Making friends in Japan as an introvert – any advice?

Hi all, I'm a Singaporean (31M) who has been learning Japanese for about a year now and I think I can hold simple conversations in Japanese.

I plan to go to Japan for a few months this year from August to November and I was hoping to make some friends. Personally I've never really been abroad for such a long period before and this will be my first time, plus I'm quite an introvert. My hobbies generally include chess, table tennis, and recently I spend my free time reading up Japanese related learnings as a hobby.

Any advice on what's a good way for someone like me to make friends and mingle with the locals? I've heard about going to Izakayas but I'm not too sure about how I should be starting a conversation with a random stranger either.

Thanks in advance! 😄