The other day, I said "konnichiwa" (good day) to some people in the neighborhood as I was walking to a local shop and they said it back, but then just after my back was to them, they very loudly made fun of the way I said it. The care which they took to make sure they mocked me within earshot made it clear they wanted me to be embarrassed. Between the foreigners who correct my Japanese and the Japanese who don't understand it or laugh at it, I am consistently discouraged not to even bother to try tospeak Japanese.
I won't miss having my best efforts to speak the language made fun of.
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This is a really difficult subject for me too. I actually speak Japanese very well, but as soon as most see my face it's like the Japanese have more trouble speaking Japanese than I do. They become so befuddled with their preconceptions, that eventually natural conversation becomes impossible. Talk about a difficult environment to learn in, not to mention making it difficult to connect yourself socially. Another problem is that Japanese detest giving clear and useful answers, much less anything remotely like criticism (when it's face to face).
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