Many foreign customers come to my work place, and I have a question about the languages they speak.
I work at a Japanese pub in Akasaka-mitsuke. That area is an office place, so I rarely see young people. Many foreigners work in Akasaka-mitsuke. Also foreign customers often come to drink at my pub. Mostly they come with Japanese co-workers, or friends.
Now, what language do you think they are talking in: English, or Japanese? I think most people would answer that they are talking in English, because if I were asked this question, of course I would say “English”. The answer is English. Approximately ninety percent of foreign customers talk in English, and also Japanese customers speak English with them.
When I found out, I wondered why they spoke English. Maybe at their work they usually talk in English, or sightseeing people may not understand Japanese, so Japanese need to use English. However, I think at least people who are working in Japan should understand Japanese, because they live in Japan, and to live here they need to understand this language. However, most people talk to me in English. When they come to the pub entrance, they say to me, “I have a reservation, or Are there any seats spare?” Of course they don’t even know if I speak English, but they don’t speak Japanese. As for me, I usually don’t talk to foreign customers in English, because I don’t think I need to use English. Only when they don’t understand Japanese, I speak English. Sadly most foreign customers don’t understand Japanese, and some people use Japanese, but it’s rare.
However, there may have some reasons why they don’t speak Japanese though they live in Japan. People who work here may have some help from their companies so that they don’t need to use Japanese. They may have lots of friends who speak English helping with them their private lives, or even if they want to speak Japanese, they may not have an opportunity to study Japanese.
Don’t you think they need to understand Japanese? Do you think we should speak English? In my opinion, as a Japanese, I want to speak Japanese, because it is not an English-speaking country. English is a world language, and we need to use English when we talk to people from all over the world, but in this situation, I don’t think I need to use English. That’s why I want them to understand at least a little bit of Japanese as long as they live in Japan, and I want to communicate with them in Japanese.
