☆ENGLISH ONLY☆コミュのWhen do you feel different culture?

>９２３７

I think I saw that youtube vid before too.
I found his arrogance to be soooo annoying, even bringing up samurai spirit.
I wouldn't expose myself online so easily for my privacy sake and my Canadian guy too.
How can someone accuse you for not doing what you don't want to do when your life has no affect on his/her life?

よんよん (#57)

You might want to chill out a bit... I don't think the American guy is accusing the Japanese for being shy. He just doesn't seem to take the possible cultural differences into account. Ignorance is bliss, so to speak.

Being Japanese, I understand both sides of the argument. Honestly, though, I feel that many Japanese seem to be over-sensitive on this. I have no problem exposing my face on SNS profiles; in fact, I do that on every SNS / blog site I use except for Mixi, where I use a cute graphics image a good friend of mine made for me. Were it not for that image, I would be just as open here. :)

It's really hard to accept different culture of other countries...
I have been living in NZ for several years, and at the same time, had experiences to work at a hotel.
I don't know what 'kind of hotel' is...

Thus, to work at a hotel in NZ, you can meet lots of international workers.
Sometimes, you may struggle with various problems.

To begin with, we always have to express our opinion in abroad, not in Japan.
There is no relationship like boss and surbodinate in NZ, compared to that in Japan.

At first, you can make friends with them so that you come to understand their personality and culture...
If that kind of culture damages your mind, you can say, NO.

I wanna go back to NZ...to work at hotel again~
Good luck for your work!!

From korean, living in Japan

ﾆｺｰﾙ+12w -

Yeah. I'm looking for a place where I can make it right - but at the moment, I'm having some difficulty getting there - the place is 30+ minutes from where I live. I also don't know if I should make it with umeboshi (something that, by itself, I'm not that fond of), or use some other pickled spice, and even then I have no clue what to use.

だいはど #58

Don't worry, I'm cool here. I just forgot to put "lol" at the end of the last sentence.
I just took his ignorant flame towards us a bit self-centered.

As for me, it's more about security than shyness. I first put my face on my profile in the early days but I replaced it after my lousy ex-boss found me online and persistently asked me to add him to my friend's list.
Another case is when my close friend got her and her kids(!) faces posted on a dating community with some sexual comments when she put them on her mixi profile, which scared the hell out of me.
Maybe we were just unlucky....?
I feel safer on facebook though. hmmmmm...

how about during ummm???....

undesirable sex?

Last year my English Combasation teacher always said loudly “Do not sniff! It's rude.”

We did not intend to be rude but carelessly we always did.

His disgust and do-not-sniff-blow-your-nose expression never fades away from my memory.

>ヨコテです
That was something that really grossed me out in Japan was the sniffing, but I always tried to not blow my nose around people, as I know that grosses Japanese people out.

The big question I always wondered about was after watching Salarymen picking their nose in the train...where did they put the snot...ewwww!

>> 65

To answer your big question... They perform a little known skill first passed down by an ancient Ninjitsu master. They seemlessly roll the contents into a ball, at which point it is now able to be concealed, wiped, digested or in most cases, flicked away like some sort of shuriken. Close observation shows the flicked projectile's trajectory is either opposite from or adjacent to the Salaryman in question. Now that you know, use this secret knowledge to avoid being an unsuspecting victim of a shinobi master.
.

Why can`t we find any good healthy alternative foods in the stores here in Japan.
What about Turkey burgers? Turkey and Chicken hot dogs? Why are almost all the great
looking foods deep fried? :)

>66

That has to be the funniest thing I have read for a long time!!!

TokyoOG (#67)

>> What about Turkey burgers? Turkey and Chicken hot dogs?

No offense, but that's so American. You would be a lot healthier just following the traditional Japanese diet than eating those "alternative" foods. :)

>69

You are right! You see, I am a Braziliam doctor (I live in Brazil) and here we have a fat diet. So people looks for some "alternative" foods and also eat Chicken hot dogs, Light Turkey Burghers, Light chease etc. Yes, this kind of food has less fat, but this "less" is yet so much if we compare with the tradicional japanese food, for exemple. So this is not a really healthy alternative.

I felt a cultural difference when I made a sarcastic joke. The girl I was shopping with didn't understand sarcasm and started crying...

How do I make Japanese people laugh? They think my sexual jokes are perverted and many of them don't get sarcasm. The folks that live around me definately don't speak enough English to get puns. So... I would love to learn some Japanese jokes or what Japanese people find funny...

Things other people said that I agree with:

1. People like to talk about food a lot.

Why?

2. I've met lots of Japanese people who say they like to sleep in their free time.

If an American person said this to me, I would think they were very boring. However, I have lived in Japan long enough to understand that a lot of Japanese people are over-worked and exhausted. If I worked as much as my Japanese boyfriend, I would sleep whenever I could, too. (Or kill myself. I am really impressed that Japanese people will work such long hours!)

3. Some Japanese boys and men are very effeminate

This totally surprised me at first. Osaka boys with their hair all spiked up remind me of peacocks. At first I thought Japanese boys seemed very "gay", but now I think it is CUTE. Their idea about masculinity seems to be very different than an American idea of masculinity. American boys don't want to seem feminine, so they don't like to wear flowers, purple, pink, or Hello Kitty. I actually prefer Japanese boys fashion. However, I miss American boys in some other ways...

4. Different ideas about suntans

In America, I think a lot of girls are relaxed about their skin. They are kind of natural. They have some color because they go swimming in the summer. Some girls are obsessed and pay money to get fake sun tans. I think it is disgusting. Some Japanese girls are obsessed and carry umbrellas and wear arm covers and hats and use bleaching creams for their skin. I think that is also bad. I prefer natural, relaxed people.

5. Different body style

When I look at diet adds in Japanese magazines, I am surprised. They show and "ideal body", but to me, it looks like a starving person. I think very, very thin people are not beautiful. They look scary and half-dead to me. I understand that Japanese people are naturally thin, but I am shocked by how thin some people are. I think we have an obesity problem in America, but I think there is a problem here too. Generally people are very healthy here. However, I think the beauty ideal for thinness is too thin!

#69 & 70 "You would be a lot healthier just following the traditional Japanese diet than eating those "alternative" foods. "

Yeah... I know avoiding the foods that I know are not best for me is the way to go but I am not trying to win Mr. Olympia or get down to single digit fat ratios. Somewhere between 15 - 18% fat levels would be fine for me. I love hot dogs and Polish Sausages, Burgers etc... but I refuse to touch them now. And I miss that. I workout a lot and treating myself to a Turkey dog, or some other alternative items from time to time would help keep me happy and on the
right track. Traditional Japanese foods are not all good. I eat brown rice when ever possible.
Tofu ( which some say is not that great for you anymore), lots of fish ( Mercury worries with this one), Chicken, veges, Boiled, broiled, or fried with Olive oil. Other than that it is all protein and vitamin supplements. That can get pretty boring after a while.

TokyoOG (#73)

>> I love hot dogs and Polish Sausages, Burgers etc... but I refuse to touch them
>> now. And I miss that. I workout a lot and treating myself to a Turkey dog, or
>> some other alternative items from time to time would help keep me happy and on
>> the right track.

Sounds like you're pretty health-conscious. If you do workout a lot and are careful enough to have brown rice and tofu, do you still have to choose alternative foods instead of the "real" version (i.e. beef burgers, etc)?

If I can cut half the calories with the alternatives I might as well do it since I don`t mind that the flavor is a little bland compared to the real thing. My metabolism has slowed down a lot since I got older so every little trick helps :) Everything quick and easy over here is too full of carbohydrates, and fats. Pasta, rice.... etc... We need some alternatives.

ﾆｺｰﾙ+12w (#76)

It is very sad, but I must agree with you. As a Japanese man, I feel ashamed of the lack of courtesy my fellow Japanese men often exhibit.

I have even seen a pregnant woman standing on the train while her spouse/boyfriend sits down. That was as ridiculous as ridiculous could be. Luckily, before I got up the nerve to say something, a lady standing next to her told the guy off. He then reluctantly gave the seat to her.

#76
Yeah, I had major knee surgery while in Japan and same for me, no one stood up for me on the train when I had crutches and I was too "Japanese" at that stage to say anything...that happen now, it would be a different story. Terrible about the pregnancy stories...I did notice that the boyfriends/husbands would often sit and not the wives on the train.

I used to work for a big corporation in Japan and what would happen is the men would try to be "gentlemen" to me but not to the Japanese women around me. So for example, they would hold the door open for me, but let it fall shut in the face of the Japanese woman coming through after me!!! I would tell them off!

But surely there is no history of chivalry in Japan so not to be expected??? Although things might be changing? Not sure.

Another interesting difference is the control of the money by the wives, that definitely seems to give them a lot of power. Might have made my mum's life a bit easier if she had been in control of the cash!

76, 77
that one disappointed me quite a bit, i'm so used to gentlemen. out of 7 months in japan, only one dude opened the door for me (excluding foreigners of course).

but food!! japanese food is gooooooooood... can't live without it. except for their breakfasts cause my stomach can't handle it that early in the morning. but i'll have it for lunch
but even all the foods they prepare, be it indian or american, there's always a japanese twist to it. it's awesome, but damn, sometimes i just need a big, fat, juicy beef patty without that meatloaf texture. don't be complicating the burger, just ground beef, baby, and a tiny bit of flavoring. just remember the works.

my first meal back in vancouver was the banzai burger:

I feel like Japanese people like to talk about food because it is non-controversial.

And I feel like it is very boring to talk about.

Middle class and low income making Japanese men hand over their pay to their wives because they know they can not be trusted not to blow it all on Pachinko, drinking and hostess bars.
And they sit while their wives stand and don`t open doors because most Japanese women don`t expect them to. Or they believe they don`t expect them to. In a traditional Japanese home many men are still waited on like royalty, although this is changing with the times slowly.
If the husbands male friends are over they will often eat separately from his wife and kids
if space is limited. Some might say that many Japanese men seem to mature later than men
of other countries. I mean... how many Japanese women do you see reading a manga on the train?
Behind closed doors in this society there are many unwritten rules that govern behavior. Even in this tread it is unlikely that anyone will brake that silence and admit to the double standard. On the contrary I expect some will go on the defensive. I have been here for over 25 years, but I am sure some people will still choose not be believe that I know what I am talking about.
That attitude will only allow this type of behavior to continue. Kinda like a wife that gets beat by her husband but won`t leave him or go to the police. Or women that marry men that they meet on line while the guy is in jail! The blame goes both ways. Women should know better and not stand for poor treatment and men should not act that way in the first place.
 I open doors for ladies and give up my seat for "anyone" that needs it more than I, regardless of if it is the "Special" designated handicap seat or not. That is just common courtesy.

TokyoOG (#81)

>> I mean... how many Japanese women do you see reading a manga on the train?

If you ask me, reading manga on the train isn't necessarily a sign of immaturity. There are good and bad comic stories, just like there are good and bad novels.

I thought that people were very helpful when I was in Japan. But mainly it is if you ask for help. One guy showed me all the way to the station I needed to go to, even though it was out of his way and he had to go back onto the train again afterwards. I get lost easily so I had to ask for directions soooo often. People were very friendly and tried to help as best they could.

No one helped to carry my luggage up the stairs, but I also never asked. In Kelowna I think it is more likely that people would help with that, without being asked. They will usually ask if you need help. However, I also think that in Vancouver, you are less likely to get help. People are in a rush all the time.

So it must have more to do with the size of the city, than the culture. Large cities have more crime, people are less trusting of others.

I like to watch shows about food. I can see new kinds of food that I have never tried. It gives an idea about what I might like to eat. I think that when people are more conscious of what they eat, they are less likely to overeat. Over eating seems to be the main problem with obesity. Look at how large the portions are. It is way more than one person can eat. Especially pasta and meat dishes. Those are so commonly eaten in excess. If food is really so delicious (and not just craved because of high fat and sugar content), then people should enjoy it. Taste it, and eat slowly.

I think men in general mature more slowly than women. It is very apparent in Canada as well. Today I went to the aquarium with my younger sister, her friend, and her boyfriend. My younger sister's boyfriend is 31, but acts like a child. He would yell at people from the car window and make comments about people in a restaurant. He also made so many racist jokes thinking he is clever. It really made me stressed. I have guy friends who act like this as well. They would make comments about people clothes or weight in public, loud enough for that person to hear. I think that is the worst kind of behaviour. Why do we want to make people feel bad?

I should mention that my sister and her friend were almost as bad as the guy.

Lately I have been thinking about this topic (cultural and moral differences between people). We are all trying so hard to divide ourselves and stick to certain groups. I know that it is impossible to avoid it because we need somewhere to belong. But I also don't think we should divide people by race. Should we really be saying how different everyone is? Isn't that just promoting misunderstanding and creating a larger division?

It's interesting to discuss differences, and even I enjoy it. Learning about how everyone thinks, or how someone on the other side of the planet lives. I guess I am just stressed out because I want to be accepted for who I am, not because I speak English or live in Canada. Or not being accepted because I am not Asian or Japanese.

when we show and tell our weapons

>83

I think talking about differences is a good thing to do as long as it isn't done with judgment - and yeah, being accepted for who you are is really what we all would like. It is not a homogeneous world though, thank god! My Japanese ex- always said there is no perfect country and I would have to agree.

While I lived in Japan, I missed things about NZ, now I miss things about Japan and NZ now I am in the States. And no doubt there will be things I miss about here when I go back to NZ.

The service in NZ is crummy compared with Japan, how I miss people doing what they say they will do when they promise - Japan is amazing for that. The airline had lost a bag of mine when flying domestically in NZ on holiday. The NZ staff were useless, as soon as I returned to Japan, the Japanese airline staff found my bag (in Australia!) and got it to me the next day <sigh> and he rang me when he said, I never had to follow up. Direct opposite to home!!!

>79
Gotta agree with you, the food is amazing! I am back in November and I cannot wait to go out and eat!!!

>80
I don't know that that is the reason, I think that food is huge part of the culture and they really are obsessed! Those slow lunches with friends, where those tiny women can pack away huge amounts of food!

I love that - I have taken that away with me... now the first thing I tell people about a country I visited is the food...haha very Japanese of me. I can rank countries on how good the food was, adding in my Kiwi part though, as I also have to talk about the wine (or other drink)

the work culture in Japan especially if you are into sales could be frustating to the extent that you may want to jump out of the buildings after listening to how foreign resitant the Japanese could be.

"In Japan it is different" is something you can hear very commonly

Thats because in Japan it is different! Very different. But that difference is what makes it interesting at times.

79 えりか -san

What is "banzai burger" ?
What's in it ?

HAMASHO (#88)

Assuming she's talking about Red Robin's Banzai burger, I found this.

The Banzai Burger
-----------------
Marinated in teriyaki & topped with grilled pineapple Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. Dude, you’ll be like, ready to ride the pipeline on Oahu's North Shore after you chomp on this!

http://www.redrobin.com/home/menu.aspx

>A.Elizabeth #83

>Should we really be saying how different everyone is?
>Isn't that just promoting misunderstanding and creating a larger division?

I know what you mean and I agree with you that this kind of topic can be a double-edged sword. But I guess it depends on our attitude when we talk about the differences. As someone else above posted, I think it's OK if we are not too judgmental. By learning new characteristics from others, you can understand people better and even adapt some of them in order to improve yourself.

I understand this can be perceived as creating a larger division, but I think getting new ideas from different values overrides it as long as we don't talk about which is "better".
That said, there are some universal values such as try to be healthy, be kind to people etc. and some people might not want to accept those ideas, but that's their choice.

However, a part of me is not sure if we can call some extreme cases a "culture", which is universally unacceptable, such as something violent or abusive.
But I understand this kind of topic, as its nature, easily falls into sounding too subjective as it totally depends on the people we hang out with and our perception.

And as for nationality/race vs culture thing, I too wish people would just separate us from our nationality.
Consequently, when I say "they/them/their" here, that means "people who adopted the culture". Similarly, "we/our/us" don't always represent Japanese. ;)


>TokyoOG #81

I think I get what you are suggesting but bringing up some extreme cases as a "culture" is not the best way to emphasize your point.
From my observation, some girls prefer being treated in a "traditional" way.
While it might seem a bit abusive, some girls I know just don't like the lady first culture, saying that they don't feel comfy when treated like a princess. I'm not saying they are limitless masochists, be it good or bad, they just feel happier devoting themselves to letting their partners feel comfy. ;)

>89 だいはど - san

>ready to ride the pipeline on Oahu's North Shore
after you chomp on this!

hahaha
thanks for info.
gotta get a bite when I'm there next time.
pineapple Cheddar cheese ? Never had that in my life.

soundclick
http://www.soundclick.com/ayes

myspace
http://www.myspace.com/asianyes

unsigned artist
http://www.unsigned.com/a_yes

（Japan）Kingbeat
http://www.king-beat.com/

（Japan）Muzie
http://www.muzie.co.jp/cgi-bin/artist.cgi?id=a054126

歌詞 - lyrics
http://www.sweetslyrics.com/search.php
search box→artist →A-YES
検索→アーティスト→A-YES

着うた-ringtone
(FOR AU ONLY)トップメニュー＞カテゴリで探す＞着うた＞クラブ・インディーズ＞CLUB☆STYLE

是非聞いてみてください。

よんよん, I can understand about some girls not wanting to be treated like princesses. I was talking to my friend about this recently. We both decided that we prefer if the guy takes charge more often, although still respecting that the girl has an opinion. I don't want to be spoiled, I just want to know that the guy cares for me more than any other girl. I don't want presents or to get my way every time.

I think that many girls just want to feel like they are being taken care of, even though they are able to take care of themselves.

I like if the guy is a bit assertive. For example, I want boyfriends to decide what we do if we hang out. I also want the guy to tell me he likes me first, or to ask me on a date. The guy should make the first move, in my opinion. I think that Canadian guys are more likely to do this than Japanese guys.

I would like to hear other people's opinions too. Do the girls prefer guys who are like this? Are the guys here like this? Etc.

It is difficult accepting all, but I wanna learn about many cultures.

I wanna spread my own thought.