日本文化-はじめまして ( Japanese Culture- Nice to Meet You)
日本文化-はじめまして ( Japanese Culture- Nice to Meet You)
  • Reporter Chung Yu-sun
  • 승인 2013.03.06 19:14
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Have you ever heard of ‘Postechian time’? For whatever reasons, it is rare that Postechians either come early or on time. As Postechians has become accustomed to this habit, it is thought to be normal. In Japan, however, it is impolite to come late. Japanese try to come a few minutes early so that the wheel rolls on time. A tour guide said, “Japanese take things slowly, yet cautiously.” But it was interesting how speedy the waiter at the restaurant, which was a hundred years old, cleaned up the table for the next customer. She even took away the glass of water of a customer as soon as the time to greet the next customers approached. The polite manner of Japanese can be portrayed through the attitudes of the strangers on the streets. Even with just a little budge, no matter whom that person may be, everyone immediately cries out “すみません,” a polite phrase. In Korea, although some do apologize, people often either give you a mean stare or ignore you. It would be nice if Koreans could enact similar etiquettes.
On the other hand, Japan also has its drawbacks from the perspective of a foreigner. Most of the street signs are written only in Japanese; therefore, it is difficult to find your way around or search for a certain shop. Moreover, Japanese food is known to have two flavors, either sweet or salty. Compared to Korean food, which has a variety of flavors such as salty, spicy, sour, and sweet, the flavors of Japanese food seemed limited.
An interesting fact about Japanese culture is that mineral water is more expensive than tea. While mineral water costs about 100 JPY, green tea in a bottle costs around 88 JPY. Perhaps the fact that before the Japanese nuclear power plant crisis, the locals could safely drink tap water can answer this question. Another interesting fact is that transportation through bicycles is common. On each sideboard, there is at least one cycler visible.
In Japan, people show respect for their seniors. However, the relationship between them is not as strict as in Korea. In Korean culture, most people feel that the person in a lower status should highly respect a person in a higher status. In return, higher status person treats the person in a lower status. In Japan, however, it is more common to ‘go dutch.’ In return, the atmosphere between the two people is more lenient.
With a glance, it is difficult to identify how Japan is different from Korea. The locals seem very similar from each other. However, observing the lifestyle and environmental conditions, it is interesting how the two countries so close together can be so different.