Directions

This morning I had to apply my first culture lesson that I've learned from the "Culture Shock" book that I purchased some weeks ago. "How to ask for directions"...
The book says you should not approach people and ask them, because most would be afraid of having to speak English and would just run away. Instead you should open a map and helplessly look around and wait for someone to approach you.
Great tip...This morning I sort of couldn't remember the school location and since I could not read the street signs and so on it was hard to guess where I was even with a map. So I was standing next to the subway station and acting like a confused idiot. The issue was just that nobody approached me in 10 minutes and I started getting late (which is a cardinal sin here). So I decided to still ask someone. BUT as the book predicted she just walked by and acted as if she had not heard me (I had even addressed her in Japanese). I was desperate and went down to the sub again. On the stairs I saw a woman smiling at me and took this as a sign that she wouldn't be afraid to talk to me. AND I was right, she even spoke German (had spent 3 years in Konstanz) and was happy to show me the way.
Ufff, I arrived just on time...