Jim Breen wrote:
> Declan Murphy wrote:
>> On Jan 22, 11:07 am, trap_for_junk_m...@yahoo.com (Louise Bremner)
>> wrote:
>>> "Educational"? Yup--one time we went there we were pestered constantly
>>> by a very large number of high-school kids who seemed to have been taken
>>> to Disneyland because there were bound to be lots of gaigin there who
>>> would be absolutely delighted to keep repeating the answers to the same
>>> questions read in katakana-ese off hand-written sheets (presumably
>>> copied off the blackboard). "Haroo" "Can I talk wiz you?" "Where you
>>> from?" "How long Japan?" "Do you like Japan?" "Can you eat natto?" "Can
>>> you sleep on floor?" etc....
>> Isn't that everywhere now? It used to be just a Nara, Kyoto,
>> Kanazawa.... thingee. A few weeks back I got asked "the list" by a
>> clipboard wielding junior high school student in a shopping mall in
>> Nagoya.
> 
> I suddenly become a monolingual French speaker. There's nothing
> like a フランス語?  or two to drive them off.

Years of studying ドイツ語 has served me well as a deterrent ... except
for the one kid who had been an exchange student in Sweden and refused
to understand that we had a mismatch.

I tour by motorcycle and find that a helmet is a good way of keeping
them away.  Most attempts are made when we first arrive and are pinned
to the bike, putting it on the center stand or taking off riding
jackets.  Helmet comes off last, usually after a scan f the parking lot.
 If approached, I point at the side of my helmeted head, frown like I am
concentrating to listen, then shrug my shoulders like I can't hear doing
the flat palm wave in front of my nose like I'm saying "muri" complete
with apologetic face and head nod.

CL