Culture shock...

One of my fellow students at the Dojo is a High school English Teacher. That's terribly convinient as that way I can actually get a translation of what Sensei says (Though he told me that he will never teach me anything that he can't show me, which is something really cool)

So I'm being "interveiwed" to join the Dojo (This is standard practice in a Japanese Dojo) And the Teacher says: "This may seem like a really rude question but ... how dedicated are you to learning Kyudo?"

Odd, I didn't think that was rude at all. So I answer him, honestly. And he seems relieved because the most rude question is now over with.

Then he relaxes and moves on to the "Non-Rude" qustions:

"How much do you make a month?" he asks...

Japan is such a difference culture. But I didn't flinch, I just answered his question and smiled...

I live in another culture, so I answer the question. I presume Sensei has asked this of every one of the members. The Teacher said something about me attending training camps, so I'm guessing that was what the question was geared around.

I just wonder how many people would have turned to Sensei and said "Why do you need to know that information?" And started a whole incident because of that.

Which would have made nothing but unhappiness.

The best thing I have learned so far from being in Japan is that if you really want to get the job done, you leave your American issues in America. Getting offended or upset at strange times does nothing to help the situation :)

Bow when you are supposed to bow, answer the questions you are supposed to answer, no matter what your upbringing says to do. All in all; be Japanese. When you come back to America, Be Amercian... until then, be part of the culture.

I've watched many of my fellow ALT's not learn this lesson... and those seem to be the folks that think Japanese are xenophobic, distant and scared of the world.

I belong to a Japanese Dojo; where you are close friends with your fellow Dojo-folks, where they will come rescue you in a bad situation, etc (many of them have been scurrying to find and copy anything about Kyudo in English that they can for their newest member... these are certainly not xenophobic folks :D)

Yet more observations of the dimunitive but interesting folks on this side of the Pacific. :)

---Me.