作为一个日本人,你在访问美国时遇到了哪些文化冲击?(一)
2023-11-16 辽阔天空 4255
正文翻译

As a Japanese person, what cultural shocks did you have when you visited the USA?

作为一个日本人,你在访问美国时遇到了哪些文化冲击?

评论翻译
Paul Francis
I’m American not Japanese, but I did live in Japan six years and experienced a cultural shock upon returning. After returning from Japan, I lived in the bay area and commuted using the BART train system. One day the system was having technical issues and the trains were running late. A lot of people were on the platform waiting for the next train, so I queued up behind a group of 30 or so people.
After a while the train pulls in and I was relieved to see that it was only about half full. The train stops, the doors open, and nobody moves to get on. I was wondering what could be wrong when after a few moments it dawned on me: These people think the train is full!
In the USA, a train is full when people are nearly touching each other. In Japan, a train is full when you cannot possibly squeeze another person in. The “full” train I was looking at could literally hold two or three times more people, and in Japan it would have.
I am for better or worse one of these dickheads that often think the rules don’t apply to him, and so I just walked around everybody in front of me and started to get on the train. Someone said “Hey buddy, this trains full. Why don’t you wait for the next one?” To which I said “There’s plenty of room.”
So I got on. People grumbled a bit but shifted around to make room. Still nobody was touching.

我是美国人,不是日本人,但我确实在日本生活了六年,回国后经历了文化冲击。从日本回来后,我住在旧金山湾区,使用BART列车系统通勤。有一天,列车系统出现了技术问题,火车晚点了。站台上有很多人在等下一班火车,所以我排在大约30人的后面。
过了一会儿,火车停了下来,看到火车只坐了一半,我松了一口气。火车停了下来,车门开着,没有人上车。我想知道怎么了,过了一会儿,我突然意识到:这些人认为火车已经满了!
在美国,当人们几乎要互相触碰时,火车上就是已经客满的状态。在日本,当你无法挤进另一个人的时候,火车才是满载状态。我所看到的“满的”火车实际上还可以容纳两到三倍的人,在日本确实是这样是。
不管怎样,我是那种经常认为规则不适用于自己的白痴,所以我绕过前面的所有人,开始上火车。有人说:“嘿,伙计,这列火车已经满了。你为什么不等下一列呢?”对此,我说:“有足够的空间呢。”
所以我就上了车。人们抱怨了一下,但还是挪了挪地方,不过仍然没有人会碰到他人。

Hidesato Sakakibara
What sort of culture shock do Japanese people experience in America?
Each person is different, but I believe that most of us are shocked at the following:
1. People are far less free to say what they feel unlike what we have been led to believe, due to political correctness, etc.
2. The size of most food portions is enough to feed a horse. This goes for drinks as well.
3. There are no bidet toilets and dry paper is all you have to wipe your bottom. (Yuck!)
4. The US older housing is far larger than that of Japan, whereas the newer housing is more comparable in size to what we are used to.

日本人在美国经历了什么样的文化冲击?
每个人都不一样,但我相信我们大多数人都对以下几点感到震惊:
由于政治正确等原因,人们很难自由地表达自己的感受,而不是像我们被引导去相信的那样。
大部分食物的份量足以喂饱一匹马。这也适用于饮料。
这里没有坐浴盆厕所,你只能用干纸擦屁股。(哎哟!)
美国的老房子比日本的大得多,而新房子的大小与我们习惯的房子更相似。
5. As for the large cities, they are far more expensive than Japanese cities. Especially for housing. Comparing central Tokyo (都心) to Manhattan, an equally sized condominium in New York costs many times that of Tokyo. The real estate taxes and common charges are also far higher.

6. Many of the department stores in America look very nice but the variety of goods is far less than what we have come to expect in Japan or in most Asian cities for that matter. In all the years I was there I had yet to see any store remotely like Tokyu Hands.
7. No single payer health insurance. So if your company is not picking up the tab you are on your own with that one.
8. The food in restaurants is often either over salty or garlicky.
9. People are very outgoing and friendly one day but may give you the cold shoulder the next!

至于大城市,物价比日本城市贵得多,尤其是住房。比较东京市中心(都心) 和曼哈顿,纽约一套同样大小的公寓的价格是东京的许多倍。房地产税和普通费用也高得多。
美国的许多百货公司看起来都很不错,但商品的种类远不如我们在日本或大多数亚洲城市所期望的那样。 我在那里待了这么多年,我还没有见过一个商店能够接近像TOKYUHANDS百货商店的程度。
没有单一付款人医疗保险,所以,如果你的公司不承担这笔费用,你就得自己承担了。
餐馆里的食物通常不是太咸就是有大蒜味。
人们前一天很外向,很友好,但第二天可能会对你冷淡!

原创翻译:龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


10. People feel free to wear their dirty shoes, wet or not, into someone’s home even if they have carpeting! It is just assumed that the host will “clean it all up afterwards.”
11. America is thought to be the richest nation in the world, but that only holds true for their top 5%. Most others are just getting by. Even in one American company I worked at, so many people would be borrowing money from each other. I was asked more than a few times to lend money ($40 or $50 or other such amounts).
12. LGBT people are far freer to express themselves in the cities but can very easily be assaulted or killed in the more rural parts of the country.
13. The lack of toothpick availability at most restaurants.
14. In general public lighting is on the dark side. I noticed this in people’s homes as well. No matter where I went (save the Las Vegas strip or some other glitzy area), I felt as if I was in a dark and dingy bar.

人们可以随意穿脏鞋,不管湿不湿,进入别人的家,即使他们有地毯!人们只是假设主人会“事后收拾干净”。
美国被认为是世界上最富有的国家,但这只适用于最富有的5%。其他大多数人只是勉强过得去。即使在我工作的一家美国公司,也有很多人互相借钱。我不止一次被要求借钱(40美元或50美元或其他数额)。
LGBT人群在城市里可以更自由地表达自己,但在农村地区却很容易遭到袭击或杀害。
大多数餐馆都没有牙签。
一般来说,公共照明偏暗。我在人们的家里也注意到这一点。无论我走到哪里(除了拉斯维加斯大道或其他一些炫目的地区),我都觉得自己好像在一个黑暗而肮脏的酒吧里。

15. Public transportation is perhaps some of the worst for any so-called “developed” country. At least in New York City I thought there would be a top-class metro system but instead got what looked like a dungeon, with constant delays and often dirty.
16. For long distance travel, high-speed trains are non-existent. Amtrak for the most part uses trains that would be in museums in other countries.
17. For a country that is made up of so many different people, people for the large part are very insular. Many don’t want to travel abroad and some don’t even want to leave their communities. I don’t know how many times I have heard people tell me, when I invited them to Japan, “Oh no. Sorry. I haven’t seen all the states yet.” There are 50 states! Do they mean they plan to see each and every state before venturing abroad?
18. The quality of older houses in the US is far better than that of newer homes unless one is willing to spend a fortune. This is the opposite of Japan, where our older homes were/are of crappy quality whereas the newer homes are far better if not excellent.

公共交通可能是任何所谓的“发达”国家中最糟糕的。至少在纽约,我原本以为那里会有一流的地铁系统,但其地铁系统却是看起来像个地牢,经常晚点,而且经常很脏
对于长途旅行来说,高速列车是不存在的。美铁使用的火车在很大程度上是其他国家博物馆里的火车。
对于一个由许多不同的民族的人组成的国家来说,大多数人都非常孤立。许多人不想出国旅行,有些人甚至不想离开自己的社区。当我邀请他们去日本时,我不知道有多少次,他们告诉我:“哦,不。对不起。我还没有看完所有的州呢。”美国有50个州!他们的意思是,在出国冒险之前,他们是计划走遍每个州吗?
在美国,老房子的质量远比新房子好,除非你愿意花一大笔钱。这与日本正好相反,在日本,我们的老房子质量很差,而新房子即使不是很好,也要好得多。

19. A severe lack of public toilets. This goes for their many metro stations as well! On more than one occasion I had to get off the train, leave the system, find a department store or restaurant, use the toilet there, then get back into the metro and on the train! This would be unimaginable in Japan and many other countries.
20. Depending upon the state you live in, most restaurant bills are padded by at least 25%. Once you take into consideration the tip that you “must” pay and the tax, your bill will be at least 25% higher.
21. Despite the notion that the US is a large melting pot, what I noticed was extreme amounts of self-inflicted segregation. Mixing is mostly on the surface, but not that much other than being superficial.
This is what I and others have observed and were shocked at, at first. Given time however, we got used to it and it seemed normal.

公共厕所严重缺乏。这也适用于他们的许多地铁站!不止一次,我不得不下车,离开铁路系统,找一家百货公司或餐馆,在那里上厕所,然后回到地铁!这在日本和许多其他国家是难以想象的。
根据你居住的州,大多数餐馆的账单至少会增加25%。一旦你考虑到你“必须”支付的小费和税款,你的账单将至少高出25%。
尽管有人认为美国是一个大熔炉,但我注意到的是极端的自我隔离。融合主要是表面上的,但除了表面,其实融合的没有那么多。
这就是我和其他人一开始观察到并感到震惊的情况。然而,随着时间的推移,我们习惯了,这似乎很正常。

Shizuya Tsundoku
My goodness, so many cultural shocks. Off of the top of my head, here are a few:
1.) Shoes
This was probably the first thing I noticed when I went to the United States. No one seemed to take their shoes off when going into any type of building. I found it rather odd though I knew prior to visiting that they didn’t follow customs like that.
2.) Talking and Speech
Americans generally speak in a louder and more blunt tone than countries in East Asia. One thing that stood out to me when I first visited was how close they would put their face next to you when talking and their distinct way of laughing. I honestly didn’t have a big issue with it for the most part although I can be quite sensitive to loud noises, touch, and certain types of personalities. Slang and sarcasm was used commonly as well, something, while not rare, but not often used in Japan.
3.) Toilets
The toilets in the U.S are scandalous! (In my opinion). They use a sheet of paper to wipe their private parts instead of using bidets. I personally think it’s disgusting, but the toilets mechanics are simpler, I suppose.

天哪,非常多文化冲击。在我的脑海中,记得以下这些:
鞋子
这可能是我去美国时注意到的第一件事。进入任何类型的建筑时,似乎都没有人脱鞋。我觉得很奇怪,尽管我在参观之前就知道他们没有遵守脱鞋的习俗。
谈话和讲话
美国人说话的声音通常比东亚国家更响亮、更直率。当我第一次去美国拜访时,给我留下深刻印象的是,他们说话时把脸贴在你旁边的距离非常近,他们笑的方式也很独特。老实说,于我而言,在很大程度上并没有什么大问题,尽管我对大声的噪音、触摸和某些类型的个性非常敏感。俚语和讽刺也经常被使用,在日本虽然并不罕见,但并不经常使用。
卫生间
美国的卫生间真丢人!(在我看来)。他们用一张纸擦拭自己的私处,而不是用坐浴盆。我个人认为这很恶心,但我认为这厕所的机制也太简单了。

4.) Quantity vs Quality
While quality is still valued, most things in the United States were large in proportions or quantity. In Japan, people are very thin and small, though in the U.S it is more common to see overweight people. This is most likely because of marketing and how junk food is much cheaper than organic foods (which is understandable). It was sad to see and many people didn’t get the exercise they needed because most people drive cars (again, are very convenient). Meals at restaurants were also large, as well as houses and many buildings.
5.) Reading
Books in the U.S, and most other places, are read from left to right. Books in Japan are read right to left. This surprised me despite knowing beforehand. For some reason they keep manga nearly the same, though. Japanese is traditionally read vertically, but it did not surprise me to see English read horizontally since all my schools taught it.
6.) Driving
I was used to seeing cars driving on the right side, although I had visited places that drove on the left side. My friend was initially confused and a little frightened, but he soon understood. I was surprised to see that the minimal legal age to drive was sixteen. I thought that was a little young. I visited a place in the U.S where it was fourteen.

数量与质量
尽管质量仍然受到重视,但在美国,大多数东西的比例或数量都很大。在日本,人们又瘦又小,但在美国,超重的人更常见。这很可能是因为市场营销以及垃圾食品比有机食品便宜得多(这是可以理解的)。令人难过的是,许多人没有得到他们需要的锻炼,因为大多数人开车(同样,非常便利)。餐馆里的饭菜的量也很大,还有房子和许多建筑也是如此风格。
阅读
在美国和大多数其他地方,书籍都是从左到右阅读的。日本的书是从右到左读的。这让我很惊讶,不过我事先就知道。不过,出于某种原因,在漫画方面的阅读方式几乎相同。日语传统上是垂直阅读,但看到英语的横向阅读方式并不奇怪,因为我所有的学校都有教这种方式。
驾驶
我习惯于看到汽车靠右行驶,尽管我去过靠左行驶的地方。我的朋友起初很困惑,有点害怕,但他很快就明白了。我惊讶地发现开车的最低法定年龄是十六岁。我觉得那有点年轻了。我去过美国的一个地方,那里开车的最低法定年龄是14岁。

7.) Expense
I found everything to be quite expensive there, and some of the stores and food to be disappointing. There was a product I wanted to buy that was 301.00 $ in the United States and only 14,630 ¥ in Japan. On the contrary, depending on where you live in either country, prices will always vary. Larger more populated cities will generally be more expensive (like Tokyo and New York) and smaller towns will usually be cheaper (like Coeur d'Alene ).
8.) Courtesy
The culture in the U.S, so it seems, can sometimes be quite rude. While this isn’t always the case, in certain places they can be seen as ignorant or apathetic, though this really depends on who you are talking to. Some people don’t even know how to give a simple thank you or speak politely, especially around elders (this is quite noticeable for young children). During political debates and elections, citizens may start riots and yell at others who don’t believe the same thing as them. While it makes sense, it is still not okay.
9.) Touching
High fives, handshakes, embracing, hugging, kissing, and patting backs is seen often in the U.S. This can be very uncomfortable for a Japanese person as we generally don’t touch each other (purposefully), though it can’t be helped in crowded areas or if you’re with friends and family. The comfortable distance between two people is 1 1/2 to 3 feet (yes, using the imperial system) when standing together, if not in a crowded area. In the U.S, couples will show affection to one another in public (kiss, hugs) and friends will tug on each other and playfully hit each other. This isn’t unseen in Japan but it just isn’t the norm.

费用
我发现那里的一切都很贵,有些商店和食物也令人失望。我想买的一款产品在美国是301美元,在日本只有14630日元。相反,根据你住的国家,价格总是会有所不同。较大的人口较多的城市,物价通常会更昂贵(如东京和纽约),而较小的城镇,物价通常会更便宜(如科达莲)。
礼貌
因此,美国的文化有时似乎相当粗鲁。虽然情况并非总是如此,但在某些地方,他们可能会被视为无知或冷漠,尽管这实际上取决于你与谁交谈。有些人甚至不知道如何说一句简单的谢谢或礼貌地说话,尤其是在长辈面前(这对年幼的孩子来说很明显)。在政治辩论和选举期间,公民可能会引发骚乱,对那些与他们信仰不同的人大喊大叫。虽然这是有道理的,但仍然是不对的。
触摸
击掌、握手、拥抱、紧贴、亲吻和拍背在美国很常见。这对日本人来说可能很不舒服,因为我们通常不会(故意)碰对方,尽管在拥挤的地方或者和朋友和家人在一起时,这是没有办法的。如果不是在拥挤的区域,两个人站在一起时的舒适距离是1 .5到3英尺(是的,使用英制)。在美国,情侣们会在公共场合互相示爱(亲吻、拥抱),朋友们会互相推搡,嬉戏打闹。这在日本也不是不会出现,但这不是常态。

10.) Homes
I have lived in a traditional home my whole life, so it was a shocker to see the difference. I could find houses similar to these in Japan, but it was about my 2nd or 3rd time encountering one and I actually went inside. They are set differently than houses in Japan, even if they look similar on the outside (modern homes). I don’t exactly remember, but I believe I was bewildered by the fact of how dirty it was, and the bathing differences.
11.) The Check
In the United States, you are expected to pay a lot of money for the check, but in Japan, you’re not. Actually, in most cases, you don’t leave extra money for the server/waiter. In the U.S you are always supposed to, or else, someone may get angry. Though, from my standpoint, many Japanese servers wouldn’t actually mind receiving tips though have been taught that it could be an inconvenience for the person paying (which is very true).
I was going to mention the school system, but that could be a whole entire essay. Thank you for reading, here are just some of the cultural shocks that came to mind. Thank you. For people from Japan, is this accurate?

住宅
我一生都住在一个传统的家里,所以看到这种差异是令人震惊的。我在日本能找到类似的房子,但那是我第二次或第三次遇到,我真的进去了。它们的设置与日本的房子不同,即使它们看起来很像(现代住宅)。我不太记得了,但我相信我被它脏的程度和洗澡方式的不同弄糊涂了。
支票
在美国,在你要支付大笔钱时,人们是期望你开支票的,但在日本,则不是如此。实际上,在大多数情况下,你不会给服务员留下多余的钱。在美国,你总是应该这样做,否则,有人可能会生气。然而,从我的角度来看,许多日本服务员实际上并不介意收到小费,尽管他们被告知这可能会给付钱的人带来不便(这是真的)。
我本来想提一下学校制度的,但那可能需要一篇完整的文章。谢谢你的阅读,这只是我想到的一些文化冲击。谢谢你!对日本人来说,这准确吗?

Hiro-o Ekimae
I live in Japan, but not a Japanese. The things that shocked me when I visited the US for the first time ( I was 16 y.o at that time , went there as an exchange student ) :
The portion of the food. One portion’s enough to feed 2 people for 2 days
The number of overweight / obese people. There are plenty of them in the US.Infact, the majority of them are obese. It was really shocking as I thought that americans are super fit like the ones I saw in the movies or magazines.
They wear their outside shoes inside the house. They sometime even plop down on the bed wearing it !
Drinking soda everytime. Large size. And then they wonder why they have problem with obesity.
People drive everywhere. Even most highschool students drive car to school.

我住在日本,但不是日本人。当我第一次访问美国时,令我震惊的事情(当时我16岁,是作为交换生去的)如下:
食物的份量:一份食物足够两个人吃两天
超重/肥胖人数:在美国有很多这样的人。事实上,他们中的大多数人都是肥胖的。对此我真的很震惊,因为我原本认为美国人和我在电影或杂志上看到的那些人一样非常健康。
他们进屋里时穿在外面穿过的鞋子。他们有时甚至穿着它扑通一声倒在床上!
每次都喝汽水,而且是大瓶装。然后他们想知道为什么他们会有肥胖的问题。
人们去任何地方都开车,甚至大多数高中生都开车上学。

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