I asked my japanese friend when she came back to Canada for a visit (What do you miss the most from here?) and she answered (hugs) I wanted to cry and gave her a huge hug when she left 😂❤.
As an American when I lived in Japan it was a culture shock to be told I couldn't go into an establishment because I was not Japanese. This happened on multiple occasions
Happens everywhere though, simply depends on the degree and the amount of laws set in place. Many countries have laws against doing that, meaning only rural estrablishments would have rules like that. In Japan, it's more commonplace, often was triggered when a foreigner messed up the place and the owner decided to close it to other foreigners for a while. (this happens surpisingly often)
I once heard of a Canadian joke, "We could have had French cuisine, British culture, and American technology, but instead got British cuisine, American culture, and French technology." I was reminded of it when the guy said he would love to visit because of British literature, but not for the food. x))
true, that's a no-go everywhere. But in japan I think no one will say anything, they just give you the stare of disapproval. But doing this in a western country...oh boy you get some lol
Yes but it happens more often that people don't notice you or don't pay attention, whereas they think first if there is other people waiting and take care of not cutting in by mistake. Also in some more informal situations (say street food stall) people will not queue at all but just randomly walk up and then the seller will serve you when you are the closest or notices you. At least in Europe.
Hahahahaha it doesn't seem like that in Disney World. I have been there two or three times and the amount of foreign people that clearly cut right in front of me offended me so much. Then there was one that I confronted and she said "no English", like it was an excuse to not speak English in an American place -_-
I think the biggest culture shock foreigners get in my country (Australia) is the fact that it's perfectly acceptable to walk around barefoot and with no shirt on (for males) even inside shopping centres and supermarkets. It's usually frowned upon in upper class areas but for other places especially in more regional parts nobody would blink an eye. Also the fact that we tend to swear a lot even in formal situations.
In Japan there are only 2 nations: “Japan” and “The Nation of Not Japan.” I love how “abroad” or 外国人 are almost like singular concept or places in conversation.
Ask people in Japan what there favorite places are to visit in japan and why. Be interesting to hear from people in country where they like to visit vs a tourist coming over.
One thing that needs a lot of work in Japan (and other countries too) is that not letting one person's behaviour paint their image of that person's country and other citizens. Like you said at the end: "Your behaviour will make every other foreigner look bad" is something that I really don't like about Japanese way of seeing things. It's not okay. I don't accept that. I will not let one person make me look bad when I actually try to be very considerate in Japan and respect their culture. This is something we are discussing right now in many Westerns countries and it should also be discussed in Japan. This needs to change.
Also like to add, that not every Japanese person obviously thinks this way. But based on my experiences in Japan for two years I still feel that there are a lot of people in Japan who see foreigners this way.
Yeah well that happens pretty much everywhere, people love to generalize and be dumb, is not like 1 person or a few can represent a country or region full of millions of individuals.
all the 'don't do' mentionings at the end of the video i already don't do because it's also frowned upon where i'm from by the majority of people. If there are many Japanese that would paint me with the same wide brush as the rude tourists, then it's their loss, and maybe mine too. Japan doesn't sound appealing to me to go to considering how distant they are towards any strangers.
I think that is because their culture is heavily focused on "oneness", or everyone acting the same like a team. Western culture is big on being yourself and unique, but I have heard that you are encouraged to follow what is popular and act similar to each other in Japan
+Catherine Butler: I felt kind of bad, because I did a couple of the bad things, particularly taking pictures of people without asking. However, what makes me feel better about myself is that at least I did not find a dead person and proceed to make jokes on video with the dead person hanging there. Also, I did not throw Pokeballs (Monster Balls) at people, put a fish and a squid tentacle on a taxi, desecrate the sanctity of a temple, etc, etc.
I hope that people who seem to think Japanese people were not that offended will take the time to learn a little more about Japanese culture before speaking for Japanese people. In both the video Yuuta made and Asian Boss, Japanese people were very offended. In Japanese we don't express negative emotions as strongly as western culture. I feel there was no excuse and so do all Japanese I have discussed it with.
kagiwadoko wooow to speak for all Japanese people....😱. Did you make a survey and ask all people that you speak for all of them..? I doubt that... I can clearly remember how one of the guys in yuuta's video said that Logan apologized and therefore things are fine. And several people said that his channel should not be shut down... And a lot of them didn't even know about the incident... So how can all be offended if they haven't even heard of it? I'm not trying to offend you but I want to point out that even if Japanese tend to not hold strong opinions and even if they don't state their actual opinion in interviews. .. Japanese are still all individuals. And just like there are people in the west who ask Logan to kill himself and like there are people who defend him, there are also Japanese people who would hate him from the bottom of their hearts but also Japanese people who would defend him... You have one incident, you ask 100 people about this incident and you'll get 100 different opinions. And let's be honest... There are things on the internet which are far more "disgusting" than Logan's video. There are plenty of videos of suicides where they didn't even censor the body... There are uncensored videos of ISIS beheading people... So what is Logan Paul compared to that....? Regarding this information his video looks pretty plain to me.. And I'm sure that there are Japanese people who have seen videos that are more cruel than the Logan Paul video... It's the same with doctors: some people fall unconscious when they see just a little amount of blood. On the other hand other people don't mind amputating a leg. Just like this, there are people who are disgusted by Logan Paul's video and people who couldn't care less... That's true for both: the west and Japan
kagiwadoko Edit: ahhhh sorry, misread your post. You didn't speak for all Japanese but only for the people with whom you discussed the topic! My fault! But still... How can you be sure that they told you their real opinion? Probably defending Logan Paul is not a popular opinion, so why would they state such an opinion? They probably don't want to start an argument and would rather agree on the "accepted opinion". Just a little earlier I read how Japanese are a lot into "political correctness" so that they won't offend anyone. Now the politically correct opinion on the Logan video would be "it's disgusting". And who would volunteraly admit that they like gore? Society would judge them as being unnormal if they knew about the gore hobby
I visited Tokyo last November. Actually, what bothered me is how difficult to make friends with Japanese. I come from an Asian country too but it's so much easy to just smile & say hi in here, but when I try to smile to some people in Japan, at the train or on the street, they just staring at me like I'm a weird people. Some of Japanese are nice, they nod or saying konnichiwa at once, there's a family that I gave my seat to the the elder that thanking me few times, but the point is, there's more Japanese that didn't like to make a contact with stranger. Some of my friends said, maybe that's because I'm an Asian too.
Not everyone suits life in Japan, people who don’t like to contact with others like me may think it was good, because there are more personal spaces than other countries.
+Ingrid Leonard: I'm a Westerner and lived in Japan and actually appreciated not having random conversations with people as much. If I'm on a bus or train, I usually didn't make chit chat with someone telling me about the weather that day. (Of course, there are some Japanese people who want to speak to foreigners, so they will ask, "Where are you from?" and go from there, but they are a small minority, and if you are Asian and look like you could be a Japanese person, that will keep you from going through that.) If you're really social, Japan is not the best place for you. But I'm not social, so it was fine for me. (One thing, though, is that if you work there, you may be pretty much forced into being social with coworkers, i.e. drinking parties...which is a bad point in my opinion.)
+Nostalgie J : I can understand if the people didn't like to touch, but a smile won't hurt. But that's their habit & culture & I don't mind to take it seriously, because every culture must be good for the people.
+Rationalific : I can say that I don't like chit chat either. I don't really like when people talk about weather, but it's OK if they ask me where I'm from. But it's kind of weird for me, when they look at me but they didn't smile at all, just staring. And that what was happen to me :D There's few times, some Japanese make contact with me, but mostly are old people. They show more interest while they know that I looks like Chinese, but I'm not even from China or nor a Japanese :)
Why did Taiwan change to Thailand? The town of Jiufen in northern Taiwan is commonly rumored to be the inspiration for the bath house of the spirits and the surrounding market in Spirited Away. I have been to Taiwan twice. Taiwan is wonderful place, and he is right about how delicious the food is!
@@GodofLovers The guy said he wanted to visit Taiwan, and when the interviewer talked to him she said Thailand. Taiwan is an island, considered by China as part of their country. Thailand is a completely different place. There's really no connection between the two.
Yeah the filming and picture taking is a pretty big difference. In Canada, US, Mexico, and a lot of South American countries there are strong freedom of press laws in place. As long as there is no expectation of privacy you can be filmed or whatever if your in a public domain.
yes but people still don't like it. In japan is a straight out law, but I like to think that unless you are a photographer, you still have to ask for permission in the States. It's the correct thing to do.
YoungKirbystr8FlexinZoneCuh BrickSquadIMMORTAL there may be a law against it, but the real thing is that it don't even fucking matter in Latino America , nobody is gonna do shit for you, you have to chase them yourself, you can get somebody in prison just by mentioning a name (culture shock)
in Latin America the press has the right to record your face and show it on TV/newspaper even if you don't like it. It's pretty stupid but 97% of people don't mind it, I guess because you can't do anything about it.
Hands to yourself, definitely. Queues and prices, it really depends on where you are. There are some countries in S. America and Asia where lines are never formed and haggling is expected.
The giant diaper like period pads are kinda a shock to females not from Japan. Unless Japanese periods are literally the Niagara Falls of periods, it seems unnecessary.
I'm actually surprised that she said foreigners are more friendly also because they are easier to approach, while we foreigners think that japanese people are the most friendly and polite people you could meet. To us their polite distance has a totally different impression than to them theirselves. I think it's sometimes rather hard for foreigners to not step over the line while they are approaching people. More and more the actual aspect of respecting people in their space is becoming lost here so I'd be really glad if we had at least a bit more of the japanese reservation in our western culture.
Handy tip for the future: Most Operating Systems have a mono-audio option, where both earbuds get the same sound. Usually under 'Accessibility' or 'Ease of Access,' though you may have to Google the location for whatever system you're running.
What's a little annoying is that the things she lists for what foreigner's do in Japan that are not okay are literally not okay anywhere. Well at least in America all those things are not okay/illegal. Though I can't speak for other Western countries but in America all those things are definitely not okay. Being a decent human is expected everywhere. Sorry if I ranted, I didn't indeed to.
Exactly, and I can't speak for every place or person, but the only time I ever saw someone cut in line they asked if they could because the line was long and all they wanted was one item. I've seen many times people letting others cut in line because they had fewer items.
If someone cut in line in Texas (U.S.A) and got shot, and it got on the news, the most shocking part to me would be that somebody had the balls to cut in line.
Yeah exactly. I can understand the part about haggling, in a few other asian (and also european and whatnot) countries you are expected to haggle and not doing that makes you look like a fool. But it wouldn't be ok where I'm from (Sweden) and nor would any of the other things.
In the Netherlands you can haggle, i've done it on occasions, but you must come with something relevant as reason to haggle, especially in a store that is part of a chain of stores, like IKEA. I've succesfully haggled prices on a laptop, vacuum cleaner and some other stuff, because they were older models or something else that might give reason for a shop to want to sell it to me cheaper than they are asking. Knowledge is key in this, and attitude. You won't always be successfull and sometimes store policy is too strict. It is defenitely not common here, probably because we've had quite enough purchase power.
In latin america ask for reduced prices is the way everybody do commerce, if somebody does not do it, inmediatley they know they are from outside and actually take them as fools for paying what they are asking. It is just the way it works, so maybe they are reffering to latin america people there.
My culture shock in America when I lived there with a year was how they do't care much about clubs and associations. Most dread going to them and will never even speak of them.
Thanks for the tips on what not to do in Japan. This really helped me to know the low down. I don't really cut in line unless someone is saving a spot for me, so that's what I do in line.
I’m not American but I do live in America, I take my shoes off inside the house & place it next to the doorway, I can’t leave them outside like we did in my home country because someone would take my shoes for sure
I love how all the Japanese people interviewed dress perfectly normally, while the interviewer looks like the stereotype people think the Japanese dress, in other words "completely ridiculous".
Living in Washington DC. Tourist don't ask for help even when they are lost...... You have to go up and help them. Most speak English but will just stare at a map rather than ask a local 😅😅
because it's part of the adventure man. The best way to learn about a new location is to get lost...and eventually ask for help when all else fails. While not at DC, when I was in Osaka, there were not as many signs written in english in the train stations. When I couldn't figure out what train to take I would bust out google translator and type what I wanted and show it to them. They would understand and guide me to the correct location.
I really loved your interviews! Such charming young people and insightful remarks, also your closing remarks are very helpful, although what you're advising should be understood.
I’m from Guam and work in retail as well. I enjoy helping tourist with counting their money during the transaction. It’s pretty fun lolol. I hope the people you interviewed enjoyed their time on Guam.
Apply the same queuing rules in the UK, it's so frowned upon it's almost non-existent. The only exceptions are if the person you are queue jumping has okayed it, usually if the person in front has many more items than yourself then they will offer to let you skip them.
coming from japan and getting my extension flight in Hawaii, I noticed that the Japanese tourist have more of a "fuck it attitude" then when back home. I guess the easiest example is using the escalators. In Tokyo you would stand on the left side and walk on up on the right (except in Osaka), but using the escalators in Hawaii they were all over the place. There's nothing wrong with that and I was not mad, I actually thought it was funny since there is so much structure in japan.
they know they're not home anymore and need not follow societal rules. Then again, how do you know they were Japanese and not Koreans? There are plenty of Korean tourists there as well.
Maybe they weren't sure which side was the side people have to stand in Hawaii? I've never been there though. And as an example, in Kyoto, where many many foreigners visit, people don't know where they should stand at all. Because in Tokyo and nearly all of Japan excluding Osaka, people stand on the left, yet Osaka is the closest large city to Kyoto. Then there are foreigners that come from different places where they are used to stand on different sides of the escalator. It's really a mess.
I was shook when that girl mentioned Sexy Zone! I always found it weird that they were called that considering when they debuted their oldest member was 17 and their youngest member (Marius Yo who was mentioned) was 11! :o
whaaaat yeah that's a pretty inappropriate name for a boy band consisting of kids, but again this is Japan that we're talking about.. the land of the weirdness and lolis.. also the name is in english so for them it sounds super cool I guess.
When I went to Japan we didn't realise they had designated queuing areas on train platforms, and this old Japanese guy was staring at us. Then we realised and queued up with an apologetic air, and the guy and I shared eye contact and smiled at each other, and he nodded approvingly. I dunno why but I've always remembered that.
well at least you were receptive enough to figure out why that guy was staring hard at you. Note though that there are a few Japanese ( I noticed mainly men even in business suits) that will cut in line if they think you won't say anything.
I viewed random videos, youtube offered me to satisfy my otaku obsession and I found this nice channel, with interesting content and Cathy Cat, who I felt in love on first sight I think. Targeted advertising is wonderful.
It is quite interesting that Japanese find foreigners more friendly! During our trip to Japan we were surprised how Japanese people just came to us many times, asking us where are we from, if we need something etc. I don't think that people in Europe or America are that caring and friendly as Japanese were.
Hmm strange. I mean I've noticed people watching us a lot because we were two pretty tall guys with huge backpacks so we were quite an attraction there and yea people were mentioning us as well. In those cases I usually started a conversation with them or they alone came to us and started talking to us. Old, young no matter what age, all people were like that. So yea I can understand that if you don't feel comfortable being watched by people around you but for me it was quite a fun :D.
Seeing how most of them have not been abroad or very little it really makes me appreciate it so much more. As a dutch person my family doesn;t travel that much(once a year) but i have been to countless countries alraedy compared to them. I hope all of these people will also get to see more of the world :)
In Japan, the average person only takes five vacation days off out of the entire year, even though businesses are required by law to allow a minimum of 10 days off for employees. This is because social expectations and bullying by employers strongly discourage most people from using more than half of the vacation days that are lawfully theirs. To put that in perspective: companies in the US have no legal obligation to give their employees any vacation time at all, yet the average American takes 10 or more vacation days off a year. Twice as much or more than the average Japanese worker. Even with those 10+ days off, the average American would much rather go to Canada or Mexico than buy a plane ticket, which can cost 1 to 2 grand per person, to somewhere more than a 5 hour flight from home. Likewise, Japanese people often travel to closer destinations like Taiwan, Hawaii, and Australia simply to make the most of what little time off they can take.
The you and other should come to Sweden, Norway, Denmar or Finland becourse 1) We stand in line - if you ask nice and/or have just little I can be nice and let you go ahead 2) We have big personal space - and do not try to sit next to me on the bus if there are free seats 3) Hugs and touching most is between freinds and relatives. Mostly unless you are for some reason in Stockholm
Same in Germany, except the last one. In younger Generations if you go with your friends to their friends, sometimes you're hugging each other, too even though you just got to know each other. And if you meet someone for the second or third time, it's pretty common to hug. For the first point, I would never ask someone to let me go ahead. If they are nice and see that I only have one thing, they do it themselves. Asking is a little bit pushy in my opinion.
Arin Hjorolfr Just wondering if I went there as a tourist - is English/French/German spoken a little bit? I would definitely learn the basics of the language of the place I'm traveling to (I think that's a polite thing to do but I'm learning too many language at the moment), but I'm just curious if they speak any of the three languages that I already [kinda?] speak (still working on German though haha)
The only thing I've ever found weird and only seen Asian people do it is when the heat up some food with plastic wrap. When u heat up food with plastic wrap the chemicals in it leaks into your food. I just wondered why they do it that way sometimes?
I’m from Hawaii and I just wanted to let the girl who said she wants to visit “Hawaii AND America” know that Hawaii IS America. It is the 50th State (the latest and greatest state).
+StopFear: A lot of times, they generalize the food they were raised with as "good" and the food they were not raised with as "bad". So instead of saying, "I prefer Japanese food", they say, "Japanese food is better". Of course, if they were born in Thailand/India, they would almost definitely prefer Thai/Indian food. Some Japanese are more adventurous, though...but most do not go far from what they were raised on.
bland and boring? I'm just going to disagree. Personally I enjoy foods ranging from japanese and chinese to german italian, and I can just simply say that which food is "better" purely depends on the person. Personally I tend to eat more japanese dishes than chinese, but can't really say I like one over the other, as it depends purely on the particular food in question (and more often than not, my mood at the moment)
I personally prefer Japanese food over western food because of the huge quality and price difference. In saying that I haven't had any authentic asian food besides Japanese so I wouldn't know how they compare.
+Leibeir: Actually, high-quality authentic Japanese food is not so cheap...even in Japan. Also, it's hard to compare Japanese food with "Western food", as Western food has so many varieties, and is not restricted to one nation. Italian food is Western. Greek food is Western. Spanish and German food is Western. French cuisine is Western. American food is Western. Depending on where you draw the line, you could also say that Mexican food is Western. That's a whole lot of variation. Also, make sure to include the snacks and desserts, like cake, cookies, pretzels, potato chips, pies, ice cream, doughnuts. You really have a lot. No matter what variety Japanese food has regionally (and it does have interesting regional specialties), it still cannot stack up to the variety of Western food. Now, if Japanese is just your favorite food, then so be it. But it is hard to compare it to a cuisine not from a single country but from an entire continent (or multiple continents). I thin that for many non-Japanese, Japanese cuisine is something that they would like to add to their range of food choices, but they would not like to subsist on Japanese food for the vast majority of their meals. On the other hand, I think that it is easier to subsist on "Western food" if you take from its various countries (although I would miss other types). Even so, many Japanese do eat Japanese food nearly everyday, and they like it. So a lot of people's preferences are due to what they are used to.
For reference when I say western I think of Australia my mother country. What I was trying to say is you get much higher quality of food for the same price. Most of the time when you eat out in australia not including drinks it can be $22-$35 wheras in japan for a bit less I could go to karaoke, have nomihoudai there and then have a meal afterwards.
for me is "cultural shock", respectively very surprising fact that cute caty said that japanese don't like when someone enters their personal (close, almost intimate) zone and no touching. because i know from different sources that this is very typical for japanese. i worked in japanese company and when i started i asked exactly about that my colleagues. they immediately started talking about it and that especially one particular japanese manager usually step very close to person and touching people during communication. and that it was very surprising and unexpected for them for the first time but then they used to it and just funny reminiscence remained. so? any other person or japanese can clear that matter?
They have a very close working environment, they go to a drinking boss, or more often than not are even expected to do so, and they have an easier time getting close in the office. But out in the public, or with people that aren't close friends, that's when the closeness is diminished.
The most common I see in Japan is foreign tourists speaking loudly in the train. It annoys me cause if I'm near them Japanese people could think that I'm with them!
when I were on the train back to narita to get my flight home, there was a japanese dude speaking loud and laughing like a madman while he was on his phone...jesus I was so mad at him lol. Actually I hate this behavior even when I'm at home. It is just annoying and I really like the fact that in japan most of the time you're on a train, there is no one speaking loud. I really appreciate that.
People relax about loudly speaking. Maybe some of them were military and have hearing difficulty. Did you bother to ask. Probably not. Or maybe the person on the other end is hard of hearing. Not everyone hear great ears like you have. Stop thinking of only yourself and have compassion for others. Was it the worst thing that has ever happened in your life. If so you should be grateful that’s all you have to deal with. Just saying 😉
@@66mymouse this is about respecting the cultural behavior in Japan. Say on a 1 to 10 scale in America 6 level speaking volume is ok, over that lever is considered rude. Just an example. Well, in Japan it'd be more like a 4 and so often western tourists are being rude without realizing it.
Tiziano O in any case it really doesn’t matter in 20 years is going to matter?? If so and you are that person such a pity. Any hoo. Have a fabulous day keep on smiling and don’t let others ruin your day. 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
Thanks for the nice and honest video. Most of what you said at the end I’ve never heard from other expat vloggers in Japan. Is it true of street scene or park pictures too?
the thing that shocked me really hard was that i diddnt knew anything of japanese language, and yet, EVERYONE tried to comunicate with you even tho they coudn't speak english and you couldnt speak japanese. hilarious moments but they never stepped back to try and get the message over. super suprised.
I found that everywhere. Saw an encounter where an english speaking tourist was talking to some polish guy in Krakow. Neither knew the others language and they spent a good 3 minutes communicating(?) until I offered my help in translating.
What shocks me the most in my country (The Netherlands) about foreigners is when they walk in the bike lanes. Don't ever do that, it's not safe, cycling people will hit you. It's for bikes and bikes only. Just walk on the pavement or next to the bike lane.
In a lot of culture videos like this i see a lot of commenters complaining about how obvious it is to not cut in line, but if you haven't visited japan, be advised-- the issue doesn't come from people not understanding the concept of a line (they do.) The issue is people in japan queue for things that people in the west usually don't (or, they queue differently). SO, when you are in japan it is important to be hyper vigilant, take a beat and search the crowd for a line before just blowing into some place. I think that can be difficult for some people, especially those experiencing tokyo for the first time, because there's just so many people and so much over-stimulation, you tend to just float around in a daze the first few days. I remember like the first week i was in japan i made this mistake a few times, but you learn pretty quickly.
Tokio Kid Koreans don’t push unless you speak korean. I’ve experienced living there and periodically traveled to japan. They just stare and smile and assume you speak only English. Edit: unless it’s that damn Saem store where the guys shove the face mask in your hand. I had the same experience in Asakusa and in myeongdong where people kept asking me to buy the items or smile and get me into their store. At least in korea I got a bunch of free face masks
Well, kind of a culture shock because once, I met a Japanese person for the first time. Since I'm interested in the country and culture I was aware of how the Japanese are not the sort of touchy-feely kind of people other cultures might be, so I totally prepared to be just nice, keep my distance and do maybe a nice awkward handshake. So we met and they went straight into a full-blown friend hug and I was totally suprised because that was literally the opposite of everything I expected!
And the culture shock I got in Japan was that most people in Japan are not into or willing to get close, speak, make friends. And such a environment I can't trust
Omgg the Capricorn Hoodie is sooo cute❤️❤️ Lot's of people think it's awesome to be able to legally smoke weed in Amsterdam... Soo they all act like some giggling, sneaky teenagers while they are grownups... Waiting for their smoking pot😂😂 It really shocked me as a Dutchy to see that foreigners find our coffee shops soo exciting only because of the weed. It was always very normal to me.
yea i get what you mean. im from germany and whenever people say they wanna go to the neatherlands you will hear someone making a comment about weed. since its illegal in germany thats like the highlight for them. guess if you smoke illegally (of course, totally not talking about me ゝ。∂) then maybe you stop thinking of it as something superspecialamazingawesome and just want to see the city, enjoy the country. ^^ in the future i wanna go to amsterdam but im more intrested in cheap fabric prices to get my sewing machine smoking than smoke my own ass off. im excited to see the city and enjoy actual coffee and sweets ♡
I live in NZ, I would definitely go to Amsterdam to smoke weed, but to be fair even though it is illegal here, it is often casually smoked in many social situations, just not in private businesses like a cafe.
KathyKat, I work in public education in the U.S. As late 5th grade (age 10 to 11), we were talking about keeping hands to one's self. Admitted, I work with Special Ed, but it's a common refrain in most American classrooms.
In Australia, taking a photo of someone is legal, but there are many who don't like it. If someone takes a photo of me, I'd gladly break their camera, which is illegal.
I kind of knew a lot when I went out there, but my husband and I were both surprised when my husband tried to get his backpack off and he accidentally hit a woman (not hard, more like brushed her shoulder) and she turned around and apologized before he could apologize to her because he didn't even see her. For me, I have to say what got to me was how salty everything in the US tasted when I came back home.
I grew up around Hannibal, MO USA. It may surprise you that a lot of people from other countries visit that small town. It is because Mark Twain grew up in that town. I remember seeing Japanese tourists and they seemed to have every kind of camera with them. After I moved away, I was stunned when I met a guy from Romania who had heard about Hannibal but hadn't heard about Kansas City. That gave me a big laugh, Kansas City has half a million people and Hannibal has less than 20,000 people.
i often feel when i watch videos about japanese culture that german culture isnt too different when it comes to how to be in public. but german people are probably a bit more rude and loud. its common here to talk in trains i.e. but if people are too loudly then everyone thinks of them as rude but no one speaks up and just endures it to not provoke anyone. in general you take off your shoes at home or if you visit someone except whoever invited you will say its okay to leave them on. taking pictures of people is also illegal without consent but often that gets ignored if photographers take pictures of public events like festivals, conventions or christmas markets. to me what really makes a difference between japanese culture and other cultures is the mindset to consider how others feel first (i try that and it just makes so much sense and everyone will like to be around someone considerate tbh) and also i hear that japanese people often get warned of thieves when they go abroad, while i learned from a young age to watch my stuff so no one can sneakily steal it out of my pockets. i keep watching videos and think about similarities and differences, thats just so intresting and fun ♡
There are many western cultures where personal space is valued almost as much as in Japan. Trying to discern where that boundary is is polite in other parts of the world too.
In the USA, sometimes you can haggle, and are expected to haggle and it is disrespectful if you do not haggle. The best examples are where there is a heavy latino presence and in swap meets, you can and should haggle. You also haggle when buying a car, although a few retailers will not, but will tell you so. I leave if they will not haggle. In other places, you cannot haggle and it is rude to try. Sometimes it is funny to try to haggle if you're not supposed to. Sometimes it is confusing to know when it is expected, even for the store employees, but the store managers know if it is appropriate. Sometimes you can haggle in a store on certain days and cannot haggle on other days, like in a franchise store called "Harbor Freight" that sells tools. In their competitor's stores you generally cannot ever haggle.
07:44 - "Foreigners don't take off their shoes" - it depends where e.g. in Eastern Europe and some part of Nothern Europe it is normal to take of your shoes when you visit other people's homes.
have you been in japan atleast? I like the anime but culturally i prefer my hometown that had influence on japan for example the word Arigato comes from European portuguese
From Wikipedia: "It is often suggested that the Japanese word arigatō derives from the Portuguese obrigado, both of which mean "Thank you", but evidence clearly indicates a purely Japanese origin. The Japanese phrase arigatō gozaimasu is a polite form of arigatō. This is a form of an adjective, arigatai, for which written records exist dating back to the Man'yōshū compiled circa 759 AD, well before Japanese contact with Portugal."
I dont know about others but i am English and was born and live in England and I'm so glad to know I don't do anything on the list of things not to do. I am saving to go so I would hate to offend anyone.
Regarding the point of taking pictures without asking: Many Japanese people I encountered in Europe were actually not asking to take pictures and taking pictures at places where it was slightly rude, like at the beach and one had his iPad out to film at an area where there was a naturist section which wasn't hidden or fenced off. So some might actually behave differently in Japan than in Europe.
Dave my brother and his pal were in Fresnillo, Zacatecas Mexico. Lots of dust their due to the mill tailings. All the men get their boots shined everyday. My brother and his pal got their shined by a boy about 8. How much ? 3 pesos ok and then my brother gave him an extra 2 pesos. Next day shined boots again and the pal paid 3 pesos. My brother was stuck paying 5 pesos. Why me 5 pesos. Huh, that is your price.
food is such a huge thing because it's hard to adjust to a foreign diet, I get how the one guy couldn't get used to the chinese rice because I couldnt get used to the food in japan despite eating japanese food at home. The bread, milk, meat, everything tastes slightly off but I'm sure if you live there long enough you get used to it.
A culture shock I got in Japan from a student exchange trip was when we were riding the school bus, students leave belongings on the seats to save "their" spots or spots for their friends. I know people do that in dining places as well and it's respected that people don't steal or throw away the items and just leave them be but I found it really rude and I couldn't do anything about it because it's the norm in Japan apparently :/
As a Brit in China, all those things on the list which the Japanese find shocking in foreigners were also on my list when I first arrived here. People here do all those thing TO the foreigners. It's quite funny, the reversal. :D
Here Are few of my Culture shock, I am half japanese and half Australian bu I've mainky lived in Australia. I started collge last year and I made a japanese friend. when we first hug out we decided to walk to yokohama from our college on our way without asking she randomly held my hand which actually shocked me, seeing japanese students that sleep during class or not coming to college as much. there are more but let's stop here!
My cultural shock it is that as a mexican that listens to a lot of vocaloid I swear I identified a song being played on the far on one moment. I think it was IA's My Soul, Your beats
Here, in Poland it's obvious that you're supposed to ask before taking a picture, like cmon I can't even think of someone just walking and taking picture of people whenever they want. However something like this actually happened to me i Cracow. You know, in Cracow there are lots of tourists, asians too. I remember I was just standing and chatting with my friend, and a japanese man out of nowhere just took a picture of us! We were SHOOK! He didn't even say something to us, just walked away with his (probably) friends. I know I'm probably exaggerating, but it was so sudden and that men acted so arrogant I get a little bit angry even when I think of it.
The biggest culture shock I've had was seeing people pick their noses and flick their findings on the ground, excessive spitting on the ground and smoking literally everywhere. Oh and the toilets being excrement Pollock paintings. (I'm Canadian)
Quick question: does the 'don't take pictures' also apply for general scenery pictures? for example, if I wanted to take a picture of Tokyo's streets at night or a picture of a shire, would it mean I had to ask everyone outside for their permission? Or is this more about close-up pictures? :o
I am not Japanese, but when I was there I saw people Japanese and non taking scenery pictures. However, I think if you want to take a picture of a person you should ask them or just not do it. Taking pics of streets, shrines should be ok. Correct me please if I am wrong.
when I was last in Japan we were at a beautiful garden and there was a couple dressed for their wedding, I saw another foreigner walk up holding his camera right in the brides face and photograph her, saying nothing he turned and kept walking. She was visibly shocked and upset. It was so rude!!
Biggest culture shock for me was going to Mexico and seeing the traffic is a total clusterfuck (this was in Mérida) as if nobody was following any road rules that I'm used to in the US.
I feel you when you mention touching people. I'm from Brazil, and being in someone's personal space here is the most common thing ever, even so much, that when you greet someone of opposite sex, you touch each other's cheeks using your own cheek, not necessarily kissing, but as a signal of friendliness. I absolutely hate that, but if someone inclines to do that to you and you don't correspond, you're seen as a rude and weird person. I absolutely hate this cultural trait we have here and I wish we could get rid of it forever. A hand shake is way more than enough. Of course foreigners are excluded from that rule because everybody here knows they don't do that and that rule doesn't always apply everywhere, but I find it super annoying when it happens.When someone does it to me, I correspond, but I am never the first one to give signals of doing so, and I usually keep a straight posture and extend my hand and escaped this countless times.
I asked my japanese friend when she came back to Canada for a visit (What do you miss the most from here?) and she answered (hugs) I wanted to cry and gave her a huge hug when she left 😂❤.
right they get no loving japanese find it hard to open up
@@Goldnazarene Fax
As an American when I lived in Japan it was a culture shock to be told I couldn't go into an establishment because I was not Japanese. This happened on multiple occasions
Happens everywhere though, simply depends on the degree and the amount of laws set in place. Many countries have laws against doing that, meaning only rural estrablishments would have rules like that. In Japan, it's more commonplace, often was triggered when a foreigner messed up the place and the owner decided to close it to other foreigners for a while. (this happens surpisingly often)
Try that here in America and thered be a riot
Daniel Dunlap Jesus man
Brian Talbot America’s a totally different country, both culturally and socially, all of the social expectations are different and flipped
DivinexDragoonxRising are you racist?
logan paul is enough a culture shock for japanese
ゼント J.K toooo big of a shock
😂👌
Logan paul is not culture, he's an individual moron.
Logan Paul is a culture shock in America too.
I had to look up who Logan Paul was. I guess I just wasn't [puts on sunglasses] ... in the loop. [Cue CSI Miami Theme]
My worst culture shook is my own image in the mirror😁
KD7BWB ha!
lol, this!
That's not culture shock...
That's just normal shock LoL
I understand completely, my mirror image is completely uncultured, he is lazy and useless, unlike me who spends all day watching youtube videos.
Hahaha i'll admit there are time like that for me too... very rare times.... at least once or twice a week lol
I once heard of a Canadian joke, "We could have had French cuisine, British culture, and American technology, but instead got British cuisine, American culture, and French technology." I was reminded of it when the guy said he would love to visit because of British literature, but not for the food. x))
😂😂😂😂
Cutting in line!!!!! WTF, who cuts in line. That is a universal do not do.
true, that's a no-go everywhere. But in japan I think no one will say anything, they just give you the stare of disapproval. But doing this in a western country...oh boy you get some lol
Yes but it happens more often that people don't notice you or don't pay attention, whereas they think first if there is other people waiting and take care of not cutting in by mistake. Also in some more informal situations (say street food stall) people will not queue at all but just randomly walk up and then the seller will serve you when you are the closest or notices you. At least in Europe.
in china they do it a lotttt. at least were I was in X'ian.
Hahahahaha it doesn't seem like that in Disney World. I have been there two or three times and the amount of foreign people that clearly cut right in front of me offended me so much. Then there was one that I confronted and she said "no English", like it was an excuse to not speak English in an American place -_-
Griffith Right those are people who are un-educated.
Sounds like Japanese and Swedish people would work well together. Both like their personal space and privacy.
I think the biggest culture shock foreigners get in my country (Australia) is the fact that it's perfectly acceptable to walk around barefoot and with no shirt on (for males) even inside shopping centres and supermarkets. It's usually frowned upon in upper class areas but for other places especially in more regional parts nobody would blink an eye.
Also the fact that we tend to swear a lot even in formal situations.
I was surprised that many people after washing dishes don't rinse them (for not wasting water(WA))
Of course not mate
no shirt on (for males) is not considered ok in Australia, unless your low class or on drugs
You haven't spent enough time outside then.
/r/straya
... when you try to sneak a picture but then the flash comes on XD XD haha
ABORT MISSION.
In Japan there are only 2 nations: “Japan” and “The Nation of Not Japan.” I love how “abroad” or 外国人 are almost like singular concept or places in conversation.
Ask people in Japan what there favorite places are to visit in japan and why. Be interesting to hear from people in country where they like to visit vs a tourist coming over.
That's a great idea - I'd love to hear that too.
if not mistaken on this channel they already do that..
One thing that needs a lot of work in Japan (and other countries too) is that not letting one person's behaviour paint their image of that person's country and other citizens. Like you said at the end: "Your behaviour will make every other foreigner look bad" is something that I really don't like about Japanese way of seeing things. It's not okay. I don't accept that. I will not let one person make me look bad when I actually try to be very considerate in Japan and respect their culture.
This is something we are discussing right now in many Westerns countries and it should also be discussed in Japan. This needs to change.
Also like to add, that not every Japanese person obviously thinks this way. But based on my experiences in Japan for two years I still feel that there are a lot of people in Japan who see foreigners this way.
Amen
Yeah well that happens pretty much everywhere, people love to generalize and be dumb, is not like 1 person or a few can represent a country or region full of millions of individuals.
all the 'don't do' mentionings at the end of the video i already don't do because it's also frowned upon where i'm from by the majority of people. If there are many Japanese that would paint me with the same wide brush as the rude tourists, then it's their loss, and maybe mine too. Japan doesn't sound appealing to me to go to considering how distant they are towards any strangers.
I think that is because their culture is heavily focused on "oneness", or everyone acting the same like a team. Western culture is big on being yourself and unique, but I have heard that you are encouraged to follow what is popular and act similar to each other in Japan
I'm impressed you got through that last part without once mentioning Logan Paul.
+Catherine Butler: I felt kind of bad, because I did a couple of the bad things, particularly taking pictures of people without asking. However, what makes me feel better about myself is that at least I did not find a dead person and proceed to make jokes on video with the dead person hanging there. Also, I did not throw Pokeballs (Monster Balls) at people, put a fish and a squid tentacle on a taxi, desecrate the sanctity of a temple, etc, etc.
agree. the japanese man yuuta interviewed people on that topic and the interviewees weren't as strict on logan paul as the western people.
I hope that people who seem to think Japanese people were not that offended will take the time to learn a little more about Japanese culture before speaking for Japanese people. In both the video Yuuta made and Asian Boss, Japanese people were very offended. In Japanese we don't express negative emotions as strongly as western culture. I feel there was no excuse and so do all Japanese I have discussed it with.
kagiwadoko wooow to speak for all Japanese people....😱. Did you make a survey and ask all people that you speak for all of them..? I doubt that...
I can clearly remember how one of the guys in yuuta's video said that Logan apologized and therefore things are fine. And several people said that his channel should not be shut down... And a lot of them didn't even know about the incident... So how can all be offended if they haven't even heard of it?
I'm not trying to offend you but I want to point out that even if Japanese tend to not hold strong opinions and even if they don't state their actual opinion in interviews. .. Japanese are still all individuals. And just like there are people in the west who ask Logan to kill himself and like there are people who defend him, there are also Japanese people who would hate him from the bottom of their hearts but also Japanese people who would defend him... You have one incident, you ask 100 people about this incident and you'll get 100 different opinions.
And let's be honest... There are things on the internet which are far more "disgusting" than Logan's video. There are plenty of videos of suicides where they didn't even censor the body... There are uncensored videos of ISIS beheading people... So what is Logan Paul compared to that....? Regarding this information his video looks pretty plain to me.. And I'm sure that there are Japanese people who have seen videos that are more cruel than the Logan Paul video...
It's the same with doctors: some people fall unconscious when they see just a little amount of blood. On the other hand other people don't mind amputating a leg. Just like this, there are people who are disgusted by Logan Paul's video and people who couldn't care less... That's true for both: the west and Japan
kagiwadoko Edit: ahhhh sorry, misread your post. You didn't speak for all Japanese but only for the people with whom you discussed the topic! My fault!
But still... How can you be sure that they told you their real opinion? Probably defending Logan Paul is not a popular opinion, so why would they state such an opinion? They probably don't want to start an argument and would rather agree on the "accepted opinion".
Just a little earlier I read how Japanese are a lot into "political correctness" so that they won't offend anyone. Now the politically correct opinion on the Logan video would be "it's disgusting".
And who would volunteraly admit that they like gore? Society would judge them as being unnormal if they knew about the gore hobby
I visited Tokyo last November. Actually, what bothered me is how difficult to make friends with Japanese.
I come from an Asian country too but it's so much easy to just smile & say hi in here, but when I try to smile to some people in Japan, at the train or on the street, they just staring at me like I'm a weird people.
Some of Japanese are nice, they nod or saying konnichiwa at once, there's a family that I gave my seat to the the elder that thanking me few times, but the point is, there's more Japanese that didn't like to make a contact with stranger.
Some of my friends said, maybe that's because I'm an Asian too.
Not everyone suits life in Japan, people who don’t like to contact with others like me may think it was good, because there are more personal spaces than other countries.
+Ingrid Leonard: I'm a Westerner and lived in Japan and actually appreciated not having random conversations with people as much. If I'm on a bus or train, I usually didn't make chit chat with someone telling me about the weather that day. (Of course, there are some Japanese people who want to speak to foreigners, so they will ask, "Where are you from?" and go from there, but they are a small minority, and if you are Asian and look like you could be a Japanese person, that will keep you from going through that.) If you're really social, Japan is not the best place for you. But I'm not social, so it was fine for me. (One thing, though, is that if you work there, you may be pretty much forced into being social with coworkers, i.e. drinking parties...which is a bad point in my opinion.)
Ingrid Leonard why would you smile for no reason at a stranger anyway
+Nostalgie J : I can understand if the people didn't like to touch, but a smile won't hurt. But that's their habit & culture & I don't mind to take it seriously, because every culture must be good for the people.
+Rationalific : I can say that I don't like chit chat either. I don't really like when people talk about weather, but it's OK if they ask me where I'm from. But it's kind of weird for me, when they look at me but they didn't smile at all, just staring. And that what was happen to me :D There's few times, some Japanese make contact with me, but mostly are old people. They show more interest while they know that I looks like Chinese, but I'm not even from China or nor a Japanese :)
Why did Taiwan change to Thailand? The town of Jiufen in northern Taiwan is commonly rumored to be the inspiration for the bath house of the spirits and the surrounding market in Spirited Away. I have been to Taiwan twice. Taiwan is wonderful place, and he is right about how delicious the food is!
Thailand and Taiwan are different countries on a map today though?
@@GodofLovers The guy said he wanted to visit Taiwan, and when the interviewer talked to him she said Thailand. Taiwan is an island, considered by China as part of their country. Thailand is a completely different place. There's really no connection between the two.
i think she messed up and he just kind of went with it.
@@dozinggreen5824 peak japanesism
Yeah the filming and picture taking is a pretty big difference. In Canada, US, Mexico, and a lot of South American countries there are strong freedom of press laws in place. As long as there is no expectation of privacy you can be filmed or whatever if your in a public domain.
yes but people still don't like it. In japan is a straight out law, but I like to think that unless you are a photographer, you still have to ask for permission in the States. It's the correct thing to do.
YoungKirbystr8FlexinZoneCuh BrickSquadIMMORTAL there may be a law against it, but the real thing is that it don't even fucking matter in Latino America , nobody is gonna do shit for you, you have to chase them yourself, you can get somebody in prison just by mentioning a name (culture shock)
in Latin America the press has the right to record your face and show it on TV/newspaper even if you don't like it. It's pretty stupid but 97% of people don't mind it, I guess because you can't do anything about it.
l0n3w01f You have to have consent on private property and for minors. Not everytime you film.
Respect the queue, priced as marked, hands to yourself...seem like good rules to abide by wherever you are! ;)
Hands to yourself, definitely. Queues and prices, it really depends on where you are. There are some countries in S. America and Asia where lines are never formed and haggling is expected.
The giant diaper like period pads are kinda a shock to females not from Japan. Unless Japanese periods are literally the Niagara Falls of periods, it seems unnecessary.
Well. That's a fact I now know.
I'm actually surprised that she said foreigners are more friendly also because they are easier to approach, while we foreigners think that japanese people are the most friendly and polite people you could meet. To us their polite distance has a totally different impression than to them theirselves. I think it's sometimes rather hard for foreigners to not step over the line while they are approaching people. More and more the actual aspect of respecting people in their space is becoming lost here so I'd be really glad if we had at least a bit more of the japanese reservation in our western culture.
niwa 庭 reservation? Like when you come up to a Japanese to ask a way in Japanese and that Japanese runs away in fear? (true story, and not once)
Well, that can happen anywhere rite? Thats something called shyness I guess. Happened in my homecountry too and I talked their language so lol.
Hm, I can't imagine it happening anywhere, but seen it plenty in Japan.
You haven't met a Swede in your life haven't you? The European version of the Japanese, except our language is speakable and easy to understand.
Bud i don't understand anything a swede says except if ya talk so slow
I feel everyone needs to do some travel outside their own country at least once in their life. It is such a unique experience.
ugh the sound bothers me. Having the left side louder than the right side when you wear headphones
Handy tip for the future: Most Operating Systems have a mono-audio option, where both earbuds get the same sound. Usually under 'Accessibility' or 'Ease of Access,' though you may have to Google the location for whatever system you're running.
It's not on his end, I'm having the same issue. It's the video.
That's too much of a bother to do each time. And then you also have to change it back. Better to not watch the video.
What's a little annoying is that the things she lists for what foreigner's do in Japan that are not okay are literally not okay anywhere. Well at least in America all those things are not okay/illegal. Though I can't speak for other Western countries but in America all those things are definitely not okay. Being a decent human is expected everywhere. Sorry if I ranted, I didn't indeed to.
Exactly, and I can't speak for every place or person, but the only time I ever saw someone cut in line they asked if they could because the line was long and all they wanted was one item. I've seen many times people letting others cut in line because they had fewer items.
If someone cut in line in Texas (U.S.A) and got shot, and it got on the news, the most shocking part to me would be that somebody had the balls to cut in line.
Yeah exactly. I can understand the part about haggling, in a few other asian (and also european and whatnot) countries you are expected to haggle and not doing that makes you look like a fool. But it wouldn't be ok where I'm from (Sweden) and nor would any of the other things.
In the Netherlands you can haggle, i've done it on occasions, but you must come with something relevant as reason to haggle, especially in a store that is part of a chain of stores, like IKEA. I've succesfully haggled prices on a laptop, vacuum cleaner and some other stuff, because they were older models or something else that might give reason for a shop to want to sell it to me cheaper than they are asking. Knowledge is key in this, and attitude. You won't always be successfull and sometimes store policy is too strict. It is defenitely not common here, probably because we've had quite enough purchase power.
In latin america ask for reduced prices is the way everybody do commerce, if somebody does not do it, inmediatley they know they are from outside and actually take them as fools for paying what they are asking. It is just the way it works, so maybe they are reffering to latin america people there.
When I see anyone who's foreign in America I just want to run up to them and just talk with them 😂
My culture shock in America when I lived there with a year was how they do't care much about clubs and associations. Most dread going to them and will never even speak of them.
Im really happy that she went to Guam. I see tons of Japanese at work and it makes me excited to hear them talk about my home.
In America, I'd say it's pretty normal to put your arm around someone you're taking pictures with, but I can see how that would be alarming.
My biggest culture shock was when I understood the amount of swearing there was in Spanish
Thanks for the tips on what not to do in Japan. This really helped me to know the low down. I don't really cut in line unless someone is saving a spot for me, so that's what I do in line.
As a Czech person I can tell you that we also always have a culture shock when foreigners don't take off their shoes when they enter a home :D
Yes I think that applies to everyone in the world except americans. I've only seen them going inside with shoes still on.
@@piip4 in Germany aswell.
I’m not American but I do live in America, I take my shoes off inside the house & place it next to the doorway, I can’t leave them outside like we did in my home country because someone would take my shoes for sure
@@philosophpascal das finde ich als Deutscher auch total abartig. Mit Schuhen kommt man nicht in meine Wohnung
piip4 The Uk it's common not to take off shoes. Depends on the person. Only friends do it usually it's seen as informal
I love how all the Japanese people interviewed dress perfectly normally, while the interviewer looks like the stereotype people think the Japanese dress, in other words "completely ridiculous".
Hey don't judge
I'm thinking that going to America would be a bigger culture shock to me than going to Japan....
It seems like in japan everything's a bit subdued. Meanwhile in america, everything's as big and crazy as possible
You’re awesome Cathy Cat! Great video.
Living in Washington DC. Tourist don't ask for help even when they are lost...... You have to go up and help them. Most speak English but will just stare at a map rather than ask a local 😅😅
because it's part of the adventure man. The best way to learn about a new location is to get lost...and eventually ask for help when all else fails. While not at DC, when I was in Osaka, there were not as many signs written in english in the train stations. When I couldn't figure out what train to take I would bust out google translator and type what I wanted and show it to them. They would understand and guide me to the correct location.
I really loved your interviews! Such charming young people and insightful remarks, also your closing remarks are very helpful, although what you're advising should be understood.
I’m from Guam and work in retail as well. I enjoy helping tourist with counting their money during the transaction. It’s pretty fun lolol. I hope the people you interviewed enjoyed their time on Guam.
Apply the same queuing rules in the UK, it's so frowned upon it's almost non-existent.
The only exceptions are if the person you are queue jumping has okayed it, usually if the person in front has many more items than yourself then they will offer to let you skip them.
I hate it when someone infront of me does that tho. Thats the moment i que jump(infront of the person who okayed it)
♥️the Japanese Harry Potter fandom! Never fails to unite people from different cultures
doesn't really help me, never gettIng the chance to go to 日本
coming from japan and getting my extension flight in Hawaii, I noticed that the Japanese tourist have more of a "fuck it attitude" then when back home. I guess the easiest example is using the escalators. In Tokyo you would stand on the left side and walk on up on the right (except in Osaka), but using the escalators in Hawaii they were all over the place. There's nothing wrong with that and I was not mad, I actually thought it was funny since there is so much structure in japan.
they know they're not home anymore and need not follow societal rules. Then again, how do you know they were Japanese and not Koreans? There are plenty of Korean tourists there as well.
peko peko well they were speaking Japanese but you're right
Maybe they weren't sure which side was the side people have to stand in Hawaii? I've never been there though.
And as an example, in Kyoto, where many many foreigners visit, people don't know where they should stand at all. Because in Tokyo and nearly all of Japan excluding Osaka, people stand on the left, yet Osaka is the closest large city to Kyoto. Then there are foreigners that come from different places where they are used to stand on different sides of the escalator. It's really a mess.
Who walks on escalators? That literally defeats the purpose. Are you really that pressed for time?
PongoXBongo not me but that's what they do in Japan. Left to stand, right to walk up.
I was shook when that girl mentioned Sexy Zone! I always found it weird that they were called that considering when they debuted their oldest member was 17 and their youngest member (Marius Yo who was mentioned) was 11! :o
I know it's really weird hahah
whaaaat yeah that's a pretty inappropriate name for a boy band consisting of kids, but again this is Japan that we're talking about.. the land of the weirdness and lolis.. also the name is in english so for them it sounds super cool I guess.
Im shook ❤❤
I like sexyzone too btw nice to meet you✌
When I went to Japan we didn't realise they had designated queuing areas on train platforms, and this old Japanese guy was staring at us. Then we realised and queued up with an apologetic air, and the guy and I shared eye contact and smiled at each other, and he nodded approvingly. I dunno why but I've always remembered that.
well at least you were receptive enough to figure out why that guy was staring hard at you. Note though that there are a few Japanese ( I noticed mainly men even in business suits) that will cut in line if they think you won't say anything.
What's your point?
I viewed random videos, youtube offered me to satisfy my otaku obsession and I found this nice channel, with interesting content and Cathy Cat, who I felt in love on first sight I think. Targeted advertising is wonderful.
Very nice content. Love ask Japanese ❤️
Well done! My left ear really enjoyed this video :)
It is quite interesting that Japanese find foreigners more friendly! During our trip to Japan we were surprised how Japanese people just came to us many times, asking us where are we from, if we need something etc. I don't think that people in Europe or America are that caring and friendly as Japanese were.
Hmm strange. I mean I've noticed people watching us a lot because we were two pretty tall guys with huge backpacks so we were quite an attraction there and yea people were mentioning us as well. In those cases I usually started a conversation with them or they alone came to us and started talking to us. Old, young no matter what age, all people were like that.
So yea I can understand that if you don't feel comfortable being watched by people around you but for me it was quite a fun :D.
That was a great Video :)
Seeing how most of them have not been abroad or very little it really makes me appreciate it so much more. As a dutch person my family doesn;t travel that much(once a year) but i have been to countless countries alraedy compared to them. I hope all of these people will also get to see more of the world :)
In Japan, the average person only takes five vacation days off out of the entire year, even though businesses are required by law to allow a minimum of 10 days off for employees. This is because social expectations and bullying by employers strongly discourage most people from using more than half of the vacation days that are lawfully theirs.
To put that in perspective: companies in the US have no legal obligation to give their employees any vacation time at all, yet the average American takes 10 or more vacation days off a year. Twice as much or more than the average Japanese worker. Even with those 10+ days off, the average American would much rather go to Canada or Mexico than buy a plane ticket, which can cost 1 to 2 grand per person, to somewhere more than a 5 hour flight from home.
Likewise, Japanese people often travel to closer destinations like Taiwan, Hawaii, and Australia simply to make the most of what little time off they can take.
The you and other should come to Sweden, Norway, Denmar or Finland becourse
1) We stand in line - if you ask nice and/or have just little I can be nice and let you go ahead
2) We have big personal space - and do not try to sit next to me on the bus if there are free seats
3) Hugs and touching most is between freinds and relatives. Mostly unless you are for some reason in Stockholm
Swedistan? no, thx
Same in Germany, except the last one. In younger Generations if you go with your friends to their friends, sometimes you're hugging each other, too even though you just got to know each other. And if you meet someone for the second or third time, it's pretty common to hug. For the first point, I would never ask someone to let me go ahead. If they are nice and see that I only have one thing, they do it themselves. Asking is a little bit pushy in my opinion.
Arin Hjorolfr Just wondering if I went there as a tourist - is English/French/German spoken a little bit? I would definitely learn the basics of the language of the place I'm traveling to (I think that's a polite thing to do but I'm learning too many language at the moment), but I'm just curious if they speak any of the three languages that I already [kinda?] speak (still working on German though haha)
Arin Hjorolfr Also wondering, where are you from?
The only thing I've ever found weird and only seen Asian people do it is when the heat up some food with plastic wrap. When u heat up food with plastic wrap the chemicals in it leaks into your food. I just wondered why they do it that way sometimes?
I’m from Hawaii and I just wanted to let the girl who said she wants to visit “Hawaii AND America” know that Hawaii IS America. It is the 50th State (the latest and greatest state).
Cathyさん日本語めっちゃ上手いけど本当にドイツ出身ですか。もしかしてハーフですか。動画が面白いです 😉
ドイツのミュンヘン出身です。私はハーフの人ではないかと思う。顔みたら日本の要素がある。
Japanese food is better?!? Ahahahahaha! It’s good, but compared to chinese and south East Asian food, it’s so bland and boring.
+StopFear: A lot of times, they generalize the food they were raised with as "good" and the food they were not raised with as "bad". So instead of saying, "I prefer Japanese food", they say, "Japanese food is better". Of course, if they were born in Thailand/India, they would almost definitely prefer Thai/Indian food. Some Japanese are more adventurous, though...but most do not go far from what they were raised on.
bland and boring?
I'm just going to disagree.
Personally I enjoy foods ranging from japanese and chinese to german italian, and I can just simply say that which food is "better" purely depends on the person.
Personally I tend to eat more japanese dishes than chinese, but can't really say I like one over the other, as it depends purely on the particular food in question (and more often than not, my mood at the moment)
I personally prefer Japanese food over western food because of the huge quality and price difference. In saying that I haven't had any authentic asian food besides Japanese so I wouldn't know how they compare.
+Leibeir: Actually, high-quality authentic Japanese food is not so cheap...even in Japan. Also, it's hard to compare Japanese food with "Western food", as Western food has so many varieties, and is not restricted to one nation. Italian food is Western. Greek food is Western. Spanish and German food is Western. French cuisine is Western. American food is Western. Depending on where you draw the line, you could also say that Mexican food is Western. That's a whole lot of variation. Also, make sure to include the snacks and desserts, like cake, cookies, pretzels, potato chips, pies, ice cream, doughnuts. You really have a lot. No matter what variety Japanese food has regionally (and it does have interesting regional specialties), it still cannot stack up to the variety of Western food. Now, if Japanese is just your favorite food, then so be it. But it is hard to compare it to a cuisine not from a single country but from an entire continent (or multiple continents). I thin that for many non-Japanese, Japanese cuisine is something that they would like to add to their range of food choices, but they would not like to subsist on Japanese food for the vast majority of their meals. On the other hand, I think that it is easier to subsist on "Western food" if you take from its various countries (although I would miss other types). Even so, many Japanese do eat Japanese food nearly everyday, and they like it. So a lot of people's preferences are due to what they are used to.
For reference when I say western I think of Australia my mother country. What I was trying to say is you get much higher quality of food for the same price. Most of the time when you eat out in australia not including drinks it can be $22-$35 wheras in japan for a bit less I could go to karaoke, have nomihoudai there and then have a meal afterwards.
for me is "cultural shock", respectively very surprising fact that cute caty said that japanese don't like when someone enters their personal (close, almost intimate) zone and no touching. because i know from different sources that this is very typical for japanese. i worked in japanese company and when i started i asked exactly about that my colleagues. they immediately started talking about it and that especially one particular japanese manager usually step very close to person and touching people during communication. and that it was very surprising and unexpected for them for the first time but then they used to it and just funny reminiscence remained. so? any other person or japanese can clear that matter?
They have a very close working environment, they go to a drinking boss, or more often than not are even expected to do so, and they have an easier time getting close in the office. But out in the public, or with people that aren't close friends, that's when the closeness is diminished.
Oh that's adorable...the girl who went to Italy thinks foreigners gesture a lot... I wonder why...
Cathy es bellísima ... y habla tan bien en inglés y japonés que me impresiona
Here from the uk!it’s nice to hear that people want to come here ❤
The most common I see in Japan is foreign tourists speaking loudly in the train. It annoys me cause if I'm near them Japanese people could think that I'm with them!
when I were on the train back to narita to get my flight home, there was a japanese dude speaking loud and laughing like a madman while he was on his phone...jesus I was so mad at him lol. Actually I hate this behavior even when I'm at home. It is just annoying and I really like the fact that in japan most of the time you're on a train, there is no one speaking loud. I really appreciate that.
People relax about loudly speaking. Maybe some of them were military and have hearing difficulty. Did you bother to ask. Probably not. Or maybe the person on the other end is hard of hearing. Not everyone hear great ears like you have.
Stop thinking of only yourself and have compassion for others. Was it the worst thing that has ever happened in your life. If so you should be grateful that’s all you have to deal with. Just saying 😉
@@66mymouse this is about respecting the cultural behavior in Japan.
Say on a 1 to 10 scale in America 6 level speaking volume is ok, over that lever is considered rude. Just an example.
Well, in Japan it'd be more like a 4 and so often western tourists are being rude without realizing it.
Tiziano O in any case it really doesn’t matter in 20 years is going to matter??
If so and you are that person such a pity.
Any hoo. Have a fabulous day keep on smiling and don’t let others ruin your day.
😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
Thanks for the nice and honest video. Most of what you said at the end I’ve never heard from other expat vloggers in Japan. Is it true of street scene or park pictures too?
the thing that shocked me really hard was that i diddnt knew anything of japanese language, and yet, EVERYONE tried to comunicate with you even tho they coudn't speak english and you couldnt speak japanese. hilarious moments but they never stepped back to try and get the message over. super suprised.
I found that everywhere.
Saw an encounter where an english speaking tourist was talking to some polish guy in Krakow. Neither knew the others language and they spent a good 3 minutes communicating(?) until I offered my help in translating.
What shocks me the most in my country (The Netherlands) about foreigners is when they walk in the bike lanes. Don't ever do that, it's not safe, cycling people will hit you. It's for bikes and bikes only. Just walk on the pavement or next to the bike lane.
In a lot of culture videos like this i see a lot of commenters complaining about how obvious it is to not cut in line, but if you haven't visited japan, be advised-- the issue doesn't come from people not understanding the concept of a line (they do.) The issue is people in japan queue for things that people in the west usually don't (or, they queue differently). SO, when you are in japan it is important to be hyper vigilant, take a beat and search the crowd for a line before just blowing into some place. I think that can be difficult for some people, especially those experiencing tokyo for the first time, because there's just so many people and so much over-stimulation, you tend to just float around in a daze the first few days. I remember like the first week i was in japan i made this mistake a few times, but you learn pretty quickly.
2:09 I've had that experience in Japan too though.. A lady almost forced me to buy a cream in Shin-Okubo
Shin-Okubo is Korean Town.
Tokio Kid oh really? I know.... -_- She was Japanese and was working in a cosmetic store
+KawaiiPettanko How did you know she was Japanese. We don't normally sell products so pushily, but Korean do. That's a cultural difference.
This well may be sir
Tokio Kid Koreans don’t push unless you speak korean. I’ve experienced living there and periodically traveled to japan. They just stare and smile and assume you speak only English.
Edit: unless it’s that damn Saem store where the guys shove the face mask in your hand. I had the same experience in Asakusa and in myeongdong where people kept asking me to buy the items or smile and get me into their store. At least in korea I got a bunch of free face masks
Japanese people are so lovely =)
Some are, some aren't...like anywhere really.
Well, kind of a culture shock because once, I met a Japanese person for the first time. Since I'm interested in the country and culture I was aware of how the Japanese are not the sort of touchy-feely kind of people other cultures might be, so I totally prepared to be just nice, keep my distance and do maybe a nice awkward handshake. So we met and they went straight into a full-blown friend hug and I was totally suprised because that was literally the opposite of everything I expected!
And the culture shock I got in Japan was that most people in Japan are not into or willing to get close, speak, make friends. And such a environment I can't trust
Omgg the Capricorn Hoodie is sooo cute❤️❤️
Lot's of people think it's awesome to be able to legally smoke weed in Amsterdam... Soo they all act like some giggling, sneaky teenagers while they are grownups... Waiting for their smoking pot😂😂
It really shocked me as a Dutchy to see that foreigners find our coffee shops soo exciting only because of the weed. It was always very normal to me.
yea i get what you mean. im from germany and whenever people say they wanna go to the neatherlands you will hear someone making a comment about weed. since its illegal in germany thats like the highlight for them. guess if you smoke illegally (of course, totally not talking about me ゝ。∂) then maybe you stop thinking of it as something superspecialamazingawesome and just want to see the city, enjoy the country. ^^ in the future i wanna go to amsterdam but im more intrested in cheap fabric prices to get my sewing machine smoking than smoke my own ass off. im excited to see the city and enjoy actual coffee and sweets ♡
I think the hoodie is too cute as well! Is it a Japanese only thing? Where can I purchase one? :p google search here i go
I live in NZ, I would definitely go to Amsterdam to smoke weed, but to be fair even though it is illegal here, it is often casually smoked in many social situations, just not in private businesses like a cafe.
Kitsune Kunterschwarz I'm just down to go to Defqon. It's legal here in Cali anyway lol
Amsterdam is awesome not just because of the drugs xD It is such a cool place
Finally a western woman who understands cuteness is more important than beauty!
KathyKat, I work in public education in the U.S. As late 5th grade (age 10 to 11), we were talking about keeping hands to one's self. Admitted, I work with Special Ed, but it's a common refrain in most American classrooms.
In Australia, taking a photo of someone is legal, but there are many who don't like it.
If someone takes a photo of me, I'd gladly break their camera, which is illegal.
I kind of knew a lot when I went out there, but my husband and I were both surprised when my husband tried to get his backpack off and he accidentally hit a woman (not hard, more like brushed her shoulder) and she turned around and apologized before he could apologize to her because he didn't even see her. For me, I have to say what got to me was how salty everything in the US tasted when I came back home.
Very cool and informative video.
I grew up around Hannibal, MO USA. It may surprise you that a lot of people from other countries visit that small town. It is because Mark Twain grew up in that town. I remember seeing Japanese tourists and they seemed to have every kind of camera with them. After I moved away, I was stunned when I met a guy from Romania who had heard about Hannibal but hadn't heard about Kansas City. That gave me a big laugh, Kansas City has half a million people and Hannibal has less than 20,000 people.
i often feel when i watch videos about japanese culture that german culture isnt too different when it comes to how to be in public. but german people are probably a bit more rude and loud. its common here to talk in trains i.e. but if people are too loudly then everyone thinks of them as rude but no one speaks up and just endures it to not provoke anyone. in general you take off your shoes at home or if you visit someone except whoever invited you will say its okay to leave them on. taking pictures of people is also illegal without consent but often that gets ignored if photographers take pictures of public events like festivals, conventions or christmas markets. to me what really makes a difference between japanese culture and other cultures is the mindset to consider how others feel first (i try that and it just makes so much sense and everyone will like to be around someone considerate tbh) and also i hear that japanese people often get warned of thieves when they go abroad, while i learned from a young age to watch my stuff so no one can sneakily steal it out of my pockets.
i keep watching videos and think about similarities and differences, thats just so intresting and fun ♡
There are many western cultures where personal space is valued almost as much as in Japan. Trying to discern where that boundary is is polite in other parts of the world too.
In the USA, sometimes you can haggle, and are expected to haggle and it is disrespectful if you do not haggle. The best examples are where there is a heavy latino presence and in swap meets, you can and should haggle. You also haggle when buying a car, although a few retailers will not, but will tell you so. I leave if they will not haggle. In other places, you cannot haggle and it is rude to try. Sometimes it is funny to try to haggle if you're not supposed to. Sometimes it is confusing to know when it is expected, even for the store employees, but the store managers know if it is appropriate. Sometimes you can haggle in a store on certain days and cannot haggle on other days, like in a franchise store called "Harbor Freight" that sells tools. In their competitor's stores you generally cannot ever haggle.
07:44 - "Foreigners don't take off their shoes" - it depends where e.g. in Eastern Europe and some part of Nothern Europe it is normal to take of your shoes when you visit other people's homes.
In Germany it sure is. It would be a cultur shock for me, too if someone would just walk around in the house with their shoes
Central Europe (Czech Republic and Slovakia), too :)
Omg she went to Saipan lol (Saipan is one of the neighboring islands of the island I’m from, which is Guam)
I love Japan. Especially their culture and Anime. But to be honest, at least for me, their foods aren't that great.
have you been in japan atleast?
I like the anime but culturally i prefer my hometown that had influence on japan
for example the word Arigato comes from European portuguese
From Wikipedia:
"It is often suggested that the Japanese word arigatō derives from the Portuguese obrigado, both of which mean "Thank you", but evidence clearly indicates a purely Japanese origin. The Japanese phrase arigatō gozaimasu is a polite form of arigatō. This is a form of an adjective, arigatai, for which written records exist dating back to the Man'yōshū compiled circa 759 AD, well before Japanese contact with Portugal."
As a Dutch child, i found the Paris subway stops very short, the crêpes too sweet, and the streets rather confusing.
I dont know about others but i am English and was born and live in England and I'm so glad to know I don't do anything on the list of things not to do. I am saving to go so I would hate to offend anyone.
Regarding the point of taking pictures without asking: Many Japanese people I encountered in Europe were actually not asking to take pictures and taking pictures at places where it was slightly rude, like at the beach and one had his iPad out to film at an area where there was a naturist section which wasn't hidden or fenced off. So some might actually behave differently in Japan than in Europe.
Long live Japan! Haggling might not be accepted in Japan or in America, but it is accepted in China, as also expected. To each country his own.
Dave my brother and his pal were in Fresnillo, Zacatecas Mexico. Lots of dust their due to the mill tailings. All the men get their boots shined everyday. My brother and his pal got their shined by a boy about 8. How much ? 3 pesos ok and then my brother gave him an extra 2 pesos. Next day shined boots again and the pal paid 3 pesos. My brother was stuck paying 5 pesos. Why me 5 pesos. Huh, that is your price.
GREAT VIDEO............GREAT TIPS!!!! Thank You........
food is such a huge thing because it's hard to adjust to a foreign diet, I get how the one guy couldn't get used to the chinese rice because I couldnt get used to the food in japan despite eating japanese food at home. The bread, milk, meat, everything tastes slightly off but I'm sure if you live there long enough you get used to it.
A culture shock I got in Japan from a student exchange trip was when we were riding the school bus, students leave belongings on the seats to save "their" spots or spots for their friends. I know people do that in dining places as well and it's respected that people don't steal or throw away the items and just leave them be but I found it really rude and I couldn't do anything about it because it's the norm in Japan apparently :/
As a Brit in China, all those things on the list which the Japanese find shocking in foreigners were also on my list when I first arrived here. People here do all those thing TO the foreigners. It's quite funny, the reversal. :D
Here Are few of my Culture shock, I am half japanese and half Australian bu I've mainky lived in Australia. I started collge last year and I made a japanese friend. when we first hug out we decided to walk to yokohama from our college on our way without asking she randomly held my hand which actually shocked me, seeing japanese students that sleep during class or not coming to college as much. there are more but let's stop here!
My cultural shock it is that as a mexican that listens to a lot of vocaloid I swear I identified a song being played on the far on one moment. I think it was IA's My Soul, Your beats
my left ear is thankful for this video
Here, in Poland it's obvious that you're supposed to ask before taking a picture, like cmon I can't even think of someone just walking and taking picture of people whenever they want. However something like this actually happened to me i Cracow. You know, in Cracow there are lots of tourists, asians too. I remember I was just standing and chatting with my friend, and a japanese man out of nowhere just took a picture of us! We were SHOOK! He didn't even say something to us, just walked away with his (probably) friends.
I know I'm probably exaggerating, but it was so sudden and that men acted so arrogant I get a little bit angry even when I think of it.
The biggest culture shock I've had was seeing people pick their noses and flick their findings on the ground, excessive spitting on the ground and smoking literally everywhere. Oh and the toilets being excrement Pollock paintings. (I'm Canadian)
Abroad is Guam, Hawaii and Australia.... And nothing else.. Hahaha.. OMG 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Quick question: does the 'don't take pictures' also apply for general scenery pictures? for example, if I wanted to take a picture of Tokyo's streets at night or a picture of a shire, would it mean I had to ask everyone outside for their permission? Or is this more about close-up pictures? :o
I am not Japanese, but when I was there I saw people Japanese and non taking scenery pictures. However, I think if you want to take a picture of a person you should ask them or just not do it. Taking pics of streets, shrines should be ok. Correct me please if I am wrong.
when I was last in Japan we were at a beautiful garden and there was a couple dressed for their wedding, I saw another foreigner walk up holding his camera right in the brides face and photograph her, saying nothing he turned and kept walking. She was visibly shocked and upset. It was so rude!!
when I went to Japan I found out how much better the food is there too.
The Japanese remind me of my cats: very food-driven. Visit America to see the many sights that the country offers? "No, I miss my rice rolls!"
Each country has their thing. U.S. It is America's team. Australia any sport. France the food while Italy the women.
Harry McNicholas America is a shit place to visit and French food is shit
Love from Bangladesh 🇧🇩❤️🇯🇵
Biggest culture shock for me was going to Mexico and seeing the traffic is a total clusterfuck (this was in Mérida) as if nobody was following any road rules that I'm used to in the US.
They were just so huge... I hope she's talking about their height...
So few of the interviewees had been abroad. Surprised about that.
I feel you when you mention touching people. I'm from Brazil, and being in someone's personal space here is the most common thing ever, even so much, that when you greet someone of opposite sex, you touch each other's cheeks using your own cheek, not necessarily kissing, but as a signal of friendliness. I absolutely hate that, but if someone inclines to do that to you and you don't correspond, you're seen as a rude and weird person. I absolutely hate this cultural trait we have here and I wish we could get rid of it forever. A hand shake is way more than enough. Of course foreigners are excluded from that rule because everybody here knows they don't do that and that rule doesn't always apply everywhere, but I find it super annoying when it happens.When someone does it to me, I correspond, but I am never the first one to give signals of doing so, and I usually keep a straight posture and extend my hand and escaped this countless times.