QA問答：作為日本人，你在訪問美國時(shí)遇到過哪些文化沖擊？

My goodness, so many cultural shocks. Off of the top of my head, here are a few:
1.) Shoes
This was probably the first thing I noticed when I went to the United States. No one seemed to take their shoes off when going into any type of building. I found it rather odd though I knew prior to visiting that they didn’t follow customs like that.
2.) Talking and Speech
Americans generally speak in a louder and more blunt tone than countries in East Asia. One thing that stood out to me when I first visited was how close they would put their face next to you when talking and their distinct way of laughing. I honestly didn’t have a big issue with it for the most part although I can be quite sensitive to loud noises, touch, and certain types of personalities. Slang and sarcasm was used commonly as well, something, while not rare, but not often used in Japan.
3.) Toilets
The toilets in the U.S are scandalous! (In my opinion). They use a sheet of paper to wipe their private parts instead of using bidets. I personally think it’s disgusting, but the toilets mechanics are simpler, I suppose.
4.) Quantity vs Quality
While quality is still valued, most things in the United States were large in proportions or quantity. In Japan, people are very thin and small, though in the U.S it is more common to see overweight people. This is most likely because of marketing and how junk food is much cheaper than organic foods (which is understandable). It was sad to see and many people didn’t get the exercise they needed because most people drive cars (again, are very convenient). Meals at restaurants were also large, as well as houses and many buildings.

【回答】
天哪，真是太多文化沖擊了。我隨便列幾個(gè)：
1. 鞋子
這是我去美國時(shí)首先注意到的事情之一。似乎沒有人會(huì)在進(jìn)入任何類型的建筑物時(shí)脫鞋。盡管在訪問之前我已經(jīng)知道他們沒有這種習(xí)俗，但我還是覺得很奇怪。
2. 談話和言語
美國人普遍說話聲音較大，語氣也比東亞國家更直率。我第一次訪問時(shí)，令我印象深刻的是他們?cè)谡勗挄r(shí)會(huì)把臉靠得很近以及他們獨(dú)特的笑聲。雖然我對(duì)大多數(shù)情況沒有太大問題，但我對(duì)噪音、接觸和某些類型的個(gè)性比較敏感。俚語和諷刺也很常見，盡管在日本并不是很罕見，但使用頻率不高。
3. 廁所
美國的廁所太不堪了?。ㄔ谖铱磥恚?。他們用紙來擦拭私處，而不是用坐浴盆。我個(gè)人覺得這很惡心，不過廁所的機(jī)械結(jié)構(gòu)比較簡(jiǎn)單。
4. 數(shù)量與質(zhì)量
雖然質(zhì)量仍受到重視，但美國的大多數(shù)東西都是大尺寸或者大數(shù)量的。在日本，人們普遍瘦小，而在美國，看到超重的人更常見。這很可能是因?yàn)槭袌?chǎng)營銷以及垃圾食品比有機(jī)食品便宜得多（這可以理解）。看到這情況很難過，很多人沒有得到所需的鍛煉，因?yàn)榇蠖鄶?shù)人都開車（同樣，這也很方便）。餐館的菜量也很大，房子和許多建筑物也是如此。

5.) Reading
Books in the U.S, and most other places, are read from left to right. Books in Japan are read right to left. This surprised me despite knowing beforehand. For some reason they keep manga nearly the same, though. Japanese is traditionally read vertically, but it did not surprise me to see English read horizontally since all my schools taught it.
6.) Driving
I was used to seeing cars driving on the right side, although I had visited places that drove on the left side. My friend was initially confused and a little frightened, but he soon understood. I was surprised to see that the minimal legal age to drive was sixteen. I thought that was a little young. I visited a place in the U.S where it was fourteen.
7.) Expense
I found everything to be quite expensive there, and some of the stores and food to be disappointing. There was a product I wanted to buy that was 301.00 $ in the United States and only 14,630 ￥ in Japan. On the contrary, depending on where you live in either country, prices will always vary. Larger more populated cities will generally be more expensive (like Tokyo and New York) and smaller towns will usually be cheaper (like Coeur d'Alene or Kunohe-mura).
8.) Courtesy
The culture in the U.S, so it seems, can sometimes be quite rude. While this isn’t always the case, in certain places they can be seen as ignorant or apathetic, though this really depends on who you are talking to. Some people don’t even know how to give a simple thank you or speak politely, especially around elders (this is quite noticeable for young children). During political debates and elections, citizens may start riots and yell at others who don’t believe the same thing as them. While it makes sense, it is still not okay.

5. 閱讀
在美國和大多數(shù)其他地方的書都是從左到右閱讀。日本的書籍是從右到左閱讀的。盡管事先知道，但仍然讓我很驚訝。不過出于某種原因，他們的漫畫閱讀方式是一樣的。日語傳統(tǒng)上是豎著讀，但看到英語是橫著讀時(shí)，我沒有覺得奇怪，因?yàn)樗袑W(xué)校都教過。
6. 駕駛
雖然我去過一些靠左行駛的地方，但我還是習(xí)慣看到汽車靠右行駛。我的朋友最初很困惑有點(diǎn)害怕，但他很快就理解了。我驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)駕駛的最低合法年齡是十六歲。我覺得這有點(diǎn)太小了。我去過美國的一個(gè)地方，那里是十四歲。
7. 費(fèi)用
我發(fā)現(xiàn)那里的所有東西都很貴，有些商店和食物讓人失望。我想買的一件商品在美國是301美元，而在日本僅為14630日元。根據(jù)你在兩國的居住地不同，價(jià)格總是會(huì)有所不同。更大、人口更多的城市通常更貴（比如東京和紐約），而較小的城鎮(zhèn)通常更便宜（比如庫爾德黑倫或久野村）。
8. 禮節(jié)
美國的文化，有時(shí)似乎會(huì)顯得相當(dāng)粗魯。雖然并不總是這樣，但在某些地方，他們可能被視為無知或冷漠，盡管這真的取決于你和誰在說話。有些人甚至不知道如何說一聲謝謝或禮貌地說話，特別是在長(zhǎng)輩面前（對(duì)于年輕孩子來說，這一點(diǎn)尤為明顯）。在政治辯論和選舉期間，市民可能會(huì)開始騷亂，并對(duì)那些持不同觀點(diǎn)的人大喊大叫。雖然可以理解，但還是感覺不好。

9.) Touching
High fives, handshakes, embracing, hugging, kissing, and patting backs is seen often in the U.S. This can be very uncomfortable for a Japanese person as we generally don’t touch each other (purposefully), though it can’t be helped in crowded areas or if you’re with friends and family. The comfortable distance between two people is 1 1/2 to 3 feet (yes, using the imperial system) when standing together, if not in a crowded area. In the U.S, couples will show affection to one another in public (kiss, hugs, romantic grooming) and friends will tug on each other and playfully hit each other. This isn’t unseen in Japan but it just isn’t the norm.
10.) Homes
I have lived in a traditional home my whole life, so it was a shocker to see the difference. I could find houses similar to these in Japan, but it was about my 2nd or 3rd time encountering one and I actually went inside. They are set differently than houses in Japan, even if they look similar on the outside (modern homes). I don’t exactly remember, but I believe I was bewildered by the fact of how dirty it was, and the bathing differences.
11.) The Check
In the United States, you are expected to pay a lot of money for the check, but in Japan, you’re not. Actually, in most cases, you don’t leave extra money for the server/waiter. In the U.S you are always supposed to, or else, someone may get angry. Though, from my standpoint, many Japanese servers wouldn’t actually mind receiving tips though have been taught that it could be an inconvenience for the person paying (which is very true).
I was going to mention the school system, but that could be a whole entire essay. Thank you for reading, here are just some of the cultural shocks that came to mind. Thank you. For people from Japan, is this accurate?

9. 接觸
在美國，經(jīng)?？梢钥吹綋粽?、握手、擁抱、親吻和拍背。這對(duì)日本人來說可能會(huì)非常不舒服，因?yàn)槲覀兺ǔ２粫?huì)（故意）互相接觸，盡管在人多的地方或者和朋友家人在一起時(shí)不可避免。兩個(gè)人站在一起時(shí)，如果不是在擁擠的地方，舒適距離是1.5到3英尺（是的，使用的是英制）。在美國，情侶會(huì)在公共場(chǎng)合表現(xiàn)出對(duì)彼此的愛意（親吻、擁抱、浪漫的打扮），朋友們也會(huì)互相拉扯和打鬧。這在日本不是沒有，但并不是常態(tài)。
10. 住宅
我一生都住在傳統(tǒng)的房子里，所以看到這種差異讓我很震驚。我在日本可以找到類似的房子，但這是我第二或第三次遇到并真正踏進(jìn)去。它們的布置方式與日本的房子不同，即使從外面看起來相似（現(xiàn)代住宅）。我記不清了，但我相信我對(duì)它的臟亂程度以及洗浴方式很困惑。
11. 小費(fèi)
在美國，你預(yù)計(jì)要支付很多錢作為小費(fèi)，但在日本，你不需要。實(shí)際上，在大多數(shù)情況下，你不會(huì)給服務(wù)員/服務(wù)生額外的錢。在美國，你總是應(yīng)該這樣做，否則可能會(huì)有人生氣。不過，從我的角度來看，許多日本服務(wù)員實(shí)際上不會(huì)介意收到小費(fèi)，但他們被教導(dǎo)這可能會(huì)給付款的人帶來不便（這很真實(shí)）。
我本來要提到學(xué)校制度，但那可以寫成一篇完整的論文了。感謝你的閱讀，這些就是我想到的一些文化沖擊。謝謝。對(duì)于日本人來說，這準(zhǔn)確嗎？

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.
I was shocked that I experienced the first culture shock in the US.
Now I started traveling to other states and cities in the US, and luckily realized that it was just one aspect of the US. I enjoy it more including the food, but I still can’t forget about that trip.

【回答】
我一直在歐洲和東南亞旅行，但從未經(jīng)歷過文化沖擊… 直到我第一次去美國。
夏天我去鳳凰城出差。天氣非常炎熱，我們開不了車，所以我們決定在附近的一家意大利面館吃第一頓晚餐。我們?nèi)齻€(gè)人，點(diǎn)了兩種不同的意大利面和一份沙拉。
首先上來的是沙拉。這是我見過的最大的一份沙拉。我們開始緊張地笑著說：“哦，這肯定是美國人的分量！”
不久后，來了兩盤更大的意大利面。我們都說不出話來了。我們根據(jù)工作人員的推薦點(diǎn)了兩種不同的意大利面，但它們嘗起來完全一樣。
我環(huán)顧四周，發(fā)現(xiàn)那里的人都是我見過的最大號(hào)的人，手里拿著最大的杯子，倒著健怡可樂。我完全不明白他們?yōu)槭裁匆?0盎司的杯子喝健怡可樂。（如果你想減肥，也許該用個(gè)小杯子，少吃點(diǎn)？）
從那晚開始，我完全沒了食欲，直到四天后我們找到了一家不錯(cuò)的越南餐館。
我在美國第一次經(jīng)歷了文化沖擊，被震驚了。
現(xiàn)在我開始到美國的其他州和城市旅行，幸運(yùn)的是，我意識(shí)到這只是美國的一個(gè)方面。我更享受這里的旅行，包括食物，但我仍然無法忘記那次旅行。

I’m American not Japanese, but I did live in Japan six years and experienced a cultural shock upon returning. After returning from Japan, I lived in the bay area and commuted using the BART train system. One day the system was having technical issues and the trains were running late. A lot of people were on the platform waiting for the next train, so I queued up behind a group of 30 or so people.
After a while the train pulls in and I was relieved to see that it was only about half full. The train stops, the doors open, and nobody moves to get on. I was wondering what could be wrong when after a few moments it dawned on me: These people think the train is full!
In the USA, a train is full when people are nearly touching each other. In Japan, a train is full when you cannot possibly squeeze another person in. The “full” train I was looking at could literally hold two or three times more people, and in Japan it would have.
I am for better or worse one of these dickheads that often think the rules don’t apply to him, and so I just walked around everybody in front of me and started to get on the train. Someone said “Hey buddy, this trains full. Why don’t you wait for the next one?” To which I said “There’s plenty of room.”
So I got on. People grumbled a bit but shifted around to make room. Still nobody was touching.

【回答】
我是美國人，不是日本人，但我在日本生活了六年，回國后經(jīng)歷了一次文化沖擊。從日本回國后，我住在灣區(qū)，并使用舊金山灣區(qū)捷運(yùn)通勤。一天，系統(tǒng)出現(xiàn)了技術(shù)問題，列車晚點(diǎn)了。很多人站在站臺(tái)上等下一班車，所以我排在了大約30個(gè)人的隊(duì)伍后面。
過了一會(huì)兒，列車進(jìn)站了，我松了一口氣，因?yàn)樗挥幸话肴?。列車停下，車門打開，卻沒有人動(dòng)。我在想是不是出了什么問題，過了一會(huì)兒我才恍然大悟：這些人認(rèn)為列車已經(jīng)滿了！
在美國，列車滿員的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是人幾乎碰到彼此。而在日本，列車滿員的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是完全擠不進(jìn)另一個(gè)人。我看到的這列“滿員”列車實(shí)際上還可以再容納兩到三倍的人數(shù)，在日本這列車絕對(duì)算不上滿。
不管好壞，我總是認(rèn)為規(guī)則對(duì)我不適用，所以我繞過前面所有的人，開始上車。有人說：“嘿，兄弟，這列車滿了，為什么不等下一班？”我回答說：“還有很多位置。”
于是我上了車。人們嘟囔了一下，但還是挪動(dòng)了一下給我讓出空間。依然沒有人碰到彼此。

I live in Japan, but not a Japanese. The things that shocked me when I visited the US for the first time ( I was 16 y.o at that time , went there as an exchange student ) :
The portion of the food. One portion’s enough to feed 2 people for 2 days
The number of overweight / obese people. There are plenty of them in the US.Infact, the majority of them are obese. It was really shocking as I thought that americans are super fit like the ones I saw in the movies or magazines.
They wear their outside shoes inside the house. They sometime even plop down on the bed wearing it !
Drinking soda everytime. Large size. And then they wonder why they have problem with obesity.
People drive everywhere. Even most highschool students drive car to school.

【回答】
我住在日本，但不是日本人。我第一次訪問美國時(shí)（當(dāng)時(shí)我16歲，作為交換學(xué)生去的），有幾件事情讓我很震驚：
1. 食物的分量。一份食物足夠兩個(gè)人吃兩天。
2. 超重/肥胖的人數(shù)。美國有很多超重或肥胖的人。事實(shí)上，大多數(shù)人都是肥胖的。這真的讓我很震驚，因?yàn)槲乙詾槊绹讼裎以陔娪盎螂s志上看到的那樣超級(jí)健美。
3. 他們?cè)诩依锎┲饷娴男?。他們有時(shí)甚至穿著鞋子直接躺在床上！
4. 每次都喝汽水，而且是大杯的。然后他們還奇怪為什么會(huì)有肥胖問題。
5. 人們到哪兒都開車。甚至大多數(shù)高中生也開車去上學(xué)。