Learn about Japanese people's biggest culture shocks
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| Hey guys, Risa here! Welcome to Ask Risa series, where you ask me questions, and I'll answer them. Let's check out the questions we received this week. |
| The first one is from Joshua. |
| Hi, Joshua-san. Thank you! |
| When you first went to Europe of USA, what was your biggest culture shock? |
| (smiley face) |
| うーん。そうですね、カルチャーショック…。カルチャーショック。 (Ūn. Sō desu ne, karuchā shokku... Karuchā shokku.) |
| まず、何か空気感が全然違います、国によって。 (Mazu, nanka kūkikan ga zenzen chigaimasu, kuni ni yotte.) |
| 空気感と、あとそこにある匂いも違うし。 (Kūkikan to, ato soko ni aru nioi mo chigau shi.) |
| あとは、そうだな。 (Ato wa, sō da na.) |
| あ、これが一番っていうわけじゃないんですけど。何個かあるうちの一つで。 (A, kore ga ichi-ban tte iu wake ja nai n desu kedo. Nan-ko ka aru uchi no hitotsu de.) |
| 例えば、知らない人と目が合った時に、ちょっと、すって笑ってくれたりとか。 (Tatoeba, shiranai hito to me ga atta toki ni, chotto, su tte waratte kuretari toka.) |
| あんまり日本じゃそういうことがないので、 (Anmari Nihon ja sō iu koto ga nai node,) |
| すごい素敵な文化だなと思いました。 (sugoi suteki na bunka da na to omoimashita.) |
| あともう一つ思いついたのが、 (Ato mō hitotsu omoitsuita no ga,) |
| バスに乗ってて、次に通るバス停の名前が表示されないので、どこでボタンを押していいのかが全く分からなかったことが (basu ni notte te, tsugi ni tōru basutei no namae ga hyōji sarenai node, doko de botan o oshite ii no ka ga mattaku wakaranakatta koto ga ) |
| ちょっと不便だな、と思いました。 (chotto fuben da na, to omoimashita.) |
| So, what about you guys? What was your biggest culture shock when you first came to Japan? Tell me in the comments! |
| はい、次の質問は、オサマ・アーメッド。(Hai, tsugi no shitsumon wa, Osama Āmeddo.) |
| Osama Ahmed. オサマ・アーメッド。(Osama Āmeddo.) |
| オサマさんからの質問です。 Osama-san kara no shitsumon desu.) |
| オサマさん、ありがとうございます！ (Osama-san, arigatō gozaimasu!) |
| えーと、質問が、 (Ēto, shitsumon ga,) |
| Do you play video games? If yes, what type do you prefer to play? |
| えーと、そうだな。ビデオゲームはあんまり家に機械がないから、しないんですけど。 (Ēto, sō da na. Bideo gēmu wa anmari ie ni kikai ga nai kara shinai n desu kedo.) |
| 小さい時は、あの私弟がいるので、弟とかと一緒に64をよくやってました。 (Chiisai toki wa, ano watashi otōto ga iru node, otōto toka to issho ni Roku yon o yoku yatte mashita.) |
| なので、好きなゲームは64の、 (Nanode, suki na gēmu wa Roku yon no,) |
| なんだっけ、あれ名前。あ、スマッシュブラザーズとか、マリオパーティーとか。 (nan dakke, are namae. A, Sumasshu burazāzu toka, Mario pātī toka.) |
| そういうのが好きですかね。うん。 (Sō iu no ga suki desu ka ne. Un.) |
| あと、ボンバーマンもやってました。 (Ato, Bonbāman mo yatte mashita.) |
| あ、あとあれです。ポケモン。 (A, ato are desu. Pokemon.) |
| ポケモンやってました。 (Pokemon yatte mashita.) |
| でも今新しくなって、あの、新しいキャラクターがいっぱい出てきて、 (Demo ima atarashiku natte, ano, atarashii kyarakutā ga ippai dete kite,) |
| ちょっとよく分かんなくなっちゃって、おいてかれてまーす。 (chotto yoku wakannaku natchatte, oite karete māsu.) |
| So, the question from Mary Catherine. |
| Hi, Mary-san! |
| Hi Risa! Okay, so here's my question. How and why did you learn to speak English and how long did it take you become fluent? Also, did you ever feel like you would never become fluent and if so, how did you overcome this? Thanks! |
| はい。そうですね。私が英語を学ぼうと思ったきっかけは、 (Hai. Sō desu ne. Watashi ga eigo o manabō to omotta kikkake wa,) |
| あの、音楽、洋楽が好きで、それを聞いてるうちに、こういう音楽が生まれる場所に行きたいな、と思って。 (ano, ongaku, yōgaku ga suki de, sore o kiite ru uchi ni, kō iu ongaku ga umareru basho ni ikitai na, to omotte.) |
| 海外に行きたいな、っていう憧れがずっとあって、 (Kaigai ni ikitai na, tte iu akogare ga zutto atte,) |
| それから英語を勉強するようになりました。 (sore kara eigo o benkyō suru yō ni narimashita.) |
| どれくらい、ちゃんとしゃべれるように時間がかかったかっていうと、 (Dore kurai, chanto shabereru yō ni jikan ga kakatta ka tte iu to,) |
| 今でもちゃんとしゃべれてるのか、分かんないんですけど。 (ima demo chanto shaberete ru no ka, wakannai n desu kedo.) |
| そうだな。でも、一番大きかったのは、やっぱり留学したことだと思います。 (Sō da na. Demo, ichi-ban ōkikatta no wa, yappari ryūgaku shita koto da to omoimasu.) |
| 留学して、で、仲良くなった人たちとちゃんとコミュニケーションしたい、しゃべりたいと思う気持ちが (Ryūgaku shite, de, nakayoku natta hito-tachi to chanto komyunikēshon shitai, shaberitai to omou kimochi ga) |
| そのモチベーションになったと思います。 (sono mochibēshon ni natta to omoimasu.) |
| そう。もう、英語がなかなか難しくて、思ったことがしゃべれないっていうのは、まあ今でもあるんですけど、 (Sō. Mō, eigo ga nakanaka muzukashikute, omotta koto ga shaberenai tte iu no wa, mā ima demo aru n desu kedo,) |
| そういう時はどうやって乗り越えるかっていうと、 (sō iu toki wa dō yatte norikoeru ka tte iu to,) |
| やっぱり、その苦手と思ってそこでやめちゃわないで、その時こそ英語をしゃべる人たちと積極的にコミュニケーションしたりとかするようにしてます。 (Yappari, sono nigate to omotte soko de yamechawanaide, sono toki koso eigo o shaberu hito-tachi to sekkyokuteki ni komyunikēshon shitari toka suru yō ni shite masu.) |
| That's all for today. Hope you enjoyed this episode. Thanks to everyone who sent their questions. And if you haven't yet, what are you waiting for? Stay tuned for more Ask Risa video series. Bye! Thank you! |
| みんな、いい日を！ (Minna, ii hi o!) |
Comments
HideHave you ever visited Japan? If yes, which was your biggest culture shock? Let us know in the comments!
Hello Lizzy,
Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying learning Japanese. As for your question, I had the opportunity to learn English through a combination of both self-study and with the help of teachers.
Learning a language can be a challenging process, but it becomes more enjoyable and enriching when you have someone to practice with. I highly recommend finding a language exchange partner or a study buddy if you can! It's a great way to improve your conversational skills.
Keep up the good work and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions.
ありがとうございます！
Kazuya
Team JapanesePod101.com
This is really cool! By the way! Did someone helped you learn English (like a study buddy) or you did it by your own?
Megan-san,
Thank you so much for your comment!
It sounds like you had quite an experience in Japan!
It's always fascinating to see how different cultures handle things like efficiency, cleanliness, and even advertising.
Regarding the girls in costumes you mentioned, they are often promoting "maid cafes" which are a unique aspect of Japanese pop culture, particularly in areas like Akihabara in Tokyo.
These cafes offer a sort of fantasy experience where the staff dress up in maid costumes and treat customers as "masters" or "mistresses" in a playful, non-sexual way.
It can be a bit surprising if you're not used to it!
If you have any more questions about Japanese culture or language, feel free to ask.
Your interest and curiosity are very encouraging:)
Sincerely,
Miho
Team JapanesePod101.com
My biggest culture shock when I went to Japan was just how efficient everyone was! Roadworks that would take my country at least a week to complete was done within a day! Queueing was so quick. Trains were on time and super frequent, even out in the countryside!
Also how clean the streets are despite there being very few public bins. Not a spec of litter anywhere, whereas in my country, there is litter, chewing gum, and dog foul everywhere despite there being quite a lot of bins on the streets. People will pass by a bin and still choose to drop it on the ground! People are so considerate in Japan and very proud of where they live. I wish my country would adopt these attitudes.
Also having girls in costumes on the street advertising their time and girl cafes was very strange to me.
ブラブラさん
こんにちは！コメントどうもありがとうございます。
そうですか。二回目に日本に来たときは、大変だったんですね。
でも、がんばって日本語の勉強を続けてよかったですね😊
これからも、一緒に日本語を楽しく勉強していきましょう♪
Sincerely,
Miho
Team JapanesePod101.com
最初の日本に引っ越すの時はCulture Shockがあまりないんですけど、この時は米軍の所で住んでいたから。しかし、二回目はすごくあった。あの年はめっちゃくちゃストレスがありました。全然分からないだし喋れないし名前を書けないしけど、勉強続けたからどんどん慣れる。今も上手じゃない、でも前より改善できました。
こんにちは UWU,
Welcome on board! 😇 It's great to have you join us too. ❤️️
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
We wish you good luck with your language studies.
Kind regards,
レヴェンテ (Levente)
Team JapanesePod101.com
hi!
Nabadip Mukherjeeさん
質問（しつもん）ありがとうございます😄
It's because a long long time ago, we didn't have any writing system. When we finally wanted one, we went to China to get their letters so that we could use them in Japanese.
Please let us know if you have any questions :)
Sincerely
Ryoma
Team JapanesePod101.com
why there are chinese characters in JAPANESE?
Hi Fuyu Neko-kun (ゴック)。冬猫ーくん,
Thank you for leaving a comment.
So you've visited Japan, right? It will be interesting to hear what was your biggest culture shock!
Sincerely,
Miki H
Team JapanesePod101.com
はい
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for leaving the comment.
Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Cristiane (クリスチアネ)
Team JapanesePod101.com
Some of my biggest shocks was how professional all the workers I came across were and how thoughtful everything is.
I saw a road crew digging ditches on the side of the road and the whole crew was in uniform and all working. Coming from the US you can understand how unusual that is to me, we see a road crew with 1 or 2 people working and everyone else standing around looking disheveled.
Little things like a light on the elevator indicating rain, the sidewalks with special bricks for blind people, ornate manhole covers, and it may seem silly but all the cars look friendly. When you look at the front of cars in the US they all look angry. Ready to fight. But the cars in Japan have a friendly welcoming façade.
Brianさん、こんにちは！
コメントどうもありがとうございます。
お返事が遅くなってしまい、すみません。
JPod101で勉強がんばっているんですね！うれしいです。
ぜひ日本にも来てください。そして、たくさん日本語を使ってみてください。
このレッスンには日本語の字幕(subtitle)がありませんが、
他のレッスンシリーズにはあるので、聞く・読む練習に役立ててください。
Thank you for studying with us!
Sincerely,
Miho
Team JapanesePod101.com
Hi Mark,
On behalf of Lena, you're welcome!
Good luck with your Japanese learning, and let us know if you have any questions. We'll be happy to help you out!
Sincerely,
Cristiane (クリスチアネ)
Team JapanesePod101.com
Dear Lena,
Thank you for your email. That is great news. I will focus on the ones you mentioned have been completed and will look back for those planned to be added.
Thank you again.
Mark
Hello Mark,
My colleague informed me that we're working on the transcription;
lesson 7,10,12,13,15,17,18 and 22 have the lesson transcription already.
Please stay tuned!
Cheers,
Lena
Team JapanesePod101.com
Hello Mark,
Thank you for posting.
I'm checking the detail regarding this series.
Thank you for your patience.
Cheers,
Lena
Team JapanesePod101.com
Hi Japanese101,
Why no transcript for Risa for Lessons 3 through 22. This is very helpful. With this missing it is more difficult.
Please add Transcripts for Risa Lessons 3 through 22.
Thank you
Mark