I have a serious question for Americans.
Let’s say you’re talking to a Japanese person and you casually say, “You have to come visit America someday.”
As a Japanese person, I’d probably smile, say “I’d love to,” and assume you’re just being friendly.
But what if I actually took you seriously?
Like… I book a flight, message you the dates, and say, “I’ll be there next month!”
Would you think, “Awesome! I can’t wait to see you.”
Or would you secretly be thinking, “Wait… I didn’t mean you should actually come.”
Because in Japan, we have a lot of phrases that sound like an invitation but are sometimes just… politeness.
So I genuinely want to know:
When an American says “You have to come visit sometime,” do you actually mean it?