QA问答:作为日本人,你在访问美国时遇到过哪些文化冲击?
2024-08-25 蜂鸟窝 3524
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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.
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.

【回答】
天哪,真是太多文化冲击了。我随便列几个:
1. 鞋子
这是我去美国时首先注意到的事情之一。似乎没有人会在进入任何类型的建筑物时脱鞋。尽管在访问之前我已经知道他们没有这种习俗,但我还是觉得很奇怪。
2. 谈话和言语
美国人普遍说话声音较大,语气也比东亚国家更直率。我第一次访问时,令我印象深刻的是他们在谈话时会把脸靠得很近以及他们独特的笑声。虽然我对大多数情况没有太大问题,但我对噪音、接触和某些类型的个性比较敏感。俚语和讽刺也很常见,尽管在日本并不是很罕见,但使用频率不高。
3. 厕所
美国的厕所太不堪了!(在我看来)。他们用纸来擦拭私处,而不是用坐浴盆。我个人觉得这很恶心,不过厕所的机械结构比较简单。
4. 数量与质量
虽然质量仍受到重视,但美国的大多数东西都是大尺寸或者大数量的。在日本,人们普遍瘦小,而在美国,看到超重的人更常见。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(这可以理解)。看到这情况很难过,很多人没有得到所需的锻炼,因为大多数人都开车(同样,这也很方便)。餐馆的菜量也很大,房子和许多建筑物也是如此。

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.
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 or Kunohe-mura).
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.

5. 阅读
在美国和大多数其他地方的书都是从左到右阅读。日本的书籍是从右到左阅读的。尽管事先知道,但仍然让我很惊讶。不过出于某种原因,他们的漫画阅读方式是一样的。日语传统上是竖着读,但看到英语是横着读时,我没有觉得奇怪,因为所有学校都教过。
6. 驾驶
虽然我去过一些靠左行驶的地方,但我还是习惯看到汽车靠右行驶。我的朋友最初很困惑有点害怕,但他很快就理解了。我惊讶地发现驾驶的最低合法年龄是十六岁。我觉得这有点太小了。我去过美国的一个地方,那里是十四岁。
7. 费用
我发现那里的所有东西都很贵,有些商店和食物让人失望。我想买的一件商品在美国是301美元,而在日本仅为14630日元。根据你在两国的居住地不同,价格总是会有所不同。更大、人口更多的城市通常更贵(比如东京和纽约),而较小的城镇通常更便宜(比如库尔德黑伦或久野村)。
8. 礼节
美国的文化,有时似乎会显得相当粗鲁。虽然并不总是这样,但在某些地方,他们可能被视为无知或冷漠,尽管这真的取决于你和谁在说话。有些人甚至不知道如何说一声谢谢或礼貌地说话,特别是在长辈面前(对于年轻孩子来说,这一点尤为明显)。在政治辩论和选举期间,市民可能会开始骚乱,并对那些持不同观点的人大喊大叫。虽然可以理解,但还是感觉不好。

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, romantic grooming) 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.
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?

9. 接触
在美国,经常可以看到击掌、握手、拥抱、亲吻和拍背。这对日本人来说可能会非常不舒服,因为我们通常不会(故意)互相接触,尽管在人多的地方或者和朋友家人在一起时不可避免。两个人站在一起时,如果不是在拥挤的地方,舒适距离是1.5到3英尺(是的,使用的是英制)。在美国,情侣会在公共场合表现出对彼此的爱意(亲吻、拥抱、浪漫的打扮),朋友们也会互相拉扯和打闹。这在日本不是没有,但并不是常态。
10. 住宅
我一生都住在传统的房子里,所以看到这种差异让我很震惊。我在日本可以找到类似的房子,但这是我第二或第三次遇到并真正踏进去。它们的布置方式与日本的房子不同,即使从外面看起来相似(现代住宅)。我记不清了,但我相信我对它的脏乱程度以及洗浴方式很困惑。
11. 小费
在美国,你预计要支付很多钱作为小费,但在日本,你不需要。实际上,在大多数情况下,你不会给服务员/服务生额外的钱。在美国,你总是应该这样做,否则可能会有人生气。不过,从我的角度来看,许多日本服务员实际上不会介意收到小费,但他们被教导这可能会给付款的人带来不便(这很真实)。
我本来要提到学校制度,但那可以写成一篇完整的论文了。感谢你的阅读,这些就是我想到的一些文化冲击。谢谢。对于日本人来说,这准确吗?

I was traveling around Europe and South East Asia, but I had never had a culture shock…until I went to the US for the first time.
I went to Phoenix for work in Summer. It was extremely hot, and we couldn’t drive, so we decided to eat in the spaghetti restaurant nearby for the first dinner. We were 3 of us, and we ordered 2 different kinds of spaghetti and one salad.
First, a salad came. The BIGGEST salad I’d seen in my whole life. We started nervously laughing that “oh it must be the American size!”
And shortly after, even bigger 2 plates of spaghetti came. We just lost words. We ordered 2 different types of spaghetti following the staff’s recommendation, but they tasted exactly the same.
I looked around and realized that there are the biggest people I’d seen with the biggest cups in their hands and pouring Diet Coke. I just couldn’t understand why they were drinking Diet Coke in the 40oz cup. (If you want to diet, maybe a small cup and less food?)
From that night, I completely lost my appetite until we found a nice Vietnamese restaurant 4 days later.
I was shocked that I experienced the first culture shock in the US.
Now I started traveling to other states and cities in the US, and luckily realized that it was just one aspect of the US. I enjoy it more including the food, but I still can’t forget about that trip.

【回答】
我一直在欧洲和东南亚旅行,但从未经历过文化冲击… 直到我第一次去美国。
夏天我去凤凰城出差。天气非常炎热,我们开不了车,所以我们决定在附近的一家意大利面馆吃第一顿晚餐。我们三个人,点了两种不同的意大利面和一份沙拉。
首先上来的是沙拉。这是我见过的最大的一份沙拉。我们开始紧张地笑着说:“哦,这肯定是美国人的分量!”
不久后,来了两盘更大的意大利面。我们都说不出话来了。我们根据工作人员的推荐点了两种不同的意大利面,但它们尝起来完全一样。
我环顾四周,发现那里的人都是我见过的最大号的人,手里拿着最大的杯子,倒着健怡可乐。我完全不明白他们为什么要用40盎司的杯子喝健怡可乐。(如果你想减肥,也许该用个小杯子,少吃点?)
从那晚开始,我完全没了食欲,直到四天后我们找到了一家不错的越南餐馆。
我在美国第一次经历了文化冲击,被震惊了。
现在我开始到美国的其他州和城市旅行,幸运的是,我意识到这只是美国的一个方面。我更享受这里的旅行,包括食物,但我仍然无法忘记那次旅行。

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.

【回答】
我是美国人,不是日本人,但我在日本生活了六年,回国后经历了一次文化冲击。从日本回国后,我住在湾区,并使用旧金山湾区捷运通勤。一天,系统出现了技术问题,列车晚点了。很多人站在站台上等下一班车,所以我排在了大约30个人的队伍后面。
过了一会儿,列车进站了,我松了一口气,因为它只有一半人。列车停下,车门打开,却没有人动。我在想是不是出了什么问题,过了一会儿我才恍然大悟:这些人认为列车已经满了!
在美国,列车满员的标准是人几乎碰到彼此。而在日本,列车满员的标准是完全挤不进另一个人。我看到的这列“满员”列车实际上还可以再容纳两到三倍的人数,在日本这列车绝对算不上满。
不管好坏,我总是认为规则对我不适用,所以我绕过前面所有的人,开始上车。有人说:“嘿,兄弟,这列车满了,为什么不等下一班?”我回答说:“还有很多位置。”
于是我上了车。人们嘟囔了一下,但还是挪动了一下给我让出空间。依然没有人碰到彼此。

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.

【回答】
我住在日本,但不是日本人。我第一次访问美国时(当时我16岁,作为交换学生去的),有几件事情让我很震惊:
1. 食物的分量。一份食物足够两个人吃两天。
2. 超重/肥胖的人数。美国有很多超重或肥胖的人。事实上,大多数人都是肥胖的。这真的让我很震惊,因为我以为美国人像我在电影或杂志上看到的那样超级健美。
3. 他们在家里穿着外面的鞋子。他们有时甚至穿着鞋子直接躺在床上!
4. 每次都喝汽水,而且是大杯的。然后他们还奇怪为什么会有肥胖问题。
5. 人们到哪儿都开车。甚至大多数高中生也开车去上学。

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