Friends Among Foreigners

I've found making local friends hard. The language barrier is more
than learning another language, it's also dealing with limitations,
having others realize you can speak their tongue and everyone dealing
with your shortcomings. Next, getting people to realize your living
here and not just a passerby, making something lasting is tiring.
You'll chat for hours and then they'll never look you up again. You
have to keep pushing relentlessly. I would like to have Japanese
friends, but they're hard to come by.