After living in Japan for years, Sean Kinsell will be moving back to the US in a few weeks. He is anticipating culture shock based on the television programs and political issues people seem to be into over here. However, I’ll bet you that what really gets to him after the shock of “you people actually watch that?” wears off will be all the little things — the mannerisms, the way people don’t automatically take their shoes off before entering a house, the way people greet you (bet you New York manners vs. Tokyo manners will really be a stunner), the way people act in movie theaters (heck, I haven’t been to the theater in years, not since the last Lord of the Rings movie came out), the way people eat, and so on. I can tell you that personally I experienced culture shock just moving from Miami to Orlando — despite the two metropolitan areas being only about 275 miles apart, they are like night and day. I mean, in Orlando people actually look you in the eye and say “hello” to you on the street! Complete strangers! And they aren’t crazy or planning to rob you — they’re just being polite! That freaked me out.
4 Responses to “Movin’ on sideways”
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April 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 am
Hmm…. Now that you put it that way, I think it’s less that I expect pop-culture shock than that the changes in pop culture have really driven it home how long I’ve been here. You’re right that people’s behavior will be the biggest thing to adjust to. What I suspect will happen is, I’ll be fine for the first few weeks…I go back to the States for that length of time at least once a year anyway…then it’ll suddenly hit me that I’m not getting on a plane and coming back to Tokyo, and this is it. Every time my New York self has surfaced for the past dozen years, I’ve eventually had to fold it away and shrug on my Tokyo self on the flight back here.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 am
Oh, and thanks for the link. Speaking of manners!
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:23 am
Heh. I have gotten better in the past few years.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
When I traveled to Chicago last summer – after living in a small southern town for seven years – I felt very culture-shocky.
Mostly it had to do with rudeness, and how people couldn’t line up for anything in any proper sense – they just pushed and shoved until they got “firsties” and it was all kind of ugly.
I think I need to visit a large city now and again, especially when I begin complaining about how my little town doesn’t have a bookstore or a gourmet shop or anything much to do in the summer if you don’t have kids…