I moved here right before I turned 20. In a couple of months, I’ll turn 21 and still have no friends my age.
The youngest friend I have is 26, but he’s nothing like me. Then, my closest irl friends are all 30 or above.
I figured I could go to a meeting place of my same interests (consuming and analyzing media, drawing, writing…), but they’re all Japanese-only. I’m not capable of talking about any topic aforementioned in Japanese, just in English and Spanish.
Same with Internet forums or SNS. I don’t even know how to get in contact with people similar to me (and I don’t get along with Instagram, to top it all off). I think that would be the best way, but I still need to improve my language skills lest I find some kind of English-speaking/learning, otaku-gathering place.
In every other place, real or virtual, everyone’s older.
What should I do? It’s difficult to answer, but any hint will help!
Side note: I don’t care about the actual number, I just want people with the same interests, concerns, and free time as me (basically, what I lost by moving here). There’s tons of youth in Shibuya at night, but I’m far from a party-hard type of guy.
2 comments
1) Time to learn Japanese, friend. Jump right in and bash your head repeatedly against the wall that is the language barrier until you break through. The only way to improve is to fail countless times. No amount of preparation or self-study can replace the enlightening experience that is trying to speak and failing miserably so many times that the sheer frustration fuels your progress even further.
2) General social network expansion is key. Join hobby circles. Branch out and explore the world. Try new activities, if only for the sole purpose of meeting new people. For example, take local cooking lessons, attend gatherings at community centers, etc. Every new person that you meet is an opportunity to be introduced to someone else.
You moved here… what do you do? Are you a student or are you working?