Quote Originally Posted by gaijinalways View Post
What has been interesting for me sometimes is people assuming I don't speak Japanese because I don't respond immediately. Once at a drycleaners, dropping of some femine things for my roommate, the clerk asked my name and address. I thought it was odd of the clerk to ask for those (based on my experience at other dry cleaners in Japan), but before I could reply, she started in broken English in an irritated voice, asking the same questions.
I don't even have to leave my own home to get something similar to that. Often my wife of 20+ years will relate to me in Japanese some interesting bit of news she picked up from somewhere. If I betray shock or consternation at some aspect of the story she generally stops and then starts telling me the story in English. I have to tell her, "Hey, I understood what you were saying. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing."