Ask Lemmy

In the early 2000s, I had just joined the US military right out of high school and found myself stationed in Japan for my first assignment.

I loved Japanese culture and had started a college course on basic Japanese language so I could communicate with the locals and find my way around without getting lost in a foreign country.

One day, one of the civilians in my office was retiring and he chose a fancy hotel in the next city over to host his retirement ceremony. They had a bunch of meeting/party rooms we could host our ceremony in. It was fun, but I'm a bit introverted, so at some point, I stepped out into the grand lobby of the hotel to recover some energy by myself. There was a grand piano in one corner with some petite Japanese lady playing soft music on it. I learned against a large pillar and quietly listened for a bit.

All of a sudden, a meeting room door nearby banged open and some Japanese businessman stormed out on his phone. He was agitated and speaking angrily into his flip phone (smartphones didn't exist yet). He stopped on the other side of the pillar from me and continued his loud discussion.

I had gotten absorbed into some Japanese drama TV shows and had learned to identify the Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) slang. This guy was using the same dialect. I got a chill down my spine; it was my first time running into a Yakuza member in real life.

The guy finished his call and turned to leave... and stopped when he saw me standing practically next to him. His anger flared up and he started speaking aggressively at me in Japanese. Probably pissed that I was listening in on his call.

I caught a few words here and there, but my Japanese wasn't good enough for full sentences yet, especially spoken rapidly at me in an angry tone.

When he paused, I said in English, "Um... I'm sorry, I don't understand." I knew how to say it in Japanese, but I didn't want to give him any inkling that I knew Japanese.

His entire demeanor changed. He grinned from ear to ear and said, "Ah! America-jin, ne? Good! Good guy!" He gave me a rough pat on the shoulder and then turned and went back to his meeting room.

I thought he was gonna drag me into the meeting room with his buddies and I'd never be found again, so I was relieved when he smiled and left me be. I went right back to my party and made sure not to go anywhere by myself for the rest of the evening.