I Think I'm Turning Japanese I Really Think So

For whatever reason, most people here think I'm Japanese. I've been asked at just about every guesthouse I've been to so far. Street stall proprietors call out "Konnichiwa!" or "Aregato, Aregato" to get my attention. Satay (Malaysian kebab) vendors tell me they serve "yakitori" (Japanese BBQ). I'm not sure where they get it from. I still maintain that we Asians all look the same.

Anyway, I've started using this to my advantage. You see, there are many locals here who hang out at bus terminals and tourists traps with the intent of making money off the dumb tourists. They find a suitable target, begin a sales pitch and latch on when the reply is in English. Usually it's just harmless small talk but they yammer on and on until the poor tourist gives in and buys a trinket just to get rid of them.

So to prevent them from getting that important foothold, I've started pretending I'm Japanese. This is how I respond when approached:

Me: "Nani desu ka?" (what is it?)
Local: [insert sales pitch]
Me: "...eto" (...um)
Me: "No speaku Engrish." [shakes head]

It works, let me tell you.