Originally Posted by
RichiKari
Thought this would be a good place to get my curiosity answered... I've always wondered if the JAL flight attendants appreciate it when I (I'm a white male) communicate with them in Japanese? My Japanese isn't fluent, but I know enough to hold a conversation. And I always want to get into the mindset of switching to Japanese as soon as I enter the plane (with a cheerful おはようございます) as I will be using the language for the next 3/4 weeks that I am in Japan.
The FAs of the flights that I've been on have always communicated very well with my fellow British passengers in English, and they will switch to Japanese when they get to me (such as with the meal service, etc). Obviously, I've never asked them for their opinions on this. Which is why I thought that I'd get my curiosity (and slightly silly question) answered here by someone who has a similar experience to my own.
Same experience as a caucasian myself. I always appreciate the genuine surprise at the first
おはようございます or similar greeting. My Japanese is basic/ntermediate, but I believe my pronunciation (and accent) is quite good, so they immediately switch to Japanese for the remainder of the flight after the initial greeting/pleasantry. And I do feel I get better service because of that. I believe the cabin crew gets more comfortable to interact in Japanese, and they also appreciate the effort on my side.