John R. Yamamoto-Wilson wrote:
(...)
> In addition, I think you should explore little izakaya (not the kinds of
> place where people go in groups, but the kind people drop into on their own
> after work, and complete strangers, such as yourself, can easily be drawn
> into conversation). Arm yourself with a pocket dictionary, but try not to
> consult it too much, and just do what you can. The best way to learn to swim
> is to get in the water and flap around!

I've tried the izakaya thing. I can always strike up some conversation
and  there's always and ojisan insisting to buy me a drink. But for
some reason not only I am unable to retain what I learned, I sometimes
end up forgetting about the whole thing in the very next day. I've no
idea why.
I've tried night clubs too, with similar results (but with chicks
instead of ossans).

Rafael Caetano