By my one month of studying abroad, I have learned that the common values shared in Japan, are not always shared by people from other countries.
Here, I will introduce some of the values that probably cannot be shared by people from non-Asian countries.
- Having fights and conflicts with another person sometimes mean that you are in a good relation. It means that you are fully opening up yourself to the other person. （喧嘩するほど仲が良い）
- Saying "I hate something/someone" could be caused because they like/love the thing/person, but are just too shy to say so. （嫌よ嫌よも好きのうち）
- Saying nothing is mostly better than saying something. Don't speak up if you aren't sure what to say. （沈黙は金）
- Not knowing something is sometimes better than knowing something（知らぬが仏）
The list are all Japanese traditional sayings, as they are in the parenthesis, which appear even in dictionaries.
Other Japanese values/social norms that I think exist in Japan:
- If you don't know the person, you should never speak to him/her.
- Do not use cell phones in the trains (it will affect pace maker machines which some people may have in their heart).
- Saying "I love you" at an early stage of romance, and asking for confirmation that you can be his/her boyfriend/girlfriend.
- If you don't know what's going on, don't ask and stop the conversation going, just smile and act like you understand.
- If a person is one school year older than you, show respect to him/her by using an honorific language.
- Religion is something strange. It is for those who believe the extreme, and those who cause social problems (like new cults).
- Avoid any extra interaction with other people who you don't know, that you encounter.
- Keep silence in an elevator.
- Say sorry for being late, even if you're just 1 minute late. People, as well as the train systems, are very punctual.
It's pretty fun making this list!
I wonder what cultural differences I'll encounter today.
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