Task: Question Answering
Input (English): Context: The airplane ride was rather uneventful . I sat next to an older Japanese man but we did n't talk and in fact I do n't think we even made eye contact the whole 12 hours of flight . ( I ' ve noticed that people on the trains in Tokyo do n't make eye - contact either and people rarely start up conversations with strangers . ). 
Question: What may be the reason people in Japan do nt start conversations ?
Output (English): They are shy and do nt want to look foolish speaking english .