I tell people who travel abroad. “Don’t deal with strangers who talk to you”.
Most of the time, they have secret intention. It is either for money or to pick up women. On the other hand, there is no problem if you talk to them to ask for directions. In fact, you can tell the level of kindness of the people by their reactions. In Turkey, for example, they will even kindly follow you around.
Recently, I have come to think that it is the same in Japan. People who talk to you in public places such as gyms may be religious. In some cases, they may be very friendly, but it seems that you have to spend a lot of time to see that.
When I ask for directions in Japan, I am often greeted with annoyance in Tokyo and other big cities. This is probably because everyone is busy. In the countryside, people are still very friendly.
