Hey guys

I've been a little out of the game for a while so have started again from scratch. Went to a bar today and realized I need to relearn alot of stuff.

I decided to start kind of small and just focused on opening. To be honest, it wasnt great since I didnt follow the 3 second rule. Once I approached the person though, I was fine opening with a simple direct opener "I think your cute and I want to meet you." I dont look for IOIs because I dont really get them and really wanted to just open and build rapport, even if I dont close at least im progressing right.

The big problem I faced however is that I could not begin to build rapport following my openers. One problem was that the bar was really loud and I could barely hear and I did fall into interview mode, trying to ask what their job or interest was so I could start some sort of conversation. Maybe I was unlucky but I could not build a conversation as all. These are Japanese girls who are in a sense shyer and I did have better success with foreigners in Japan although foreigners are relatively scarce where I went. Was hoping for tips or suggestions to improve rapport building.