Gaijin speaking japanese abroad: a strange feeling...

Hi everybody!

long time not posting, so glad to be around again ;-)

I some times go to a Japanese shop next to my working place, to buy some foods for my wife. Each time I have to speak with the shop workers (who speak an almost good French), I am speaking my mother tongue with them. I indeed -would- like to speak Japanese with them, but now, after time, there are three problems:
1) after some years, I feel as if it would be strange to suddenly "speak Japanese like that";
2) and for a foreigner, in is "own" country, I feel as if speaking Japanese would "give me a big nose" (sorry, I don't know the English expression);
3) and finally, a perhaps more personnal problem of "shameness", where there is nothing specific to do I think.

Did you ever met that situation?

Hi Mamoru kun! Long time no see!

When I was still in America before I came to Japan, I came across a similar issue, although it was of course not completely the same. To make it very short, I never had a problem speaking Japanese with native Japanese speakers in America.

Of course, occasionally I found people who really didnt want to speak Japanese, because they genuinely wanted to practice their English. In my case, they were in the minority. I worked in an oriental supermarket for some time, and there, too, it was never a problem. Quite the opposite, for I found that my knowledge of Japanese made me a more credible source for my customers.

I'd try speaking to the store people in Japanese, and if they feel uncomfortable about it, switch back to French.

Thanks Mikawa-san! I don't think that I'll be strong enough to try your suggestion anyway, except if one day I go there drunk ;-) But anyway, it was good to hear someone with the same kind of experience...

I also think you should give it a try, Mamoru-kun. I respect you for putting some thoughts on your situation, though.

If they have a business and live there in Belgium, they should have plenty of chances to speak French but not as much of Japanese with the Belgians. They might be surprised at first, but I think it's always nice to find people who are interested in other culture.

There were a few people among customers who wanted to speak Japanese to me after knowing that I was a Japanese. Only one of them gave me awkward feelings by telling me things that weren't genuine.

Maybe you should just start gradually with "arrigato" when your purchase is made. They may say something back to you, maybe in French, like "Ah, you are speaking Japanese", or something to that effect. Then you you can continue in Japanese with, "Yes, I have been studying it for quite a while now." This may open the door to you speaking only in Japanese with them in the future.

Does your wife speak Japanese with them when she goes there? If so maybe you could accompany her and speak Japanese along with her.

In my own case, when I visit a sushi restaurant or oriental store here in the US I will usually use a simple, domo, hai, arrigato, etc. if I know they are Japanese. If they come back to me, in English or Japanese with "Do you speak Japanese?" I will answer and continue the conversation in Japanese and this usually does the trick. It is also alot easier to utilize my Japanese if I am with my wife.

Mamoru-kun said:

2) and for a foreigner, in is "own" country, I feel as if speaking Japanese would "give me a big nose" (sorry, I don't know the English expression);

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I do not believe it would make you look "stuck-up" or a snob (having a big nose). I believe it would show your interest in speaking with them in their native language.

I don't mind speaking Japanese with my wife or other Japanese people outside Japan, because people around who don't know me won't know where I am from anyway (and maybe not even what language I am talking), and those who do know me know I am talking to my wife in her language, so I don't see how that could be perceived as "boasting" ("having a big neck", I guess, translating from French).

In the case of a Japanese shop held by Japanese people, I would normally speak French if it is in a French speaking area, except if their language skills is not good enough, in which case I would switch to Japanese.

Maciamo said:

"having a big neck", I guess, translating from French.

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That's exactly what I meant, thank you Maciamo!

Pachipro said:

Maybe you should just start gradually with "arrigato" when your purchase is made. They may say something back to you, maybe in French, like "Ah, you are speaking Japanese", or something to that effect. Then you you can continue in Japanese with, "Yes, I have been studying it for quite a while now." This may open the door to you speaking only in Japanese with them in the future.

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Thanks Pachipro, but it is something that I personally can't do. It's perhaps my own point of view, but if a Japanese come to me, say only some words in French, and suddenly in the next days begin to speak in a fluent French, I'll probably think: "What a liar!". I'm not saying that my Japanese is fluent, far from that, but if one can say something more than "arigatou", he shouldn't show as if it was the only word he knows. I'm not saying that it's what you suggest, but it's what I think it will look like...

How about this approach? You might ask the store keeper what part of Japan he's from. It could spark a conversation where you can eventually mention some of your experience with Japan. If you're lucky, the storeclerk will ask you, "Do you speak any Japanese?" And there is your window. Since he brought it up, I doubt you would give the impression that you're trying to show off your Japanese prowess or anything like that. It might be worth a try.

Hehe, Mikawa-san, that seems to be a more natural way (even if premeditated ;-)). I'll try that method, if one day I have the chance to enter that chop without any other clients. Thanks for the hint ;-)!

PS: by the way, the shop I am speaking about is the "Tagawa Superstore" in Bruxelles (if any of the Belgian guys arround know it ;-)).

I just went to Tokyo for four days in November and I spoke English the whole time. Japanese girls loved it, They all couldn't understand anything I said and it all turned out to be a dream come true.

Japanese is such a dull language compared to English,

Josh