Culture Shock and the Open Mind

I was recently interviewed by several students who attend APU about my experience with culture shock. The question that I was asked was something along the lines of "in what ways, positive and negative, have you experienced culture shock since coming to Japan?". This was a really difficult question for me to answer. I think that this is because I decided to come to Japan with an open mind. I knew that I was coming to a country that was not my own with people that would not necessarily behave the same way that Americans would. So, I think I have been able to adapt pretty well.

I think some people came here without this attitude; so, I have heard such complaints as "chopsticks are really hard to use", "the beds are too hard", and other things like this. Personally, I don't see how this qualifies as culture shock anyway. These just seem like personal preferences that aren't being satisfied.

I can't say that I have experienced any negative culture shock to date. The things that have shocked me have mainly been positive things. For instance, Japanese people seem to be exceedingly kind. When I first arrived in Fukuoka, I couldn't find my hotel. So, I asked someone where my hotel was. The person actually took the time to walk with me to show me where the hotel was. Once we arrived at the hotel, this same person took the time to help me communicate with the personnel at the hotel. I think most Americans would not do this sort of thing and particular not for a stranger. There are many other examples of Japanese generosity that I could give, but this one was the most striking to me because it was one of my first experiences here.

There are a few miscellaneous things that I have had to get used to, but I wouldn't consider them negative in anyway. For one, the Japanese seem to be quite shy in general. This isn't to say that they aren't friendly; they just seem to be really shy. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to get people to say what they actually feel. For a person that is used to the American tendency to be very direct, this may be rather frustrating.

Another example is the staring. This isn't exactly a culture shock thing, but it is still something that I have had to get used to. Everywhere I go people stare at me. This isn't terribly surprising, as Japan has very few foreigners and especially few Americans. So, seeing a 191 cm American walking down the road may be comparable to seeing a real life dinosaur walking down the streets or something like that. "Jesus Christ! Honey, is that an American?! Quick! Get the camera! The guys at work are never gonna believe this one."

So, for people going to live in another country, what would I recommend doing to deal with culture shock? Easy. Have an open mind. Remember that this is not your country. Constantly interact with the people. The more time that you spend with that country's people, the sooner you will become acquainted with the customs and manners of the area. Be very social and don't be afraid to make mistakes because, like me, you probably will, but that is part of the learning process.