I’ve seen a similar post to this before. Do other western people seriously have some weird issue with us being able to speak Japanese?
A friend of a friend came with me to a show cause he was on holiday here. I made friends with a Japanese girl after she helped me find the entrance to the show as I’m an idiot and was lost outside. FYI I’m married and was genuinely just interested in being this persons friend cause she was just a nice person.
I met the guy inside and he started talking to her in English – she was actually asking me in Japanese if she was understanding him correctly etc. I don’t think she even wanted to speak English but was trying to be nice and trying her hardest to understand seeing as the English language was basically being forced on her.
I ended up translating for them both for most of the night because I wanted to help and she needed my help. I even noticed that if I went to the toilet she chose to go somewhere else and then came back later. He then started saying to me ‘buy me a drink’ I was like that’s weird to ask like that but sure, so I got him a drink. He then bought both me and her one back. I didn’t get a drink after that cause that’s the way it goes right? I get you one, you get me one. He randomly just flipped out at me like IM REALLY OFFENDED YOU DIDNT GET ME A DRINK BACK WTF MAN he looked seriously angry and I thought he was gonna start a fight with me I was like wtf is going on. He was trying to gaslight me when I said about buying him a drink first and it was so pathetic that I just bought him another one to calm him down, he didn’t even get me one back after that then just went home with a f*** you type of attitude.
If he liked this girl, it’s silly because her boyfriend was literally at the show.
I noticed after that he went on my Instagram and looked through my followers to find and follow her.
I dunno it just felt like the more we spoke Japanese the more angry the guy got even though this is Japan. It’s like he was offended that we weren’t speaking English then just burst with anger right at the end.
Anyways, sorry for this drama but I just thought some people could share similar stories of tourists getting pissed off at them for speaking Japanese or being able to communicate with a girl that the person likes and creeps over.
12 comments
Professional drunk opinion, some people just get weird.
I mean maybe it’s cultural but I’ve never bought someone a drink with the expectation that I’m getting a drink back. Like when does that loop stop.
I’m already in an omiyage death loop don’t need more of that.
But on topic when I was a teen in China my dad’s older than me friends, women, were pissed I was speaking mandarin and not translating everything back to them.
They felt “left out”
1) I don’t actually speak as much as they thought
2) that’s a great way to kill a conversation
3) just try the language because I was just getting attention because I was trying
Some people are just weird. Try not to worry about it.
Seems like more of an issue between you and your friend than anything else
TL;DR: There is literally no evidence this guy was mad at OP because he spoke Japanese, or that the girl even has anything to do with all this.
Sounds like the dude’s ego was bruised cause he felt like a third wheel and you not getting him a drink set him off. He’s a dick don’t get me wrong, but you’re kinda just making stuff up here.
This sounds like the standard random Hub story of obnoxious tourists imagining they can sleep with any girl they want and getting angry after buying a few drinks and striking out.
It’s nice that your wife is cool with you adding local Japanese women you meet at gigs on Instagram after buying them drinks all night! We all know that having a boyfriend is a precious commitment that is taken very seriously here.. cough.
This is when you tell your friend that their friend is a douche. Putting up with bullshit just perpetuates the bullshit.
eh, some people are weird like that. I was out the other day and people ended up speaking Russian. I’ve no problem with that, if they can speak it then they’re free to do so, they’ve no obligation to speak in a language I understand. Not every conversation needs to involve every person in the group.
It’s even weirder to be annoyed if things suggest they don’t even speak the language you want, as it seems may’ve been the case in OP’s situation.
The issue isn’t that you spoke Japanese to the girl.
He may not be a nice person but he might have felt that he was left out. Anyways, speaking Japanese isn’t the issue for sure.
Didn’t you look down on him not speaking Japanese? I’ve seen bunch of people who are extremely confident with their Japanese skills and look down on other people who don’t speak Japanese.
They do. I am not even an actual foreigner, but I look kind of foreign. Some guy in a bar a long time ago tried to talk to me with sorry like music banging and got pissed I couldn’t understand whatever language he was speaking (philipino maybe?)
But here’s the thing, even I could speak his language, it’s common manners to speak the language of the place where you are. He actually followed me out if the bar to butch at me, and then my coworkers told him I had no idea what he was saying.
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Even longer ago, I was forced into a trip with a group of English teacher types for lunch (friends of a friend).
When it came time to order, the white guy next to me tried to order like 5 times, with the waitress looking increasingly confused.
Finally I stepped in and ordered. Then he got pissed off and told his friend later what an asshole I was. For helping him.
It’s better not to hang out with people like that :p
My personal opinion is to never take shit from the friend of a friend. If they’re not close to you they won’t get you like the friend does but you may well treat them like the friend. That can lead to misunderstandings, fights etc. The stag night is the classic. Help a friend out for sure but my hospitality stops there. Any shit, they’re on their own.
Passport bro
He was angry because he wanted to get with the girl and you were getting her attention instead of him. Doubt it has anything to do with you speaking japanese, but probably cause he was being left out.