don't talk to strangers

shijo station ~ google image result

i was walking to the subway platform in shijo station when a businessman/salaryman? approached me. i thought he would ask me for directions, which at that point, i laughed to myself silently. it would not be long before he figures out that one, i don't speak japanese very well, and two, i have no idea where anything was. 

well, he wasn't asking for directions. he spoke very quickly, and all i picked up as i was rushing to the platform were the words 友達 and ビジネス--friend and business, respectively. it was probably 30 seconds before i was able to cut in and tell him that i was a student studying abroad and that my japanese wasn't very good ~ to which he responded, すみません。分かりました。 i'm sorry [for bothering you]. i understand. and that was that.

well, thinking this experience was kind of funny, i retold it to my host mom and host sister, who had stopped by to visit. i immediately knew their perceptions were different from mine when they looked worried, as opposed to amused. then i learned that there are many yakuza in shijo and i best be careful. and that i was to pretend i didn't speak japanese should something like this happen again.

though this is what nakamura-sensei from summer school had to say:

"でも、日本人のサラリーマンの中には、日本語がわからない

女の子をさがしている人もいますから、気をつけてネ!"

and in english:

"but there are also japanese salarymen who look for 

girls who don't understand japanese, so be careful!"

like many foreigners, i've fallen into the trap of thinking that japan is very safe. and while compared to america and other places, it is very safe... unfortunately, the crime rate has been slowly climbing up. so lesson from childhood relearned ~ don't talk to strangers.

>_<