> For people who don't go to many social events/don't talk to many others there/don't deepen those ties as much Indeed! But my point is that making friendships

> For people who don't go to many social events/don't talk to many others there/don't deepen those ties as much Indeed! But my point is that making friendships in those cities is not prevented by the people or social norms in that country (while in Japan it apparently is, if I understood the previous comments correctly). > But consider what proportion of attendees at those meetups ended up becoming your friends. I'm guessing a single digit percentage, at best. Of course. However, if most people would refuse me due to social norms, that number would have been easily dropped to zero. > I don't tend to attempt conversations with strangers (or people I know, for that matter), so very few of those acquaintances even learned my name. In essence, I don't have any friends. But that's a purely personal choice, not something imposed onto you by the society, isn't it?