrading 😂😭✌️ thank you for the great videos! You’re so inspiring

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm so glad that you are interested in studying Japanese.

[eugenegm]

I have been watching NHK news so much that I have started to study Japanese. I speak several European languages already, and currently I am using Duolingo to study Irish, Hawaiian, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian and Japanese. Particularly in countries with a relatively small population, locals are pleased when you speak a little bit of their language.

[Tom B]

When I go to Japan, I often like to go far off the beaten path to visit very rural parts of Japan where foreigners are rarely seen. Having grown up in Tokyo during the 1960s, I speak Japanese like a native which really elicits a puzzled look at first. But once they realize that the Japanese culture was also ingrained in me from that experience, they quickly feel "safe" and open up. Such interactions with people in the rural areas are always a highlight on my visits there.

[Minh]

I envy your social skills and bravery to talk to people so much.

[Brendan Bush]

I feel like alot of people don't like to make a big deal out of it. Its the same reason I don't go around to every foreigner and say "oh wow your english sounds so great". To some, it might be a great compliment that makes them feel like their time/effort to learn a language was worth it and an affirmation that they are speaking correctly, but others might take offense as its rude to assume that a foreigner wouldn't speak well. On the other hand, my one friend from Japan constantly asks if his english is okay, heck its better than mine sometimes and its my first language

[Ratatouilles-ugly-twin]

It’s always so amazing and so cool to see foreigners speak Japanese! It’s kinda why I was inspired to learn english and spanish! (Along with my parents helping me learn english) It’s always surprising and I’m curious to learn how much they speak.

[Alexander Mario]

OMG I am speechless and in a way embarrassed to give up learning Japanese! You are just sooo awesome! Glad I ran into this video.

[Marco Corte]

not so hard to reach that level when you live there. I've studied 1 year and half in a school in tokyo, then lived for 3 years there. Basically, at the first time when you study, you think "omg I cant remember all"..after few weeks you start to use the sentence you though impossible to remeber naturally.. I've reach almost that level in 3 years and I'm really not that good in studying ahah. But living with my wife for one year improved my skill a lot.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you! 😃

[Its me Dave]

I am impressed when someone speaks more then one language but to speak Japanese and chines is super cool

[Snooks]

one funny thing about hanging around in multicultural group is invariably someone gets too comfortable/absentminded and forgets who speaks what and uses the wrong language. usually just couple words but every now and then you get to pretend to listen attentively and see how long it takes them.

[shift]

Your videos have kinda moved me to learn japanese. (Along with the Spanish I'm already learning bc its an actual school option lol) Seeing someone (especially someone from my state lol) living in Japan and speaking it pretty well is so cool to me. I just hope once school starts i still feel like studying often. Im still young so i hope I'll get a whole lot better by the time im in my twenties. Have a nice day!

[DRTY D]

being english and never having learnt any other language i am always amazed how native english speakers can learn and speak so fluintly in foreign languages. huge respect to you. :-)

[Moxiiix]

Japan looks like such a nice place and so friendly I would love to move there in the future when I learn Japanese a little better.

[Ania R.]

I really want to learn Japanese to a level where I can have little chats with people when I'm there - this is super motivational! :)

[Oriental Pearl]

You can do it! A little Japanese can go a long way.

[Bellベル]

I love living in the countryside. I find that people here are much more respectful of my own space, I feel like I stand out more in Tokyo and Osaka because every time I’ve been I’ve had people talk about me in Japanese thinking I don’t understand them.

[Avocato Bobble]

Japanese have such a pleasant culture based on respect ❤️

[AnaLennyja]

I love your videos ❤ and while watching them I realized how little attention we who learn English as second or third language get, even though we put so much work into becoming fluent in it. I'm really impressed with everyone who manages to know any kind of language and interacts with locals.

[Oriental Pearl]

Speaking with the locals is the best part of all.

[Dan DeGuzman, Jr.]

I am so very impressed with your abilities speaking Chinese and Japanese fluently. Thank you for sharing your journey and you bring me a lot of memories I had when I was stationed in Japan with the U.S. Air Force (Yokota Air Base) -- U.S. Forces Japan.

[Oriental Pearl]

You probably had a very unique experience here in Japan too!

[Richard]

It must be fantastic speaking the 'local' language. Big respect.

[C W]

This was my experience too. I was in the suburbs in Tokyo with a friend of mine who looks very classically Western who speaks Japanese, and a sweet old lady stopped during her walk to tell her that she speaks beautiful Japanese. Many times in Tokyo people didn't bat an eye, except with elderly folk in "older" parts of the city, like Asakusa, where they became very interested and wanted to talk. Even at an izakaya under Skytree (that makes excellent liver skewers, wish I could remember the name so I could go back), they were really enthusiastic that she could speak it so well. But outside Tokyo, people (especially older) became very curious and eager to have conversations about how she learned the language. It's a real ice-breaker!

[Oriental Pearl]

That’s a really nice memory! How sweet.

[Pandaplutten]

I'm so impressed! Although I can hear a (slight) accent in your Japanese, your mandarin is spot on! I'm half Hong-Kongese and half-Japanese myself. Living in Scandinavia =)

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you! 😃

[Zimba Zumba]

I lived in China and became fairly proficient in Chinese, I mastered a fair amount of the local dialect as well. When I went outside of the city people were just amazed to see a Westerner, but you are correct speaking Chinese caused utter amazement. Learning the language opens the country up to you to. I was staggered that some westerners who had been there for decades could barely speak a word of the language, it was such a waste of an opportunity. Learning Chinese has enriched me no end and allowed interactions and connections, both in China and back home, that I would never be able to have otherwise. Chinese is not a complicated language though some of the sounds can be tough at first, the writing does take more time though. Going to China or Japan can be a brave move, but for some returning home can be even more difficult. I met too many western English teachers, both in China and Japan, who had been there way too long and had become trapped. Having a return plan is important. My years in China were some of the most rewarding of my life. Returning for me was easy as I was working for an outside tech company. Although done in a stealth manner, older Chinese women are the most forward women I have met in any culture. I have never had so many invitations for lunch etc in my life. Much of this is just inquisitiveness and about making connection, sometimes it was most certainly not. There were some hidden away restaurants were women would usually take me, mostly to show me off to other women doing the same I think. Frankly, I enjoyed the attention I would not get back in the West; I also enjoy the company of women. Some western men do not have the maturity to deal with this attention and make a mess of it. Upon returning home, retaining the language can be really difficult unless you have someone to speak to on a regular basis. Fortunately I have many Chinese co-workers.

[Oriental Pearl]

That's great that you have many Chinese coworkers to speak to! That's a big advantage.

[Claude]

Language ability can be surprising. When I went to Osaka I didn't find many people in that cosmopolitan international city that could speak understandable English. But when I went to Sakurai in the back country of southern Nara prefecture I met 4 very good English speakers while visiting the temple.

[Philip Richardson]

How long have you been learning Japanese for? And how long did it take for you to be able to speak it at conversational level? Love your vids!

[OrangeBenjiDNYT🦜]

I'd love to learn Japanese and visit Japan!! Such a great culture.. The people are so nice, everything is so organized and clean..

[Jake]

As someone who studied japanese for a little while and who has a chinese stepmother i cant understand too much of either of the languages but i CAN differentiate how different they sound. Im just used to japanese and mandarin being two entirely different sounds!

[🍜 Introverted Nøødle 🍜]

If I ever get a chance to live in Japan for part of my life, or maybe even for the rest of it, I'm going to be living in the suburbs. It looks so peaceful there, I'd love to just sit down, have a good cup of tea, and listen to those cicadas. I'd probably be going to Tokyo a lot, but on the days I don't I'd just relax at home. I'll be working on my Japanese over the summer!

[T]

がんばって(ganbatte)! Do get a chance! ❤️from🇯🇵😊

[Lorruc]

Just found this video, was wondering if I should pursue learning Japanese culture and language and this solidified it. Thank you for the great video, glad I found another great content creator to sub to!

[Oriental Pearl]

I hope you’ll subscribe 😊

[Lorruc]

@Oriental Pearl Already did, currently binging your content! Thanks for giving me a new found love for Japan!

[Fischi]

Oh my, what are you made of? Ability to speak two difficult Asian languages fluently, besides the hard work you must be talented in languages at the same time. Respect!!!

[Heather Venkat]

Thank you for putting out this content. It's super inspiring and educational as well. I hope to someday tackle learning Japanese so that I can turn heads just like you!

[Oriental Pearl]

Hard work will get you there.

[Heather Venkat]

@Oriental Pearl Ganbarimasu!

[treehann]

what a lovely video! I will check out more of yours. It's also pleasant listening to someone who speaks rather slowly and clearly in all languages even English. I can understand the Japanese clearly too as a beginner that way.

[civillady13]

I am always so impressed by and a little jealous of those who speak two or more languages. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s fluently. As long as the person could get their point across. I’m an American in my early 60’s and I tried to learn a second language in high school but I just couldn’t seem to grasp it even though I took all four years. Broke my heart.

[CI Chandler]

I'm personally learning Japanese myself and it's such a fun language 👌🏽

[Keyser Soze]

I was in Japan for 17 days in 2010. It was very interesting. Before going I thought I would love Kyoto the most, but after I got home it was Tokyo which stood out the most for some reason. I had learned some basics at evening school before going there but I have forgotten it all now :-(

[Azzie Bean]

Her speaking chinese sounds more like a first language, it's so natural

[Ba Vo]

You see this is why I loved Laoshu and his videos, whenever he walked up to some foreign people and talked to them in their language they were so happy and instantly openend themselves to conversation.

[Kimberly robeson-Hoffman]

These videos warm my heart. Very proud that you are filming and sharing! I have never been to Japan but love the culture & the delicious food!!! Living through you right now!

[Travis]

The countryside in Japan and how it’s presented in every form of media I’ve ever seen is comfort, personified

[L Andrews]

Another fun video, Anming. It must be fun as a western person to be so fluent in the Japanese language, especially in rural areas where English is less common. Great job (and look at you, almost 100K subscribers)!

[Oriental Pearl]

Almost to 100k! I think it just might need another 2 weeks to get there.

[Zuze]

We were in Japan not too long ago, for a vacation. One day we went to a little resturant for dinner, in the family I'm the only one who can eat with chopsticks. The elderly Japanese couple really loved it and kept staring at me, when i noticed and stopped eating they gestured me to continue. The cutest part was that when they left they even waved a good bye! I still hold this memory very dear to me.

[T H]

Spending 6 years in Korea I came to see the use of the word " foreigner" as lazy and almost rude. Many friends really didn't like how we were called foreigners rather than Canadian, Indian, American, etc. There is language, even generalized (Asian) to denote a person's country of origin rather than calling someone " not Canadian" or " not Japanese" ... but I 've never lived in Japan though I know Waygookin ( foreigner) was used very commonly in Korea

[Chelvalier_e]

Extrañaba ver tus videos, son buenísimos y transmiten mucho

[Oriental Pearl]

Gracias por ver los nuevos videos.

[erilaz7]

One thing I've personally experienced is that Japanese people tend to be less surprised by my ability to speak the language than they are by my knowledge of Japanese popular culture. "How do you know about this band?!" "How did you find out about this artist?" I had dinner in San Francisco with some music industry people a few years ago, and a Sony Music marketing executive from Japan was blown away by the fact that I had heard some recent news about some J-pop singer and that I had watched a TV show that the executive had produced about 14 years earlier.

[Alvar]

I've got plenty of times into the "japanese looking surprised while two foreigners speaking between themselves in japanese" situation. Mostly in train stations or just walking by, but it happens everywhere, as you mention. But I might say it's likely more often in that situation, with "normal" commuters or in an izakaya, for example, than on a store or a conbini, since they are a lot more used to people being fluent. Because well, in the majority of cases, in Tokyo 23ku specially, but also outside, we surely won't be the "first foreigner" they met or talk to, even in good Japanese. We are not in the 90s anymore... I prefer that, than getting the "上手ですねー", every time after saying just こんにちは... xD

[taiwan1895]

There is a lot less shock and surprise now at gaijin speaking Japanese than compared to my first visit to the country more than 30 years ago. My own inexpert analysis says it's a combination of seeing Japanese-speaking foreigners on TV, and the JET program, which has placed young Westerners in all corners of the country, so of whom learn to speak Japanese while they're there.

[The Nerdyweds]

(William) We miss Okinawa. I especially miss CoCo Ichibanya. I didn't get to learn as much Japanese as I would have liked. My Japanese coworkers were far more interested in learning English than helping me with Japanese. Loved the vid.

[RoF112]

It's also possible that the head turning may have to do with the foreign accent arousing curiosity (as opposed to specifically a foreigner speaking the language). A bit of an anecdote: I'm ethnically Chinese, though having grown up in the US I do have a slight accent... When I went to China, as soon as I opened my mouth to speak I'd see a few people turn their heads. It was admittedly a little embarrassing, but I was pleasantly surprised that people generally just went back to going about their business

[LoganHunter82]

I'd like to visit Japan one day. But not Tokyo only, but the suburbs and rural area, too. I think that is the area where you meet the real people of the nation, not the big cities.

[Em]

Its been a while since I've practiced my Chinese skills, writing mainly. I can speak Mandarin fluently but as I learnt a dialect first I sometimes have a dialect twang lol. But seeing you being able to speak Chinese AND Japanese gives me hope that one day I will be able to learn how to speak Japanese fluently ^ . ^

[Macy Marie]

I love that you came up on my recommended videos page! I’ve been thinking about moving to another country and but have a lot of things to consider before deciding to do so. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in Japan and would sporadically teach myself a little bit abiut Japanese like common phrases, the names and meanings of different places or celebrations. I grew up enjoying anime and manga and with the pandemic giving me too much spare time, I’ve gotten into learning about various things, currently I’m teaching myself about Romaji, Kana and Kanji because the creator of My Hero Academia puts a lot of thought into the series. With all that random information, I appreciate your making these videos! It’s helpful for knowing what to expect if I were to move there and also in a social psychological standpoint, not to mention a fictional writing standpoint!

[Oriental Pearl]

I’m so glad that you got recommended this video! Please stick around. I hope I earned your sub today.

[Macy Marie]

@Oriental Pearl most definitely! :)

[Economic Development]

She is good and has rich vocabulary, also polite and well behaved. In addition, probably the very bright nature of the character helps too

[Bmc Ca98]

I'm 23 and decided in the last year to take Japanese lessons before I finally get to go on my trip there. I love it!

[Oriental Pearl]

Congrats!

[Tom Pinnef]

It is always fun to watch their reactions when you speak to them in their native tongue. Hope you are doing well. Take care and be safe. 'Spin'

[Bench Diwata]

Hi! I really like your vlogs- it's simple yet fascinating. I'm also now here in Japan, but my japanese language is still not that fluent. I hope you can make a video giving tips how to be fluent in japanese.

[DarkOhBoy]

rly rly cool. i am even more motivated now to learn the language and meet people in Japan :D

[Let's Human]

I love your videos! You speak nice and clearly; it is easy to understand you and makes me takes notes to learn more. ^_^

[MioLuna]

It's really great to see some natural reactions from people who realized that you can speak their language. I have similar experience in a different language. It keeps people to not talk about you in their language with you in front of them. lol!

[Joey Armstrong]

Any foreigners who can learn fluent Japanese deserve some kind of medal. It's so hard.

[Martiddy - Sama]

6:54 "I like how quiet it is here...". Meanwhile, the super loud cicadas at the background are having a party haha.

[Oriental Pearl]

This is true. Those bugs have been loud in every single one of my videos.

[Nightfall]

Martiddy - Sama I kinda find the sound satisfying, am I weird? lol

[Mikio Hirata]

Cicada during this time of summer are indeed everywhere you can't get away in the day time. But you also should know it's a seasonal occurrence which japanese appreciate and don't complain in fact SEMI (Cicada) is used a lot in literatures, pop songs ,poems etc. as symbol or sign to hint a (time) back ground of subject person (or emotional states) thousand of years.

[Aaron Wilson]

I live in Florida and this normal for me. I barely notice it in the video honestly.

[AmbuBadger]

I never understood it when my aunt told me Tokyo people are totally different from Osaka people until my last trip! Waaay easier to just strike up a conversation in Osaka, I even had elderly people just straight up ask me questions. Oh, and the train? Yeah, no such thing as a マナーモード setting on the people in Osaka! (I don't mean that in a bad way either)

[Francisco Javier González Del Valle Mezo]

I'm loving every bit of your videos. I found your channel a few days ago and I'm totally addicted to your content... You're so bright and cheerful I just love the way you approach people and just casually chit chat with them. Makes me wanna do that too lol

[Andre Rodriguez]

I was at a language school in Sapporo learning Japanese one summer. My Japanese isn’t the best, but when I ordered beer and food at the summer beer garden festival in Odori Koen, I used the word onigishimasu after ordering. The Japanese guys behind me appreciated it so much, they bought my meal and beer. I feel when visiting a foreign country it’s always good to know the basics. You get to make allot more friends this way. I have so many great memories now of my trips. 👍🏻👍🏻

[Oriental Pearl]

That's great that you have such great memories from Japan!

[EugeOrochi]

We went to Nara and there was a beer festival. We were mainding our own business in the table and speaking Spanish, and there was an elderly couple, the elderly guy came and ask where we are from. It was quite surprising because my brother looks more ambiguous at that time with his long beard. I think they are curious but try to be casual about it.

[Li Wang]

You are really encouraging. I just moved to Tokyo from Toronto 2 months ago. Hope I can speak Japanese as good as you

[AndaribnMuzibek]

Chinese and Japanese! And you speak both of them! IT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE! No words... Bravo!!!

[DoubleD]

Almost 94,000......so proud of all your hard work. Visiting my son at his college and watched more videos!

[Oriental Pearl]

Thanks for watching Dan! It's been a lot of fun making all of these videos.

[Yami Yugi]

🤩

[xmonks]

I had D Grade Japanese language skills when I travelled. Thought everyone in Osaka was much nicer than Tokyo, just because their attitude to foreigners was way more chilled. Will definitely travel to Hokkaido and rural areas when I get to go back!

[Shiro_Tsuru]

I really do learn so much Japanese from you. Do you ever consider doing lessons? Its so easy for me to pick up sentences when you speak and i love it!

[Oriental Pearl]

Join the facebook learning group facebook.com/anming.orientalpearl/?view_public_for=574665009891882

[Jisoo Turtle Rabbit]

I wish I learned a second language as a kid, it's so hard to retain new information like a new language when your almost 30 😂

[obiwan88]

你的普通話說得很標準，讚讚讚。👍 Gosh, gotta love how you mastered the different tones so comfortably. May the Force be with you.

[doc Kaos]

All l can say in Japanese is thank you and yes so I'm screwed, but saying that the few times I've been abroad and eventually got over the explaining I'm English and willing to learn I've had loads of help off the locals as they looked at it as I learned they learned

[adamL 076]

Japan the land of dreams I love it very much from tunisia 🇹🇳🇯🇵

[Erykahsky]

By the end of next year I should have 5 years worth of learning Japanese from school. I'm grateful to have this opportunity and am going to continue learning about the language and culture. One day I hope to travel to and live in Japan!💕

[DZL]

Great video. Makes me want to learn Japanese AND Chinese.