Why Can't Japanese Speak English? (Interview)

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Japanese people are famous for being bad at English, but why? Is it education? Is it the Japanese mindset?
This video is a curious one because I was able to interview Japanese people who didn't speak as well as ones who spoke English.

[@mtedlee22]

Wow, the guy in the Brooklyn cap surprised me with his close-to-perfect American accent. What an astounding feat for a non-native speaker!

[@Vinco]

Michael Ted Lee yeah, when he said he was in america 10 years ago, i got curious about how long he stayed here and all those specifics. i even noticed him accidentally slipping into using "like" repeatedly like i do.

[@mtedlee22]

Vinco Yeah, it's notable because even immigrants living in English-speaking countries for far long than this man rarely develop these linguistic nuances.

[@Floydthefuckbag]

Michael Ted Lee Yeah I was impressed too. He sounds very American.

[@GGMang1337]

Michael Ted Lee I've never been to New York, but that's how I expect it to sound! Props to him

[@PettankoXO]

Agreed. I'm also curious if he went anywhere outside of NY. I thought using "like" a lot in conversations was more of a California valley way of pausing in conversation, instead of uh or um. Guess it's more common than I thought lol.

[@DaTurdburglar]

lmao that dude that went to NY has an accent to his English and mixed with Japanese accent it sounds cool

[@451asians]

It does

[@Falco2302]

If i met him in japan and only heard him speak english, id assume he was american

[@ZuoCruz]

Sounds super cool! Sounds like some Asian-American gangster

[@RyanMartinRAM]

He's definitely got a badass new york accent. His english is perfect!

[@Zamolxes77]

He really worked on his accent, if I would have met him on the street in New York, he could have fooled me.

[@christiant.g.994]

5:45 He's even overusing "like" and "you know" as much as native speakers XD

[@andromedadelux]

MASTER TIER!!!

[@chingedlyn]

But that's also a problem. American's vocabulary tends to be weak, that's why they use a lot of filler words.

[@punkgrl325]

@@chingedlyn Every language uses filler words. For instance, brits use “innit”; it’s not specific to American vocab.

[@chingedlyn]

butterstix 24 Bruh, innit is not a filler word. Its a slang means ‘right?’

[@cottoncandy2023]

Looool

[@Hellion912]

"We are hosting the Olympics too" 😬 That didn't age well.

[@amyj4106]

Helen Taylor 😂😂

[@Amaling]

They still will host it next July, it'll be fine judging by covid vaccine timelines

[@holoholopainen1627]

Before Peking Olympics - They taught English to everybody ! You only need to Host Olympics - and Wola - Everybody learns by watching SPORTS ! IN Finland We have FINNISH BASEBALL - so It has helped to speak the Game !

[@Connie_TinuityError]

No, they are going to be hosting, just this year instead of last year

[@Kamelot19]

japan will host the olympics

[@beavertown2006]

That guy with a cap is very handsome and his English accent is magnificent.

[@azaquarium123]

Ha I agree, I just kept thinking how cute he was.

[@moonanddarkness]

Agreed on the later, he has much better accent and pronunciation than people that I worked with that had lived in the US for a long ass time...

[@Koeminu]

beavertown2006 Ikr! The NY and Japanese accent flow so nicely together. It's almost kind of alluring

[@michellejalen9474]

Ikr.... I smiled all the way watching him. He's super cute at that.

[@Jishiro]

Yeah, was thinking the same thing and Yuta's camera kept shaking so I guess he got nervous that time lol.

[@AkidsukiLeader]

NY dude with the hat is a beast at English lol I'm super impressed. Considering he had no formal training yet he spoke the most fluently and naturally makes me wonder about our language teaching systems

[@555pghbob]

I agree. He sounds like an American for sure!

[@JeongUlrich]

He went to the States for many years and when you learn a language from scratch and from the locals, that is what you get. Say you don't know how to speak Japanese, if you live in, say, Kansai region? I heard they have a strong dialect there. You'd learn and also catch their dialect, talk to any locals over the phone and they won't even have a second thought you're not a local :D

[@danieldouglas3083]

I noticed that his American accent was pretty much flawless, so that made his English appear to be more fluent, but it seemed like the guy he was with spoke English better, albeit with a heavier Japanese accent.

[@totallyawitch9945]

+Daniel Douglas but I was impressed by the vocabulary of the right hat guy too so I can't really decide who is better in english :)

[@LordIvor6]

It took me roughly 3 months to learn to communicate at an acceptable level when I moved to England, being forced to do it out of necessity allows you absorb sooo much, another important thing is language can't be taken out of context of culture, they're symbiotic.

[@skippyjones180]

It’s like he added an earthquake effect to the entire video

[@juggy_dc]

well its Japan,can might as well be an original and nobody cared

[@themagicmovies]

@@juggy_dc lmao 😂

[@ailo8964]

Fact: Japan is in the earthquake zone

[@CommodoreJ]

I remember one time when I went to Japan, there was a fucking earthquake in the train station and nobody gave a shit

[@subscribetopewdiepie859]

Joshie we had one a month earlier during school and some people said “oh, theres an earthquake” and the others were just ignoring it and the teacher was trying to act like she cared but you could tell she didn’t.

[@Pytipss]

The guy who said he does architecture looks like the Japanese version of shaggy😂

[@juch3]

Zoinks

[@Yarnooee]

John Mosley i giggled.

[@Dante20321]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@coozing2116]

@reece neil ゾインクス

[@eonasep]

💀

[@runeknytling]

My first time in America: Assumptions: Greeting: How are you? Answer: I'm fine, thank you. Reality: Greeting: How are you? / How's it going? Answer: I'm good. What everyone actually says to each other: Greeting: What's up? Answer: Not much.

[@ThatJapaneseManYuta]

+Rune Knytling So true :D

[@mugi1726]

+TVFilthyFran k AYY B0SSS !!!

[@jnanaparantapa4680]

seriously, i found you everywhere

[@shadowravenxcl]

* gets punched in the gut * american: you good my nigga? me: w-whats a nigga?

[@risingsound19]

+Rune Knytling Your observations are interesting. The different politeness levels are very pronounced in Japanese, but I think these kinds of differences exist within English as well, but they are more subtle. So, I say "I'm fine, thank you" all the time, but usually to people who are older than me, people I respect, or people I don't know very well. Ultimately though, this phrase is usually meaningless. People rarely want to know how you're actually doing. haha.

[@Hoffnung7558]

Holy crap, am I the only one whose mind is blown about how well those two guys accents and English are? They sound like they are straight up from New York, I am very impressed.

[@Lalalalala...]

+Brandon Hoffman Especially the guy with the NY hat! I thought maybe he grew up with an English speaking parent but he said he knew almost no English!

[@richmondbarnicles7041]

and I'm not that really impressed that you're impressed with that shaved japanese guy..

[@ShadowriverUB]

+Richmond Barnes As i heared this once, If you in foreign contry, knowing local language (or at least english) not matter of communication, it's matter of survival and you are forced to adapt. If you look on English speaking people that are in Japan for longer time they can speak good Japanese too because they practically been forced to learn it, it's extra motivation

[@richmondbarnicles7041]

+Shadowriver sorry bro. my bad.. anyway, Filipino's are one of the best english speaker in the world without being forced to learn it.. I'm just saying bro.

[@ShadowriverUB]

Richmond Barnes Sorry for what, just saying ^^''

[@flowbear9290]

8:27 honestly her english is actually pretty good from how shes speaking it seems like she could say about anything in english i can hear just a little bit of her accent other wise she sounds perfectly fine

[@animationdramanation5730]

@STENNELER Jérémy I'm a native English speaker if she would hang out around English speakers for a year I can tell her English would improve a lot.

[@epochseven4197]

Honestly though, her accent makes her sound cute when speaking English.

[@cz2301]

Asian ppl, esp the Japanese, put too much pressure on their shoulders. They need to practice more and gain more confidence, thats all

[@volgg]

So true, i've been learning japanese from writing, reading and listening to audio files. But learning to have a conversation with a japanese person takes it to a new level. immersion is key

[@KroviVT]

When Japanese people are engaged in small talk in English, they refer back to what they memorized in school instead of actually communicating. I always find it funny hearing this one in particular: "How are you?" "Fine thank you, and you?" Word for word, the answer will never change regardless of how they feel.

[@ThatJapaneseManYuta]

+Krovi 【黒火】 That's so true! I've always wondered why they teach those EXACT phrase in school. I've never met a SINGLE English speaker who talk like that.

[@KroviVT]

+That Japanese Man Yuta I think it's just to teach a more polite form of speech for beginners, just like how we learn keigo here in the west. The only thing I dislike is that Japanese people will only speak as if they were reciting a script instead of actually communicating. I would argue that that isn't really learning English.

[@akirin900]

+That Japanese Man Yuta here in california at least is used frequently, but mostly in work/business small talk as its more polite, but I get the script part, english wasnt my native language, and with some clients at work most of them KNOW english (they can understand to certain degree or express basic ideas) but most of them who learned in school try to translate what you say in english to their language then think in what they want to say and translate it to english, all that in a really short time which is stressful so they just go with the script.

[@CindyYuanazu]

That's true but the same goes for most foreign language textbooks in school. They most likely have, "How are you?" "I'm fine thank you, and you?" I know because I'm currently learning Italian in school and that is exactly what we learned in the beginning.

[@Lipatan6Blogspot]

+Krovi 【黒火】 Well, it's happen in my country too. LOL.

[@mattattack75]

Those 2 guys English is amazing they even have 85% of american accent. when he used "like" unnecessarily I thought to myself " Yep this guy has been to the states"

[@surferdude78]

I, like, um, really liked your comment. That dude has awesome English and interesting opinions too.

[@herrwegoagain534]

mattattack75 I was amazed by him too! He had the American accent and even dressed American.

[@mattattack75]

HerrWeGoAgain If this man had a conversation with me tomorrow i would have a difficult time determining he was a foreigner but then again we have so many immigrants i would probably think he immigrated around middle school like 7th or 8th grade and he retained a natural accent. I have an Hispanic friend who moved to the states around that age and her accent is very subtle but pronounce, much like his own

[@mateuszgorski7465]

Yea, but he said 'have' using a not e

[@cigxhang486]

“How are you?” “I’m fine, thank you” we learned this too in China lol

[@Dante20321]

对。你好吗？ 我很好、谢谢

[@huynhngoctien1090]

@Viktor Chavez That right. In Viet Nam, we also learned like that

[@jayfeather7676]

@Viktor Chavez i mean, if you say that people will understand what you say. It'll just come across formal or blunt.

[@Thanos-hp1mw]

Duolingo owl: *watches from a distance aiming its sniper

[@siennaharran2256]

LMAOO

[@justinprather8846]

The guy in the Brooklyn hat sounds straight up American, he might be better at English than you Yuta.

[@jameswargel2224]

I am agreed that ur right.

[@Dremekeks]

I loved how he had the New York accent too. lol.

[@CandyKoRn]

Yeah, his accent sounds genuine - You could almost believe he grew up there or something.

[@wothappen82]

i coundnt agree anymore

[@melonnnbread]

Agree

[@rquincy4113]

It's the opposite for most in Japanese learners. We can understand what you say, but we can't read anything!!!

[@BonazaiGirl]

R Quincy I hate kanji so much, I always mix it up with one another and they're thousands with different sounds! Dx

[@calebanderson2748]

+Bonzai-Tronne You would HATE to learn Chinese.

[@user-ik9bt1sd5b]

R Quincy ikr 😂

[@pneumonoultramicroscopicsi4344]

Agreed. What the Japanese experience is very common when learning languages. Take French and Japanese, two very different languages when spoken. Japanese has very smooth, well defined sounds. There is no mistake that Koukou means high school. They don't say it very slurred, they just say it really defined, making it really easy to pick up what they are saying. Then you have French, oh boy it LOVES its slurring. A lot like Japanese written and spoken French are two different worlds. Let's take the phrase "Je ne sais pas' (I don't know) You would expect someone to say it "Zhuh nuh say paa" (approximately, french has weird sounds and accents") But no, they say it shay'pah very quickly. They do it very often making spoken French a living nightmare to understand, while Japanese is super clear. But do not get any learner started on its writing system

[@yokomiro89]

Thats totally true

[@julietang3807]

I travelled to Japan for the first time last year, and I was pleasantly surprised that many in Tokyo made a great effort to speak in English with us when we were looking for directions or ordering in restaurants. Everyone was so nice and polite. Definitely we would go again to visit Japan.

[@Jahmzu]

This makes me want to be an english teacher in Japan ..my spanish teacher usually made the class speak to each other in spanish so I know a few good exercises. Now I have more motivation to learn Japanese

[@colin8150]

It’s really not all it’s cracked up to be. It can be good if you’re using it as a chance to be in Japan and experience the culture and the lifestyle, but as far as the job is concerned, it can be a bit disheartening, depending on which company you work for.

[@jaredprice5823]

@@colin8150 Could you elaborate? It looks like they really need English teachers.

[@louissanderson719]

@@jaredprice5823 if you go over on JET or Interac, you won’t be a full on English teacher. You’ll be an Assistant Language Teacher. Also the pay as an ALT in the past few years is shit. Especially if you’re living in a place like Tokyo

[@MisterHowzat]

I'd love to be a teacher of English as a second language in Japan but if the motivation level of the students is as low as this video suggests, it won't be very fulfilling, eh?

[@80sfordman]

I like the fact that those 2 guys made an effort to learn English, so they travelled to an native English language country to study knowing that they had to learn the language in order to basically survive, well done guys!

[@brettkimura]

Respect to them

[@KawaiiWeebTrashDesu]

You know when he uses an English filler word he's experienced in English

[@Rioxka]

haha, you know? you know? you know?

[@zhixinai1352]

Ikr it's kinda cringey. It reminds me of Japnese learners using nanka and chotto every two words when they can't create a complete sentence.

[@GerdiHono]

but lots of native English speakers do speak like that. Inserting "like" and "y'know" as fillers is a feature common to colloquial North American English.

[@calebself2588]

thats extremely commen in america

[@SynthApprentice]

He's using the filler very naturally. The other guy caught my ear when he said, "uh". They definitely have some solid experience.

[@DouglasZwick]

I'm really impressed with the tenacity of Yuta and those last two guys. They spoke so calmly in spite of the earthquake that was occurring during their entire interview.

[@alexw.8046]

That guy picked up so much new yorkishness. That was funny to see

[@snowfish1121]

The guy in the baseball hat who lived in NY has AMAZING English! He almost sounds like a native speaker! That's incredible for someone who didn't live there as a child. I wonder if he grew up speaking something else along with Japanese? Seriously blown away by him!

[@snowfish1121]

snowfish1121 PS... he told me to subscribe, so I did. ;)

[@LittleLulubee]

snowfish1121 I was thinking the same thing!! He sounds American. Good for him! :)

[@Tomoyuki473]

snowfish1121 I'm American and I have heard a lot of people who's english is not nearly as good as his. props to him!

[@TheElenaNumb]

+snowfish1121 I came here searching for videos in order to learn japanese, he blew me away, because mostly people who are japanese always have an accent! This man is spot on!! personally I'm Algerian and my Native language is Arabic, but whenever people hear me speak english, it's spot on Native speaker! at least that's what my US friends tell me when ever i have skype conversations with them! it's cool :3

[@blahblah2018]

+snowfish1121 That guy had a NY accent as well, really interesting. I totally thought he was from the U.S.

[@SawantHema]

I recently started learning Japanese and also started teaching it to my 8 yr old as well.it's good know any foreign language as it helps to meet different ppl and learn more about them. The world is fast changing and the only way to stay united and together is to be able to communicate. There is so much one can learn from Japan . I want my daughter to absorb goodness from where ever she can .learning this language will help her understand Japanese culture just as she knows about her own culture .

[@nictheguy]

This video is definitely one of your better ones! I enjoy watching all of your videos and what makes this video stand out is how well the questions were structured. It seems that you were able to show great insight on some cultural beliefs. Thanks Yuta!

[@Sootielove]

I really, really, *really* wish I could speak Japanese. Being able to speak a Western and an Eastern language would be so useful.

[@Sootielove]

The problem is I'm too overworked. I'm at the stage in UK schools where it's all exams all year and when three of those subjects are already languages I'd been screwed. The reason 'I wish I could speak Japanese' is because I don't have the time to learn.

[@Sootielove]

Thanks :D

[@bude8234]

+Sootielove - Me too! I'm learning now. Ganbatte!

[@linuxpony]

+Bud E good luck my friend, I hope you enjoy your journey in the wonderful world of language.

[@xyoopridex]

+Sootielove I can speak korean and english fluently and moderate japanese. Better polish my japanese speaking skills as soon as possible haha.

[@Wruce_Bayne]

Dude in the white shirt has really good enunciation and I think he got the learning part right, just immerse yourself in the language as much as possible

[@Rioxka]

yeah he basically has it down almost perfectly.

[@coolbrotherf127]

The same thing happens with American kids and Spanish. Almost everyone is taught standard Mexican Spanish in the public school system, but very few people actually learn anything more than the basics. When you almost never needed to actually use the foreign language it's hard to actually force yourself to learn it.

[@Cardah]

Most take Spanish but there are many who opt to take a different language.

[@zulynava4059]

@@Cardah Which is Ironic since the US has 40 times the number of Spanish speakers of any other country and where Spanish is not an official language.

[@marshahovenesian8142]

I feel that if you live anywhere in the world (and I mean move somewhere vs going somewhere on vacation or business), you need to be able to speak that countries language. No one expects a foreigner to speak like a native but as long as you put a good effort into it, I think that impresses the locals and they're more willing to be helpful to you. And as far as the guy who lived in upstate New York, I'm totally amazed. I could barely hear a foreign accent on him when he was speaking English. His friends spoke English really well too.

[@SyntaxGamify]

That other guy with the cap had like an NY accent and it was so cool to listen to.

[@IanMVB]

I love the accent of the guy that went to upstate New York, you can really hear it when he speaks.

[@JasonRyanWilson410]

IanMVB I hear a lot of Brooklyn NY in his voice.

[@stevea-ok3531]

Well, I just learned about the term "lingua franca" from this video. I knew the concept but didn't know the actual term. Thanks, to the interviewee and Yuta!

[@PlayinWithGhosts]

That Brooklyn NYC cap guy has a great outlook for languages in general. He speaks well. Thank you for sharing!

[@demianhaki7598]

English is not my first language either, but aside from being able to consume lots of entertainment in English now, I'm mostly happy because of all the books and articles I can now read it English, which often don't exist in my language (yet). There is so much information, e.g. from great scientists and writers, that I would miss out on if I didn't speak English, so opening up to the lingua franca of the world also opens up the mind. Vice Versa, there are probably a number of great Japanese scientists and writers whose work is not as well-known, because it only exists in Japanese. That's a shame. People miss really out on something that way. However, opening up to a new language would also open up the culture to new, potentially challenging ideas and the question is whether Japanese society (in general) wants that? Just look at how the Americans had/have to change their image of themselves, their political/historic views, their religious views etc since more and more people are able to join the conversation in English from other countries. It's a great opportunity, but I think some people also get defensive and want to protect their traditional cultural views, for which a language barrier can be very effective.

[@ThatJapaneseManYuta]

Demian Haki I can relate to a lot of stuff you wrote. I appreciate how you describe all the nuances of speaking different languages.

[@bakasheru]

ThatJapaneseManYuta Same thing here, in my country (the Netherlands) we are proud that 95% can atleast have a simple conversation in english. Most people that live in the more densly populated areas speak reasonable english or atleast understand it. It generates benefits like easy interaction with tourists and it is considerd a benefit when you look for a job. But it opens up a can of worms when other cultures have access to your culture. The start to point out things that don't stroke well with their own culture and "demand" to change it. But somtimes we are crazy enough to "reinvent" parts of our culture to keep our identity.

[@demianhaki7598]

bakasheru The important point, is this case, seems to not necessarily reinvent or stick to one's culture on principle, but to reevaluate what makes sense and what doesn't. As a result, we may find that certain challenges from the outside are reasonable and based on good ideas and in other cases we may find that we have good reason to stick to our views, even if others demand change. The point is: We should not stick to views/culture/traditions just because they are traditions. Traditions developed for a purpose and if that purpose is outdated, then there is no reason to stick to it. If there still are good reasons, stick to it. Informed choices, that's the point.

[@bakasheru]

... but most cultures make no sense to me (or anyone) whatsoever. And that defeats the entire "but to reevaluate what makes sense and what doesn't." What makes sense in my eyes, is completly bogus to an Amercian. What a Japanese person considers normal is abnormal to someone from Germany. Ofcourse there are a few odds and ends that turn obsolete over the years, but in general those are not even worth mentioning when you compare them to the rest. But that will not prevent people from trying enforce their point of view on it. And it will only increase once you take away barriers like language.

[@iamSketchH]

Demian Haki That's why I want to learn Japanese--not necessarily for scientific research or anything, but because I want to be able to read books, newspapers, signs, recipes, and write in other languages as well. I would be happy if I was fluent in both Japanese, Spanish, and maybe a little German. ^^

[@shokaboka]

I believe the root reason Japanese don't speak English as well as other Asian countries is economics. Being able to speak English may broaden your life and afford you more opportunities; but, you can live a good life in Japan without English. In other countries whose economies aren't as strong, the ability to speak English can more directly affect how much money you can earn. All the other reasons people use, including those in these interviews, come after the economical one. Passive teaching, learning to pass the test are because English is mandatory in school but there's no motivation to master it because there are no examples of it paying off in ways that would matter to most - the bottom line.

[@stefanpitts1260]

you can also argue that they have much less cultural diffusion than most other countries such as america, those in europe and even previously imperialised nations

[@nowie4007]

a lot of indian and pakistani people speak english very well even though it's their second language

[@Corey-dk3xi]

Interesting opinions and some fabulous accents in this video. Thank for sharing!

[@Margxela]

this is eye opening, nice video

[@BedroomPianist]

Holy shit that guy's english and New York accent are almost spot on.

[@celestia277]

yup

[@Hanayanaa]

The guy who lived in upstate NY gave me the chills. I've been in Osaka for 4 years and hardly hear upstate NY accent now and he was pretty spot on. My accent doesn't sound upstate NY anymore when I'm speaking English T_T

[@violetsprite]

Hanayanaa I agree. I was impressed with how much he sounded like a native New Yorker, regarding his accent, the words, and phrases he used to expressed himself. I really wish he went into further details of how he forced himself to learn English, so I could do the same to force myself to fully learn Japanese.

[@MrBrightSide77]

violetsprite I know an Australian at my workplace who lived in Japan for 3 years and now speaks fluent Japanese(i came to know cuz he speaks with Japanese customers without problem). He said he did not speak any english when he was in Japan. In fact he declined to speak in English with the Japanese there who could speak basic english just to improve hia Japanese. Now he is learning Mandarin (chinese).

[@violetsprite]

Uzumaki Narutoo Hmmm. I guess will power and determination is a big factor. I envy your coworker; kudos to him. I think total immersion works for some, but doesn't fully work for others. I knew an older woman who had been living in New York most of her life. At the time I met her, I believe she was in her 60s. She had two grown kids and was on her second husband, but still could not speak English well. She could only express short or easy thoughts. She would then fall back to Spanish. Luckily I understood enough Spanish to understand what she was trying to say. I know of a couple of people who are living in or have lived in Korea and still cant't speak the language well.

[@ericwilliams5086]

Hanayanaa Yo seriously, he had it down pat! I wish I had taken the same approach to learning a language.

[@LachrymoseMelon]

I'm from upstate New York, and I was really blown away by how proficient his English is. He definitely sounds just like other people I speak with on a daily basis

[@koabradley]

This was an excellent video my friend! I am inspired

[@evaundele123]

Great video!

[@yummi118]

the guy with the brooklyn hat sounded like a native english speaker. very impressive

[@r.w.3378]

Yeah the filler words were really accurate I'd believe it if he said he was native to america

[@ydl6832]

He said "Why not". Hahaha. Sounds like his gonna showing off his English.

[@rini9325]

He lived in America for years,what's so impressive?Why do you guys act like Asians speaking English is some sort of an extraordinary accomplishment? It's honestly one of the easiest languages out there. Plenty of Asian people can speak English well.

[@wotfreak85]

@@rini9325 I think you are taking offense when none is intended. No one here thinks that an Asian person would struggle to excel at learning English, in fact it has nothing to do with Asian people at all. I think most people who learn a language never quite reach the level of skill where they sound like a native speaker, even if they live in the country for most of their lives. I mean, look at Arnold Schwarznegger for example. He has lived in the United States for 58 years and he still has a very strong German accent. His English is just fine, he speaks like a native in every way other than having an accent. I think what everyone is trying to say is that they didn't expect that they would be watching a video about random Japanese people in Tokyo and one of them sounds like he is from Brooklyn. It is a compliment.

[@agamersinsanity]

​@@rini9325 it's easier for a European to pick up English compared to the Japanese, or asians in general. Some of the words we use can be hard for them to translate into their own language, and I might add their sentences also starts differently from ours, and they don't use pronouns like we do. They also lend a few words which can't directly be translated into their own language. The lack of education when japanese teachers steps in to a class who doesn't have the right pronounciation nor knowledge can be a huge factor to why some of them never learn it properly. I'm just happy to see them trying. That's why im impressed when a few of the japanese people can speak English. The solution would be they can't graduate if they haven't learned to speak English on a basic level or have basic knowledge about the language, and there should be an option to step up the language skills, if they want. I believe education is the key also to change, and it would benefit Japan and us foreigners a lot too, if they learn English the proper way from the start. I met people from Thailand who barely speaks swedish, and even English for that matter, so it's almost incrompehensible for me to understand.

[@mrapplefries]

the fluent dude with the white t totally has the ny accent.

[@gonzalo4658]

Lmao the fluent dude

[@nuil501]

Very nice interviews, Yuta !! Those two guys do speak a very good english, btw;

[@kie-skatemods4141]

Fine I subscribed. There’s a lot of good things to take from these videos. Thanks!

[@ThatJapaneseManYuta]

What do you want to know about Japanese people? I'm doing a survey for my next interviews. Share your ideas and vote here: www.tricider.com/brainstorming/2aVMMchIOBJ

[@kinda5510]

ThatJapaneseManYuta Hey there, I like your videos and really want to know about Japanese people(I wish I lived in Japan to do a survey) So, I really want to know what Japanese people thinks about America and if they are afraid of globalization that America try imply on other countries(trying to push their culture on countries), are Japanese afraid of losing their "identity" as a nation?, if so, how do they think they should protect their culture from globalization throw time and in future? epically when their relation with America is getting close throw time for some reason.. I really hope for an answer for this question, I wouldn't have bothered you if I were living in Japan myself.

[@LittleLulubee]

ThatJapaneseManYuta Just found your channel and I love it! I'm interested in knowing what Japanese people think about spiritual things. Do they believe in God? Angels? How do they define those things? Do they believe in ghosts? Have they had any ghost encounters? The afterlife? Reincarnation? Near-death experiences? That would be really interesting for me to hear about. Thanks!

[@tyrellwithbapes]

Ask them what they think about the work life culture

[@TheDestroyer73]

ThatJapaneseManYuta my question would be: why is it not ok for japanese to show too much emotions in their daily lives? like at work or school its bad to show too much emotion compare to other countires/cultures. Would they want to change that in their culture if they could?

[@Diveintonewenglish]

Hi! I'm an American living in Korea. Koreans have some negative sentiments about towards Japan due to world war II, comments from Japan's prime minister, and of course Dokdo (Tsukushima in Japanese perhaps?) Koreans are really passionate about these topics, but when I lived in Japan in the past I didn't really see things to be the other way around. I would love you to do a video dealing with some of these issues, or perhaps what Japanese people think about how Koreans view Japan. Keep up your great work!

[@Gubub]

lol, the guy who was able to speak english kind off got a bad habit of saying "you know?" you know what im saying ?

[@ThatJapaneseManYuta]

+Dumb Minions Yeah, you know, a lot of English speaking people, like, Americans, do that.

[@pornpori]

+Dumb Minions he just replicates the bad habits most americans have in their casual speaking, which include the abuse of: "you know", "like", "kinda"

[@DocLobster94]

its not bad english its just american its a product of the accent flavoring his speech

[@MiniMunchers1]

+Dumb Minions It could be worse. He could be saying y'all and ain't (which I say as im Texan,) yolo, swag, and "like" after every other word. He spoke English clear and understandably. I thought it was quite good.

[@misamisatv]

I think it's okay to do that but ONLY if they aren't using it to make their speaking skills sound better than they actually are. I used to have a classmate in university who would pretend he spoke really good English by using all of these American habits, but he was still really bad at it and it only made him even harder to understand.

[@Deedric_Kee]

I just finished the video, and I suscribed, I love this already ✌

[@holyknightthatpwns]

I love that guy with the Brooklyn hat. His accent is really interesting, and I like his perspective as well.

[@marteme2273]

I really like that you make so many videos where you actually go out and ask different people! It is very interesting to hear their thoughts on different topics. You deserve more subscribers, because you are doing a great job!

[@Dhalgrim]

The problem with english speaking teachers would be easier to solve if they would let non-native english speakers apply for teaching jobs as well. I'm from Germany and studying to become an english teacher, but wouldn't be allowed to teach in japan as it always says that you have to be from the us, uk, Canada and so on. If i have a masters in english and spent 90% of my time conversing in english that should be qualification enough especially because i want a more discussion and practice orientated teaching style. Learning and improving english skills is way easier through watching youtube, movies or sitting in teamspeak with brits as just learning phrases by heart.

[@j0rmungandr889]

move to the states or finish your studies here and you can get a job there.

[@BlazingMagpie]

+Dhalgrim It should be more logical to hire someone who learned english as a second language and knows it well rather than someone who has it as first language. The first one would know much more about how to learn that language than the second one.

[@Dhalgrim]

BlazingMagpie exactly =)

[@Colopty]

+BlazingMagpie English is my second language and I have no clue on how to teach it to others. You'd need someone like Dhalgrim who has actually studied to be an English teacher for that.

[@Dhalgrim]

Colopty i think they meant the comparison of two people, who both have studied teaching, but one is a native speaker and one has learned it as a second language

[@ajitraj4932]

Very beautiful video thanks

[@Latiosx123]

i have to agree with the interviewees, I too learning japanese, as much as i can read and understand words, i cant speak very well, is hard to speak in non native when it is easier to just speak english or chinese to our peers. I think once acquired basic of the language, speaking is very important, be it grammatically wrong, the more you practise the more mistakes you make, the more correction can be learnt

[@BeeBee-yt7kk]

This video we as sort of depressing for me. I'm British and in my school we are only taught French and spanish. I want to learn Japanese. However it is a very challenging language and my parents don't really approve of it so I have only been able to pick up phrases from anime and such... I am trying to learn hirigana and kanji and such like but it it is very difficult. The fact that Japanese people learn to speak english but tend not to is a real insight in society. I think we should have the opportunity to learn other languages as they put in their time to learn our launguage. By the way I'm 13 and sorry if I went on a rant. Its a subject I feel very strongly about...

[@MrBrightSide77]

Same here, i watch japanese anime Naruto and it's a pain having to check subtitles all the time. Though they have english dubbed version i prefer japanese cuz it sounds more authentic. I want to join Japanese class but i am too busy. I love Japanese culture.

[@FuyuNoAi]

Bella Jones I was about to say "how old are you? 13?" because I couldn't believe that someone was being controled by their parents. Your parents can go fuck themselves, it's ridiculous. What's wrong with learning japanese? Do whatever you want because you aren't doing anything wrong. If you can't afford japanese classes, download Minna no Nihongo, Genki, Basic Kanji I and II. Use www.learn-japanese-adventure.com/ Start with hiragana and katakana, don't worry if you have to use romaji, you will get used to write in hiragana in a few days. Don't waste your time watching anime, once you're confident enough, try to interact with japanese speakers.

[@colindeng0]

+Bella Jones Don't let your dreams be dreams. If you wish to pursue Japanese then do so! It's a good choice to learn something completely different. I learnt Japanese for 2 years and I was the one who made the choice!

[@colindeng0]

+Bella Jones Don't let your dreams be dreams. If you wish to pursue Japanese then do so! It's a good choice to learn something completely different. I learnt Japanese for 2 years and I was the one who made the choice!

[@paulpardee]

+Bella Jones There are a ton of online resources for learning Japanese. www.memrise.com/course/12/introduction-to-japanese/ I'd start there. I second what obluda says... Genki I is a great resource, (Minna no Nihongo really requires a teacher since there's no English in it). Japanese is relatively difficult to master compared to French or Spanish, but there's absolutely no reason why you can't learn more than one language, especially at your age. Your brain is still going through MASSIVE growth, so I'd take advantage of that while you can. Once you get a little proficiency under your belt, find a native speaker you can chat with to hone your skills. Good luck!

[@dantevic]

You deserve a lot more subscribers yuta your channel is entertaining .

[@ThinkBeforeYouSleepYT]

1:14 Sorry to kill your dreams but LA is a shit hole with a lot of homeless. It's so bad that the plague has come back.

[@orlg21]

先生方が喋れないから。。。って言った人率直で好き（笑）しかも、もじもじしながらで可愛いし

[@LuhanPark]

English is my third language. However, when I was finally able to learned how to speak and write, there are always some people who terror me on my grammar and accent. I do appreciate that they are trying to correct me but there are some people who will bring you down because you are not fluent in English. However, there are SOME people who think that they are the top of the "English-Grammar Kingdom" but cannot even speak or write a second language. I am like, "You grammar terrorist/nazi bitch! I speak four language but you can't! Try learning my first language and let me correct your shit! So, be more understanding to different people who is trying to learn a new language. They are trying their best and not everyone can perfectly practice a language. But I believe that continuous practice on the language will hone your ability to communicate to different people and can open different opportunity;)

[@danitabori]

Sumin Park English is my third language as well. What are your other languages?

[@LuhanPark]

Danitabori I know Tagalog, Korean, English, and Mandarin. I am in the process of learning Spanish;). I also speak a dialect called Kapampangan.

[@LuhanPark]

dark phanthom Right! Dont worry! I am not even sure if what I wrote above are right lol. But dont worry! Write anything you want! Don't let those grammar nazis stop you! but also, maybe learn something from them too. However, the best way to for us to hone our ability is learn from our mistakes and continuous practice=)!

[@MSNA-gq8nu]

Sumin Park I know the feeling bro . English is my second language ,and now I am learning Japanese .

[@Zhuclam]

Alpha Delta lol I'm also learning Japanese and English is my second language, just curious, what's your native language? Mine is Spanish.

[@irwinwinaris9800]

The last guy looks and sounds more American than Japanese

[@ghostl1124]

He only got some of the idioms wrong, but other idioms he got right, or close to saying it right.

[@titangrv]

I enjoy the videos you are sharing with us. The most easy way to learn a foreign language is to watch cartoons in the native language then move to movies the key is accurate subtitles so you naturally link the sounds you hear with your own language. That's the way I learned English at a young age. I also speak English for work and sometimes I have my thoughts in English as well. ( btw I'm from Bucharest city ) hope to see more Japanese tourists here. Young people will enjoy our openness

[@jimibel]

Those two guys were amazing

[@Lmilky]

the guy with the cap sounds japanese american pretty impressive! are they youtubers they look familiar

[@NipahAllDay]

True, it's easier to understand the writing aspect in the language, but is harder when using it for conversations.

[@wac0b]

Thats my experience as well.

[@anntee6690]

True

[@prometheus9096]

+Nipah EveryDay Interesting for me it is the opposite of that. It is easier for me to speak. Maybe because most English words are not written the same way as you speak them out loud (like in Spanish or German).

[@Mercure250]

+Prometheus Try french, mate. You will miss english writing XD Mais le français est une langue tellement belle. ^^ I'm glad it's my native language =P

[@prometheus9096]

Mercure250 yeah French is even worser than English ;) In German and Spanish you almost write the same as you speak (pronounce and spelling) :) But German itself is a hard to learn language i think (its my native tung)

[@redfox0223]

9:03 thanks for welcoming us💕

[@lawrencely]

1:14 "I have the image of LA where stylish women with great bodies are walking" Me: Nah, all u gonna see r a bunch of hobos, obese people, or weebs if you go to little tokyo.

[@artvandelayimports]

The Japanese want to come to america and some americans want to go to japan.

[@artvandelayimports]

Diego true and when they get to japan, they'll wonder where the subtitles are

[@super_genius]

thats what google glass is for brooo

[@super_genius]

lol i thought it was obvious that was a joke

[@Sethernet]

+Diego says weebs and has a anime style drawing for his profile pic. How cute lol

[@myoung1970s]

U can get shot at for no reason anytime in US.

[@DatBoiJrSan408]

Studying Japanese is challenging but so refreshing. Really challenges my brain lol

[@tuantranhoang9979]

Me too.Kanji words are challenging for me to understand and write them.

[@xrz3000]

Did you make it lad?

[@dennisromero4757]

Of the last two guys, the guy with the black t-shirt was right about Tokyo people, they are nice and will try to help if your lost or looking for some place. I went to Tokyo years ago, when I got lost usually I could find someone to point me in the right direction. Oh ya when I bought something, if I gave them too much they would tell me. A very humble and honorable people is what I came back to the US with. Thanks 4 video.

[@Ryunosaurus99]

The response to "how are you?" is something like "I'm fine thank you" though. Well at least for Londoners. Or "I'm all right thanks", "I'm good, you?"

[@LittleLulubee]

I like that you showed Japanese people who can speak English well. It seems that most videos on KZbin where they interview Japanese people on the street show them speaking English really poorly. Your vids are the first I've seen where you find random Japanese people who can actually speak English. The 2 guys spoke really well. Especially the guy in the Brooklyn cap- he sounds TOTALLY American!!! Wow, he did a great job learning! Not just the accent, but the expressions and way of speaking. He seems like a really cool guy :)

[@excalipoor]

Nice one, Yuta. Get to see people honestly want to learn English and understand things are not in a global sense instead of just in the country level. 👍

[@SmartK8]

I just learned to say "I don't speak X" in ten most common languages with perfect pronunciation in their language. It makes foreign speaking people paranoid.

[@SG-kj2uy]

LoL

[@INTJames]

The end of the video made me really want to go live and teach English in Japan!!! I didn't know you were packing English teachers I'd love to teach you English if I could!!!

[@9legopro]

Honestly, I want to learn how to speak Japanese. I play alot of Japanese games, but I can't speak the language.

[@KanjiColossus]

+9legopro よく勉強してもいいですよ。 : ) It's good to actively study sometimes, rather than just listening to the language.

[@9legopro]

+Kyokushitaka A problem about Japanese is that my name can't translate correctly, at least it won't on Google Translate.

[@9legopro]

+Kyokushitaka And then figured if people only communicate with me through Japanese, I'll learn faster.

[@KanjiColossus]

+9legopro My name doesn't translate properly either; my senseis had to do it for me since I have an "L" haha. Honestly google translate is a terrible way to go about it. I'd suggest if you're just starting out to look into the Genki book series. There are 2 of them and they're very good if you're not learning in a classroom.

[@paulnottherealmccartney8558]

+9legopro ye play without understanding. wtf

[@LosAnggraito]

Dude with the Brooklyn hat 😍

[@eddsygarcia]

The guy with the Brooklyn cap and the black shirt excellent American accent. It's different when you really put yourself or put the effort in learning the language.

[@Cris18Martinez]

7:05- that girls voice reminds me of the frog girl from boku no hero academia

[@VandalCleaver]

I thought that too as soon as I heard her, Tsu-chan!

[@Zero_x]

Lmao you are right xD

[@CroazilRai]

I may have a solution to Japanese English education system. I am from a country called Nepal which is very poor country in comparison to Japan. However, being poor I guess comes with its advantage I guess. In my country people with job can afford to send their children to any private school as private school is a massive form of business in the country. But being able to afford it aside the way they teach English in Nepal is from Elementary level along with the native Nepalese language as mandatory languages. And on top of that there is rules that students are to only speak English in School Area, with teachers in school and every lessons they attend to apart from the native Nepalese lesson. This helps the students put what they learned in their lessons to good practice when communicating with each other, be it forcibly due to the rules in school. This also causes a lot of competition among students because if someone is able to speak English better than others, others will want to do the same and will put more effort into speaking English. This actually helps this poor country deal with all the foreign tourists that visit my country for holidays easily. This also helps when they go abroad. I live in the UK currently and I was quiet shocked to find out Japanese people don't practice what they learned in lesson with each other vocally. As many Japanese people in this video mentioned having foreign teacher will help them but I think if their schools had rules of speaking English only from very young age, they wont need foreign teachers. All they need is to practice it among each other instead of thinking of it as some subject they need to pass in exams.

[@homosapien9526]

Here from Nepal, though I didn't study in a strict boarding school, I was not exposed to the speaking english part but due to such thing the actual Nepali is being overshadowed. I can't read the text written in Nepali as easily as english and people are like you're only cool or good enough when you present in a less confident english rather than in their confident Nepali. It's like come on, its our national language it's cool on its own and why is compulsory to emphasize english among even the Nepali people.

[@gordonwoper5003]

very well explained. I think now that because Japan is so rich and rather proud of this they feel little need to communicate to outsiders. They certainly like picking up parts of Western culture & fashions that suits them and often adapt them to suit local conditions. Smaller countries have to fight harder to succeed. A breach of this rule is Germany/Austria with a population combined of about 95 million. They speak very good English.

[@bogsbinny6335]

when the guy kept saying " you know " at end of his sentences you know that he's a descendant of Naruto Uzumaki

[@sherastannie]

6:08 That's exactly what they do. They learn you only the grammatical way of speaking and not the common way. If you want to speak any languange fluently, after you've learned the grammar you need to listen to native people speaking and also try to have a conversation. I've started English only when I was 6 yrs and when I started english in school I was sooo boored! 😅😅😩😩

[@dropkickmonk3y]

I live in Saitama, but I can hang out in Tokyo. Great videos you've got Yuta. :)

[@whoopsnatalie]

Amazing video..

[@Alyscus]

The guy in the Brooklyn hat has great pronunciation!!

[@lianayau6046]

The guy in the Brooklyn cap really shocked me! Honestly if I were to guess, I would say he’s half and half bc his accent is so good holy cow

[@btooleez]

Love this video -- really think the responses would've been more varied ( and interesting ) if you'd gone to various regional capitals ( Shizuoka, Hiroshima, Kanazawa, Fukuoka, etc. ) and polled NIhonjin there.

[@Kuskdk]

I loved how Japanese people were so kind to us when we went to Japan. Having a map, looking lost and asking people got so warm responses and patience despite knowing little to no Japanese. I never met a warmer people, but really wish I knew more Japanese to be able to connect better ^^

[@Moonview90]

The guy with the white t-shirt... HOT

[@MoisesMVBA]

Gayyyyyy

[@ivangartenhaus4276]

@@MoisesMVBA But still hot

[@MsLhuntMartinez79]

At least you are learning. A few of our kids learn Japanese in high school. GOOD JOB!

[@scottpool4777]

The Philippines me and my wife I am I think it’s exciting to culture Japanese. So as soon as I can swing down there thank you very much.

[@InfernosReaper]

When I was in Japan, I noticed that, even in Tokyo, there were less signs in English than America has in Spanish. That does not help tourists who can not read or speak Japanese. However, I would say that to improve language skills one must speak it, especially with a language whose spelling makes no sense, like English. For language classes, there should be 2 teachers. One should be a native speaker of the language being learned & also knows the language of the students. The other should be a native speaker of the language of the students who also knows the language being studied. This would give students a better understanding of the language and improve the overall quality of the teaching.

[@schuuichiminamino]

1. Why are Japanese people generally bad at speaking English? Because the two languages are extremely different in many levels. It's like two opposite sides of a coin. The pronunciation and writing system are totally different. I imagine that building phrases with the verb in the middle of the sentence is extremely hard for them (as for western people to work with the verb at the end). They can build 'monster' sentences just by conjugating the verb while in other languages it's preferred to use other words and ways to express something. I think the "study for exams" culture, the lack of fluent teachers and the methodology also make it worse, but mainly, it's hard to learn. 2. Why is it important to learn English? Basically because you can 'unlock' any culture you're interested in. You can communicate with the world. I don't know how willing to learn more about other cultures I would be as a Japanese born kid, because Japanese Culture itself is amazing, but in my case English has helped me in that sense...

[@Jaime_Protein_Cannister]

Well Here in europe, we have something like 44 countries stacked one on top of another , a lot of young ppl talk 2-3 languages on average. When I think about the folks in my country who are unwilling to expand their horizons, I feel ashamed. The sad part is that my teacher in Primary School was worse that some of the students. How are you supposed if that's the case?

[@julianfejzo4829]

Well, Finnish is also very different from English but in Finland the majority of the population is able to speak it, less excuses and more study dude.

[@Catossa]

I love japan! Good thing I knew some japanese when I went it helped soooo much!😃

[@lisak1355]

As an English teacher I can relate to all they've said. Most of my students come from Japan and their English is not great, but anyone who goes abroad for any period of time comes back with better overall English skill because they really start to adopt the language and way of thinking in a particular why (forming sentences etc). As far as English in schools - it's the same world wide, no matter what non-English speaking country the student comes from - the result is the same. Such a shame.

[@GBY13]

"How are you?" "I am fine thank you and you?" We actually say this very often...

[@gokuvegetagogeta]

GodBlessYou2008 .............

[@MusicFanOnline]

Do you really say it exactly like that? It sounds a bit stiff. I hear people say something close to that like "I'm fine, thanks.(slight pause) How are YOU doing?". I guess it also depends on where you're from.

[@IWantToStayAtYourHouse]

Idk about you but I say "Whats up" or "How you doin?", and they reply "I'm good"

[@TayoEXE]

@@IWantToStayAtYourHouse My wife is Japanese, and I taught English to Japanese. When I taught "What's up?" or "How's it going?" they had never heard these before even though they are arguably more common.

[@getsome_milk]

Not me tho. When someone asked me how are you? I'll probably reply I'm okay??????

[@CaseyShingledecker88]

Hi! Your videos are a pleasure to watch. If I am lucky enough to meet you in Tokyo, I would love to buy you a beer or two. - Casey

[@Ck-iq1up]

I saw this video and a similar Asian boss one, and I am baffled that no one pointed out the correlation between invention and loanwords, in terms of technology, English-speaking people have been creating a ton of new things, along with the words to define them, and it's such an unprecedented volume of new things, concepts, and words, that it's no wonder other languages have to use loanwords. In Spanish it's a bit easier to translate some of them, but if you study anything technology related, you will absolutely hear and say English words as best as you can pronounce them.

[@kg5529]

When you grew up speaking English but that one guy is still more eloquent than you.

[@Dante20321]

Ikr 😂

[@artsyebonyrose]

This is me while learning German. I can read it, but I can't understand when a native German speaks it :/

[@NZPCKugelwilli]

I'm German and I know that feeling the other way around. I learn elementary Japanese right now, but I'm only able to use all the sentences I learned in theory. If someone speaks to me in Japanese, I either don't understand it or can't think of an answer fast enough. But don't give up on it. I've got a Japanese language exchange partner now and I'm making some progress. You need to keep trying to talk to Germans! Also, it's much easier if you trust 'strangers' from the start. First, I learned to introduce myself in classes, but when I met a person to speak with, I spoke German to her at first (and introduced myself in German/English) to build some trust. This was really stupid, because I couldn't use the sentences I knew in the process and lost a topic to talk about. So don't be scared! Mistakes will be forgiven or better: noone really cares. The people I met, tried their hardest to understand and help me. (If you like or need to, we can meet in TS or something (although I'm kinda busy, so I can't really promise anything on a regular basis). I don't know what's your 1st language, but my spoken English needs some work as well.)

[@artsyebonyrose]

+Pascal Thanks for all that advise :3 I first language is English and it's the only language I'm fluent in at the moment. I've been learning German for two years and I want to learn Japanese but there are no public universities in my area that teach it ((I wouldn't be able to afford private school)). It's nice of you to offer to meet and stuff, but I'm pretty young so I'd not be allowed :/ thanks for the gesture though!

[@artsyebonyrose]

My first language*

[@NZPCKugelwilli]

Black_Blossom Kay, if you're young, it's even better. I used to learn so much faster in school then now (in university now) xD Is university also used for high school or are you just a freshman at university? Just saying, I haven't offered a meeting, but TeamSpeak talk and such, cuz I still live in Germany (did you thought TS means Tennessee or such) xD But I understand that'll be awkward if you're too young :D

[@Farina1204]

Try to watch TV shows/ movies in German, with German subtitles. It helped me a lot with English :)