That Time a Cashier Laughed in my Face

Jumping to late-May, I'd been working for around a month and a half at this office. I buy lunch from the same grocery store in the building's basement. Most of the cashiers recognize me, and some even know not to offer me a bag for my bento since I always refuse it.

This cashier was younger, probably newer since I never saw her before. She's straightening her station, and asking the standard questions, "Do you want chopsticks/Do you want a plastic bag?". I've heard these enough to catch them 90+% of the time, and be able to respond. So, responded.

She says the price. I never listen to the price because that I can't hear, and I can already read the numbers. I'm digging in my coin purse for money. The cashier starts laughing, covers her mouth, and says something in Japanese that I can't understand. So, I just kind of smile and pay, and then leave.

The only thing I can think of is that either my Japanese is so bad (which it is) that it was funny, or that she had been so preoccupied with her station that she hadn't looked at me until I was trying to pay, and was surprised that I was a gaijin (non-Japanese/foreigner). This is also plausible, because a similar situation happened soon after.

I got back to my place early enough to buy some food at the nicer grocery story. I was waiting in line, and this elderly woman comes up to my elbow, and starts talking. Asking about something. And I have no idea what. Couldn't catch anything after the Japanese equivalent to "um".

When I have no idea what's going on, I don't use any Japanese (and I only know like 4 things anyway) to highlight the language barrier. Said sorry, in English, and I don't understand, in English. The woman shrieked in surprise. And I mean loudly. Like, the other lines all stopped and stared. So, then she starts apologizing in rapid-fire Japanese for mistaking me for... I guess someone that could answer her questions?

So, yeah, with the population being 90+% percent one ethnicity, when you aren't that ethnicity sometimes you can really surprise people.