4 ms·
I've lived in Japan going on six years and was initially surprised by how ordinary things were - and that that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, there's an e
by tjpnz 6y ago
I've lived in Japan going on six years and was initially surprised by how ordinary things were - and that that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, there's an element of truth to some of these articles but you have to go looking hard to find it.
- ashtonkem 6y agoAs a general rule, people are people the world over, and differences between cultures are often overstated.
- ethbr0 6y agoOnly visited Tokyo briefly, but I found everything remotely odd the result of (1) history, or (2) having to find a way to live harmoniously around that many other people (and they with you). In general, it felt pretty normal.
- Razengan 6y ago(3) people assuming anything that isn’t exactly like wherever they’re from is ""odd""
- neolog 6y agohow is it an assumption? it's almost a definition.
- ashtonkem 6y ago"Odd" implies that the familiar is "normal", which tends towards there being a right and wrong way to do mundane things. If I came over to your house and said "that's an odd way to clean your house" you would reasonably assume that I think you're doing it wrong but am being polite. If they'd said "surprising", "confusing", or "unfamiliar", those are all statements that are relative to the speaker's experience.
- klmadfejno 6y agoI was running around japan for a while with a group of americans and japanese college students. Never felt anything like culture shock. Until one day two of the young male japanese students asked in hushed tones if it was true that the extremely flamboyant guy in our group was gay. Kinda weird, but ok, maybe that's just not something that's culturally normal to acknowledge in Japan. They then continued, saying they were concerned that, since they were unable to get dates, they would become gay. That was a fairly shocking moment.
- dehrmann 6y ago> how ordinary things were Even the game shows? Edit: quickly found this gem on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fend1-nnNKk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fend1-nnNKk
- gfxgirl 6y agoYou mean like Fear Factor?
- ineedasername 6y agoMaybe I just tuned in at all the wrong times, but that show always seemed less about fear, and more about eating gross things.
- gregimba 6y agoNot trying start an off topic thread but game shows seem to push for bizarre. I recall german game shows being on par with the clips I've seen from Japanese game shows.
- howlgarnish 6y agoI'd be keen to hear your commentary on what the following footage on Nickelodeon can tell us about the inscrutable Occidental culture of the Nacirema. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY6SC2W5nMc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY6SC2W5nMc
- woutr_be 6y ago> I've lived in Japan going on six years and was initially surprised by how ordinary things were I've visited Japan many times over the years, during my first time I was amazed by it all. Even though I spend many years in Asia at that point, and had gotten used to the culture, Tokyo was different. After a few days that feeling wore off, and the things that were different compared to other cities just became normal. I went back last year, and I'm still amazed by the city, but there's not really many things that stand out anymore. But one thing I've learned after almost 10 years in Asia, things that look "weird" to Westerners, are often completely normal to people living in Asia. And things that are "normal" in the West might be weird to people in Asia. (That really goes for any kind of cultural difference)
- sunstone 6y agoTokugawa's shadow lies heavy still on the land of the rising sun, and it's not hard to find with a little perception.