こんにちは😊
今日はキースのブログ。パースと福岡の違いについてのブログ第２弾です。
日本にいると気づかない点も、外国人の視点になってみてみると、気づきがあって面白いですね。
私たち日本人がどんなふうに見られているかという点も面白いですね。
英語学習者に役立つ語彙を盛り込んでおり、ひねった表現も入ってないので、是非是非読んでみてくださいね。
Hello again everyone!
In my last blog, I talked about some differences between Perth and Fukuoka. I wrote about bicycles, income and the prices of everyday items.
Today, I wanted to talk about a couple of the more major and more noticeable differences between these two beautiful countries.
First, multiculturalism.
Australia is an extremely diverse country. When walking down the street, or riding the train. I can encounter people from all over the world. Just walking down the street to the supermarket, or to a café, I can see Australian people, American people, Japanese people, Chinese people, African people. People from all corners of the world.
However, when I arrived in Japan, one of the first things I noticed was that I was surrounded by Japanese people. Even after 6-months, I still find it to be quite rare for me to see a foreigner out on the street.
I am sure there are more foreigners in cities such as Tokyo or Osaka, but it is still very surprising!
I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing. It gives me more opportunities to study Japanese! It is just so different to Perth, that even after living in Japan for 6 months, it still surprises me every day!
The second major difference I wanted to talk about is the differences in personality due to culture.
Everybody is unique, everybody has their own personality. However, there are some cultural differences that make it quite hard for me to adjust in Japan.
Generally, Australian people tend to be more direct. If we dislike something, we will tell you. If we do not want to do something, we will tell you.
I have experienced some situations in Japan where I have been direct with people, and they thought I was being rude. Not just Japanese people! Even other foreigners have mistaken this directness for rudeness.
I find some Japanese people tend to be the complete opposite!
I have met a few Japanese people who may dislike something, but they do not want to say anything, just in-case they offend you.
This can be frustrating for me, because I am used to people being more direct. So if a person does not tell me they dislike something, I will not immediately know this!
As a very casual, laid-back Australian, I feel this will take me a very long time to adjust to.
Despite these difficulties, I love living in Fukuoka. It really is a beautiful city, and I hope to live here for a very long time!
Thank you for reading, everyone!