It's always interesting to see the level of English spoken when visiting new countries and Japan has certainly been entertaining on the language front.

My grasp of Japanese is zilch and seeing as I have taken a contract to work here for a year, I decided to sign up for some lessons. I got my hands on a copy of, "A guide to living in Yokohama," published in English and aimed at foreigners.

I called the community center that advertises for Japanese English speakers who provide lessons but the woman that answered the phone didn't speak a word of English. I later found myself in a position where I needed to approach an elderly Japanese man after having managed to completely lose my way home after work.

He was the only person in sight in an area that looked semi-rural by Japanese standards and I decided to take my chances. I approached in "charades" mode, using lots of gestures and simple language, praying he would understand.

After a very long-winded and theatrical display on my part, he answered me in perfect English, complete with American accent. -- Liz in Kanagawa

Keep sending your tales of life as a foreigner in Japan to [email protected]. Every week, we'll publish a story sent in by one of our readers, and if yours is printed you'll receive a 2,000 yen gift voucher from Tower Records. Stories should be 250 words max.