@@Shoulderdevil2023 I'm French and although we make small talk more than in Japan, I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and warm Americans were when I visited NYC, DC and WV. It was a nice contrast to the image of the US we have abroad. And I'm always shocked by how informal Americans are in what would be a formal setting in France. NYT journalists interviewing undecided voters for a podcast for example. They talk to them as if they were friends and would probably use the informal "tu" if it were a conversation in French whereas we would have a much more formal interview.
@@dreamtforlightyearss I agree! It's always interesting to see what pronoun (tu vs vous) French dubbing chooses for American films and series. No matter which they choose, it sounds strange when you're used to the original version. As for Spanish, I find the use of tú vs usted in Mexico very similar to our use of tu and vous in France but Spaniards use tú much more freely which seems almost rude to me. They use tú for strangers on the street, teachers, cashiers and clients ... These would all require vous in France.
@@bohomazdesign725 Maybe! But I keep a fond memory of the elderly Black American people who helped me and wished me a good stay when I had just arrived in NYC. Same goes for people who were nice to me in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania or WV. On the other hand, I've met Americans living in California who told me Californians practice this sort of fake friendliness where they'll give you backhanded compliments or talk behind your back. I'm guessing there are cultural differences around this between different states/areas of the US.
This is something I have always liked about America and one thing I missed when I was living in Europe. I always forget how everyone models themselves after a friendly golden retriever. I used to hate it as a kid because I’m really shy and introverted, but now that I’m older, I appreciate the small random social interactions that show us we’re all sharing the same human experience.
Fake friendliness and nothing more. A couple seconds later they will trash your booty behind your back no matter if you are stranger or not. That's the sad reality about Americans.
american random interactions , its all fake... fake friendliness just makes intelligent people paranoid , and can't trust anyone , why would i care about random people approaching me who i don't know ? .. some fake friendly comments on the street when im trying to run errands .. what's the value in that ? smalltalk is meaningless and fake af , "hi, how you doing ?" is rhetorical , americans dont actually give a fck how you are doing , narcissist,fake people fishing for contacts, for self-gain (via business interaction or whatever reasons.. ) if they would actually care about people, your fcking STREETS wouldnt be filled with junkies , homeless and mentally ill people ...
I'm Korean who lived in Canada and I totally agree! I miss the North American style social interactions and small talks with random strangers. It certainly makes life experience more rich.
This is so true about living in Japan. But there are moments sometimes I want to praise stranger’s dress or want to ask where they bought the purse, but I don’t 😅
I'll tell you what's really weird. In the south where you find the most deeply conservative people you also find the most outwardly friendly people. I've never been able to really make sense of it in my entire life. We're cool until they're marching through town with signs talking about stop the steal. LOL
As an Asian woman in Japan, I had many aunties talking to me when I was shopping. They would compliment my clothes or talk about pets, and only after a few minutes they would realize I was a foreigner who only understood half of what they said 😆 I loved them
@@niallk9336It's like with just about EVERYWHERE in Japan but the Kansai region, especially Osaka, & even then, almost exclusively involving elderly people talking to foreigners who obviously looks foreign.
In East Asia it's very common that people don't talk to random strangers with small talk and just have a friendly compliment out of blue, not just Japan, if you go to South Korea, Taiwan, and you just compliment random people with friendly conversation, people will think you're weird, you only do that if you want something from them, like you're a sale, you're trying to pick up girls, you're trying convince them to be a model or celebrity because you're a scout, otherwise, no one will talk to you and just to say "I like your shoes"
In Sri Lanka, Depends on what ethnic group you belong to but for the overall majority, unless you are related to them, you still have to be formally introduced to someone of opposite gender close to age. Else everyone younger is a little sis/bro and everyone older is a big sis/bro. Anyone over 10 years older than you is automatically referred to as Aunty or Uncle..
i mean it's pretty much like that too here in my country (a southeast asian country) although foreigners kept saying a lot that my people is kind af and everything, there's no such thing as strangers saying like "oh i like your shoes" or "u have nice shirt" or something like that randomly around here
@@zukunftverstehenyeah same here in Sweden, if you someone just walks up and talk to you, your thought is " what do you want, why are you so interested in me now " And if it is a girl, you'll be thinking " is she interested, maybe thinks I'm cute or what " I'm not joking, that's the way it is lol 😅
People in Italy are friendly like this as well. I was there with my father on a visit to his home town (born and raised in Trieste), and everyone talked to him everywhere we went, not just in Trieste but everywhere. He was far friendlier and more engaging there than I had ever seen him here. I saw a side of my father I never knew existed!
Only to white folks. I'm a dark skinned man. When I when to Rome on a tour, the tour guide pulled me aside and warned me early on that I would experience some kind of racism in public. He was not wrong....
As someone who moved around alot my whole life I can say for sure that there's something that relaxes you about being in a place that you consider or feels like home.
@@capeverdeanprincess4444 depends which part, Italians from the north are more reserved, whilst those from the south will literally make as if you know them for ages.
No, America is just an overly social country. Ive seen videos from other foreigners that are surprise when strangers compliment their clothes or cashiers ask how their day is
Japanese people look like they could hang out with the Northern Europeans like the Nordics and Baltic people, because small talk doesn't seem to be a thing in their culture what so ever.
Maybe not but this is typically American. Try this in France or Nordic countries in Europe or Russia etc they don’t do much small talk either or compliments on strangers. That’s also weird.
@@MarisaSunI am French and here it depends on the region. In South Of France it's pretty common. Even in Paris you can start small talk depending on the place and the time.
That's so funny. I live in America and literally yesterday, I was on a walking trail in my city and I ended up chatting it up with some random person on the trail. He was in-town to tour graduate universities. I gave him advice on cool parks with neat views and a rundown on the local economy if he planned to move to my city. It was a good 20 minute discussion then we said our goodbyes and I will likely never see him again. It was a nice chat. That happens all the time to me.
Same! I was in Australia and thought people would be as friendly as I had heard it was like my home state of California. But in the cities I visited, only one person struck up random convo with us in a friendly, gregarious manner… and he turned out to be from CA! I appreciate the small talk friendliness and didn’t realize this was such an American thing.
Being from Detroit, when I moved to the New Orleans area that was very surprising. In Detroit you keep to yourself, but down here when at the market or pumping gas you could get invited to a cookout. Not kidding. Then when you frequent places they learn your name and now everywhere I go it's like 'Hey Mr. Mark'. It's kinda cool.
@@yaboidre5672The internet isn't the world as strange as that sounds. It's destroyed social discourse and should never be treated as normal conversation
A female Japanese exchange student in New Zealand had a similar problem. She got a job in a shop and a young man came in bought some stuff and said " see ya " as he went to leave. This expression isn't used in Japanese. She said " when, after work ? Were are we going to meet? "
I rmbr fellow Canadians telling me they were so shocked how friendly Americans were, especially their willingness to chat up strangers on the street. Americans kindness is quite unappreciated!
@@rachelar Yeah, its a play on the word "fake". It was a concept from AVEX Trax. She also said it was it was Fantastic Ass Kicking Youngsters. But I think the main part was FAntastic ToKYo.
What still is shocking to me is the following. Late night in the most expensive street in Amsterdam I saw 2 Japanese people. Probably husband and wife. They were a bit lost. Looking around, looking at a map. I am a Dutch grandmum, 69 years old. I said: Hello, good evening, can I help you perhaps? They looked at me, frightened. I smiled. They looked at each other and then ran away, screaming loud. I am still astonished, feeling a bit insulted too. 🌷🌷🌷
Japanese people talk to each other actually. I don't know what she is on about. Mb not much in Tokyo. But in other places. People talk to each other in convenience stores... in cafe you ask a random person if what they ordered is good or not, people talk to each other here. Actually more likely to talk to a stranger because it's chool you change classes and always work on something there with stranger. In college or university too you always have to do some project with strangers. So you always talk with strangers
@@NotAnotherKuromiOutsiders are sovereign to the strictness of their culture, and are seen as a breath of fresh air in contrast to the uptightness and rigid rules.
@@paulohaulo3961 Outstanding Paulo, you've shown me up and proven yourself to be superior in how you phrase things in a RUclips comment. Thanks for pointing out to us your superior skill in this area. With this kind of skill you should continue replying to people on RUclips to let them know that the way they phrase things is inferior to the way you would have phrased things. We can all tell that this makes you a high-class individual with superior social skills.
@@michael-bell I can see why you took it a certain way. But what I really meant is the statement you made is a gross exaggeration of the situation and is more incorrect than not. Japanese culture overall is just more introverted than Western cultures. That means they don't value small talk and enjoy superficial conversations as much as Westerners do. They prefer close relationships and deeper discussions with the people they know best. Japanese people take a novel interest in foreigners to learn about their background and why they came to visit their country in the first place. It's a natural interest to have and very normal behavior for a lot of homogenous countries with their tourists, Japan is no different. Japan has been a very isolated country for many centuries, probably more than any other major country, yet they still developed and did well for themselves. They are used to their strict culture and don't struggle or stress over interacting with other Japanese folks. It just seems like you are giving non Japanese people a false impression about them.
I'm Aussie with Korean wife. Korean's don't say hi or morning to each other or open a door etc. Korean's think it's rude to interrupt, whereas Westerners think it's rude to ignore.... On the flip side, when Koreans do know you, they like having big get togethers and sharing food and drinks...
She is FOXY! And I laughed out Loud when she said in America people come up to you and talk to you and in Japan if you do that your considered a weirdo...and then the two hosts go full on American and start grilling her. I thought Marc was gonna jump out of his seat to get up close and in her face LOL
As an American who has traveled to Asia, this was one of the first things I noticed. I'm uded to striking up conversations with strangers in the street, holding doors open, saying bless you when people sneeze, etc, but turns out this kind of super socialness is an American thing! Not that the people in Asian countries are mean or anything, but it made me proud as an American that we really are so open with eachother and kind! That being said, I'm from the midwest, where people are typically even more friendly. I know in some cities in the US people are not as kind lol
This happened to me in Japan. I was a little lost needing to go somewhere. I asked a woman for directions on where I needed to go. She looked up at me and literally ran away. I was baffled. I was even more confused because we were in one of the same classes so I was like you’ve seen me before 🤣 Glad to know it wasn’t JUST racism lol
even here in Philippines, an asian country that is more social than Japan, it would be weird to just suddenly come up to a stranger & say something like "i like your shoes!" We would most likely think you are a scammer.
If you live in big cities, that's usually the case. The larger the population density, the more you don't want to talk to strangers, probably due to high crime rate in dense areas (e.g. Manila, Cebu, etc.) In small-time cities and towns where crime rate is kind of low, people are more open to talking to strangers, especially if they don't recognize you (ie, not from around here), or it looks like you're in need of help. I had moments where I ended up talking to strangers in Davao City due to help needed at the moment like jeep/car suddenly not working on a peaceful street and needed a push, strangers needing direction, and besides help, even just walking a pet and people gawking at it and asking you questions, etc.
This is not true at all. Maybe in ur city, but I've lived in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal and you can def strike a convo with someone on the street and it not be weird.
Low key as a midwesterner, I'm like a weird half-bred. Hate getting talked to by randos in the US, but I have way less problems than Japanese people initiating an impromptu conversation
Most of us have always known about these cultural differences through the media, so it is not a surprise when traveling abroad. Here, it is almost impossible to suddenly talk to a stranger without first asking permission. It is rude and can scare the other person.
As a mexican american, People in America are open, inviting, and quick to share a personal experience. Going to mexico, the people are charmin, a battle of witty, and high spirit.
From India, spent some time in the US, Had the same culture shock but for me I find it "welcoming" being so homesick and lonely in this far far away land
I grew up in suburban and rural Pennsylvania, spent a considerable time in NYC and lived 4 years in Tokyo and Saitama (Kawaguchi) and 10 years in bum-fuck Kanagawa. The "engagement" level is not even close. Japanese are far more reserved. This is also me asking tons of Japanese people their personal experiences. Americans are simply way more personable to unfamiliar people than Japanese.
I'm a shy American and get all nervous when random street strangers talk to me (one saw my expression and said, "I'm not gonna bite ya!"). Maybe I should move to Japan...
As an American I have a question why people say “friendliness” or a smile, or whatever is fake? We’re not pretending to be a strangers best friend, we’re not professing imaginary love for them, we’re not pretending we support some cause, will donate money to their favorite charity then never do so, we’re not having insanely detailed in depth convos about your childhood trauma or your political ideology. The kind of convos and American friendliness is literally small talk. Hey I like your sunglasses! Hey I like your sunglasses where did you buy them? Beautiful weather today we got lucky it was supposed to rain. How was your drive into town? Like what’s fake about that? Either the person talking is bored and making convo, your trapped in a confined space together so why not pass the time chatting? They think you look cool, pretty, nice, or interesting and just want to connect. To me fake implies some sort of lying, swindling, deceit. I’ve also seen it said here, Americans will be nice to your face than talk bad about you. If they know you, or you were rude, or said something bad. Like in these tiny small talk friendly convos we’re talking about here they don’t last long enough, and almost never get personal enough to make a value judgment. They will wish you a good day and then forget that convo happened an hour later. Now some Americans are of course disgustingly sexist, racist, xenophobic and they are certainly being fake. But that’s not necessarily an American trait. Because horrible people exist in alll cultures. A British guy could work side by side with an Indian guy, and be super friendly with, and rely on their work and support daily. Then go home and cheer on Farage and Britain First and the National Front. That sort of fake, that sort of backstabbing is sadly the world we have. It’s not uniquely American.
It's not uniquely American, but I reckon it's just different mindsets clashing. In some places, being "friendly" towards strangers is the norm, in other places the focus lies more on being "polite". The "friendliness" will seem forced for one side, while the other will consider the other side to be "cold".
@@mariatheresavonhabsburg I don’t disagree about the differences in culture. We all have our differences. I just don’t understand the fake part of it. So I get what you’re saying. I do. I just don’t get how it’s fake. To me fake is lying, fishing for info, snide comments. Forced, now forced I can get behind. Because if you’re part of a culture that doesn’t do that, you can definitely feel forced. So maybe forced works, just not fake. That’s all.
@@dangniewecki6248 I think you're possibly reading too much into this. "Forced", "Fake", or even "not genuine" are roughly describing the same thing. Some places, for example The Netherlands may be much more straightforward in how they express themselves, they may also not understand the subtle difference between those words and thus it can come across as harsher than they ment it to be. It isn't the first time I've heard about some conflicts being started that way between British and Dutch colleagues.
That's a lie. We'll ignore people intoxicated, trying to sell us something or those that look dangerous/sketchy. New Yorkers always give directions, a quick compliment or assistance and then resume their day.
I'm from the American South where this stereotype is somewhat over-exaggerated. So I should be the one to explain and add some context. Yes sometimes people will talk to you on the street here in America however, it's usually just a comment or two it's not really a big deal. If nobody talked to each other overseas then it would just be completely quiet other than cars and that's not what happens people still talk to each other in Japan. I think this entire thing is overblown in America we are just more comfortable having small talk, but in general having a full-blown conversation with somebody that you don't know on the street does not happen and I live in the area where some of the nicest people probably live.
For Asian people, we distinguish clearly between stranger, acquaintance, and friend. An stranger person will talk to other stranger only if they really need help. Not some random question to waste other people’s time.
Having lived in a rural town in Japan, I can say that she's not completely correct. Sure, no-one will talk to you on the streets of Tokyo or Osaka, but the small rural towns might get chatty.
I feel like I can honestly relate to that. Whenever someone tries to make smalltalk with me, I'm always staring at them thinking, "What do want me to say?"
In our country, if our eyes meet with the strangers, usually we nod and smile back to avoid being awkward.. But I do experience some 'hello' from strangers in Australia. They will greet you in a friendly manner. It is really nice to say hello back to them, though it's not our culture to have small talks with the strangers. So usually,we end up just with the basic greeting and walk away.
I'm American, left for Japan after college, been here 14 years. I love the space they give. After being here for years I went back to the states on a business trip and was standing in line at a wal-mart. The person behind me asked "Hey, you see the movie?" I ignored it, no way they were talking to me. "That one everyone's talking about." Thought it was odd, looked back, they were talking to me. I was like "Huh?" Major reverse culture shock. As an introvert American "friendliness" is super annoying.
@@budlongave.productions1900For the most part, it is genuine. Just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean its not genuine. Americans are pretty real and wear their hearts on their sleeves for the most part.
Unlike the US, Japan isn't a gun culture, so there's no need to make light-hearted declarations like 'I don't have a gun' on the street. When I lived in the UK, I found that people there were a bit shy, similar to Japanese people. In Japan's Kansai region, especially Osaka, people tend to be more outgoing due to the long-standing tradition of comedy. They're more likely to be upfront with their thoughts, even with strangers. I heard a story about how, in Osaka, you could even playfully shoot someone with an imaginary gun and they'd pretend to be hurt, saying "Ouch!" Of course, you'd need to have at least a little rapport with someone before trying something like that. 😊
@@user-361n1 As a French person, I find the UK quite puzzling. I lived in Kent and felt like English people were both reserved and more friendly than most French people. Some young cashiers on campus would ask me how I was (which would never happen in France), older ladies call everyone "love/lovely/darling etc." which felt very nice and reminded me of Latin American culture where they call you "mija", people would always say hi and thank the bus driver when getting off ... These are the most striking examples I can think of. Apart from these, I feel like the level of friendliness and formality is quite similar to France (even though it's difficult to generalise France because there are quite big differences between regions).
Yeah as a Brit, I agree with her there, if someone I don't know starts talking to me on the streets I'm carrying on (with exception of directions,, but probably say I don't know the area). That behaviour by Americans along with the smiles, it has always come off as forced or fake.
I loved her in Shogun. Im so bummed she was killed. She was a big reason I watched. Anna really deserved that Emmy. I hope to see her in future works. That series is incredible. Movie worthy.
This is one of the things i hate about American culture that i love about Europe or East-Asia. For me, I like knowing I can go out in public and not have strangers coming up to small-talk or bother me for whatever reason. It sometimes gets to a point where I intentionally try to make myself look unattractive or unapproachable because it makes me so uncomfortable when people randomly strike up conversations with me. Strangers specifically.. i don't understand how you can just start having a conversation with a random person without knowing if they're safe or not. You don't know me!!! I could be a terrible person for all you know, and now you're trying to start small talk...
I'm American and also agree. There's a lot of rude people here lol there's a lot of nice people to but I feel like there's a lot more rude people than there used to be when I grow up like 15 or 20 years ago.
A woman did that to me in English in Tokyo yesterday, and it made me wonder what she wanted. I got out of there quick! Oh and when she says Japan, she probably means Tokyo. Osaka is NOT Tokyo, and neither are Sapporo or Sendai.
I've lived in Japan for a year and was deployed there for 6 months after. My experiences were the exact opposite. Met many people on public transportation and in shopping centers just by saying hello can you please translate for me. Greatest pickup line ever. The people were very friendly and willing to assist me with navigating Japanese society and learning to communicate with understanding. I never spoke fluently but understood menus😂😂😂 like to know what I am eating 😂😂😂
💀, it’s always western foreigners, that always yaps about and thinks that they as STRANGERS knows better, than a born Japanese, who lived their whole life there. They probably talked to you bc you visibly look like a foreigner.
The big difference; the Youth speak respectfully to older people. They don’t run their gobby mouths off with swear words and entitlement. Much more polite pleasant culture. Fact!
In the US, it’s always the older people being entitled and disrespectful. Remember, Gen X and boomers are the “gimme that, that’s mine” generations. Everything was handed to them on a silver platter and they by far had the easiest life economically and socially. Then they decided to fuck over the younger generations and then blame us for it.
I’ve asked random people in Japan if they knew where something was or where they bought something :c they were always so nice and helped me. They didn’t make me feel weird about it.
"Whats the first thing you notice when someone approaches you?"
"The audacity."
I read that in japanese
@@silviuvisan505 What would that be in Japanese?
RIGHT?!?!? :P
what is audacity?
@@hacanmc like "how dare you even speak to me"
like bravery/insolent but more in no manners energy
I lived in Japan. I often got approached by elderly people who wanted to chat with foreigners. They're very friendly.
I visited there last year as well I never had a bad experience there ,
Yea, countryside is also very different vibe than city. Even Fukuoka or Osaka, people would talk to me.
Hiroshima and Tokyo are more like NYC.
高齢者ｗｗｗ
This young lady doesn't realize she's the weirdo in a modern world for thinking such crap.
They will talk to tourists (who don’t look Asian) but won’t do it with each other. That is key.
People stop to talk to her on the street because she is uncommonly beautiful.
There are cities in the US where strangers greet each other as they pass on the sidewalk.
I was thinking the same thing. Gorgeous
Sometimes im really just lost and maps isnt making sense
Generally, people are just being polite and acknowledging you lol. It's common whether you're gorgeous or not.
Exactly! Kind of ridiculous thing to blow right by. Leave it to fake Hollywood types to play this game
Americans are very friendly in that way. You can comment or ask them random questions. It is an informal society compared to japan for sure
@@Shoulderdevil2023 I'm French and although we make small talk more than in Japan, I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and warm Americans were when I visited NYC, DC and WV. It was a nice contrast to the image of the US we have abroad.
And I'm always shocked by how informal Americans are in what would be a formal setting in France. NYT journalists interviewing undecided voters for a podcast for example. They talk to them as if they were friends and would probably use the informal "tu" if it were a conversation in French whereas we would have a much more formal interview.
@@Lvsl_iftdvI think the fact there's not a formal "you" as in spanish or french makes all the difference culturally speaking
@@dreamtforlightyearss I agree! It's always interesting to see what pronoun (tu vs vous) French dubbing chooses for American films and series. No matter which they choose, it sounds strange when you're used to the original version.
As for Spanish, I find the use of tú vs usted in Mexico very similar to our use of tu and vous in France but Spaniards use tú much more freely which seems almost rude to me. They use tú for strangers on the street, teachers, cashiers and clients ... These would all require vous in France.
Fake friendliness and nothing more. A couple seconds later they will trash your booty behind your back no matter if stranger or not.
@@bohomazdesign725 Maybe! But I keep a fond memory of the elderly Black American people who helped me and wished me a good stay when I had just arrived in NYC. Same goes for people who were nice to me in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania or WV. On the other hand, I've met Americans living in California who told me Californians practice this sort of fake friendliness where they'll give you backhanded compliments or talk behind your back. I'm guessing there are cultural differences around this between different states/areas of the US.
This is something I have always liked about America and one thing I missed when I was living in Europe. I always forget how everyone models themselves after a friendly golden retriever. I used to hate it as a kid because I’m really shy and introverted, but now that I’m older, I appreciate the small random social interactions that show us we’re all sharing the same human experience.
Fake friendliness and nothing more. A couple seconds later they will trash your booty behind your back no matter if you are stranger or not. That's the sad reality about Americans.
The United States.
America is a continent; not a country.
american random interactions ,
its all fake...
fake friendliness just makes intelligent people paranoid , and can't trust anyone ,
why would i care about random people approaching me who i don't know ?
.. some fake friendly comments on the street when im trying to run errands .. what's the value in that ?
smalltalk is meaningless and fake af ,
"hi, how you doing ?" is rhetorical ,
americans dont actually give a fck how you are doing , narcissist,fake people fishing for contacts, for self-gain (via business interaction or whatever reasons.. )
if they would actually care about people, your fcking STREETS wouldnt be filled with junkies , homeless and mentally ill people ...
I'm Korean who lived in Canada and I totally agree! I miss the North American style social interactions and small talks with random strangers. It certainly makes life experience more rich.
@@ijanskactually North America and South America are two continents. If you're going to be pedantic, at least get it right.
This is so true about living in Japan. But there are moments sometimes I want to praise stranger’s dress or want to ask where they bought the purse, but I don’t 😅
I feel you made that mistake last year 😅
All the more reason to do it (I live in Japan)
@@AlphaBravoJPnah they look at you weird
@@AlphaBravoJPif you aren't native, you have "Gaijin Pass" to do weird things 😂
@@ieyazzu9297 exactly.
It was weird to me at first that American are friendly, but I loved it and still do.
I'll tell you what's really weird. In the south where you find the most deeply conservative people you also find the most outwardly friendly people. I've never been able to really make sense of it in my entire life. We're cool until they're marching through town with signs talking about stop the steal. LOL
As an Asian woman in Japan, I had many aunties talking to me when I was shopping. They would compliment my clothes or talk about pets, and only after a few minutes they would realize I was a foreigner who only understood half of what they said 😆 I loved them
Yea, her experience sounds very Tokyo-centric.
@@niallk9336the Japanese in Kansai are very similar to Americans
@@niallk9336It's like with just about EVERYWHERE in Japan but the Kansai region, especially Osaka, & even then, almost exclusively involving elderly people talking to foreigners who obviously looks foreign.
In East Asia it's very common that people don't talk to random strangers with small talk and just have a friendly compliment out of blue, not just Japan, if you go to South Korea, Taiwan, and you just compliment random people with friendly conversation, people will think you're weird, you only do that if you want something from them, like you're a sale, you're trying to pick up girls, you're trying convince them to be a model or celebrity because you're a scout, otherwise, no one will talk to you and just to say "I like your shoes"
In Sri Lanka, Depends on what ethnic group you belong to but for the overall majority, unless you are related to them, you still have to be formally introduced to someone of opposite gender close to age. Else everyone younger is a little sis/bro and everyone older is a big sis/bro. Anyone over 10 years older than you is automatically referred to as Aunty or Uncle..
Yeah that’s right. In Korea people don’t have small talk even while living in the same building.
Not in New York City.....people in NY City are snobbish , not friendly
i mean it's pretty much like that too here in my country (a southeast asian country) although foreigners kept saying a lot that my people is kind af and everything, there's no such thing as strangers saying like "oh i like your shoes" or "u have nice shirt" or something like that randomly around here
@@homeland1128 in South East Asia, people smile a lot to each other but not talk
The same happens in Poland so I get her. We are not used to strangers talking to us at all.
Same goes for Russia, if someone is coming up to talk to you, you're starting suspect something.
How do you make friends?
@@zukunftverstehenyeah same here in Sweden, if you someone just walks up and talk to you, your thought is " what do you want, why are you so interested in me now "
And if it is a girl, you'll be thinking " is she interested, maybe thinks I'm cute or what "
I'm not joking, that's the way it is lol 😅
Weird..
Do Nordic countries have people on the streets?
People in Italy are friendly like this as well. I was there with my father on a visit to his home town (born and raised in Trieste), and everyone talked to him everywhere we went, not just in Trieste but everywhere. He was far friendlier and more engaging there than I had ever seen him here. I saw a side of my father I never knew existed!
Only to white folks. I'm a dark skinned man. When I when to Rome on a tour, the tour guide pulled me aside and warned me early on that I would experience some kind of racism in public. He was not wrong....
As someone who moved around alot my whole life I can say for sure that there's something that relaxes you about being in a place that you consider or feels like home.
Italians are only friendly to white people. Racism towards blacks are done very open unfortunately
@@capeverdeanprincess4444 depends which part, Italians from the north are more reserved, whilst those from the south will literally make as if you know them for ages.
@@douglassiqueira2347 I was in the south. Isn’t Rome the south??
Japan isn't an overly social country
People are pretty social when they're at the bar after work or on the weekends (お酒のカルチャー) but yeah generally speaking that's true
No, America is just an overly social country. Ive seen videos from other foreigners that are surprise when strangers compliment their clothes or cashiers ask how their day is
Japanese people look like they could hang out with the Northern Europeans like the Nordics and Baltic people, because small talk doesn't seem to be a thing in their culture what so ever.
Maybe not but this is typically American. Try this in France or Nordic countries in Europe or Russia etc they don’t do much small talk either or compliments on strangers. That’s also weird.
@@MarisaSunI am French and here it depends on the region. In South Of France it's pretty common. Even in Paris you can start small talk depending on the place and the time.
That's so funny. I live in America and literally yesterday, I was on a walking trail in my city and I ended up chatting it up with some random person on the trail. He was in-town to tour graduate universities. I gave him advice on cool parks with neat views and a rundown on the local economy if he planned to move to my city. It was a good 20 minute discussion then we said our goodbyes and I will likely never see him again. It was a nice chat. That happens all the time to me.
Same! I was in Australia and thought people would be as friendly as I had heard it was like my home state of California. But in the cities I visited, only one person struck up random convo with us in a friendly, gregarious manner… and he turned out to be from CA! I appreciate the small talk friendliness and didn’t realize this was such an American thing.
it’s so interesting and different from my home. i can count on one hand the times a stranger has approached me in my country just to talk
that happened to me the other day too!
Being from Detroit, when I moved to the New Orleans area that was very surprising. In Detroit you keep to yourself, but down here when at the market or pumping gas you could get invited to a cookout. Not kidding. Then when you frequent places they learn your name and now everywhere I go it's like 'Hey Mr. Mark'. It's kinda cool.
Not surprised she gets a lot of attention this girl is beautiful!
We Americans love everyone except each other. 😂😂😂😂
No, a decent amount of Americans like each other too. It's just that common courtesy isn't newsworthy.
@@TheShotgunShovel The internet tells a different story
@@yaboidre5672then get off the internet you teenager. Go talk to your parents lmao.
@@yaboidre5672The internet isn't the world as strange as that sounds. It's destroyed social discourse and should never be treated as normal conversation
@@stormcutter59 The internet has brought the world a lot closer. That should tell you something
A female Japanese exchange student in New Zealand had a similar problem.
She got a job in a shop and a young man came in bought some stuff and said " see ya " as he went to leave.
This expression isn't used in Japanese. She said " when, after work ? Were are we going to meet? "
So where's the problem? Sounds like she was pleased to see him again
@@920WASHBURN No, she was confused by the man telling her "see ya". Thinking they are supposed to meet later.
@@Aztaable right, and it sounds like she was up for it
Sounds like she wanted a hookup
@@kevingonzalez3673 right?
I rmbr fellow Canadians telling me they were so shocked how friendly Americans were, especially their willingness to chat up strangers on the street. Americans kindness is quite unappreciated!
that's why they created this weird concepts like awkward silence when this is just normal in other countries.
Yeah Canadians are kind of half way between Americans and Japanese.
Good Lord she is unbearably gorgeous.
when strangers tried to talk to me, i would be suspicious first if they're trying to scam me.
I first saw her on Shogun. Compelling performance and spellboundingly beautiful.
Me too. Now episode 6😊❤
She has done other things in showbiz. Her parents are performers and she was in the Jpop girl group FAKY. And Pachinko.
@@michaelrmurphy2734Faky? As in fake? Well that describes people in Tokyo
@@rachelar
Reading comprehension failed....🤣🤣
@@rachelar Yeah, its a play on the word "fake". It was a concept from AVEX Trax. She also said it was it was Fantastic Ass Kicking Youngsters. But I think the main part was FAntastic ToKYo.
Nobody talks to me here in the US lol.
😔
😂
Ha NERD
You're not hot like she is. That's why.
Try the Midwest.
She pretty 🥰
Anna looks stunning! 😮
OMG, her legs!!!
@@Skeezer66everyone has a pair buddy
Who is anna I don't know 😂😂
@@Magarsujan986 Anna Sawai
@@recursion. But not all pairs are equal! She has superlative legs!
Anna is gorgeous
What still is shocking to me is the following.
Late night in the most expensive street in Amsterdam I saw 2 Japanese people.
Probably husband and wife.
They were a bit lost.
Looking around, looking at a map.
I am a Dutch grandmum, 69 years old.
I said: Hello, good evening, can I help you perhaps?
They looked at me, frightened. I smiled.
They looked at each other and then ran away, screaming loud.
I am still astonished, feeling a bit insulted too.
🌷🌷🌷
Didn’t she just win the Emmy? Also. What a stunning woman. How does she not have an accent?
She was born on New Zeland so english it's her first language she moves to Japan when she was ten.
She did just win, lead actress in a drama, for Shogun.
Anna Sawai
she is a attractive lady that's why people approach and talk to her.
That is not my experience in Japan. Then again I was gaijin. Many Japanese, on the street, would approach and want to practice their English on me.
That’s why they see us as a breath of fresh air. We are outside their walls of society and are sovereign to their strict culture
Because you are a foreigner
@@frankjesusd👍
This is more of a Tokyo experience than a Japan experience imo.
Same error as mistaking NYC for all of the US
Japanese people talk to each other actually. I don't know what she is on about. Mb not much in Tokyo. But in other places. People talk to each other in convenience stores... in cafe you ask a random person if what they ordered is good or not, people talk to each other here.
Actually more likely to talk to a stranger because it's chool you change classes and always work on something there with stranger. In college or university too you always have to do some project with strangers. So you always talk with strangers
Introvert talking about how people walk by and saying "Good morning" 🚶♂️
This is the case only Japanese & Japanese. Japanese & non Japanese this doesn’t happen.
What do you mean? That foreigners in Japan try to talk to native Japanese people because they do not know the culture?
@@NotAnotherKuromiOutsiders are sovereign to the strictness of their culture, and are seen as a breath of fresh air in contrast to the uptightness and rigid rules.
@@michael-bell That's a lot of extra words to just say the Japanese are curious to learn about foreigners and where they came from.
@@paulohaulo3961 Outstanding Paulo, you've shown me up and proven yourself to be superior in how you phrase things in a RUclips comment. Thanks for pointing out to us your superior skill in this area. With this kind of skill you should continue replying to people on RUclips to let them know that the way they phrase things is inferior to the way you would have phrased things. We can all tell that this makes you a high-class individual with superior social skills.
@@michael-bell I can see why you took it a certain way. But what I really meant is the statement you made is a gross exaggeration of the situation and is more incorrect than not. Japanese culture overall is just more introverted than Western cultures. That means they don't value small talk and enjoy superficial conversations as much as Westerners do. They prefer close relationships and deeper discussions with the people they know best. Japanese people take a novel interest in foreigners to learn about their background and why they came to visit their country in the first place. It's a natural interest to have and very normal behavior for a lot of homogenous countries with their tourists, Japan is no different. Japan has been a very isolated country for many centuries, probably more than any other major country, yet they still developed and did well for themselves. They are used to their strict culture and don't struggle or stress over interacting with other Japanese folks. It just seems like you are giving non Japanese people a false impression about them.
When she starts with " I feel like," she's internalized American speech patterns and thinking.
Yeah! I'm from Brazil and I love this about Japan!
I'm Aussie with Korean wife. Korean's don't say hi or morning to each other or open a door etc. Korean's think it's rude to interrupt, whereas Westerners think it's rude to ignore....
On the flip side, when Koreans do know you, they like having big get togethers and sharing food and drinks...
She is FOXY! And I laughed out Loud when she said in America people come up to you and talk to you and in Japan if you do that your considered a weirdo...and then the two hosts go full on American and start grilling her. I thought Marc was gonna jump out of his seat to get up close and in her face LOL
As an American who has traveled to Asia, this was one of the first things I noticed. I'm uded to striking up conversations with strangers in the street, holding doors open, saying bless you when people sneeze, etc, but turns out this kind of super socialness is an American thing! Not that the people in Asian countries are mean or anything, but it made me proud as an American that we really are so open with eachother and kind! That being said, I'm from the midwest, where people are typically even more friendly. I know in some cities in the US people are not as kind lol
This happened to me in Japan. I was a little lost needing to go somewhere. I asked a woman for directions on where I needed to go. She looked up at me and literally ran away. I was baffled. I was even more confused because we were in one of the same classes so I was like you’ve seen me before 🤣
Glad to know it wasn’t JUST racism lol
Oh, the Japanese are very racist, too.
People in America talk to her because she has a glow to her that radiates positivity
even here in Philippines, an asian country that is more social than Japan, it would be weird to just suddenly come up to a stranger & say something like "i like your shoes!" We would most likely think you are a scammer.
Especially those who suddenly talks to senior citizens using hypnosis in order to rob them, poor lolas.
@@tropical.Manila hypnosis!?? 😱😵💫
If you live in big cities, that's usually the case. The larger the population density, the more you don't want to talk to strangers, probably due to high crime rate in dense areas (e.g. Manila, Cebu, etc.)
In small-time cities and towns where crime rate is kind of low, people are more open to talking to strangers, especially if they don't recognize you (ie, not from around here), or it looks like you're in need of help. I had moments where I ended up talking to strangers in Davao City due to help needed at the moment like jeep/car suddenly not working on a peaceful street and needed a push, strangers needing direction, and besides help, even just walking a pet and people gawking at it and asking you questions, etc.
I’m shocked to hear that people don’t talk to strangers in public
But people talk to strangers on the net. Even the Japanese.
Pretty sure they do, if they absolutely need something (ask for the direction to the bus-station, what time it is etc)
You can give her the EMMY right now, don't bother on compete with her unparalleled performance of Mariko-sama.
she won😊
Gero giving Cell Yamcha's dna feels like an intentional design flaw
People don't randomly talk to each other in Canada either, unless it is a small town.
This is not true at all. Maybe in ur city, but I've lived in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal and you can def strike a convo with someone on the street and it not be weird.
I also lived in Toronto but people don’t talk to strangers like Americans do. It’s not weird but it’s definitely uncommon.
@@sinnncere1680 maybe you are gorgeous, so people don't mind talking to you
That's not true. Lived in Toronto for years and would talk to and get talked to my random strangers all the time.
In Vancouver people talk to each other all the time. Just got to find someone that speaks english 😉
I like talking with strangers in elevators.....and then pushing the emergency stop button to make things a little more interesting
I totally understand. Americans love small talk
Its Westerners not just Americans
@@lightup6751 nope! Most Europeans and Scandinavians don't like small talk
The reality is some do & some don't. It's regional too.
Ana Sawai is awesome. Great actress!
As an introvert, I don't like it and it makes me uncomfortable. As a Midwesterner, I have accepted my fate.
Low key as a midwesterner, I'm like a weird half-bred. Hate getting talked to by randos in the US, but I have way less problems than Japanese people initiating an impromptu conversation
I like the last "you should be a New Yorker"😆
Most of us have always known about these cultural differences through the media, so it is not a surprise when traveling abroad. Here, it is almost impossible to suddenly talk to a stranger without first asking permission. It is rude and can scare the other person.
Just be friendly lol
Japan sounds like introvert heaven.
Not Osaka
It can be isolating though because even introverts need a little social interaction..
Don't confuse shallow small talk with actual kindess and friendliness.
As a mexican american,
People in America are open, inviting, and quick to share a personal experience.
Going to mexico, the people are charmin, a battle of witty, and high spirit.
From India, spent some time in the US, Had the same culture shock but for me I find it "welcoming" being so homesick and lonely in this far far away land
Old people in Japan approach strangers on a daily basis, and it's common and socially accepted.
Yes i noticed it too & felt weird when they complemented me Outta nowhere in
GTA 5😂
Not true. In Japan as per anywhere else, people from small towns and cities are much more engaging than big cities like Tokyo, London etc.
so, it's a big cities culture anywhere, not specific to certain countries?
I grew up in suburban and rural Pennsylvania, spent a considerable time in NYC and lived 4 years in Tokyo and Saitama (Kawaguchi) and 10 years in bum-fuck Kanagawa.
The "engagement" level is not even close. Japanese are far more reserved.
This is also me asking tons of Japanese people their personal experiences.
Americans are simply way more personable to unfamiliar people than Japanese.
I'm a shy American and get all nervous when random street strangers talk to me (one saw my expression and said, "I'm not gonna bite ya!"). Maybe I should move to Japan...
Or use it as an opportunity to become less nervous overtime 😂
As an American I have a question why people say “friendliness” or a smile, or whatever is fake? We’re not pretending to be a strangers best friend, we’re not professing imaginary love for them, we’re not pretending we support some cause, will donate money to their favorite charity then never do so, we’re not having insanely detailed in depth convos about your childhood trauma or your political ideology. The kind of convos and American friendliness is literally small talk. Hey I like your sunglasses! Hey I like your sunglasses where did you buy them? Beautiful weather today we got lucky it was supposed to rain. How was your drive into town? Like what’s fake about that? Either the person talking is bored and making convo, your trapped in a confined space together so why not pass the time chatting? They think you look cool, pretty, nice, or interesting and just want to connect. To me fake implies some sort of lying, swindling, deceit. I’ve also seen it said here, Americans will be nice to your face than talk bad about you. If they know you, or you were rude, or said something bad. Like in these tiny small talk friendly convos we’re talking about here they don’t last long enough, and almost never get personal enough to make a value judgment. They will wish you a good day and then forget that convo happened an hour later. Now some Americans are of course disgustingly sexist, racist, xenophobic and they are certainly being fake. But that’s not necessarily an American trait. Because horrible people exist in alll cultures. A British guy could work side by side with an Indian guy, and be super friendly with, and rely on their work and support daily. Then go home and cheer on Farage and Britain First and the National Front. That sort of fake, that sort of backstabbing is sadly the world we have. It’s not uniquely American.
It's not uniquely American, but I reckon it's just different mindsets clashing.
In some places, being "friendly" towards strangers is the norm, in other places the focus lies more on being "polite".
The "friendliness" will seem forced for one side, while the other will consider the other side to be "cold".
@@mariatheresavonhabsburg I don’t disagree about the differences in culture. We all have our differences. I just don’t understand the fake part of it. So I get what you’re saying. I do. I just don’t get how it’s fake. To me fake is lying, fishing for info, snide comments. Forced, now forced I can get behind. Because if you’re part of a culture that doesn’t do that, you can definitely feel forced. So maybe forced works, just not fake. That’s all.
@@dangniewecki6248
I think you're possibly reading too much into this.
"Forced", "Fake", or even "not genuine" are roughly describing the same thing.
Some places, for example The Netherlands may be much more straightforward in how they express themselves, they may also not understand the subtle difference between those words and thus it can come across as harsher than they ment it to be.
It isn't the first time I've heard about some conflicts being started that way between British and Dutch colleagues.
I agree with the host. New York is the perfect place for her! 😎
In a big city, people will most likely not talk to you.
They don't trust anyone.
That's a lie. We'll ignore people intoxicated, trying to sell us something or those that look dangerous/sketchy. New Yorkers always give directions, a quick compliment or assistance and then resume their day.
As an introvert, I also hate it when people approach, let alone talk to me.
I'm from the American South where this stereotype is somewhat over-exaggerated. So I should be the one to explain and add some context. Yes sometimes people will talk to you on the street here in America however, it's usually just a comment or two it's not really a big deal. If nobody talked to each other overseas then it would just be completely quiet other than cars and that's not what happens people still talk to each other in Japan. I think this entire thing is overblown in America we are just more comfortable having small talk, but in general having a full-blown conversation with somebody that you don't know on the street does not happen and I live in the area where some of the nicest people probably live.
I have conversations with strangers daily, long and brief. People are just friendly
Who is she? An actress?
Anna Sawai - just won an Emmy for best actress on Shogun.
That's facts. Lived in Japan for three years and everyone there mostly keep to themselves when you're walking around
Well that's nothing compared to South America, the Latino culture is even more talkative than Americans are 😂
For Asian people, we distinguish clearly between stranger, acquaintance, and friend.
An stranger person will talk to other stranger only if they really need help. Not some random question to waste other people’s time.
Having lived in a rural town in Japan, I can say that she's not completely correct. Sure, no-one will talk to you on the streets of Tokyo or Osaka, but the small rural towns might get chatty.
I feel like I can honestly relate to that. Whenever someone tries to make smalltalk with me, I'm always staring at them thinking, "What do want me to say?"
In our country, if our eyes meet with the strangers, usually we nod and smile back to avoid being awkward..
But I do experience some 'hello' from strangers in Australia. They will greet you in a friendly manner. It is really nice to say hello back to them, though it's not our culture to have small talks with the strangers. So usually,we end up just with the basic greeting and walk away.
As an American living in Japan this is very true and something I really miss about America.
I'm American, left for Japan after college, been here 14 years. I love the space they give.
After being here for years I went back to the states on a business trip and was standing in line at a wal-mart. The person behind me asked "Hey, you see the movie?"
I ignored it, no way they were talking to me.
"That one everyone's talking about."
Thought it was odd, looked back, they were talking to me. I was like "Huh?"
Major reverse culture shock.
As an introvert American "friendliness" is super annoying.
I agree. It doesn’t seem genuine.
Totally agree!
@@budlongave.productions1900For the most part, it is genuine. Just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean its not genuine. Americans are pretty real and wear their hearts on their sleeves for the most part.
Y’all are damaged
I thought she’d say healthcare 😂
I liked a lot that nobody was talking to me in Japan. I could be alone in crowds and I liked it was awesome! 🥰
She is gorgeous and cute
It's a way to reduce the risk that may follow.
When I lived in Japan people were more than happy to help
Unlike the US, Japan isn't a gun culture, so there's no need to make light-hearted declarations like 'I don't have a gun' on the street.
When I lived in the UK, I found that people there were a bit shy, similar to Japanese people.
In Japan's Kansai region, especially Osaka, people tend to be more outgoing due to the long-standing tradition of comedy. They're more likely to be upfront with their thoughts, even with strangers.
I heard a story about how, in Osaka, you could even playfully shoot someone with an imaginary gun and they'd pretend to be hurt, saying "Ouch!" Of course, you'd need to have at least a little rapport with someone before trying something like that.
😊
What you said about Japan is correct because I've been there and know a few who have lived there. But your gun culture comment makes no sense.
@@user-361n1 As a French person, I find the UK quite puzzling. I lived in Kent and felt like English people were both reserved and more friendly than most French people. Some young cashiers on campus would ask me how I was (which would never happen in France), older ladies call everyone "love/lovely/darling etc." which felt very nice and reminded me of Latin American culture where they call you "mija", people would always say hi and thank the bus driver when getting off ... These are the most striking examples I can think of. Apart from these, I feel like the level of friendliness and formality is quite similar to France (even though it's difficult to generalise France because there are quite big differences between regions).
Every scene she was in I couldn't stop thinking, "she's so beautiful"
She's dressed as the most elegant nutcracker 😂
Yeah as a Brit, I agree with her there, if someone I don't know starts talking to me on the streets I'm carrying on (with exception of directions,, but probably say I don't know the area).
That behaviour by Americans along with the smiles, it has always come off as forced or fake.
As a southern American i can confirm that our friendliness is genuine :)
Dang, that's sad. Some people maybe, but all? What if you're having a good day and want to walk around smiling? All of a sudden fake now?
I loved her in Shogun. Im so bummed she was killed. She was a big reason I watched. Anna really deserved that Emmy. I hope to see her in future works. That series is incredible.
Movie worthy.
Most beautiful Japanese woman I have ever seen😍😍😍😍
You must not get out much
She’s so beautiful
This is one of the things i hate about American culture that i love about Europe or East-Asia. For me, I like knowing I can go out in public and not have strangers coming up to small-talk or bother me for whatever reason. It sometimes gets to a point where I intentionally try to make myself look unattractive or unapproachable because it makes me so uncomfortable when people randomly strike up conversations with me. Strangers specifically.. i don't understand how you can just start having a conversation with a random person without knowing if they're safe or not. You don't know me!!! I could be a terrible person for all you know, and now you're trying to start small talk...
That was bloody beautiful!!!
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is Amazing! Which seemingly foreshadows the fact that Wednesday Season 2 will be AWESOME!!
Talking to someone is considered weird-gotcha
This is borderline propaganda, Americans are more talkative but after living in both countries I find Americans to be less friendly.
I'm American and also agree. There's a lot of rude people here lol there's a lot of nice people to but I feel like there's a lot more rude people than there used to be when I grow up like 15 or 20 years ago.
@@SmokyOle Well those people were not here 15 years ago. lol
@@badimagerybyjohnrominewhich people?
She is beautiful, reminds me of Asa Akira.
having fun is illegal in japan
How about the drug zombies and tents and needles in every city
A woman did that to me in English in Tokyo yesterday, and it made me wonder what she wanted. I got out of there quick!
Oh and when she says Japan, she probably means Tokyo. Osaka is NOT Tokyo, and neither are Sapporo or Sendai.
I've lived in Japan for a year and was deployed there for 6 months after. My experiences were the exact opposite. Met many people on public transportation and in shopping centers just by saying hello can you please translate for me. Greatest pickup line ever. The people were very friendly and willing to assist me with navigating Japanese society and learning to communicate with understanding. I never spoke fluently but understood menus😂😂😂 like to know what I am eating 😂😂😂
💀, it’s always western foreigners, that always yaps about and thinks that they as STRANGERS knows better, than a born Japanese, who lived their whole life there. They probably talked to you bc you visibly look like a foreigner.
The big difference; the Youth speak respectfully to older people. They don’t run their gobby mouths off with swear words and entitlement. Much more polite pleasant culture. Fact!
In the US, it’s always the older people being entitled and disrespectful. Remember, Gen X and boomers are the “gimme that, that’s mine” generations. Everything was handed to them on a silver platter and they by far had the easiest life economically and socially. Then they decided to fuck over the younger generations and then blame us for it.
Kelly looks great she doesn't age❤
I’ve asked random people in Japan if they knew where something was or where they bought something :c they were always so nice and helped me. They didn’t make me feel weird about it.
I don't know if I could handle that honestly. My anxious ass would probably have a breakdown. 😂😂
Her skin is flawless