Originally Posted by
joer1212
I think being female helps a lot, especially if you have a kid with you.
Not my experience at all. I get approached by kids a lot, not the other way around. At 6'5" and well over 200 lbs, I can be intimidating to some but little kids see me as some kind of
jii-chan (grandpop) and often talk to me. It is probably the white hair. Many conversations have gotten started with parents or grandparents after the kid started it. Those are treasured interactions and have led to recommendations for interesting sites or restaurants I would have otherwise missed as well as some nice photos.
Of course, it helps to speak a little Japanese as the little ones often have NO English but the adults usually do, even if they say not.