Characteristics of Japanese people that I love
It’s been six years but Japan has
never failed to amaze me by its people. They are the ones responsible for how
this country has turned out to be—peaceful and orderly. Based on my personal
experience, I can say that Japan is definitely one of the most ideal places to
live in.
私は日本の人たちのココが好き
日本に住んで6年経つけど、ここに住む人たちには今もすごいなって思うことばかり。日本が平和で規律正しい国なのは、そこに住む人たちがそうだからだね。私の個人的経験からして、日本は住むのには最高の場所のひとつ、って言えるね。
Politeness
Now that I can understand a bit
of Japanese, it has become clearer to me how polite Japanese people are when it
comes to communicating verbally and non-verbally as well. I noticed that they
are very apologetic and sometimes, a bit too much. すみません is a word
that is often used for apologizing and also for calling people’s attention.
Apart from their very remorseful tone, it also comes with a very sorry long
face and multiple bows. I definitely have not seen anything like this anywhere.
The funny thing is, I myself have acquired the same facial expression and
gestures when apologizing which I am not sorry about.
礼儀正しさ
日本語をずいぶんわかってきた私、コミュニケーション時には直接話すときでもそうじゃない方法でもどれだけ日本人が礼儀正しいのかよくわかるようになったわ。みんなとても申し訳なさそうに、時にすまなそうにしすぎるよね。「すみません」って謝罪に使うのみならず、声をかけるときにまで使うもん。後悔してるっていうトーンで悲しそうな表情で何度も頭をさげるし。こういうのって、ほかの国々ではまずないんだよね。おかしなことに、私自身もそういう表情覚えちゃって、本当に謝罪が必要なシーンじゃなくてもそれをやれる自分がいたりするわ。
Conviviality
Seven years ago, I worked in a
Japanese company as an English teacher. That was my firsthand experience of
Japanese conviviality, not only from my Japanese co-workers but also from my
Japanese students who were living in different parts of the world. There was a
time when I lost my bag in Narita airport and one of my Japanese students
living in Tokyo offered to contact the airport and even brought the bag to me
himself. I have made a handful of friends at my fitness gym too. I have had
lunches and dinners with them more than once. They have invited me and Marilou
in their home which I think is the most private place for a Japanese. Japanese
people are the friendliest!
友好的
7年前、私は英語の先生として日本企業に勤めていたの。そのときに私は直接日本人の友好的な部分にふれたわ。それは日本人の同僚からだけではなく、世界の様々な場所に住んでる日本人の生徒さんからもね。成田空港でカバンをなくしちゃったとき、東京に住んでいる生徒さんの一人が空港に問い合わせをしてくれて、しかも彼が私にそのバックを届けてさえくれたの。フィットネスジムにもたくさんの友達ができたんだけど、何度もランチやディナーにさそってくれるんだよね。私やMarilou先生を、日本人にとっておそらくもっともプライベートな空間であるはずの自宅に招いてくれてるんだ。日本人ってすごいフレンドリーだとおもう。
Curiosity
One common thing about all of
students is their curiosity. My students always wonder about so many things. They
ask me what I do on my weekends, how the life in the Philippines is like, why I
chose Japan and so on and so forth. They look at me with eyes filled with
questions and curiosity which is so satisfying for me as a teacher. So whenever
I see their eyes sparkle with amazement or because of a eureka moment, my soft teacher
heart could almost burst in happiness.
好奇心
生徒さんすべてが好奇心旺盛で、ほんとたくさんのこと私に聞いてくるの。「週末は何してるの？」「フィリピンの生活ってどんな？」「なんで日本を選んだの？」とかね。先生的にはみんなが好奇心と質問で満ちた目で私を見てくれるのがうれしいわ。驚きや何かわかったときに生徒さんが目をキラキラさせていると、先生として幸せで心がはりさけそうになっちゃう。
Sympathy
Despite the language barrier, my
Japanese bosses, friends and students never fail to make me feel cared for.
Whenever I seem sick, coughing, or having a sore throat, they would always
check on me or even give me medicine and fruits. Whenever they hear a terrible
disaster happening in the Philippines, they would make sure that my family back
home is okay. When the flu season is at its peak, everyone would tell me to
take care. What I love about Japanese people is that they are so vocal about
their concern. I also hope they take care of themselves as much as they care
about others.
思いやり
言語の壁はあるけれど、私の日本でのBoss、友達、そして生徒のみんなはきまって私のことを気にかけてくれる。調子悪そうで咳をして喉がいたいときはいつも私を気にしてくれて、薬やフルーツ持ってきてくれたりね。フィリピンでひどい災害が起きたのを聞きつければ、実家の家族の安否を気づかってくれる。インフルエンザの時期は「体を大事にね」と気にしてくれる。気にかけてくれて声をかけてくれる、そんな日本人の人たちが好き。ほかの人たちを気遣うのと同様に自分のことも気遣ってね。
Hospitality
It all started with Kenichi and
Masumi-san accepting me, a foreigner, wholeheartedly in their home. I remember
every detail of how they showed me kindness and hospitality from the get-go.
They prepared my futon mattress, picked me up from the station, prepared a
sumptuous dinner, let me take a bath first before everyone else. They were very
hands on but not in a suffocating way. They let me thrive on my own but they
were always there when I struggled. Until now, they still make plans to take me
and Marilou out to see beautiful sights all over Japan. For that, we are always
grateful.
おもてなし
Bossの家族が、外国人である私を自宅に心から受け入れてくれてね、それ以来、親切とおもてなしの気持ちでいつも接してくれる、私、それを事細かく覚えているよ。布団を用意してくれ、駅まで車で迎えに来てくれて、おいしい食事を用意してくれて、お風呂も最初に使わしてくれて。あれこれ指示はするけど決して息が詰まらない範囲で。自分自身で何でもすることが前提に、でもうまくいってないときはそこにいて助けてくれる。今でも私やMarilou先生に日本中の素敵な景色を見に連れてってくれる計画をたててくれるの。私たち、とっても感謝しているわ。
Conscientiousness
Most people might know that Tokyo
is one of the most stressed cities in the world. One of the reasons perhaps is
their dedication to their work responsibilities. Japanese people are known for
their great skill in working. Most people work overtime on their own volition.
I am not saying that I am applauding this attitude—as a matter of fact, it is
quite concerning. One can only wonder how they make time for their families,
their hobbies and basically not working. However, I cannot deny that people’s
high regard for working actually contributes positively to everyone’s lives
tremendously.
誠実さ
みんな知ってると思うけど、東京って世界で一番ストレスある都市のひとつ。その理由のひとつはたぶんそこに住む人たちが責任をもって仕事に従事しているから。日本人は働くことにすばらしいスキルをもっていることで知られている。自分の意志で残業もいとわない。私はこれをすごいこととは思ってなくて、事実、懸念ごとにもなっているからね。どうやって家族のために、趣味に、そして基本働かない日をつくりだせるんだろう。でも働くことへの一生懸命さが日本人それぞれの生活に大きく貢献してることも否定できないよね。
For
anyone reading this who might be thinking of moving to Japan, be sure to take
my opinions and experiences with a grain of salt. For sure, Japan is not utopia. Japan is not a perfect country. But what I can assure you is that once you
embrace Japan as it is, you will be able to find the brighter side of the Land
of the Rising Sun.
このブログを読んでいる、日本に住もうかな、って考えている人、私の意見や経験を話半分くらいに思ってね。うん、日本はユートピアじゃないし、完璧な国でもない。でも私が確約できること、それは日本をそのまま受け入れたなら、日いづる国のいい面が見つけられるはずよ。
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