What is the most amazing thing you overheard because people didn't think you understood their language?

“Charge her double. That idiot foreigner doesn't know the difference.”

I was on a trip to Japan one year ago for New Year's Eve, and I had booked one of those tube beds in Tokyo because I was only going to be there for two nights so I figured it wouldn't matter. Unfortunately they called me and said the space was no longer available just as I was getting out of the airport.

Panicked, I called every hotel in the area but every one was booked. It was the day before New Year's Eve.

Now I was far from fluent but I found myself getting around okay with what I learned in four years of classes in high school.

For those not familiar with Tokyo, it's an extremely dense city. The areas with tall buildings extend out really far from the city center. I ended up driving way out to the edge of the “suburbs” which were basically just extremely dense two-story houses with little space in between.

The first place I arrived at was a motel with red flashing lights. I went in to ask them what they charged, and they said 1,500 yen. I asked again, cause I couldn't believe my ears. Then I realized they meant per hour.

It took me a second and then it clicked. This was a place people go to have sex. That's what a motel means in Japan. Well I got out of there pretty quick.

As I was walking down the street next to my car I passed this hotel and a guy came out in a business suit and started talking to me in English.

“Looking for hotel ma'am?”

I nodded.

“Yes come here, come here,” he said. He led me inside of a fairly run down place that was made of dark wood.

“Yes yes, this woman, can you get her a room?” he said to the front desk worker. “Oh oh, that's good.”

Then they started speaking Japanese.

“American, I think,” said the man. “She speaks no Japanese.”

“Charge her double,” said the front desk worker. “That idiot foreigner doesn't know the difference.”

“Good thinking,” said the man. “Those foreigners never have much common sense. I bet we could charge her triple and she wouldn't know.”

“Don't push it,” said the woman.

“I'll charge her 40,000 yen. She probably knows no difference between them and US dollar.”

The woman nodded.

“We can give you a room,” she said in English.

“How much?” I asked.

“40,000 yen,” said the man.

“Really?' I asked. “That's a great bargain. Everybody else in this town is trying to rip me off.”

He smirked.

“Oh yes they can be harsh to you. But we treat our guests a lot of well,” he said. “Just sign on document and the room is yours today.”

He handed me a slip of paper that was written in Japanese. Here's a rough translation:

Signer certified that they stay in hotel 12 night and pay for them up front, totalling price of ___40,000yen per day. Please certify.

I signed an inch under the line, but I didn't write my name, I wrote “fuck you” in Japanese and handed it back to him.

The look on his face was priceless.

Right away he started profusely apologizing, the woman at the front desk took a second to figure out what was happening but after that I've never seen a face so red before. I let them know I'd be putting up a review in English to let people know of their scam.

The man ran out and offered ME 40,000 yen just to keep quiet.

“Double or triple?” I said.

And with that, I walked away.

If anyone was wondering, I ended up staying in a Japanese family's home like a hostel, and had an amazing time at New Year's Eve.