Your Community in Japan

Let’s talk about becoming a regular at an establishment. This is a great way to get involved with your community. You can do it by getting acquainted with the owners and other regulars. Such establishments can include your local ramen store, an izakaya (Japanese bars),

or even a hair salon or barbershop. To get a homey experience, we recommend privately-owned shops rather than chains, the owners will come to recognize you and are more likely to socialize with people you see all the time. It can be hard to venture alone into an establishment for the first few times, but Japanese people are curious about foreigners, so many of them will make the first move to ask you questions about yourself.

Even if you don’t speak Japanese, you will be amazed by how much you can get across through gestures and facial expressions. Soon, they will consider you as one of the regulars interacting with newcomers.