作为一个日本人，你在访问美国时遇到了哪些文化冲击?（二）

Yuka Ogasawara
I was traveling around Europe and South East Asia, but I had never had a culture shock…until I went to the US for the first time.
I went to Phoenix for work in Summer. It was extremely hot, and we couldn’t drive, so we decided to eat in the spaghetti restaurant nearby for the first dinner. We were 3 of us, and we ordered 2 different kinds of spaghetti and one salad.
First, a salad came. The BIGGEST salad I’d seen in my whole life. We started nervously laughing that “oh it must be the American size!”
And shortly after, even bigger 2 plates of spaghetti came. We just lost words. We ordered 2 different types of spaghetti following the staff’s recommendation, but they tasted exactly the same.
I looked around and realized that there are the biggest people I’d seen with the biggest cups in their hands and pouring Diet Coke. I just couldn’t understand why they were drinking Diet Coke in the 40oz cup. (If you want to diet, maybe a small cup and less food?)
From that night, I completely lost my appetite until we found a nice Vietnamese restaurant 4 days later.

我在欧洲和东南亚旅行，但我从来没有经历过文化冲击，直到我第一次去美国。
夏天我去凤凰城工作。天气很热，我们不能开车，所以我们决定在附近的意大利面餐厅吃第一顿饭。我们三个人，点了两种不同的意大利面和一份沙拉。
首先，来了一份沙拉。这是我一生中见过的最大分量的沙拉。我们开始紧张地笑着说：“哦，一定是美国尺码！”
不久之后，来了更大的两盘意大利面条。我们完全说不出话来。根据工作人员的建议，我们点了两种不同类型的意大利面，但味道完全一样。
我环顾四周，意识到我见过的最大体格的人手里拿着最大号的杯子，倒着健怡可乐。我完全不明白他们为什么要喝40盎司的健怡可乐。（如果你想节食，也许喝一小杯，少吃点食物）
从那天晚上开始，我完全没有食欲，直到4天后我们找到了一家不错的越南餐厅。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

Gene Mayeda
As a Japanese, what cultural shocks did you have when you visited the USA?
As someone who is not from Japan but participates in an annual student/faculty exchange with a Japanese high school since 1987, our Japanese guests have commented on some of the things they have seen here in the US.
Pumping your own gas. One teacher from Japan couldn’t get over it and how cheap the gas is compared to Japan.
The size of portions at meals (restaurants and home cooked meals). They seem huge. How much red meat Americans eat. How overweight many Americans are.
All those huge American cars (not so huge today as they were in the 1980’s). Those big American pick up trucks and full size SUV’s that everyone drives.
Crossing the street is dangerous because they drive on the other side of the road and look right first.
How the use of land is different; for example, middle class suburban Americans have big back yards and their homes are much larger (1/5 to 1/4 acre lots).
Most students in American high schools do not wear uniforms and they move from classroom to classroom. In Japan the teachers change rooms and the students stay in their classroom. The Japanese students wear uniforms.
American schools pay custodians to clean the school. In Japan the students do the cleaning up.
The old, rusted, banged up cars that are still being driven legally. A Japanese friend couldn’t stop laughing about that the first time she saw it. I guess those cars don’t pass the annual inspection in Japan and are recycled before they get that bad.

作为一个日本人，当你访问美国时，你受到了什么样的文化冲击？
作为一个非日本籍的人，自1987年以来，每年都与一所日本高中的年度学生/教师交换，我们的日本客人就他们在美国看到的一些事情发表了评论。
自己加油，一位来自日本的老师无法接受，与日本相比，汽油是多么的便宜。
用餐时的份量（餐馆和家常菜）。它们看起来很大份。美国人吃多少红肉啊，有不少的美国人超重。
所有那些巨大的美国汽车（今天没有20世纪80年代那么大）。每个人都开那些大的美国皮卡和全尺寸SUV。
过马路很危险，因为他们在路的另一边开车，得先向右看。
土地用途不同；例如，美国郊区的中产阶级有很大的后院，他们的房子要大得多（1/5到1/4英亩）。
美国高中的大多数学生不穿校服，他们从一间教室搬到另一间教室。在日本，则是老师们换房间，学生们呆在教室里，而且日本学生穿制服。
美国学校付钱给管理员打扫学校，在日本，是学生们打扫卫生。
那些老旧、锈迹斑斑、破旧不堪的汽车仍在合法驾驶。一位日本朋友第一次看到它时就忍不住笑了起来。我想那些车在日本是无法通过年检的，在坏到那个地步之前就被回收了。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

Profile photo for Juri Nakahara
As a Japanese person, what cultural shocks did you have when visiting the USA?
I don't think this is something that can happen only in the USA, but my first trip overseas was to the USA, and I was shocked when a cashier told me something in a harsh way (it sounded harsh to me). When I went to a convenience store near our hotel with my friend, she tried to buy some alcohol and the cashier asked my friend to show her an ID, but she forgot to bring her passport with her, so I told the casher that "I will buy the alcohol" and showed my passport. Then she told me in harsh way, "No! Your friend has to show me HER ID! These are not yours!" (I don't remember the exact English she said) Then, she calmly asked my friend if she hadn't got any ID in her purse, and the only ID she had was her Japanese driver's license, but the casher said it's okay and my friend bought the alcohol. I don't know why she said okay when her date of birth was written in Japanese year on her driver's license, but I was shocked because in Japan, cashiers or restaurant staff cannot talk in a harsh way to customers even when they did something rude or wrong. Even school teachers have to be careful in the way they talk to students, because they can be accused by students' parents. I was shocked and I didn't feel uncomfortable. She just said something right, and I remember that I had in mind back then, something like "why is it wrong when a cashier behaved like her in our country?"
We often hesitate to say "No" directly because it can make people uncomfortable or people can have negative impression on you. We hesitate to say exactly what we have in mind to protect ourselves and it's sometimes/often devious.

作为一个日本人，你访问美国时受到了什么样的文化冲击？
我不认为这只会发生在美国，但我的第一次海外旅行是去美国，当一位收银员以严厉的方式告诉我一些事情时，我感到震惊（这听起来很严厉）。当我和朋友去酒店附近的一家便利店时，她想买一些酒，收银员让我朋友给她出示身份证，但她忘了带护照，所以我告诉收银员“我来买酒”，并出示了我的护照。然后她严厉地告诉我：“不！你朋友必须给我看她的身份证！这些酒不是你的！”（我不记得她说的英语的确切词汇了）然后，她平静地问我朋友钱包里是否没有身份证，她唯一的身份证是她的日本驾照，但收银员说没关系，我朋友买了酒。我不知道当她的驾照上用日本年份写着她的出生日期时，她为什么说可以，但我很震惊，因为在日本，即使顾客做了粗鲁或错误的事情，收银员或餐厅工作人员也不能用严厉的方式与顾客交谈。即使是学校老师在与学生交谈时也必须小心，因为他们可能会受到学生家长的指责。我很震惊，也没有感到不舒服。她只是说了一些正确的话，我记得当时我心里是出现了这样的想法的，比如“为什么在我们的国家，收银员的行为如果她一样，就是错误的？”
我们经常犹豫是否直接说“不”，因为这会让人们感到不舒服，或者人们会对你产生负面印象。为了保护自己，我们会犹豫是否要说出自己的想法，这有时(经常)是迂回的方式去表达。

Eiichi Kitagawa
As a Japanese person, what cultural shocks did you have when visiting the USA?
My experience (late 90's)
1) During the flight, temp of the destination was above 100, and I picture lakes and ocean boiling.
2) Saw people throwing battery in regular garbage.
3) Bill Clinton doing speech at church ending with "God Bless America." I literary froze. Back home, I was the only kid in my class from Christian family, and teachers did better job separating their personal belief. I felt my religious right were better respected that way.
4) People were eating greenish blue pebbles looking like radioactive waste. I later learned that they are actually breakfast cereals.

作为一个日本人，你访问美国时受到了什么样的文化冲击？
我的经历（90年代后期）
在飞行过程中，目的地的温度超过了100，我想象着湖泊和大海在沸腾。
看到有人把电池扔到垃圾桶里。
比尔·克林顿在教堂演讲时以“上帝保佑美国”结尾。在家乡，我是班里唯一一个来自基督教家庭的孩子，老师们在区分他们的个人信仰方面做得更好。我觉得这样我的宗教权利会得到更好的尊重。
人们正在吃绿蓝色的鹅卵石状的东西，看起来像放射性废料。后来我才知道它们其实是早餐麦片。

Nicky Sekino
I used to have an interesting experience in the U.S.
When I arrived at Los Angeles International Airport for the first time in my life, my flight arrived late. My connecting flight had already left the airport.
I was walking on the corridor and saw two men walking toward me: one was a security guard and the other a custodian.
I looked at the two men and decided to talk to the security guard. I asked him if he knew the way . He looked at me and said, “This gentleman can answer your question as much as I can, but let me explain how to get there.”

我曾经在美国有过一段有趣的经历
当我平生第一次到达洛杉矶国际机场时，我乘坐的航班晚点了。我的转机航班已经离开机场了。
我走在走廊上，看到两个人朝我走来：一个是保安，另一个是管理员。
我看着这两个人，决定和保安谈谈。我问他是否知道路。他看着我说：“有位先生可以尽我所能回答你的问题，但让我解释一下如何到达那里。”

Anthony
What culture shock have you experienced while visiting or living in Japan?
Japan has vending machines for literally everything.
Yes, everything.
I lived in an area of Japan that consisted mainly of farmland and mountains, with the occasional large town or two.
My best friend and I decided to go for a bike ride on a Saturday afternoon, to explore what the Japanese countryside had to offer.
After a while, we stopped in some clearing in the middle of nowhere, because it had vending machines.
It looked a lot like this, minus the houses in the background, and there were more vending machines.
Anyway, we were thirsty, as Japan can get a tad hot and humid in the summertime, so the idea of a refreshment sounded pretty good with both of us.

在日本旅游或生活期间，你经历了什么样的文化冲击？
日本几乎所有东西都有自动售货机。
是的，什么都有。
我住在日本的一个主要由农田和山脉组成的地区，偶尔会有一两个大城镇。
我和我最好的朋友决定在一个周六下午去骑自行车，探索日本乡村的特色。
过了一会儿，我们在一个偏僻的空地上停了下来，因为那里有自动售货机。
它看起来很像这样，除了背景里的房子，还有更多的自动售货机。
不管怎样，我们都很渴，因为日本在夏天会有点湿热，所以我们俩都觉得喝点茶点挺好的。

We approached the vending machines, to take a gander at what they had to offer.
There were the usual Coca-Cola, Boss, and Asahi (which are a coffee and tea company, respectively), but there was another that was quite peculiar.
One that would never, ever be seen in the U.S., or most other countries.
Yes, there was a porn vending machine just sitting out in the middle of nowhere.
My friend and I were a bit surprised to see that.
I had seen vending machines that sold lottery tickets, eggs, cigarettes, vegetables, and random mystery boxes.
But this was new for me.
Like I said, Japan has vending machines for literally everything.

我们走近自动售货机，想看看它们能提供什么。
有常见的可口可乐、Boss和朝日(分别是一家咖啡和茶公司)，但也有另一家相当奇特的公司。
这种情况在美国或大多数其他国家都不会出现。
是的，那里有一台色情作品自动售货机，就在一个荒无人烟的地方。
我和我的朋友看到这个有点惊讶。
我见过出售彩票、鸡蛋、香烟、蔬菜和随机神秘盒子的自动售货机。
但这对我来说是新鲜事。
就像我说的，日本几乎所有东西都有自动售货机。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

Britney Fitzgerald
What was your biggest culture shock visiting New York City? ?
I came to NYC 6 year ago and never left. But I moved here from the south, which is a very different part of the United States—so, believe me, I was shocked 100x over. Here are some of the basics that threw me for a loop.
1. You don't ever hang out in Times Square. You see it in movies, pictures, and read about this iconic neighborhood in books. But in reality, unless you work there or or frequent Broadway once a week, you will not spend anytime in this (very crowded) area. I don't know why, but I just assumed Times Square was the social hub of NYC. Wrong. When you're visiting, go downtown!
2. There's a reason no one smiles on the subway. I used to think, "These people look miserable. Why don't they ever smile?" It took me about 2 months to get the vibe. In the South, we greet everyone. You wave at neighbors when you drive by, or make conversation at the grocery store. But here? There's just too much. Too many signs, messages, noises—if you interact with every person you come across, you become overwhelmed. Mentally exhausted. This isn't an excuse to be rude, but it explains the blank stares and headphones on the subway. Everyone just needs a minute to themselves.

你访问纽约最大的文化冲击是什么？
我6年前来到纽约，从未离开过。但我是从美国南部搬到这里的，那是一个非常不同的地方——所以，相信我，我震惊了100倍。以下是一些让我大吃一惊的基础事情：
1.你从来不会去时代广场闲逛过。你可以在电影、图片中看到它，也可以在书中读到这个标志性的社区。但事实上，除非你在那里工作，或者每周去百老汇一次，否则你在任何时间都不会在这个（非常拥挤的）地区呆的。我不知道为什么，但我原来认为时代广场完全是纽约的社交中心。不过错了，当你来这时，去市中心吧！
2.地铁上没有人微笑是有原因的。我曾经想，“这些人看起来很痛苦。为什么他们从不微笑？”我花了2个月的时间才体会到这种感觉。在南方，我们向每个人打招呼。当你开车经过的时候，你向邻居挥手，或者在杂货店和他们聊天。但在这里吗？（想）太多了。太多的标志、信息、噪音——如果你和遇到的每一个人互动，你就会不知所措和精神疲惫的。这不是无礼的借口，但它解释了地铁上那些茫然的眼神和带着耳机的场景。每个人都需要一分钟独处的时间。

3. Bodega is not a word in Virginia. I never heard it until I moved here. Now, it is a life source.
4. Mom and pop shops/restaurants still reign supreme. This may be true for many cities, but if you're a child of the suburbs? This is news to you! When I go home now, I get panicky when we roll into Applebee's. That said, occasionally your errands can take forever in the city. To the Polish bakery, to the laundromat, to the organic juice guy, to Urban Outfitters, to the hardware store. There just are not very many malls or "one stop shops."
5. Some buildings need a revamp. The grittiness of the city has never bothered me. I suppose I just expected it. But I'm always shocked at how outdated Port Authority and Penn Station are—WTF? 1970s NYC is alive and well!
6. There are many homeless and mentally ill people sleeping on the streets. Old men, families, and a slew of teens. It's totally heartbreaking and becomes such a common sight that you forget it's actually a huge problem.
7. This city moves fast. Everyone is going somewhere, everyone is fighting to be here, and everyone is walking 100 miles an hour, especially during the commute. I also walk an average of 5 miles a day—so if you're visiting, be prepared.
8. You still need green space. This one surprised me, but my love for nature has actually increased while living in the city. Take an afternoon to go to Central Park or Prospect Park. Enjoy a booze cruise on the water. And, most importantly, you need to leave the city at least once a month. You'll come back refreshed, and in better shape to take over the world.

3.酒窖在弗吉尼亚根本不存在。我搬来这里之前从没听过。现在，它是一个生命之源。
4.夫妻店/餐馆仍然占据主导地位。这对许多城市来说可能是真的，但如果你是郊区的孩子？这对你来说是个新鲜事！当我现在回家时，当我们走进Applebee餐厅时，我会感到恐慌。也就是说，你偶尔外出办事可能会在城市里花很长时间。去波兰面包店，去自助洗衣店，去有机果汁店，去Urban Outfitters（一家美国时尚零售公司），去五金店。这里购物中心或“一站式商店”不是很多。
5.有些建筑物需要整修。这个城市的沙砾从来没有困扰过我。我想我完全预料到了。但我总是对港务局和宾夕法尼亚车站的过时程度感到震惊——卧槽？20世纪70年代的纽约建筑仍然完好且被投入使用。
6.有许多无家可归者和精神病患者露宿街头。老人、家族和一群青少年，这完全令人心碎，这成为一种常见的景象，以至于你忘记了这实际上是一个巨大的问题。
7.这座城市发展迅速。每个人都要去某个地方，每个人都在为能呆在这而奋斗着，每个人都以每小时100英里的速度行走着，尤其是在通勤期间。我平均每天步行5英里，所以如果你要来这里，请做好准备。
8.你仍然需要绿色空间。这一点让我很惊讶，但我对大自然的热爱实际上在城市生活中增加了。花一个下午的时间去中央公园或展望公园，在水上畅饮一番。而且，最重要的是，你需要每月至少离开城市一次。你会神清气爽地回来，以更好的状态接管世界。

Mandy Shari
One of the most significant cultural shocks that Japanese people may experience when visiting the USA is the difference in communication styles. In Japan, indirect communication is preferred, and people tend to avoid confrontation or saying "no" directly. In contrast, Americans tend to be more direct and assertive in their communication style. This can lead to misunderstandings and discomfort for Japanese visitors.
Another cultural difference is the concept of personal space. Japanese people are accustomed to close physical proximity when interacting with others, while Americans tend to prefer more personal space. This can make Japanese visitors feel uncomfortable or even offended if they are not accustomed to this cultural norm.
Additionally, food culture can be a significant cultural shock for Japanese visitors to the USA. American cuisine tends to be much sweeter and saltier than traditional Japanese food, which can be jarring for those who are not used to it. Portion sizes are also much larger in America, which can be overwhelming for some Japanese visitors.

日本人在访问美国时可能会经历的最重大的文化冲击之一是交流风格的差异。在日本，人们更喜欢间接交流，人们倾向于避免对抗或避免直接说“不”。相比之下，美国人在沟通方式上往往更直接、更自信。这可能会给日本游客带来误解和不适。
另一个文化差异是个人空间的概念。日本人在与他人互动时习惯近距离接触，而美国人则更倾向于喜欢私人空间。如果日本游客不习惯这种文化规范，他们会感到不舒服，甚至被冒犯。
此外，饮食文化对来美国的日本游客来说可能是一个重大的文化冲击。美国菜往往比传统的日本菜更甜、更咸，这对那些不习惯的人来说可能会很不舒服。在美国，份量也大得多，这对一些日本游客来说是压倒性的。