(Tokyo, Japan) How can one of the world’s smartest countries use such terrible English? Some insight into the sometime irreverent, sometimes puzzling, and always funny world of Engrish that we found in traveling through Japan.

It’s embarrassing to admit, but my command of English is a bit worse than I thought, and I bet, most Americans would find that they are in the same situation.

I’ve been served dessert by a girl named “Cake.” One of my neighbors goes by the name “Carton” (he jokingly says, “It’s French, it’s pronounced Car-TONE,” with a smile.). Two of my newest friends in Beijing are a dynamic duo that go by the name of “Ice” and “Tool.”

One of the most difficult things for me so far in traveling is dealing with the language barriers at times, and it has been fortunate for me that English is the langua franca of the world. And I’ve come to realize how essential knowing English is to being able to operate globally. For example, in Hong Kong, you can always count on an English speaker maning the counter at Starbucks, cause how in the world do you say “venti drip vanilla double soy espresso macchiato with room con pana” in Chinese? (actually I don’t even know what I just said in English?)