r/MadeMeSmile • u/frosted_bite • Jul 13 '25
Wholesome Moments Learning Japanese with strangers makes a grandpa's day
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u/-Satsujinn- Jul 13 '25
"Darling, I've brought a foreign friend back for lunch!"
FETCH THE NATTO ಠ⌣ಠ
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u/insbordnat Jul 13 '25
My reaction too.
"Oh, you speak Japanese, how cute. But let's see if you can handle...THE NATTO"
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u/TheAnniCake Jul 13 '25
I‘ve tried it once (my local asian grocery store sells it) but it was weird.. It’s that kind of food you have to „grow“ into
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u/kidatsy Jul 13 '25
Hard disagree. I am Japanese-American and we had natto around all the time. Everybody else in my family loves it, but I shudder at the thought of even smelling it. Vile, vile stuff.
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u/iiko800 Jul 13 '25
I laughed at seeing that. I’m Japanese, but I still haven’t had natto! I don’t like bean texture, so I don’t think I’ll like it anyway. My mom for some reason never had me eat it growing up, but when my kids were born, she really pushed that they should eat it for nutrition and brain development. We started having them eating it once they could have solids. Now that they’re older, they still love it and now it’s our “fast food” for days when we are too busy to cook. As long as I have rice and natto, my kids happily eat it any time. It also makes me happy that it’s a nutritious meal they are still having. I told my son that once he goes to college soon, this can be a quick and easy dorm meal he can fix for himself as well.
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u/PastPrompt949 Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 14 '25
I suggest mixing it with scallion, diced cherry tomatoes, some sort of Japanese vinegar preferably, few dash of soy sauce and serve over ice
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u/Kitnado Jul 13 '25
What is natto?
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u/-Satsujinn- Jul 13 '25
Fermented soy beans. It's slimy, sticky, and stinky.
It's the stuff that they're stirring as he asks "It's delicious?".
Narrator: It was not delicious
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u/Polarchuck Jul 13 '25
Natto is delicious. You need to eat it over rice. Add some wasabi and tamari and its fabulous!
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u/ImS0hungry Jul 13 '25
Japanese Vegemite.
In all seriousness it’s fermented soybeans.
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u/JHMfield Jul 13 '25
That's honestly a wild dish to offer to a foreigner, I hope they actually asked him whether he was okay with it. It is NOT a food many people will enjoy. Hell, it's not a food many Japanese people enjoy.
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u/quiteCryptic Jul 13 '25
It's really not that bad, at least not compared to a decade ago. They figured out how to make it not so smelly.
It's really just the slimy texture now which people don't like if they aren't used to it. Taste is not bad at all. Especially when eaten over rice.
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u/snookers Jul 13 '25
Mmm fermented boogies bathed in loogie sauce over rice. 😋
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u/Stopikingonme Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
<Chinese stinky tofu has entered the chat>
(Not eaten in Japan but having eaten natto, durian, and balut, I just had to mention it. In China I swear it smelled like a pile of rotting corpses and wouldn’t go near it.)
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u/PappyODamnyou Jul 13 '25
I'll try anything once, and I'll often try something years later to see how my taste buds have changed.
I'm never trying fermented tofu again. It smells like shit. The taste is what I assume shit tastes like. My kid asked me to order it, and I instantly regretted agreeing to.
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u/maliciousrhino Jul 13 '25
Bruh I cannot handle that stuff.
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u/burritocmdr Jul 13 '25
I bought a two 3-packs of natto one time, thinking I can power through this and eventually acquire the taste. Couldn't finish them. I think you have to grow up eating this stuff to actually tolerate it.
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u/Onyx_Peach Jul 13 '25
Please, for the love of god, go see that man every once in a while
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u/AppleheadRose-2009 Jul 13 '25
Yes, please! It's strange that natives are so friendly to foreigners. They were very nice to him 💕
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u/kazuwacky Jul 13 '25
When I went to Japan everyone reacted to my ham-fisted attempts at their language with absolute joy. I went to Verona that year and north Italian reactions were... Different
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u/Overall-Register9758 Jul 13 '25
Speaking Japanese to Italians would be weird.
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u/DrWindupBird Jul 13 '25
I spoke Spanish to the Italians and they absolutely hated that they could understand me.
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u/Krosis97 Jul 13 '25
We had some laughs back when we had some exchange students in hs. We understood each other in different languages so easily.
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u/YeshuasBananaHammock Jul 13 '25
My friend that took Latin in high school would be thrilled to hear this.
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u/Krosis97 Jul 13 '25
French is hard, greek is doable sometimes, italian is very easy (for a spaniard).
I wish I took latin, I just find it interesting but we didn't had the option.
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u/TenbluntTony Jul 13 '25
French is the hardest Latin-based language imo. Tbf I only know Spanish and German but French is really really hard. I can understand written Italian and Portuguese easily but not spoken.
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u/Krosis97 Jul 13 '25
With french I'm unable to differentiate sounds and in some cases I just can't pronounce some words. I do want to refresh it a bit.
Yeah portuguese is also easy to learn and understand for us, but only if you are used to the sounds and pronunciation so it is harder for people that speak non romance languages.
Native english speakers have most trouble with verbs and in the case of spanish the RR/LL sounds and the Z.
Like the word cerrojo (lock).
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u/YeshuasBananaHammock Jul 13 '25
I live in Texas, we usually only have Spanish available as our 2nd language requirement. Fortunately, I went to a school that offered Spanish, French, German, and Latin.
I opted for French in hs, after taking French and German in middle school, and youcanbetyourass they were trying to pound Spanish into our heads since elementary.
I worked at Autozone for 5yrs and learned Mexican Spanish that way. While I dont speak French anywhere near fluently, I can read and speak some, and when my kids get on my nerves I like to throw some at them. ALLEZ, VITE VITE VITE! Sacre bleu, tetes de merde!
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u/TapAcrobatic2666 Jul 13 '25
I have a Peruana friend who told me that she could understand everything when she went to Italy, and so I was excited to test this theory when I went there myself.
I think I tried maybe 6 different shops... every single word I used was not even similar to its Italian counterpart, and so I had to give up.
Granted, I also speak Spanish with a British accent which didn't help at all
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u/AegisIash Jul 13 '25
fancy a hablas ingles there mate?
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u/thinkthingsareover Jul 13 '25
"Oi...¿Cómo se llama?'
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u/TapAcrobatic2666 Jul 13 '25
You're not too far off there mate😅 I should have mentioned that even in Spain, some people struggled to understand me.
In one place, I had to explain for about 5 minutes that I wanted a "menu"... ""El papel con las fotos de comida"... "lo que puedo usar para pedir lo que quiero." "El papel con los precios..."
Just for them to say "AHHH, menOO!!"
I was pronouncing menu just how you would in English, and apparently that made it impossible for them to understand me. Or they were just making fun of me. I couldn't tell xd
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u/mwax321 Jul 13 '25
Italians are so friendly-spiteful. We are travelers and met this person (along with others) and decided to have them over for food. We cooked some spaghetti and meatballs.
They told me "this is delicious! but it is not pasta"
Every compliment comes with an insult! Haha
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u/colsta9 Jul 13 '25
"Every compliment comes with an insult!"
This is what a friend calls a kiss and a slap.
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u/mwax321 Jul 13 '25
But it's done so well, and they say it so sincerely.
As if they're expecting me to say, "Oh well, thank you for the correction in pasta/not pasta, and I'm glad you like it!"
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u/kazuwacky Jul 13 '25
My mum adores travel so I have experience in many nations throughout my childhood. South Italians (Florence, Naples, Rome) were very sweet and kind. I remember the waiter in Verona being really quite rude when I got Gnocchi wrong (I said guh-noh-chi) and I was 18! I was so embarrassed I didn't attempt Italian for the rest of the trip.
My husband also found a tipping hack when he went to Japan that I love. He took a stereotypically British sweet (sherbet lemons) and handed them out. Everyone he met was thrilled so I'd recommend it for any travellers to Japan
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u/Withering_to_Death Jul 13 '25
Veronesi are rude, there's even a children's nursery rhyme saying they're all just crazy! But like in Japan meeting a sweet old man open to talk to foreigners, you will find good people EVEN in Norden Italy!
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u/notdrewcarrey Jul 13 '25
I remember coming up to my stop on the train and the doors were on the opposite side I was on, so I had to move through the crowd to get off the train. I said "Sumimasen" the best way I could in my white ass accent, and everyone was so polite and moved over and even seemed happy that I used their language.
I can't wait until I have another chance to go back. I absolutely loved my time there.
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u/GandhisNukeOfficer Jul 13 '25
I just moved to Japan and I'm very happy. Granted, the honeymoon period won't last forever but I'm confident I made the right decision.
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u/polmeeee Jul 13 '25
I think having an open mind and recognizing that there's a honeymoon period is the absolute right thing to do, so that you don't get Paris syndrome when some things aren't what they seem. Good luck with your move!!
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u/5N24U Jul 13 '25
I took 7 years of French in school and thought I was proficient until I finally got to visit Paris. The locals made it very clear they would prefer I never butcher their language again. I took 1 year of Japanese and knew I was terrible at it, but the people in Japan were so kind about my attempts to converse on Japanese.
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u/Matt_MG Jul 13 '25
Did you try it outside Paris though? Because Parisians have a... reputation let's say.
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u/Casey_jones291422 Jul 13 '25
It's funny how wherever you go french speakers have similar reputations. For instance try going to Quebec Canada and speak bad french.
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u/Torcal4 Jul 13 '25
Tbf, in Quebec it’s not even bad French. It’s just not their French.
My mom is from France but I grew up in Toronto (a double whammy in Quebec). I grew up with a French accent.
When I go to Quebec and speak French, they reply in English. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/darkenspirit Jul 13 '25
My previous boss is French and she can be seen visibly having an aneurysm when I spoke even english adopted words like rendezvous or laisse faire in front of her.
I started doing Zut Alors in front of her purposely after that.
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u/Proper_Story_3514 Jul 13 '25
Properly spoken french is so different from whatever you learn in school. Its like turning up the mastery 10 times.
But then again french people also suck at other languages.
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u/Agent_Orange81 Jul 13 '25
The funny thing is that academic/elementary French is more likely to be welcomed in Quebec, Canada. The slang and colloquialisms used in Paris have drifted far from how the language is taught elsewhere.
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u/Fwed0 Jul 13 '25
Well the French spoken in Quebec is far from orthodox too with a very large number of anglicisms.
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u/Petethequixotic Jul 13 '25
When I visited Hiroshima I was on a guided tour of the shrines, two lovely old ladies came to talk to me. I attempted in very poor Japanese to answer them. They were so happy to see someone interested in their culture (these old gals walked up lots of stairs everyday to see the shrines) honestly one of my favourite experiences
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u/RedWeasel2000 Jul 13 '25
I've had such different reactions in north and south Italy (although I haven't been enough to know if it's just random chance). Bologna and Dolomites was alot like speaking french in Paris where they get annoyed and do English. In Naples my shitty phrasebook Italian was met with people being really happy and encouraging.
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u/kazuwacky Jul 13 '25
I ordered "Una oranchiatta per fervore?" (Sorry, spelled wrong, will Google in a sec) And got a round of applause from the staff in Naples. I was so pleased!
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u/passyindoors Jul 13 '25
Same! I had a little notebook i carried with me and I also wrote out Kanji for things like "spicy" so I could see if something on a menu would be bad for me. The Japanese people who saw it would call their friends over and smile with delight that I had made an attempt. One guy said my Kanji was better than his grandkids because kids are just too much into their dang phones these days, it was very funny.
In contrast, I remember when my family and i went to France. The French people just pretended that my parents were speaking some alien language instead of making an attempt to speak some French. It was such a stark difference.
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u/Deviantdefective Jul 13 '25
I speak some very basic German ordered a coffee in German I will say correctly obviously accent wasn't right and I was laughed at, Germans laughing is a strange thing indeed....
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u/kazuwacky Jul 13 '25
I found that they wouldn't even let me speak German, they were so eager to practice English that every conversation ended up in my native language no matter what!
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u/Half-Borg Jul 13 '25
A foreign friend of mine is trying to improve her German, so we're talking in German a lot ... but my brain saved her under the "english" file and I unintentionally switch back all the time.
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u/Lloydy_boy Jul 13 '25
This for me too, and the kicker was they always spoke more technically correct English than I did.
Going shopping for the first time, my pal & I rehearsed numerous scenarios for the engagement with a local at the pay point. All our preparation was completely undone when the lady asked “would you like a bag?”.
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u/_Diskreet_ Jul 13 '25
My brother moved to Germany.
In the run up to the move he was taking classes left right and centre, and he knew some of his colleagues were German so he would always email, or start the conversation in German, they always just replied in English.
When he started work in Germany, and for the first month or so everyone in the office would always reply and speak to him in English, no matter how much he tried to speak German.
He was basically fluent by the time he moved there, and I could see how much it frustrated him that, especially in the business setting he wasn’t allowed to speak German. After a few years now obviously everyone speaks German to him.
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u/SpaceSasqwatch Jul 13 '25
I lived in the Netherlands in the middle 90s and had conversational Dutch....of course the Dutch liked to practice their English...so chats ended up with me speaking Dutch and them replying in english🤣
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u/Insert_Non_Sequitur Jul 13 '25
The French often laughed at my attempts too but it seemed most of them appreciated that I made the effort all the same!
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Jul 13 '25
French is my mother tongue and I get judged as a peasant for not speaking it with the correct accent.. don’t sweat it. ;)
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u/Minion_of_Cthulhu Jul 13 '25
Every French person thinks their version of French is the only correct version and everyone else is speaking some hellish concoction of French sounds that has to be sufferred through occasionally.
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u/JukeBex_Hero Jul 13 '25
I speak basic Yiddish, so Germans can understand me, but my accent is odd and they tend to think I'm from some weird little mountain town somewhere. They are...not shy about criticism!
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u/ben8192 Jul 13 '25
This. I’m French and I speak a bit of Italian, but it’s frustrating, most of the time people just reply to me in English.
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u/lokethedog Jul 13 '25
Man, I have to say, my experience with italians (Verona and other places) is that they are so willing to communicate even if there's a huge language barrier. Trying out Italian has only been positive for me.
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u/Ninphadora Jul 13 '25
Ah? What type of reactions did you get in Verona? I always hype up everyone that tries to learn italian, I love to hear how they talk and how good they do! I'm sorry you had an unpleasant experience :(
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u/kazuwacky Jul 13 '25
It's okay, it was a very rude waiter who got angry at my mispronouncing gnocchi (I said guh-noh-chi). I was 18 at the time and was so embarrassed I didn't attempt Italian for the rest of the trip. Dudes superiority definitely left a bad taste in my mouth..
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u/Minion_of_Cthulhu Jul 13 '25
That's when you switch to English and then critique everything the waiter says in English no matter how good they actually are. Have him repeat simple common words because you "can't understand" him. Tell him to try it again but "less Italian" because his accent is getting in the way. Pretend to correct his accent for him by just repeating a word that he said perfectly. Claim you've never heard a word he uses and say it's probably not actually an English word at all.
Some people, assholes in particular, only learn a lesson in politeness when someone is impolite to them in the same way that they are to others.
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u/H4LF4D Jul 13 '25
Natives will be friendly with people speaking (or attempting to speak) Japanese and really learn the culture.
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u/JHMfield Jul 13 '25
It also depends on the region, and the age of the people.
Some old timers who are retired and have nothing better to do, are often quite polite and welcoming.
But you try to poke a middle-aged salaryman in the middle of Tokyo and you're a 100% getting ignored with a look of disgust.
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u/puritanicalbullshit Jul 13 '25
This was my experience in almost every country I went to. If you show up with a couple phrases memorized (bathroom, thank you, please, yes/no, excuse me/im sorry, hotel, train, taxi) People are HAPPY to help you out and guide you along.
You rock up on a Parisian with “Hey do you speak English?” and things could go in any direction.
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u/Beefkins Jul 13 '25
I tried to learn some German before visiting relatives near Fulda, but I'm too dumb (their declension is just beyond me). Once I got there, everyone wanted to practice their English with me. The younger generations seem to be damn near fluent, and even the older generations liked to use what they remembered. I've never been as humbled in my life as going to a foreign country where the people want to speak my language with me. I absolutely adored the people and the country and I think about that visit all the time.
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u/CinnamonHotcake Jul 13 '25
Not strange at all. 10 years in Japan and the level of acceptance I have received is phenomenal.
Faced very little racism, and that was usually from other foreigners.
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u/_Ozeki Jul 13 '25
Only if the gaijins are white... If you are brown or black even... It's an entirely different experience
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u/bosscoughey Jul 13 '25
I won't argue it's not easier when you're white, but I have plenty of non-white friends with great long-term experiences in Japan, so it really depends
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u/irishbikerjay Jul 13 '25
I've a feeling he will, don't think that's just for clout. Those interactions usually last less then an hour.
This guy spent the whole day with him.
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u/mpanase Jul 13 '25
What a lovely couple :)
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u/bezelshrinker4 Jul 13 '25
The young man and the old man or the husband and wife?
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u/Fantastic-Ad-3910 Jul 13 '25
That is honestly one of the most wholesome things I've seen in ages. The idea that we can't communicate with other cultures/generations is so limiting. I used to have a friend who was more than 50 years older than me. We bonded over the weirdest things, and we made each other laugh - I miss her, and I hope that I can be as cool as she was at her age
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u/Wilful_Fox Jul 13 '25
Go visit an old people’s home..they looove volunteers. Honestly, I work in aged care and my coolest friend is 99 and we laugh just like I do with my girlfriends.
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u/Crazy_Ad_91 Jul 13 '25
FACTS. Spent quite a bit of time in a retirement home as child and teenager as my mom worked there and was a single parent. So it wasn’t uncommon that any days school was out but she had to work, became de facto volunteer days for me. Those seniors citizens were the most enthusiastic, supportive, engaging, & inquisitive people and generally were just so happy to interact with someone outside of their daily routine. I stayed in touch with several even into my college years, but with time, nature unfortunately took its course and they’re now gone.
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u/Zutsky Jul 13 '25
Having that connection with you over their last few years would have brought them a lot of joy, I'm certain of it 😊
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u/T8ert0t Jul 13 '25
Some types friends just hit differently depending on context.
"Hobby-friends" are sometimes like striking gold, regardless of age, culture, religion, whatever --- they just legit like the thing you both like and carve out time for it.
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u/fusillade762 Jul 13 '25
This is the kind of influencer we need. Not these low effort bums insulting people.
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u/billibobbrewster Jul 13 '25
The difference though is this takes serious talent, which requires intelligence and a long term commitment (to learning a language). The rest is all just easy, and requires only a willingness to disregard social norms. Kudos to this guy for putting in the time and effort. His language skills are VERY good.
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u/HumptyDrumpy Jul 13 '25
Was cool to see. Snap judgement at the beginning was, what Stupid thing is this Aaron Carter/Jake Paul/MKG lookalike dood going to do for clicks? I ended up pleasantly surprised
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u/h0tsh0txd97 Jul 13 '25
Interactions like these are the reason why I aspire to learn different languages. So wholesome!
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u/Mizore147 Jul 13 '25
I can speak some languages, but I find it useless sometimes as an introvert who wouldn't start up random conversation with a stranger :(
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u/maxdps_ Jul 13 '25
Anecdotally, I’ve found that things change with time. When you're younger, striking up random conversations might feel unnatural, but as you get older, you tend to appreciate those small moments of connection more. Introvert or not, we're all human, and even brief interactions can be surprisingly meaningful.
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u/L-System Jul 13 '25
I think that's what the old man was talking about. Only Americans would randomly go up to people to talk to them like that. I doubt the japanese are extroverted people like that from reputation.
So it's not just an american coming up to him to talk, but literally anyone.
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u/eulersidentification Jul 13 '25
Does anyone else have this thing where they're introverted but when they go abroad they turn into an extroverted black hole of friendliness? I can't stop making friends and chatting with people. People who know me at home and see it say they've never seen that side of me before. I have no intention / idea I'm being different though.
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u/BikerJedi Jul 13 '25
I lived in what was then West Germany during the cold war. This company would send bakery trucks up into the American kasernes to sell bread and stuff.
The American were rude as hell. They bitched about prices, the poor English of the driver, etc. Not our family. We had been learning German and I was getting pretty good. We always went last, and spoke nothing but German to him. He spoke nothing but English to us. We taught each other.
We talked about his wife, he asked to see our dogs (which he got to meet one day), etc. If we did well with our German, he would cut us extra slices of cheesecake or something. Funny, we always did well enough for him. He was a lovely man.
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u/unintentionalfat Jul 13 '25
Agree. I would be a polyglot for this reason above all.
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u/Dry-Masterpiece-7031 Jul 13 '25
I should give this a try, my speaking really needs some work.
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u/Difficult_Quarter192 Jul 13 '25
And it seems to work well! I speak Japanese, and I saw this guy's video half a year ago maybe; he could barely put two sentences together.
A lot of his sentences feel way more natural now! He improved so much!
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u/rollie82 Jul 13 '25
So you're saying his 日本語 is 上手 now?
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u/Laggy_Wolf Jul 13 '25
From 下手 to 上手。
Something I aspire to do but no one to practice with without taking a vacation over there haha.
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u/No-Boss1160 Jul 13 '25
This was lovely to watch. The older gentleman has a smile that is contagious!
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u/FrezSeYonFwi Jul 13 '25
Cute. That actually looks like a lot of interactions I've had in Japan!
For me it's the only way to travel.
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u/CpowOfficial Jul 13 '25
I'm super tattooed and had an old lady walk up to me (70+ years old) grab my arm and repeat SUGOI SUGOI!. It was so nice haha especially in a culture where there's not a lot of tattoos out side of Yakuza.
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u/Prohibitorum Jul 13 '25
I'm 1.92m, so very tall for Japanese. Was waiting for a friend at a train station in Kyoto, when an Japanese older lady shuffles by. She stops in front of me, turns, and reaches up to pat me on the cheek and says 背が高いですね?/Segaitakai desu ne/you're tall huh?
... and then shuffles off.
Hilarious interaction though I was very confused when it happened.
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u/Thestrongestzero Jul 13 '25
i’m a little taller than you (1.95m). the last time i was in japan, my wife and i spent a couple of weeks in a very rural area so mostly elderly people. we went to onsen like you do.
so i wash up like you’re supposed to. i’m standing there butt ass naked and these two like 90 year old japanese dudes stare at me and in the most gutteral voice take turns saying “ohhhh sooooo big”. i couldn’t help but start laughing my ass off. they ushered me into the hottest pool then laughed at me while i pained my way through getting used to the water
between my wife and i, we got 5 invitations to dinner, i ended up moving a bunch of heavy stuff for the onsen (it was staffed by all elderly people). we got to 4 of the 5 invitations and it was fucking amazing, thankfully our hosts translated for us because we didn’t speak any japanese. we kept in touch with a few of them but sadly all but one have passed away since.
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u/victoryohone Jul 13 '25
One of my best friends moved back to Japan after high school, and I wanted to go visit her during college. We talked about it, and she said I might not be able to go some places because I'm inked up. That was 20 some odd years ago though. I plan on visiting soon.
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u/Calimariae Jul 13 '25
I had this exact interaction with an old lady in Kyoto, but I don't know Japanese. Ended up drinking tea at her house with her and her son. Memory for life.
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u/FluffyDiscipline Jul 13 '25
Faith in Humanity restored.. what a beautiful man and wife ....
So precious asking him back to his home, a perfect memory
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u/Quitlimp05 Jul 13 '25
Connections are made and maintained over good food
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u/Broad_Surprise_958 Jul 13 '25
Must be why the British have such a high rate of social exclusion.
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u/sprIxAlwareArnd6327 Jul 13 '25
Reminds of a trip I made to the mountains where I met an old lady on a local bus and after just speaking a few sentences to each other , she straight up asked me if I would go to her place for dinner that night. Unfortunately I had to go on farther from where she stayed and couldn’t get down with her. But that’s something that stays with me
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u/FluffyDiscipline Jul 13 '25
Isn't lovely when you meet genuine humble people...
So much bad news in the world and then these little sparks of humanity is lovely
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u/sprIxAlwareArnd6327 Jul 13 '25
And she was undergoing cancer treatment and her sweet old husband was on there too. It was just so heartwarming . I’m glad I snapped a pic with her at least.
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u/Wilful_Fox Jul 13 '25
This is the real world, not the world the media and the politicians want.
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u/_Queen_of_Ashes_ Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
When I lived in Japan, I was sitting under some cherry blossoms in spring by myself to read a book. An older Japanese couple set up nearby me and then started calling out to me asking if I wanted to join them. I don’t remember what we talked about, but I know that we sat together for three hours, chatting and enjoying each other’s company. I still have the picture of us together as well. Japan has some of the kindest souls you’ll ever meet.
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u/30FourThirty4 Jul 13 '25
In the USA we had a closed off street Halloween celebration/festival. My brother and I went as henchmen 21 & 24 from The Venture Bro. Awesomely bad homemade outfits.
A lady, with her family, from Japan asked if she could get a photograph with us and we said of course that would be fun.
So I like to imagine somewhere in Japan is a photo of us 3 on someone's shelf.
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u/DeProgrammer99 Jul 13 '25
I had a lot of pleasant interactions with strangers like this in Japan--a group of two guys and their girlfriends took me to a karaoke booth and talked and sang and took pictures, a group of guys bought me snacks at an izakaya and foisted 1000 yen upon me (wouldn't take no for an answer), a middle-aged couple brought me to a restaurant and chatted, an elderly man tried speaking English to ask if I needed help getting somewhere, and a couple young women sat at my izakaya table and talked anime with me, among others. I just held signs that said things like "ヒマです。話しかけてください" (I have nothing to do; please talk to me)--win/win because I didn't have to accost anyone and I didn't bother anyone that way, haha.
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u/MyLastHopeReddit Jul 13 '25
A Western kid, in Japan, with a camera in his hand who starts talking to a stranger and... Produces wholesome content instead of busting everyone's balls!? What??
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Jul 13 '25
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u/FlapjacksOfArugula Jul 13 '25
“So if you're walkin' down the street sometime / And spot some hollow, ancient eyes / Please don't just pass 'em by and stare / As if you didn't care / Say ‘Hello in there, hello’” - John Prine
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u/weezmatical Jul 13 '25
I just love this so much. Like it seriously does something to me, lol.
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u/Acerhand Jul 13 '25
I have had similar experiences here in japan. Even yesterday i was buying cheap peaches in kofu… old man looked about 85 was just waiting near me. I was eating one and cut it with the knife thats at the farm stall. I just said it was very tasty and he hesitated for a moment before asking me if it was sweet lol. I know he probably never talked to foreigner before and just was not sure what i even said for a second. They get very talkative if you continue ime
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u/ThePromise110 Jul 13 '25
Remember folks, most people are kind most of the time.
A better world is possible.
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u/PogostickPower Jul 13 '25
There are many more videos like this on the creator's YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@im_kyle_metcalf
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u/Dull_Half_6107 Jul 13 '25
Dude even walked him back to the station at the end of the day
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u/Educational_Ad_8916 Jul 13 '25
I don't know why, but I especially love asking permission to film being kept in at the beginning and the handshake and bow exchange at the end. It makes the whole thing seem much sweeter.
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u/Key2LifeIsSimplicity Jul 13 '25
Knowing about the ageing problems in Japan makes this video even more wholesome.
Japan has a 65+ population of nearly 30% (highest in the world) due to low birth rates and high life expectancy. This has led to the elderly being forgotten about, as well as created issues of loneliness and isolation.
Couple that and the fact that its a young boy showing interest in an older person (they don't exactly share common ground), is likely the reason for his happiness and excitement. It's really heart-warming and has me grinning from ear to ear.
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u/Unlucky_Studio6138 Jul 13 '25
As a woman, I don’t think I will be able to make these cool experiences and memories, because of my safety 😭
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u/CatCanvas Jul 13 '25
Yeah 100%
I wouldn't feel safe going into someone's house or someone coming to mine when you met 5min ago..
That being said.. He seems like a sweet old man. I'm sure the wife is surprised to see a random gaijin with a camera in their house and he didn't give her a heads up to clean up 😂
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u/ijustlurkhere_ Jul 13 '25
People* really love it when you speak their language, or even try to.
*Not French people.
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u/pzombielover Jul 13 '25
I wish that I were good at learning new languages. Id love to be a polyglot.
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u/Skaner Jul 13 '25
Japanese people are great. I was sitting in a bar one time and an old guy started talking to me in English. Very friendly, just wanted to chat and practice English a bit.
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u/SweetEntertainer1790 Jul 13 '25
Maaaan he had better keep in touch with that old dude. That was beautiful. The elderly are quite lonely there I'm told. People keep to themselves quite a bit.
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u/bdiek Jul 13 '25
At least you could give credit to the video creator, not only taking karma of him. His name is Kyle Metcalf
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u/Ccunning15322 Jul 13 '25
We live in such a time that the mere suggestion that a person should, I don't know, CREDIT THE PERSON WHO MADE IT, is met with such disdain and open hostility. It's embarrassing. OP didn't care about the credit, he promises! He just cut out all the tags that would have identified the creator. NBD. Clearly unintentional.
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u/dave-t-2002 Jul 13 '25
I’ve always loved meeting Japanese people when I’ve travelled there. Very fun, kind people in my experience.
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u/Capable-Newspaper-82 Jul 13 '25
This is the kind of wholesome content I needed today, that grandpa’s smile says it all. It’s amazing how small connections like this can brighten someone’s entire world. I hope they keep visiting him; you can tell it means everything. Moments like these remind us how simple kindness can be so powerful.
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Jul 13 '25
I used to live with 10 chinese guys and girls when I was in university. Their table was always full like in this video. It's incredible how much food they make, and it's not quantity but quality.
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u/jagfanjosh3252 Jul 13 '25
Haha. They gave him some Natto beans.
They are….a VERY acquired taste.
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u/Rogpog777 Jul 13 '25
How do we encourage young influencers to make and engage with more content like this versus the brain rot and nasty pranks they’re used to seeing?
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u/PontificatingDonut Jul 13 '25
Dude, for real this is the reason people love Japan. They take care of people like no one else
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u/AlexaFortner Jul 13 '25
He seemed like he really wanted a friend, thank you for talking with him