Frequently Asked Question

It's fairly common in Japanese to initiate or advance conversation by remarking on a patently obvious fact. It's not too different from the British prattling on about the weather or Canadians blathering away about liberal dope laws and healthcare for all. But personal comments are fair game in Japan, assuming they are clearly obvious. I can't count the number of times I've heard people who weren't talking to me start a conversation with each other by saying something (about me) to the effect of

"Tall!"
"Seriously! He is tall!"
"How tall do you think he is?"
"I dunno. But he's tall."
"Isn't he, though? Tall..."

And so on and so on. Younger people, larger groups and drunks tend to be more likely to start commenting abut a stranger in audible voices.
But even people who've known you for a while will comment on things that may seem obvious or even insulting, just because they're trying to start a conversation. The most flagrant comment is the one about chopsticks. Admittedly, Japan has something like a 1000 year lead over western societies in using chopsticks as they're known today, but given that there have been crazy foreigners trying to learn how to live in Japan for at least 400 years, it doesn't seem so outlandish to me that some of them might have learned how to eat with chopsticks. I mean, no one I've ever spoken to has been impressed with a Japanese person's fork or spoon skills.
But again and again and again, all of us non-natives types eventually get asked: "Can you use chopsticks?" It's usually asked after observing someone successfully eating with chopsticks. But of all the replies I've ever heard, my friend Jort may have come up with the best one:

"No I can't. I try every day, but I still haven't been able to eat anything."