cultural differences

Japanese Internet reacts to ammunition panic-buying in America due to coronavirus fears

Confusion about what Americans plan to do with it all.

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Keyboard app shares most common emoji by country, Japan’s are completely different from others

A case of cultural differences or linguistic ones?

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A case of culture shock: Japanese summer vacation isn’t much of a vacation at all

Our Japanese-language reporter had his world turned upside down when his German wife commented on his childhood memories.

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Nine times Japanese people got schooled on their own country and culture by foreigners

Japanese people dish on things foreigners told them that they’d never realized before about their home country.

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Photo of Canadian cops doing something that would be unthinkable in Japan goes viral

None of the natives at this Canada Day celebration seemed to care, but in Japan, this would never happen.

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Twitter thread sparks debate on Japanese vs American sick leave policies, overwork culture

Should I stay or should I go? A Japanese employee shares some insight from his American boss about when to take time to recuperate.
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Japanese partygoer starts dishwashing at American friend’s house, ends up pondering her culture

A simple act leads to a deep discussion on important cultural values within Japan vs. outside countries and traditional gender roles. 

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Students in Finland, the world’s best-educated country, react to Japan’s harsh school rules

Would these Finnish students be as successful if they’d gone through the Japanese school system instead?

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Japanese tourists in flu masks frighten British supermarket shoppers

Japanese tourists wearing everyday casual flu masks apparently caused upset amongst supermarket shoppers in British seaside town

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W.T.F. Japan: Top 5 strange things Japanese people do for Christmas【Weird Top Five】

What? It’s just a knife to cut the traditional Christmas cake!

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Japan’s extremely harsh video game reviews may be the reason it gets some new releases last

Bad reviews from Japan may have lead to developers prioritizing other countries first.

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W.T.F. Japan: Top 5 strangest ways to be polite in Japan 【Weird Top Five】

Slurp, sniff, but whatever you do, DON’T pour your own drink!

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Japanese comic shows four reasons people from different countries spend money on smartphone games

Are you Japanese, American, Korean or Chinese when it comes to smartphone game transactions?

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Three common complaints foreigners have about Christmas in Japan, and how to make peace with them

‘Tis the season for grumbling about cultural differences, but does it have to be?

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Japanese teacher’s explanation about “individuality” to kids has a deep, beautiful meaning

Individuality is more than just writing kanji slightly differently from each other.

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Japanese Twitter hashtag warns: “Dis this in my prefecture and you’re going to hell”

There’s some things you just don’t do when you visit other places. You wouldn’t go around dissing the champagne in France, the pyramids in Egypt, or the Red Sox in Boston. Disrespecting a town or country’s claim to fame is liable to get you glares and maybe even fists from the locals.

And the same thing goes for Japan. Each region is very protective of its local specialties, so much so that they’ve created a Twitter hashtag to show everyone exactly what they should be wary of disrespecting if they visit.

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Japanese netizens attempt to answer our questions about confusing things that happen in anime

As much as we all love Japanese anime and manga, we also have to admit that they can be a little… confusing. For almost all of us, there’s probably been a few times when watching a show or reading a manga that something happened to make you go, “Wait, what?”

Why is that guy’s nose bleeding? Why are they eating a “Christmas cake?” Our cultural misunderstandings can be pretty funny to the Japanese, so much so that they’ve been compiled into a book: If Japan’s So Safe Then Why Are There So Many Chikan? With all the questions in one place, Japanese netizens have stepped up to finally provide some potential answers.

Ready to finally clear up some of your anime misunderstandings? Read on to find out the answers!

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Five things Japanese people do that some expats and foreigners can’t 【Video】

Culture shock is a strange yet wonderful phenomenon. Nothing can really compare to the feeling of seeing a group of people doing something you never thought possible for the first time.

And sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you don’t get over it. American YouTuber Strawberry Mochi recently posted a video about the top five things Japanese people can do that she simply cannot. Do you share the same hardships as her? Watch the video and find out!

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“Hong Kong is not China” illustrations cause controversy online

A set of infographics claiming to show differences between Hong Kong and China has been attracting attention online – much of it negative.

The striking images, which were created by a Hong Kong artist and posted to the Facebook page of Local Studio HK (本土工作室), cover topics such as cultural differences, politics, habits and censorship. As you might expect, it’s ruffled more than a few feathers.

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5 common misconceptions most westerners have about Japanese food

These days, Japanese food is pretty widely consumed in the west, even if sometimes the original taste gets slightly lost in translation. In general, though, even non-Japanophiles can be found enjoying a range of Japanese food, whether at home or out for dinner with friends. Sushi is no longer shocking, and  “comfort foods” such as okonomiyaki, ramen, and yakiniku can all be enjoyed overseas. But did you know that apparently we’re still making five major mistakes when it comes to Japanese cuisine? Read on to find out if you’re a major offender who doesn’t know their ikura from their elbow!

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