Yes, but the piping in Taiwan has been western-sized for years now. But some folks haven't gotten (refuse to get?) the message.
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Your experiences of culture shock.
- Thread starter Go_Ly_Dow
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Yes, but the piping in Taiwan has been western-sized for years now. But some folks haven't gotten (refuse to get?) the message.
Japan is known for not being really 'barrier free' compared to Europe. I think tighter architecture means a harder time for people with wheelchairs, strollers etc. Definitely sucks.
Japan was pretty funny. I was there from 99 till 01. There was a military cosplay club in Osaka so some evening some girls in full Gestapo outfits were walking around the streets including the swastika on the arm. That was quite weird.
Also during my first week I was going out with some Japanese colleagues from my company and it was quite late. And I thought; well this is odd, there are still a lot of schoolgirls out, it is quite late and next day is school day for sure. I was ready to ask my colleagues why this is the case, but then I got it.
Also during my first week I was going out with some Japanese colleagues from my company and it was quite late. And I thought; well this is odd, there are still a lot of schoolgirls out, it is quite late and next day is school day for sure. I was ready to ask my colleagues why this is the case, but then I got it.
BudokaiMR2
Member
Same.
This last trip to GDC I was just constantly in shock of how chaotic every single thing is in the States. This is especially true in San Francisco.
I found myself longing for the orderly ways of Japan within a day of landing.
I wanna return to Germany already haha. I miss free internet. Even with VPN... it's not the same.
My PS4 runs like shit online and downloading takes ages.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Hmm true.
I'll say in their defense that I did see those textured pathways to guide non-sighted people in subways in Japan very early on. They're being adopted worldwide in most new subway systems, but Japan had them a long time ago.
I've lived in Japan over a year now and honestly the only culture shock I've felt is the lack of squirrels. Squirrels are EVERYWHERE in Canada. Look outside and you're bound to see several. In Japan you actually have to go to a zoo to find one.
I would reverse culture shock much harder should I ever return to Canada or America, because I'm pretty well adjusted here and there's a lot about North America I do not miss.
I would reverse culture shock much harder should I ever return to Canada or America, because I'm pretty well adjusted here and there's a lot about North America I do not miss.
ehead
Member
Going to Ikea. Saudi Arabia.
It was a busy day. Around 10 minutes inside, you are surrounded by women in niqab, burka, or hijab. Had an anxiety attack (was too afraid to accidentally bump into one of the women) that I left immediately. I had only moved in after a month, and I was told to be extra careful when I'm outside, so I chose to just avoid hectic scenarios completely.
It was a busy day. Around 10 minutes inside, you are surrounded by women in niqab, burka, or hijab. Had an anxiety attack (was too afraid to accidentally bump into one of the women) that I left immediately. I had only moved in after a month, and I was told to be extra careful when I'm outside, so I chose to just avoid hectic scenarios completely.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
I forgotten the name of the place but I remember it was a very cheap hot spring, it was only when we walked up the slop going around it did I saw the mass of old people huddling together... There was not a single space of water to be seen lol.
And it was a mixed bath as well >_>
We were glad that we paid for a paid hot spring.
SliChillax
Member
Shocked at the awful food in England
Don't knock it till you try it.
People urinating and even defecating outside and in plain view in India. That was pretty shocking.
Another one that was less shocking but far more surprising was men holding hands in Eritrea. My cousins and stuff constantly tried to hold my hand when we went somewhere. Awkward as fuck.
Another one that was less shocking but far more surprising was men holding hands in Eritrea. My cousins and stuff constantly tried to hold my hand when we went somewhere. Awkward as fuck.
AppleSeason
Member
Easily the complaint number one I got from my colleagues. And being the kind of person who showers with boiling water just one degree away from pain, I felt like I was freezing. On the first hotel in Thailand I had to tinker with the electric heater the shower was connected to, and in the second one somebody told me a trick to actually make it expel hot water.
And speaking of cultural shock... Electric cables, lots of them, paired with those "bridges" to cross over the street and having to jump over the cables in one of them. The only pedestrian crossing I saw was scary as heck.
Also, efficient and educated super market cashiers who would organise the groceries by type and put them in different bags. All with a smile 75% of the time (I'm betting percentage is higher when not in New Year's Eve). That was a massive reverse culture shock after a month there. Made me hate people again. The alcohol selling ban until 17:09 was an odd one, too.
MilkyJoe
Member
The unisex toilet in Taiwan was pretty strange, especially the fact it had two entrances, one marked men the other women, then once inside it was open plan and right there taking a piss was a lady...
You should try opening your wallet then
You should try opening your wallet then
Napoleonthechimp
Member
Nostremitus
Member
Umm.. That's ​how it is in the U.S. and Korea.... I thought that was universal..
TatteredHat
Member
I always get reverse culture shock regarding the public transport system whenever I come back from Singapore or Japan.
always crazy bacon
Banned
Here's one. In offices in China they open the windows in the winter for "fresh" air and sit with their coats on at their desks. When I asked where the fresh air was in the summer they'll tell you it comes from the air conditioner. They could not get their heads around that the air conditioner was a closed system and does not bring in fresh air from outside.
Anyway, fuck it. I just brought a small space heater and put it under my desk.
Chairmanchuck
Member
Culture shock in China compared to Germany:
Germany: Old people are really nice and the young generation is bad (drunk af, rude etc.).
China: Young generation is really really nice, but older people are rude.
Also the topics people usually talk about. A lot of young german people love to brag about being drunk, high etc. In China they rather talk about the shows they watched the day before, what their families are up to etc.
Germany: Old people are really nice and the young generation is bad (drunk af, rude etc.).
China: Young generation is really really nice, but older people are rude.
Also the topics people usually talk about. A lot of young german people love to brag about being drunk, high etc. In China they rather talk about the shows they watched the day before, what their families are up to etc.
What meals are we talking about here? Because that doesn't really sound true to me!?
Oh and it would be "keine Mayo", "nein Mayo" makes so sense lol
The Greek Freak
Member
I have lived 90% of my live in New York/New England. Sure there are racists here, but most at least tries to be hidden behind some half assed explanation/"one of the good ones" etc type trash.
I've had to travel to some more of the country for work recently....holy fuck.
It's commonplace within an hour of meeting someone that some prick will just bust out racist/sexist jokes out of nowhere. Like wtf, what are you doing? Do I look like Mr. Klan? I dgaf about this job though (quitting by the end of 2017 to run my home business) so I just pretend like I don't understand and make them awkwardly explain it multiple times, then continue to ask why it was supposed to be funny until they look suicidal.
Japan/Korea: People constantly wanted to take pictures with me because I'm huge. Sooooo many people asked if I was an American football player. Started to lie for fun and say yes.
I've had to travel to some more of the country for work recently....holy fuck.
It's commonplace within an hour of meeting someone that some prick will just bust out racist/sexist jokes out of nowhere. Like wtf, what are you doing? Do I look like Mr. Klan? I dgaf about this job though (quitting by the end of 2017 to run my home business) so I just pretend like I don't understand and make them awkwardly explain it multiple times, then continue to ask why it was supposed to be funny until they look suicidal.
Japan/Korea: People constantly wanted to take pictures with me because I'm huge. Sooooo many people asked if I was an American football player. Started to lie for fun and say yes.
Ragnar Blackmane
Member
Try not to generalize, there are several places in China where that behavior is frowned upon too (especially in big cities and particularly in the urban region of Guandong/Hong Kong). The behavior is pretty prevalent, especially in the countryside, and often people spitting in the bigger cities come from there. I met several Chinese (particularly urban middle class) that are ticked off by the behavior too and even ashamed of it when it happens when foreigners are nearby.
That said I had plenty of culture shock here on my exchange in Japan and together with my Chinese girlfriend.
For the Japanese I can say that I was really surprised how there actually is a sizeable population of stray cats where I live (Osaka, even if somewhat away from the center). And these aren't just normal stray cats, there are really, really expensive pure breeds among them too. Seems like many Japanese have a hard time living with cats (they aren't really great when it comes to conforming to strict rules in a household) and the cats end up being kicked out or running away, ending up as strays. There are barely any stray cats where I come from, so seeing a Main Coon with dirty fur in some small patch of rice field (you have a lot of those in the more outlying parts of the city, funny enough) and getting fed together with several other strays on the street by a good soul, I was really shocked.
There also seems to be quite an unwillingness to let cats into the house as well.
Also whether or not you stand on the left or right sight of an escalator to let people past you is rather strange: It's the right side in Osaka/Kyoto and Kansai in general (similar in London), yet it's the left side in Hiroshima and reportedly in most of the rest of the country.
Japan (at least the parts I visited: Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima among others) is super barrier free compared to Germany at least. They actually consistently have barrier free stalls in pretty much every toilet and have elevators in pretty much every building to help you with stairs, at least in Osaka. Germany would be a nightmare compared to that.
You got lucky, my German university student apartment (rented to me by the university itself, cheapest and best rent and conditions in the city, except for...) had a fibre optic cable... but a 30 GB download limit a month, with an additional 20GB costing 20€. And 1km outside of the city the best internet you got was 800 kb/s (I shit you not). German internet infrastructure is godawful in general and highly lamented, particularly in the countryside. If you don't have limited internet your connection is usually 3 MB/s max.
Went to Tunisia for a week with my mom when I was 13. The culture shock was how upfront and straightforward the men were with their advances towards my mother. A lot of thirsty guys all of a sudden. It was also the only thing I didn't like there. I mean, no 13 year boy wants random men close to their mom.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I guess mine is more of a positive culture shock.
So, I had ..expectations .. before moving to the US last year but extremely surprised that everyone (i've met so far) in the US is extremely polite. Maybe it's because I live in an area with a decent amount of ethnic/international population .. maybe it's because most of my interaction has been professional, offices and jobs etc but definitely happy at how friendly and pleasant everyone has been so far.
Although I'm going on a month long vacation to Florida with the wife later this year and I'm sort of afraid of that due to reasons (being a brown south-east asian guy).
So, I had ..expectations .. before moving to the US last year but extremely surprised that everyone (i've met so far) in the US is extremely polite. Maybe it's because I live in an area with a decent amount of ethnic/international population .. maybe it's because most of my interaction has been professional, offices and jobs etc but definitely happy at how friendly and pleasant everyone has been so far.
Legit shook.
Although I'm going on a month long vacation to Florida with the wife later this year and I'm sort of afraid of that due to reasons (being a brown south-east asian guy).
Any Questions
Member
I hope it gets better. It should be a place other nations aspire towards. At the moment it looks like a divided and dangerous if not white and socially acceptable, place to be.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
In Australia they don't rinse the soap off their dishes after washing them. They just put them, frothy and bubbling, on the dry rack.
the first time I came to America with dreams and shit and I was like:
"Damn why are they so fat, that's not really how I see them from tv shows... why are they drinking so much stuff and where the fuck is the orangina? Why are they calling this shit wine and cheese ? what is this shit, is it supposed to be pain or croissant ? dafuk... is there really weapons in a standard supermarket ( Wallmart ) or am I dreaming...damn, those people are crazy"
the next 3 times I'll go there, I was like at home lol.
"Damn why are they so fat, that's not really how I see them from tv shows... why are they drinking so much stuff and where the fuck is the orangina? Why are they calling this shit wine and cheese ? what is this shit, is it supposed to be pain or croissant ? dafuk... is there really weapons in a standard supermarket ( Wallmart ) or am I dreaming...damn, those people are crazy"
the next 3 times I'll go there, I was like at home lol.
That's disgusting.
matt360
Member
In Japan now for 11 years. Not really sure if mine are just complaints or part of culture shock, but here goes. And of course they are generalizations, but I think that goes without saying.
Japanese people have absolutely no sense of spatial awareness. Old people stop at the top of escalators causing potentially dangerous backups, students take up the entire sidewalk and are completely oblivious to those around them. It's like they've been conditioned to only be aware of what they are currently engaged in, if anything at all. It would have been incredibly easy to have been a ninja in Japan, because sneaking up on a Japanese person is easy is shit. It's infuriating how little attention people pay to what's happening around them.
Fruit and good beer in Japan are stupid expensive.
On the flip side, one thing that now bugs the shit out of me whenever I come home to the states is how everyone feels the need to constantly be in communication with someone. Constantly calling people for no reason, always texting. I thought it was bad in Japan with people on the trains with their phones out, but Americans just seem to be sick. Both of my parents thought nothing of texting and driving even though I had my two year old in the car. I promptly told them to knock that shit off. People just on the phone talking about the most boring mundane stuff, or complaining about how hard their workday was. Conversations were just a back and worth of one-upmanship. I love going back to the states, but this one really bugged me last time.
But a good thing about the states is how genuinely friendly people can be. Yeah, the service sucks compared to Japan, but in Japan you will never have a friendly moment with a waiter or waitress or checkout clerk or random shopper at Target. Those encounters happen ALL THE TIME in America and I love it. Just random small talk out of the blue, and something that would never happen in Japan (unless you have a cute kid as a conversation starter). It makes Japan feel cold in comparison.
Japanese people have absolutely no sense of spatial awareness. Old people stop at the top of escalators causing potentially dangerous backups, students take up the entire sidewalk and are completely oblivious to those around them. It's like they've been conditioned to only be aware of what they are currently engaged in, if anything at all. It would have been incredibly easy to have been a ninja in Japan, because sneaking up on a Japanese person is easy is shit. It's infuriating how little attention people pay to what's happening around them.
Fruit and good beer in Japan are stupid expensive.
On the flip side, one thing that now bugs the shit out of me whenever I come home to the states is how everyone feels the need to constantly be in communication with someone. Constantly calling people for no reason, always texting. I thought it was bad in Japan with people on the trains with their phones out, but Americans just seem to be sick. Both of my parents thought nothing of texting and driving even though I had my two year old in the car. I promptly told them to knock that shit off. People just on the phone talking about the most boring mundane stuff, or complaining about how hard their workday was. Conversations were just a back and worth of one-upmanship. I love going back to the states, but this one really bugged me last time.
But a good thing about the states is how genuinely friendly people can be. Yeah, the service sucks compared to Japan, but in Japan you will never have a friendly moment with a waiter or waitress or checkout clerk or random shopper at Target. Those encounters happen ALL THE TIME in America and I love it. Just random small talk out of the blue, and something that would never happen in Japan (unless you have a cute kid as a conversation starter). It makes Japan feel cold in comparison.
I thought that the Santori beers were some of the best beers I have ever had in the world. I also loved the fact I could just grab one from a vending machine...so good.
matt360
Member
Premium Malts is alright. It's the best of the combini beers but Japan has amazing craft beers and they are all ridiculously priced.
Mattlikewhoa
Member
American portions of food... I felt so wasteful not being able to finish a meal. There's just too much to take in.
Falchion
Member
Fucking this. Went to Canada and had to buy some milk. I was so confused, especially when I tried to cut the corner and put it into one of those plastic containers to help pour it out. Ended up splitting open a whole bag on accident. Why the hell would they sell it in a container that is so easy to completely fuck up like that?
That's exactly it. To be honest those same stereotypes exist in Malaysia too but not to the extent I experienced in Singapore. A lot of dirty looks and rude comments from store owners who think I only understand English and Malay.
Still a great country, but man are people there unhappy. Still, as a mixed race muslim I'd take SEA's racism over the craziness in America any day of the week
Elfotografoalocado
Banned
Being my GF a prime example of mixed race and her having lived in the US a good portion of her life, her account on race relations, how being mixed in the US is surprising to me.
She tells me about the stereotyping, the constant identity politics, slurs and shaming... How race is such an identity factor and how you have to conform to a given stereotype in order to belong to a group, and having to choose between them.
She says it's much different here in Spain and doesn't want to go back. Yesterday we were precisely discussing this, I always thought being mixed was cool everywhere, having lived abroad was cool everywhere, you get a share of more cultures and backgrounds...
And she tells me "not in the US, there you aren't here nor there, and every group will see you as an impure traitor"
It was all very shocking.
She tells me about the stereotyping, the constant identity politics, slurs and shaming... How race is such an identity factor and how you have to conform to a given stereotype in order to belong to a group, and having to choose between them.
She says it's much different here in Spain and doesn't want to go back. Yesterday we were precisely discussing this, I always thought being mixed was cool everywhere, having lived abroad was cool everywhere, you get a share of more cultures and backgrounds...
And she tells me "not in the US, there you aren't here nor there, and every group will see you as an impure traitor"
It was all very shocking.
It's also the right here in The Netherlands (and we drive on the right side of the road). Anyways, blocking an escalator is an asshole thing to do. Those things are a way of getting from A to B faster first, not to chill out for a bit.
In the same category, people not queing up for a train or bus and not letting people get out first.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
I thought so too, but in the end it didn't seem to make any difference to the cleanliness of the dishes. Crazy, right?
That's why there are takeaway boxes. I do agree that they're ridiculously huge, but to be honest, I found Australia's portion size surprisingly similar. And when you ask for it to be takeaway...
johancruijff
Banned
che cosa?
you may see someone (mostly old people) eat spaghetti with fork and spoon, but it's not really polite
for the other types you just use a fork, the spoon it's not even on the table if you're not eating soups
The Elite
BOSS
I still miss this rule in Toronto.
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