>> If you are a foreigner, just remembering the two base sets is fine to
>> get you by, it's perfectly acceptable and understandable to ask for "two
>> coffee" instead of "twocup coffee", but you can't use the "two" that you
>> use to measure things, you'll get a blank look for that.
>>
>
> Well, if they associate it ie. with liter, it would be pretty hilarious.
> Think about a couple going to a coffee shop and ordering two liters of
> coffee :).

Hehe yeh I think that's exactly the reason why you get a blank look if you 
use the wrong set.

Another thing I just remembered about Japanese numbers is that they are 
grouped in 10000's rather than 1000's, so they have a word for 1e4, 1e8 etc 
rather than 1e3, 1e6 like we do.  It makes reading out numbers quite 
difficult for people used to the 1e3 system, especially given that because 
of their currency prices typically are quite big numbers.

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