Maybe she just happened to be around a lot of racist old people. Who knows.

I think your friend is the one who experienced such thing and doesn't want to admit it. haha! I know Japanese people are not like that. They will get delighted when they know that you are making effort to speak their language. :)

i think it really depends on the person. but i dont fully agree with the statement, i just going to add my personal opinion into the mix. going to university in kyoto the is alot of japanese people wanting to practice their english. it does from time to time get upsetting because if you explain that your interested in speaking in japanese, they tend to "disappear". but not all are like that of course. a met a few who would as least speak half english half japanese. just my 2 cents.

But wouldn't correcting each other be the best way to learn???

I do this with my Uncle and a couple of Japanese friends all the time. Even through email. I will write in Japanese, then I wll also write the same thing in English giving them a sense of what I was saying. They will correct mine and do the same thing but in Englih with Japanese explanation

As far as my experieince goes, people really appreciate foreigners who try to learn their culture and language

correcting is always good too,and often i get corrected in japanese sometimes in english. as long as the friendship is a geniune and not just basic on using the other for language practice only. sometimes people just want to be friends just to practice the language some because your foreigner but every case isnt the same tho. there are who want to be friends basic off of interests but whatever case thats life.

I've had a couple of instances in Tokyo where I would say something in Japanese and I'd get replied to in English for a brief conversation, because they didn't want to speak Japanese to me. A couple of instances were Japanese people, and the biggest problem I have is an Indian fellow who works at my local McDonalds. We always have these weird exchanges because he can speak Japanese (working with Japanese customers all day) but whenever I go up to him he immediately tries his hand at English, which isn't so bad. I just start in Japanese, because I don't want to be treated differently, but he refuses to speak Japanese to me so we have really awkward Japanese-English conversations.
But this really isn't a regular thing, and most Japanese people will be really glad that you're trying to learn and speak their language.

Not sure if its related, but if my Uncle is involved in a conversation with a foreigner that has difficultieswith Japanese, he will switch to English in hopes that it will be easier for the other party, and just so it won't confuse them. He did this solely out of sincerity and courtesy..

None of these exchanges were due to a lack of my language ability. I knew what I was saying. If a Japanese person's English is better than an English speaker's Japanese, then go ahead. That's why a large majority of gaijins can't speak Japanese; because they make friends who speak better English. But my experiences weren't like that.

Thats why I said it may not be remotely close to being the same situation. Jut pointing out the circumstances where my Uncle will choose to use English with a foreigner..

yep i have to keep explaining to people that i was born and raise in american and the only language i do know is english! but people still dont believe i can speak english because i am too africa american. I cant wait until my japanese get good enough to sit down and give them a history lesson about africans and slavery in American,because they really dont know i think.

but i guess that something you have to deal with when living here.