This has a little backstory to it: I tend to travel alone and without many plans, so when I was in Barcelona and noticed some lost Japanese tourists trying in vain to understand what a man was trying to say to them in Catalan, I used my rusty Japanese skills to try to help, since I understood mostly what he was trying to say (about the cable car being closed). They were just so shocked that I spoke Japanese and grateful for my help that I ended up staying with them most of the day and really speaking only Japanese - except when we ordered food. I certainly never thought my Asian language skills would be useful in Europe, but I guess that's what makes languages worth learning - they can help you meet people and go places you never would otherwise.
