Japan and Australia - My intercultural experience

Hello. I'm Itsumi. Today, I want to introduce my experience of visiting Australia in a home stay program when I was 16. I had been to foreign countries several times, but it was the first time for me to stay with a family. It was full of new findings and surprises.
The first thing I realized was that Australian people are very friendly. While I was in school, every student said hello to me and during recess, they willingly showed me around to the schoolyard. When I first met my host family, they welcomed me with a hug. I was surprised because in Japan, we seldom hug even with a family or close friend. Japanese bow instead of hugging or shaking hands when greeting each other. [Another surprising thing happened] one day, when I was in the bus, a girl sitting next to me spoke to me. Instead of noticing my poor English, she patiently listened to me and kept on talking until she got off the bus. We Japanese rarely talk to the strangers in the bus or train, so at first I was surprised but I was happy she talked to me. We use honorific expressions when we talk to senior person, but there are no honorifics in English. This may be one reason for making us feeling that English-speaking people friendly.
Also, Australian people are active compared to Japanese. One day at school, the teacher asked a question in the class. Then, almost every student actively raised their hands and gave their opinion (as Kano mentioned about her stay in Germany). In such a situation, Japanese students are passive. Few people raise their hands and other students are just waiting for the teacher to choose a student.

They may be afraid of making mistakes. It is often said that Japanese people are shy. According to the anthoropologist Ruth Benedict, Japanese culture can be classified a “shame culture” whereas Western cultures are “guilt cultures”. While guilt is an internal moral principle, a sense of shame is ruled by external moral standards. This principle was developed among Japanese warriors who often considered a sense of honor to be more important than their own lives.
Australian people say what they think or what they want clearly. For example, when I cooked Japanese food for host family, my host sister said that she doesn’t like the food. As for me, even when something I don’t like was served, I politely said “It’s tasty.” Japanese people often avoid mentioning our honest thoughts and feelings in order to keep harmony in our communities and societies as a whole. We say what we are supposed to say in any given situation. It is an important rule that is considered necessary to maintain smooth relationships between people in Japan. This stance, however, sometimes causes misunderstandings between Japanese and foreigners, who may find these attitudes dishonest.
There were many other cultural differences between Japan and Australia. For example, we take off our shoes when we enter a house, but they don’t. We eat rice everyday, but they rarely eat rice and their staple food is bread. Japanese bathrooms usually contain an area for washing the body and a separate bathtub, but in Australia, they have only bathtub, and they don’t fill the bath with water. Maybe these customs are not peculiar to Australia, but Western countries have the same customs, too.
I don’t think Australian culture is strange and nor is Japanese. Nothing is right and nothing is wrong. I like both Australian and Japanese nationality. Every culture has different aspects and I think we should proud of our own culture. Everyone is different, and that’s the fun of intercultural communication.
My stay was only three weeks, but I learned so many things. It was pity that I had to come back [so soon]. I only wished I could speak English better so that I could make myself understood. Though I was shocked and confused with the difference of culture many times, I really enjoyed my stay and had a wonderful time. This precious experience opened up new horizons for me.

[Editor's comment: It seems that this experience may have been one of the reasons for Itsumi having chosen this course. Because she appreciated her real opportunity to encounter intercultural communication and valued that chance in Australia, it made her often contribute to the class discussion. Her article here clearly demonstrates that she -- not only gained some important intercultural communication competencies - but her English did benefit even from the short stay in Australia. I think the real value is the increased level of confidence in being able to communicate successfully and meaningful with people from another cultures that makes stories like Itsumi's not only interesting but highly educational. db July 14, 2006]

About Japanese culture

I am Yuko. I am Kitasato University student. Nice to meet you.

I am taking the class to learn foreign country and Japan. But, actually, I do not know about Japanese culture or foreign culture. So, I decided to study it. First, I study Japanese culture. By this, I want foreign people to know about Japan. So here are a few...

Japanese language is very difficult. Because there are many different language to express own mind. Kanji , hiragana , katakana , etc. In addition , there are many ways to express what you want to say. For example, Japanese words be used as I have much. To tell the truth, I mostly use “watashi” . This is most proper expression in any situation for man and woman. As another words, there are 'boku, ore, uchi, watakushi', etc. I think that it is one of the reasons to trouble foreign people [when learning it]. To learn English is very difficult for me , but I think it is more difficult to learn Japanese for foreign people.

This site gives a brief introduction to the Japanese language: http://www.youlearnjapanese.com/

The next examination is about food . Most foreigners are not good at natto. - a type of femented whole soy beans. I think that it seems to be strong smell . And I think that most foreigners do not like sliced raw fish . To tell the truth, I do not like sliced raw fish . Because, raw fish is fishy. So , I can eat if it is seared or boiled . As another way , you can change taste of food by using seasoning . Soy sauces used best with sliced raw fish. A good soy sauce has a big influence in the taste of food.

My third examination is about neighborhood . It is important to take the effort to talk with your neighbors. But, recently, I think that Japanese people do not participate in town councils and other neighborhood activities. I feel Japanese people retire from [interacting with ] other persons. Japanese people are [sometimes] shut in own world. In fact, though I saw my next door neighbor, I do not know a detailed character. Therefore , if something is happened to me , next door neighbo will not save me. So, Japanese people should become more positive to neighborhood . Town councils and local children’s associations conduct such programs as park cleaning , parties and other events. We can learn about your community through such events.

☆Conclusion☆

There are many different things between Japan and foreign countries. So, when you visit another country, you will worry so much. But, I think that many different things means many different [and interesting] findings. So, we should study about own culture and other ones too.

[Editor's comments: Yuko has hit upon one of the most important realizations that come from learning about another culture - -either by studying it as foreign langauge or by living or travelling to another land --It seems she wants us to see that the more we learn about other cultures, the more we come to understand and want to understand our own. Thanks, Yuko, for reminding us all of that wisdom. db]

Passive Learning - Education in Japan and Germany

Hi, this is my first attempt of our class project (only three girls, though). My name is Kano; I am a student of Kitasato University.
[Note: You can read more about our university in another article below.]
Actually, we had to DO something for this assignment long before. But we have not done anything until today. We knew that we should have done something, but we have being just waiting teachers information. I know this is the typical Japanese students style of learning. I hate it, but I am.
I call it Passive Learning. Since elementary school, it has been started in Japan. In the class, teachers don't ask us WHY or What DO YOU THINK? but WHAT IS THE ANSWER? So we only need to just answer the question with a few words. By test, this is the same. There is almost only one correct answer for one question. It means the students are not asked to tell their own opinion.The situation doesn't change even in high school.

Once in a long while,the teacher asks us what we think, but we can't answer. It's too late at the time. We don't know any longer how to tell or discribe what we think or how we feel.

Now I know why Japanese people cant speak foreign languages well. There are many reasons for it, but it's sure that this learning style affects [confidence to learn] at least. Because we have never had write our own view in English test (even in Japanese), it is not wonder hy can we talk in English to tell our opinions or feelings?

During my high school time, I was an exchange student to Germany for a year (Does anybody know AFS?). I had enjoyed it there and learned lots from the experience and enjoyed life there. So now ,what I want to say is the big different point between Japan and Germany (not only Germany but other developed countries) . This difference I felt is the style of schooling.

In the classes in Germany, the teachers always ask students WHY and the students raise their hands higher than others. I've never seen this scene in Japanese schools. The test is also different. For example, the theme of English test is often WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT　・・・　?
So these are some reasons why I call the Japanese students' style of learning -- Passive Learning. I dont want to blame the Japanese School for al because if I think is wrong way to learn, I can try to change it. But I don't. And I know that this theory could never be the reason why I haven't done our assignment until today. I was just lazy. Sorry.
Thank you for reading my report with weak English. (←because of school.hehehe) I hope you can understand...

EDITOR'S NOTE [ Kano has done a good job of giving the readers some insight into what some of the important differences between the styles of education and what schools in Japan and Germany expect from their students. I appreciate her humor and her candor. I think we all learn things that are both good and not-so-good about our own culture when we live (and learn or work) in another country, as Kano has done. It was great hearing her insights. db ]

Our teacher

This is simply a test photo from a mobile phone to show that it is possible to send a post (with picture and text) to our class BLOG. We are students studying at a Japanese medical and health sciences university about 1 hour outside of Tokyo.

06-06-13_11-38.jpg
Originally uploaded by kujp999.

Our teacher is a man from the US who has lived in Tokyo for a number of years.

北里 柴三郎 Kitasato Shibasaburo

柴三郎
Originally uploaded by kujp999.

Kitasato Shibasaburo was the Japanese scientist after whom our university was founded. He was an early Japanese microbiologist, who worked with Louis Pasteur and Edward Koch to help develop other vaccines against other dangerous infections at the end of the 19th century. He succeeded in finding the root cause of anthrax and succeeded in creating a vaccine for it that saved both animal and human lives. Later, his heirs and other interested people founded our university and used his name. We have four campus: two in the Tokyo area (Sagamihara is actually in the neighboring prefecture ( half way in size between a county and a state). Here is where all freshmen students must study for their first and final year of general education (liberal arts) and it is also the home of the medical school, school of nursing, school of allied health sciences (such a therapy education, medical technology and laboratory medicine). The School of Natural Sciences is also located on this campus.

The School of Pharmacy - one of the best known and respected in Japan has its campus closer to downtown Tokyo. This is also where the Kitasato Research Institute is located (sort of patterned after the Pasteur Institute). There is a veterinary and animal sciences campus in Towada, northern part of Honshu; and the last campus is at Sanriku (in Iwate on the Pacific Ocean side) which houses the Fisheries and Marine Management Department.

In addition to the 4 campus, there are also three large university research hospitals -- two at our Sagamihara campus and one in Shirogane, on the same site as the School of Pharmacy. Students in Japan begin both the first college education and also start (in earnest) their professional preparation when they begin the freshmen year at most all Japanese universities.

For example, future doctors, pharmacists and veterinarians, often finish high school in March and then begin 6 long years of limited general studies and loads of courses in their respective majors degrees. So you have to know clearly WHAT you want to become by age 14-15-16 and usually much younger. Secondly, there is very little chance of changing your mind because one you enter a college major (after being accepted even before high school graduation), there is little change of deciding differently. Too much time, energy (to pass the very difficult entrance examination in math, sciences and English) and money has been spent to make any change later. The effects are both good and bad.

The story is more complicated than how I have briefly described it, but that is something else I'd like to write about another time. [db]

Students perform original roleplay

Students learn English and then try to actualize their learning by creating and performing roleplay skits. Here is one example from freshmen students in 2005.

NOTE: This is simply a sample trial to assist us in setting up the posting of videos to our blog.

Students perform original roleplay
Uploaded by kujp999