Elderly woman: Are you a university student?
Middle-aged foreign man: No, I have a job.
Elderly woman: Do you teach at a university?
Foreign man: No, I work for a newspaper.
Elderly woman: Do you teach journalism at a university?
— Shinagawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Overheard by The Japan Times On Sunday
Overheard a conversation you'd like to share? Simply fill out the online submission form at jtimes.jp/overheard. Please recount the conversation in the format above and be sure to provide a description of the participants (age, male/female, nationality if relevant, etc.), note where the conversation took place and include any other context that might be necessary.