Quote:
Originally Posted by GoNative
I couldn't agree more. I'm exactly the same person here in Japan as I was back in my home country. I'm not going to change the person I am just so I fit in better. That doesn't mean being direspectful or arrogant. That's not the sort of person I am. But I'm not changing the way I dress or my personality just to be accepted more. Accept me as I am or not at all. Doesn't overly worry me. |
Pretending to be someone you`re not just to fit in is one thing, being aware of the norms in the country you`re in and not doing things that go totally against them is another.
Do you do the exact same things even when it would go against the cultural and social norms of Japan? This is fine - if you`re prepared to be treated as if you`re doing something weird, as it
is weird according to Japanese standards. But if you were to just act exactly as you did outside Japan and then expect to be treated as if your behavior was entirely normal... That is a problem.
I`m not saying this is what
you do, but it`s pretty common. Foreigners come to Japan, act exactly as they did back home, and then get extremely irritated and frustrated by a) the weird habits of Japanese people, and b) being treated as if they`re doing something weird... Without ever realizing that they are the ones doing something odd from the Japanese perspective, and that all the "weird" habits of the Japanese people are
normal.