How's Nampa going in 2023?

[soaplandfun]

Yeah, just disregard any mentions of JLPT grades lol. There are people with N1 who know all their kanji, know how to listen to audio and answer questions on a paper but when they get to Japan, they can't speak whatsoever. I think it's just a way to say "If you have N3, you probably know X and Y so you are perhaps able to converse." but yeah, it's entirely useless most of the time for things like this.

Exactly JLPT only makes sure you know some vocab and grammar but real conversational skills are different. Try watching anime for 10+ years thats better

 

[Fumisancho79]

Yeah, just disregard any mentions of JLPT grades lol. There are people with N1 who know all their kanji, know how to listen to audio and answer questions on a paper but when they get to Japan, they can't speak whatsoever. I think it's just a way to say "If you have N3, you probably know X and Y so you are perhaps able to converse." but yeah, it's entirely useless most of the time for things like this.

Yes that’s exactly how I mean it, N1=native, N2=totally fluent, N3=able to converse, make jokes, tease, understand some slang, N4=basic getting by, N5=you can order in a restaurant but not hold a conversation

Now this does not align to the official JLTP at all and of course no one you are trying to pick up in a bar is going to subject you to a reading test. It’s just a shorthand way of saying what Japanese level is useful for consistency.

 

[MikeH]

Yeah, just disregard any mentions of JLPT grades lol.

When you first talk to a Japanese girl she will ask to see your test certificate. If it is at least N3 she will continue talking, if it's N1 she immediately drops to her knees and blows you.

Or so I have understood from the stories I have heard from guys who just passed their tests.

 

[MrDuBois]

Yeah but even still, N1 is not even close to native and I'd argue that very, very few foreigners will ever even get to native levels. It's just a bit misleading overall but I blame YouTubers.

My Japanese is shit and I'm fairly sure I could've hit two Japanese girls in Sapporo last year because they instantly gave me their Instagram and some "nice" messages but alas, I was too unsure whether I could actually communicate properly if things had gone anywhere.

TLDR: what YokoMonger said.

 

[MikeH]

Yeah but even still, N1 is not even close to native

It is actually strange there is no test in Japan that tests that. Many countries have that and it is usually meant to get eligible for governmental work.

My Japanese is shit and I'm fairly sure I could've hit two Japanese girls in Sapporo last year

Back in the day I had many occasions where knowing Japanese would have been a disadvantage. Luckily I am good at forgetting so I dated one girl a year without her getting any idea I understand everything she talks with her friends about me.

 

[Danbo]

Never took that test, but looking it up it seems more like a reading test with a small listening portion. Useless for nampa. Probably better off with self studying and paying for one on one sessions to bring your conversation up to speed.

Yeah, always puzzled me a bit that these tests didn't involve any kind of speaking. I think it was 1/3 grammar/Kanji, 1/3 reading, 1/3 listening. Because it is pretty heavy on the reading it is quite easy for Chinese students to pass these tests without being able to speak Japanese on the same level.

 

[yellowkey]

It is actually strange there is no test in Japan that tests that. Many countries have that and it is usually meant to get eligible for governmental work.



Back in the day I had many occasions where knowing Japanese would have been a disadvantage. Luckily I am good at forgetting so I dated one girl a year without her getting any idea I understand everything she talks with her friends about me.

there is its called the 日本語検定 and its a Japanese test for natives, if you can pass that then you can probably claim you have native ability

 

[Fumisancho79]

Yeah but even still, N1 is not even close to native and I'd argue that very, very few foreigners will ever even get to native levels. It's just a bit misleading overall but I blame YouTubers.

My Japanese is shit and I'm fairly sure I could've hit two Japanese girls in Sapporo last year because they instantly gave me their Instagram and some "nice" messages but alas, I was too unsure whether I could actually communicate properly if things had gone anywhere.

TLDR: what YokoMonger said.

I edited my post to make it clear what I meant by N3. Nampa involves zero reading/writing Kanji

 

[Sudsy]

Exactly JLPT only makes sure you know some vocab and grammar but real conversational skills are different. Try watching anime for 10+ years thats better

Or you could... just spitballing here... try going out and talking to some real people.

 

[Alice]

This is interesting to me because I've always heard that Roppongi was the place to be in the 90s, and that Shibuya has slowly displaced it as the king of nightlife. Corona apparently struck the final blow in this exchange.

Night life for sure, Shibuya has bigger clubs than Roppongi and was definitely seen as superior for clubbing before Covid.

I’m talking about street pick up kinda stuff though.
I suppose once upon a time the cool youth would chill outside in Shibuya but i didn’t see many cool people down there when walking around in the daytime since coming to Japan.

 

[Fumisancho79]

Night life for sure, Shibuya has bigger clubs than Roppongi and was definitely seen as superior for clubbing before Covid.

I’m talking about street pick up kinda stuff though.
I suppose once upon a time the cool youth would chill outside in Shibuya but i didn’t see many cool people down there when walking around in the daytime since coming to Japan.

Shibuya is #1 street nampa spot, hands down. If you can’t make it here as a guy don’t even think about going to Shinjuku

 

[MrDuBois]

I'm curious to hear about your success rate there then because I've stood around and watched people get shut down all the time in the "main" traffic route. The occasional
"shine"included.

Or is this another case of tall, foreign man with good looks having no problems picking up women in Shibuya?

In B4 "I'm not attractive at all, I just told her how nice her nails looked and she opened up!"😭

 

[mit2UM]

In B4 "I'm not attractive at all, I just told her how nice her nails looked and she opened up!"😭

'Cause that's one of the ways it should be done. Don't be the nth guy who has called her kawaii or kirei. Compliment other parts of her body/outfit or face.

 

[MrDuBois]

Yeah, it works if the aforementioned attractiveness is there. That was more my point.

 

[Fumisancho79]

Yeah, it works if the aforementioned attractiveness is there. That was more my point.

Only thing that works consistently is being funny in Japanese. Your own looks don’t matter (to a degree). Also, much easier with wingmen than by yourself as girls always walk around in groups.

My Japanese is not good enough to be the opener, I can only be wingman/support.

 

[soaplandfun]

Shibuya is #1 street nampa spot, hands down. If you can’t make it here as a guy don’t even think about going to Shinjuku

Shinjuku, damn

I haven't tried Shibuya but I'm not good at this at all, can't imagine its easy

 

[MrDuBois]

Your own looks don’t matter (to a degree). Also, much easier with wingmen than by yourself as girls always walk around in groups.

I'll never buy into the former statement.

Second one makes sense but makes it sound all the more exhausting, I guess...

 

[MikeH]

I'll never buy into the former statement.

You should, girls are much more lenient with their partner's looks than guys are. Us ugly guys just need to talk the socks of the girls.

 

[Fumisancho79]

You should, girls are much more lenient with their partner's looks than guys are. Us ugly guys just need to talk the socks of the girls.

Indeed. I have seen hairy fat dudes pull better than any of my “I work out 5 days a week” friends. Saying you gotta look like Brad Pitt to pull on the street is completely wrong.

To bring some highly flawed and disproven historical caveman context here - males are looking for partners that will produce the best possible offspring (furthering of their gene pool with healthy mates => physically attractive) and females are looking for protection/survival (a partner that will protect them and their offspring from other tribes, wild animals, starvation, etc). This is much more ambiguous than physical fitness/attraction, but generally boils down to signalling that you are an alpha.
Take that hairy fat dude as an example, he wasn’t afraid to walk up to an unknown group of girls right in front of another group of very worked out guys and say funny shit to them. He signalled he’s more of an alpha than my friends, and was rewarded.

 

[MrDuBois]

I demand proof 8) I've never seen it, therefore it's all hogwash in my book.

Or well, who knows what kind of girl he pulled.

 

[Tabanico]

Indeed. I have seen hairy fat dudes pull better than any of my “I work out 5 days a week” friends. Saying you gotta look like Brad Pitt to pull on the street is completely wrong.

To bring some highly flawed and disproven historical caveman context here - males are looking for partners that will produce the best possible offspring (furthering of their gene pool with healthy mates => physically attractive) and females are looking for protection/survival (a partner that will protect them and their offspring from other tribes, wild animals, starvation, etc). This is much more ambiguous than physical fitness/attraction, but generally boils down to signalling that you are an alpha.
Take that hairy fat dude as an example, he wasn’t afraid to walk up to an unknown group of girls right in front of another group of very worked out guys and say funny shit to them. He signalled he’s more of an alpha than my friends, and was rewarded.

I take offence at this. I work out 5 days a week AND I am a hairy fat dude. So this feels like hate speech to me. Or something.

 

[MikeH]

I take offence at this. I work out 5 days a week AND I am a hairy fat dude. So this feels like hate speech to me. Or something.

Seems you finally found your inner wokeness. You need to go to your safe place right away.

I mean it's not like it's the first time you need to close your eyes and think about your country.

 

[Tabanico]

My safe place is Brad Pitt's armpit.

 

[mit2UM]

Honestly, it still feels like same as before. Girl gives you signs she's interested in you. Guys around you (if there are any) comment about how it's not reaching that one guy (you).

Only difference is that I got older. But that's a good thing since 'those ones' no longer seem interested in me. I just bumped into a group of them earlier. Seems like I'm still in their radar.

Oh wait, is the question just about nampa and not the other way around?

Edit: Please note that I haven't actually bed anyone via nampa. The one time I picked up my courage to ask someone, the lady told me that she doesn't currently have a boyfriend.

 

[chiba_expat]

Not sure if this is worth a new thread or not.
I'm coming to Japan for a few weeks and will be posting some P4P reviews. Thanks all as always for the great information. I'm going to try out reverse anal and will try out Boyish too. Possibly a Soap in Chiba if I can get in the door.

Anyways. I'd also like to try picking up some MILF's or 30-something ladies in Tokyo as well.
I'm regarded as good looking and have N4-ish Japanese skill.
One challenge (or advantage?) is I am off the sauce. It would be great if alcohol wasn't a part of the process.
Is this possible at all? Or do I have to grin and bear it at the local Hub while everyone gets hammered around me?

Thanks again everyone.