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Let's say I am in a gym and had an eye contact with a person working out next
to me, is it OK to say

> 今日は、如何ですか。
>
> どうも、元気か。

What are the best simple expression to break the ice with complete strangers?
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2017-01-30T22:26:56.770
43028
2017-01-31T01:33:02.727
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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question
usage set-phrases conversations daily-life
Icebreakers to use with strangers
Both of these sound a pretty unnatural and even in English I can't think of
many times where I would just say "how are you" to break the ice to someone
working at the gym next to me. Something just like `こんにちは` is good because
they will most likely reply back, and you can use that as a bouncing point.
After that you can say something like `スニーカー、かっこいいね` (Your shoes are pretty
cool) or some other "in." If they don't reply back and just nod, it's most
likely a no-go (depending on the situation) but other things you could say to
start something are:

`ああ、疲れた~` - Saying this out loud after eye contact or `こんにちは` might prompt a
response like `お疲れ様です` and maybe can lead into a conversation

`すみません、今何時ですか` might work if you can lead into some kind of conversation after
asking the time.

Just a word to the wise, but you should probably figure out if the eye contact
is a "I'm interested in chit-chat" and not a "Oh a non-japanese person is in
the gym"
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2017-01-31T01:33:02.727
43034
2017-01-31T01:33:02.727
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answer