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Originally Posted by JohnBraden
What happens when you're complimenting how cute a baby is to his/her mother? I've done so a few times and was rewarded with smiles and "thank you!"s. Is it because they know gaijin will compliment total strangers without being shy about it? They thanked me and went on to tell me his/her name and it seemed they were tickled pink anyone out of their "circle" gave them any kind of attention. I know it's natural for Westerners to do it. Perhaps the Japanese have figured that out?
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Actually, babies are in a league all their own. People *do* frequently compliment babies, and the appropriate response (around here at least) is one of thanks followed by attempts to show the baby off some more.
It is the same for pets, really.
I am not sure where the cutoff is, but I have seen people complimenting adult children with the parents responding only with "I don`t know where he got those good looks! Certainly not from me!" or the like.
Parents just like it when their children are complimented - it doesn`t have anything to do with who is doing the complimenting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SHAD0W
Maybe it's because I wasn't looking for them, but I didn't see any babies while in Japan?
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Parents taking their babies out tend to stick close to home. Carrying a baby around (or lugging a stroller...) in crowded areas isn`t very fun. So most babies stay at home or close to home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
I know lots of families don't take kids to downtown Tokyo or Osaka or other places like that because 1) a lost kid is LOST and 2) kids don't enjoy it.
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I have never thought about the *lost* aspect of it - but #2 is very true. Kids generally don`t enjoy going to adult hangouts. It is a pain to get around with a small child, and dragging a small child around who isn`t having any fun is awful. Dragging them through crowds just makes it worse.
Add to this a) widespread childcare, b) extended family support, c) facilities dedicated to children... And there isn`t too much reason for a kid to be downtown.