When asking a Brit "how are you?" you will get the reply "I'm alright thanks" (or some variation) 90% of the time. But its how they say "I'm alright" that tells if they are actually alright or not.
Absolutely. I don't think I'd ever reply in a different way (other than slight variants, "yeah, good thanks" etc) unless I knew the person very well. For example, if I pass my neighbours and they ask how I am, I'm always good/fine/alright. If my friends or family ask and neither of us are in a rush, THEN I might answer more honestly/in more detail.
casually: y'alright? alright? & 'aight? all mean much the same & generally are/should be replied to with exactly the same abbreviated version of the greeting (it's generally not a question, really - unless it's asked by a friend & in private) ^^
How you know some one is English... the response to how are you? must be "good/alright/ not too bad" followed by "and you?" Any other responce and they are 100% an imposter!
Yeah its funny that, also if you say "im wanting [blank]" instead of "i want [blank]" it comes over much less rude even though its essentially the same thing
I work in a Costa that serves a lot of Asian students and I can confirm that they say "I want" a lot. I don't see it as rude because I understand that learning a language is difficult but it can seem rude to British people for sure. I also hear "I want a cup of - insert drink name-" a lot too, not sure why.
Most of the books on Japanese politenes is written from an American perspective. In reality, Japan and the UK are very similar in their use of indirect language and extensive use of politeness.
Remember that what's considered polite varies from culture to culture. Just because a culture doesn't do something that we consider polite, doesn't mean that they're less polite.
@@MrEsphoenix umm, yes. There is literally a well known international scale grading cultures on how polite they are. Some cultures are absolutely more polite than others. British and Japanese score very highly on this and the USA scores as one of the least polite. That isn’t a good or a bad thing (I am not suggesting that polite = better) but it is definitely the case that not all countries are equally polite, just in different ways.
@@DavidSharpMSc I would also say it's quite complicated, based on the old class systems etc. For example bowing to a lord/lady is polite, but you wouldn't expect a lord/lady to be particularly polite back to a commoner, whereas in Japan everyone bows to everyone, no matter the class, don't they? Just one example though.
@@itsrobm8 Indeed. One “politeness” difference I found quite interesting was that in Japan it is considered polite to announce a morning greeting to a whole room when you arrive at work in the morning, whereas in the UK shouting like that would be considered rude. Meanwhile in the UK it is considered polite to greet coworkers individually as you pass them when you arrive at work, but in Japan that would be considered a rude imposition. I can see both sides of it now.
“Can I have ... please,” or “may I have ...” or “I’d like ....” Any one of those would work as they imply a level of cooperation rather than a demand from the requester.
Not for the last 50 or so years it hasn't been....... Standards have slipped somewhat. Bring back National Service, along with sending children up chimneys to clean them. I once walked past 2 schoolgirls - both in uniform - smoking in a shop doorway. On my walking past, one of them threw a cigarette packet on the floor next to me. There was a rubbish bin about 10 feet from where she was standing, so I said "excuse me, you just dropped your cigarette packet on the floor". She replied "oh it's ok, it's empty". Lots of hope for the future then?
@@Brian-om2hh I don't agree, for the most part, most kids are taught manners, of course there are unfortunately, kids that are dragged up by ignorant parents who themselves were not brought up correctly either, but that's nothing new. As for what to do with young delinquents, it's beyond my remit I'm afraid.
See I think I'm in the minority but I find most kids to have better manners than most people older than me nowadays or my generation. (me being 32 now) I've always been raised to use my manners & poor manners does/can bother me! But think it's more about the individual and way ones raised.
@@JackRabbit002 exactly, from being as young as I can remember, if didn't say please and thank you, my mum, grandma and grandad (these are the people who raised me) would come down on me like a ton of bricks, I did this with my daughter and no doubt she will do this when she has kids
The thing about sniffing when you have a runny nose, is that it goes on and on and is ultimately more annoying than someone occasionally blowing thier nose.
while most people find constant sniffing annoying, i very rarely meet people who actually think the person doing it is being impolite, its more like a sympathetic ‘ugh this situation is annoying for them and for me’ thing because we know they’re self aware but cant stop. the only people i know who get angry about it are generally rude to everyone lol, so this list surprised me!
@@chickenfoot2423 I don't get angry it's just an annoying background noise. It's annoyance builds though, I have been in the office before and one of my nearby colleagues has been doing it for hours it starts to grate and I have to find something g else to do.
Omg. Someone did this when I was in a classroom at university doing an internship. All I could hear was this one person sniffing the entire time. I was this close to throwing a packet of tissues at him but I don't like conflict and was too polite. Yeah, don't do that. If you've got a runny nose, go ahead and blow lol
@@ocarinajourney5374 you say that but people I still know from school still complain about one of our GCSEs in which I was almost constantly blowing my nose and that was 4 years ago.
I once worked with a rather unpleasant woman who never once said please or thank you in all the years I knew her. She wasn't a culture though, but more of a vulture............
Interestingly, when someone says 'bless you' after a person has sneezed, it is an abbreviation of 'God bless you' and relates back to when bubonic plague was prevalent throughout Europe, as one of the first symptoms of the plague, could be flu-like symptoms and sneezing. There is also a children's nursery rhyme that is still taught today, that relates to the plague: Ring-a-ring o' roses A pocket full of posies,A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down.
I looked into this for a translation class once. It's quite interesting. Almost every country in the world that was either affected by the plague, or that speaks the language of a country that was affected by the plague (countries in North and South America, for example) has their own version of the phrase "bless you". The plague didn't really hit East Asia (aside from originating in China) and there was limited spread of western languages in the area, so East Asian countries never developed their own version of the phrase. From experience, a Japanese person will either say nothing when you sneeze, or they will ask if you are okay, cold, or if you have a cold (friends and relatives at least, not so much strangers).
Germany and Russia, and probably other places say 'Good health' or 'be healthy' for the same reason, but it may be a bit more obvious what they mean than the rather more obscure 'bless'.
I personally think the Japanese and English cultures are very similar - respect, manners, please, thank you, don't make a scene, respect your elders etc. Good manners cost nothing 🙂👍
Japan, yes. English culture is very disrespectful, I've found. I lived in the USA and the kids there all call adults sir and ma'am. Here in the UK they don't respect adults or authority figures. Try telling off a group of people in the UK and you'll get physically or verbally abused.
@@voicesofww2 I was actually stating the opposite. The British may not say sir/ma'am, that's only an American thing but we are all very respectfully of our peers and elders etc. Maybe check out videos of Americans who have traveled or who stay in the UK and they all state how nice the population is.
It’s so funny that the “thick skinned” thing came up because people told me the same about Japan, Japanese people might not like to express their opinions as directly as Americans but when it comes to making comments about your appearance they don’t seem to hold back! I’ve seen multiple people be told “you put on weight!” in Japan (and I know this is more about showing concern or care than insulting them but it still comes as a surprise!) and that they have a “small face” which is apparently a compliment haha! I think Japanese politeness and British politeness is quite similar but it’s interesting that there are subtle differences like you pointed out!
one thing that will get us brits upset is queue jumping, it is polite and courteous to allow the people in front of you to proceed in orderly manner. For example, if you arrive at a bus stop and there are three other people in front you should allow them to step on without being hindered. It's polite to also to move down the bus by saying "excuse me" as you pass people to sit at the vacant seat. Regarding seating, if you are on a bus or train and if you are sitting in a seat that has a sign stating its priority to older patrons, pregnant and less able to stand then you should a lighten to allow that person to sit. Nothing more upsetting is seeing a senior citizen with a walking stick standing while a fit, young person is sitting in that seat reserved for that purpose. ~trooper
Was in a shop the other day and the person at the front of the queue had gone to the exit of the tills rather than the entrance, but everyone else just queued up behind her rather than going to the proper entrance and pushing in, or calling her out on her mistake.
@@David-vm4ee Definitely! It was actually quite surprising how many similarities UK and Japanese have in terms of this kind of thing. Especially when most of the other countries i've visited or worked in were so different.
You seem to understand England better than a lot of English people. Your videos are really interesting. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss this year. Take care.
Here's an addition to the bit about "How are you?" When someone asks "How are you", it's considered a bit strange to reply with details of how you actually feel. For example, if you say "I am stressed out, because my boss has been very difficult today!" - then you are signalling that this is now the topic you want to talk about. It's a bit rude, because a polite person will now have to wait while you explain your problems, when really, they were only being polite by asking how you are, and didn't really want to hear about your problems. But because they are polite, they won't tell you to shut up!
I think "bless you" is an interesting way of getting over the awkwardness of someone sneezing (perhaps mid conversation), allowing it to be acknowledged but not so as to cause embarrassment to the person that sneezed. That way everyone can move on without a second thought.
@@iantait309 Which is an interesting cultural meme in that sneezing wasn't a symptom of bubonic plague, and is uncommon in pneumonic plague. Coughing was far more likely to be a symptom and spread the disease.
@@iantait309 I get the reference and I agree with you. I think the reference to sneezing shows how they misunderstood the plague at the time. The "pocket full of posies" line is interesting as it's a reference to the scented bags that the well-to-do used to carry round with them to suppress the foul odours they encountered when walking through the filthy, diseased streets.
@@iantait309 As far as I am aware, there is no actual specific origin of 'God bless you' as a response to sneezing. A wide variety of cultures wish someone well after they sneeze, whether or not they invoke deities. This is probably a common custom, particularly for societies that believe or believed in intercessionary prayer, because sneezing is associated with illness. A lot of ancient cultures also had a breath/spirit association and they may have believed someone lost part of their life-force or soul etc. when they sneezed.
I was surprised how comfortable I felt in Japan, the culture felt more similar to the UK than I thought it would. I do worry now that I may have say please and thank you too much though!
Also, we're taught: "I want, don't get". "Can I have" or "I would like" or "Do you have", not "I want"...with please & thank you, of course! Better to sneeze into a handkerchief too!
I have been to Japan a few times and I believe that of all western cultures the English culture is the most similar to that of Japan. Obviously its very different, but also similar in ways
Hi Shizuka Thank you for your videos. I am from Australia, and we sit maybe between the British and Americans on many cultural aspects. However, everything you have described as good manners in this video is true for Australia as well. I think it would be great if many migrants here learned about these basic manners - as well as many locals who seem to have forgotten them!
Your perspective is very interesting. Plus, I really like hearing little bits of English accent come out when you speak. I think England and Japan have a lot in common culturally.
English person here. I loved your comic timing, especially the reaction to “bless you” and the little pause before silently sweeping away with your tea. As you know, we really do appreciate a good sense of humour.
I think all your videos are great. Your intelligence, understanding and appreciation of English culture is amazing really and I think some of us natives could learn an awful lot from you.
In north west of England we always thank you the bus driver when we get off the bus and say bye to shop staff after we been served. When you are walking down the street and try get get out of someone way and they try the same thing but in same direction as you. There is a saying in north west Are you dancing? then other would say are asking?
I can understand not necessarily saying 'please' when ordering... but being handed your drink and just walking away without any acknowledgement?? Is that normal in Japan??
@@sjs9698 I'm learning Japanese at the moment and they do have ways of saying please and thank you. Maybe they don't use it as often as we do in almost every setting.
It's interesting that 'bless' has moved just from sneezing to common parlance, although some British may condemn it. In other words, if someone has had a misfortune or showing vunerability, for example, you might hear 'bless him' or 'bless her'. It's not condescending; it's a statement of sympathy or empathy. It doesn't have a religious element to it in this context. Robert, UK.
These are great tips and will help people visiting the UK a lot. We have many things that I didn't even realise, but when you showed the examples I immediately noticed the lack of please/thank you and not replying 'how are you.' They're such a huge part of our conversation and it felt odd when they were missing. This video is excellent and will help visitors have more natural conversations.
"Hi Shizuka! How's it going?" Thank you for these videos. I'm Hugh and I'm British. My parents moved here from Jamaica and I was born in the early eighties here. It's really interesting to see how life is in Britain from a new perspective, so enjoy these videos. My sincere condolences for your loss. I hope life in Britain goes on to be a positive experience for you.
As a Brit, I got 100% XD But in all seriousness, this is a really interesting video. You don't notice all your cultural nuances when you're in them so it's really interesting to have them pointed out - good video and great format! Love the quiz x
Another thing that is common in England (and other parts of the UK, I assume) is how we get someone’s attention. It’s considered rude to go straight up to someone and ask for what you want. The polite thing is to say “Excuse me,” and many people will also apologise for taking the other person’s attention away from what they were doing. For example, if you were in a shop and couldn’’t find an ingredient for dinner, the proper ettiquete is to go up to one of the employees, say “Excuse me, could you please tell me where ___ is?”, and then thank them for their answer. (This doesn’t need to be done if the person already had their attention on you, like if you’re ordering at the till.)
This is refreshingly accurate and funny, well done and enjoy England (and the rest of Britain). Britain vs UK vs England, now there’s a topic... if you manage to cover that, can you send it to all the Brits to learn too 😉
So happy to see you back on UA-cam after your recent struggles. My housemate (also Japanese) and I have throughly enjoyed your videos, particularly the more personal ones. England misses you. Please let us know if you have any plans to return!
simple things like holding a door if somebody is behind you or saying thank you if somebody holds a door for you but there are many things people do as good manners is important and yes please and thank you are a must...my advice if anybody visits england they head for london which is a big mistake visit the north of england you will find people are much more friendly
This was really eye opening! Japanese people are renowned for being very polite and respectful, so i assumed that they would instinctively say 'please' and 'thank you'. It goes to show that what is considered polite and good manners differs according to the culture.
Thank you Shizouka, your videos really remind me of how exciting it is to immerse yourself in a different culture, and how significant every little difference is. Keep making these charming things.
really enjoyed your video , when I was a child I was taught it was bad luck to say thank you when some one said "bless you" after you sneezed ,but it seemed so rude not to say thank you I risked having bad luck and said it . note; the bad luck was only for the sneezing situation ,saying thank you is fine in every other situation .hope you continue to enjoy your stay in England
Great video Shizuka! My biggest shock was going to America and realising people are not as polite. People would say 'pass the salt', instead of 'please can you pass the salt?'... Also we say 'sorry' so much!
One of the symptoms of the plague was coughing and sneezing, and it is believed that Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) suggested saying “God bless you” after a person sneezed in hopes that this prayer would protect them from an otherwise certain death.
interesting, I had heard that it was said a people believed that sneezing was thought to be the body expelling out the devil or his 'vapours'. In Bavaria where I lived for several years the traditional greeting in this Catholic area is 'Gruss Gott' which translates to God is great or as we might more commonly hear it now ...... ............ Allahu Akbar !!
I was told in my church that you said it because people used to think that your soul temperately was pushed out with the sneeze and you said " god bless you" so the devil did not get it during that time.
Yeah I think the plague thing is just an urban myth, I remember it being on QI about the origin of 'Ring a ring a roses' song. Plus sneezing is not a symptom of the plague, even the pneumonic type.
the mediaval story (German) goes a poor but honest man was reduced to abject poverty and could no longer stand the plight of his starving children, so he decided reluctantly to rob a wealthy man in his town. On his way he met another 'man' going the same way, as they walked they struck up a conversation the other man somehow knew where he was going and his intent , and revealed he was the Devil himself going to reap a soul (!) but let slip the man would neeze 3 times and if no-one said bless you he would take the mans soul the devil helped the poor man into the town house and waited for the man , whilst the poor man helped himself to the silver, finally the owner came into the room and began sneezing, the poor man now terrified for the other mans soul on the last sneeze said loudly Bless you, whereupon the devil issued a scream of rage and vanished in a cloud of sulphurous smoke, when he had everything explained to him(!) he rewarded the poor man with more wealth than the littles he had already taken, since then it has been a european custom to wish a blessing of good health on anyone who sneezes.....this story is apparently one from the 1200's...it seems sneezing was seen as a precursor to a satanic attack back then :)
@@jonathanwetherell3609 ITS prosit in Sweden (your health) and in badly spelt german its gesundheit which is roughly the same, so they probably all have a similar source :)
We're never happier than when a foreigner understands the British sense of humour. That is the key to being a true Brit. Nothing else really matters. If you can make a little, not a lot of fun of yourself, we find that endearing. It's great to have you as an honoury British person. Thank you for pointing out what we take for granted everyday. Hope you will enjoy us and our green and pleasant land with her cloak of leafy green for your whole life. Britain will always love you right back. We're both island nations of course and both have significantly different cultures from the main land, which is actually very cool!x
Excellent observations Shizuka! The 'Bless You' after a sneeze comes from way way back when England was decimated by the Bubonic Plague. The first symptom was sneeze sneeze sneeze. So everyone then knew you were going to die. So 'Bless You ' means 'Bless your soul' in preparation for it to go to Heaven when you meet your God in a few days time! Also look up the nursery rhyme 'Ring A Ring of Roses' - same subject. The Roses were the wheals on your skin that were a later symptom.
I have an English person I am so glad I got all of these right. it’s really cool to see what isn’t normal in other cultures I didn’t occur to me other places wouldn’t ask how are you back. Thank you!
Very useful observations- hope it may help some others visiting the UK for the first time. The first time I visited Japan, many years ago, we were warned about blowing the nose in public, specially using a linen/cotton handkerchief and putting it back in your pocket afterwards - we were told this was considered disgusting in Japan, and that it was better to use a paper disposable tissue and to blow the nose discreetly and dispose of the tissue in a waste bin. We were given a number of other useful tips for how we should behave in Japan - hopefully I managed to avoid upsetting too many people.
I'm with the Japanese on this one. Nose blowing reminds me of wet farts. Should be practised discreetly/privately. Oh the times I gagged in public because of blatant, wet, gurgling, snottery.
Very interesting.I think in some ways UK and Japan isn't so different. A lot of stuff about not wanting to impose on other people but also a lot of embarrassment if you do it too much. Its the ambiguity of personal space.
You made me laugh at my English ways. Thank you. One odd thing we do is say 'Sorry' if someone bumps into us in a supermarket. It's like 'Sorry I was in your way'.
Welcome to Europe (I'm not english, so I can't welcome you to England). It's brave to move to such a cultural different region, I hope you'll feel at home despite the differences. To me it's very refreshing to hear you pointing out differences that I've heard of from people who have moved to japan - albeit the other way round :-) Regarding your first observation of saying "please" and "thank you" in stores, I've heard the explanation that in Japan, the employees never talk in their own words, but have to say fixed sentences just like robots do - and noone would say "please" or "thanks" to a robot, would they? In contrast, so goes this explanation, europeans tend to be more spontaneous and to express their friendliness by blending more of their personality in the conversation. Can you comment on this theory? Btw.: When I had the chance to be in Japan, I constantly felt awkward because I knew I couldn't behave properly. I made so many embarrassing mistakes - fortunately, japanese people ar so forgiving to foreigners and simply ignore our bad manners.
An extra to the "How are you?" is that if someone you know gives you a half-smile it's usually a non-verbal "How are you?" if you do not kind of smile back little... you have committed a great sin.
Ha, luvvit! It's funny to see our traits exposed. Btw, one should never blow one's nose at the dinner table. You can wipe it quietly, but not blow it!👍
No loud or continual sniffing!!!!!!! - spot on. - preferably wipe not blow if it would disturb others or is near food - physically turn away from people /table if you really do need to blow. Some people leave the table.
Great video. England and Japan are two countries where respect and etiquette goes a long way. Translation of speech might confuse the matter somewhat, however I think this is a common ground both cultures share. 2 respectful cultures who can respect one another :)
I love this! So totally didn’t notice what us British do that non-british people wouldn’t know about until they got here. Made me appreciate the cultural things differences between UK and Japan more as I am studying Japanese at the moment. Although part of me thinks that British culture has more similarities to Japanese culture compared to America from all the videos about that on UA-cam. Thanks :) James
Watching this as a British person is so interesting. I never thought for example that other cultures might not use "please" and "thank you", or say "bless you!" After sneezing! Very fascinating haha
Something else to remember, there are about 200 differences between "English" and American-English. This is not just spelling it's also grammar and punctuation, culture is also different due to history. Love your video by the way, very well done. 10/10
Lass=Female Lad=Male Usually slang in Northern England and Scotland referring to the above terms, just in case you didn’t know, if you didn’t know, now you know. Cheers for the videos, they help myself and I think others understand an Expat’s/Foreigner’s perspective on life here in England/United Kingdom, keep up the good work lass, I hope you’re enjoying your time here, keep an eye out for ‘Chavs’ they’re usually quite rough-around-the-edges and can be quite forward and rude depending on the person, they’re quite common in Urban areas and have a knack for loitering, ignore them if you see them, they’ll usually leave you alone but it’s usually a good shout to keep your distance just in case, thank you for the videos, they’re informative and interesting . Stay safe out there lass.
"Bless you!" Comes from a time when people were VERY polite and they hoped that your "Sneeze" wasn't caused by a serious Illness. They were "Blessing you" as a means of asking God to protect you. Nowadays, less people believe in any one religion, but the polite people will generally still say "Bless you!"
Theres also another tradition around sneezing, but you dont hear it said as often these days. There is a little rhyme One for a wish, Two for a kiss, Three for a letter, Four for something better! Sometimes, usually a person of the older generation, instead of saying 'bless you' , someone might say a line of this rhyme depending how many sneezes you had!
I didn't realise it but flip most of these things really grated my gears haha guess I better thank mom for raising me right🤣 even when during the call she didn't respond with a "I'm alright thank you, how are you?"
Hi Shizuka, a small but correct way of english spelling is the word Directly which applies to the sentence you were saying, the word you actually used was Directory which refers to something such as say a Telephone Directory, hope you did not get offended by the spelling correction!, (so glad to see you back in your Bubbly self again!!).
Reputedly, the expression "Bless you!" by strangers if one sneezes in public started during sixth century when plague was killing large numbers of the citizenry. Coughing and sneezing were early symptoms of plague and, at the time, if one coughed or sneezed it was a fair bet that one had contracted plague and would shortly die. Pope Gregory, in the infinite wisdom of the Catholic Church, ordered that people offer prayers to those likely afflicted by plague and the standard short-form prayer "May God bless you!" (later shortened to simply "Bless you!") became the standard offering on such occasions. Even though plague has long since departed, the traditional short-form prayer response became deeply ingrained in the language and remains with us today.
Yes, when walking in a group of 5-6-7 and you're taking up all the pavement and some one is walking towards you, the group is expected to reshape into a tighter formation leaving a bit of space for others to comfortably walk past without walking out onto the road... It's real bad manners to force a person out onto the road... It can leave people quietly fuming with rage.
In Japan you literally don’t make small talk with coffee shop/convenience store staff, as in you don’t have to greet them when ordering/purchasing or respond to their remarks like ‘welcome’ or ‘sorry for the wait’. In the UK it would be a bit rude not to reply. Also small talk is an art! Super awkward for beginners but essential to build relationships both in formal and social contexts. Cultural differences!
The origins of someone saying "bless you" when someone sneezes is a christian religious thing, it stems back to the black plague and sneezing was one of the symptoms of the plague, so what you was doing is blessing someone on their deathbed
One big thing to note for the UK in general is, whilst we do speak English as a first language, British English is quite different to American English (We have different meanings/spellings for the same words) and relies heavily on tone and inflection. It isn't merely about what you say but how you say it. This can be very confusing to visitors! Especially when we're speaking to friends or family because, being the people we're most comfortable with, British people will often use what may seem like derogatory language to their nearest and dearest but which is actually very friendly and kindly meant. Then you have local slang and accents, which change from village to village, and in a lot of the more secluded countryside you'll find words being utilised as they would several decades ago rather than their modern counterparts. Bit of a mixed bag really. But we do love having company, much like the Japanese, and it's always a treat to share our heritage. Traditional crafts were one thing I took great delight in when I visited Tokyo, actually, and we now own several hand-forged kitchen knives from Japanese master smiths. A love of quality craftsmanship is something both the British and Japanese seem to have in common!
the Sneezing/bless you/thank you cycle is actually an example of christian appropriation of European traditions. In the Christian mythology if you sneeze it's because Satan is trying to steal your soul so you say bless you to chase him away, which is why you traditionally thank the blesser. Before that if you sneezed it was because fairies (the fae) were tickling your nose. In this case when someone says "bless you" you thank them but you also clap to show the fae that you believe in them - it's the origin of clapping for Tinkerbell in Peter Pan
When asking a Brit "how are you?" you will get the reply "I'm alright thanks" (or some variation) 90% of the time. But its how they say "I'm alright" that tells if they are actually alright or not.
Absolutely. I don't think I'd ever reply in a different way (other than slight variants, "yeah, good thanks" etc) unless I knew the person very well. For example, if I pass my neighbours and they ask how I am, I'm always good/fine/alright. If my friends or family ask and neither of us are in a rush, THEN I might answer more honestly/in more detail.
casually: y'alright? alright? & 'aight? all mean much the same & generally are/should be replied to with exactly the same abbreviated version of the greeting (it's generally not a question, really - unless it's asked by a friend & in private) ^^
How you know some one is English... the response to how are you? must be "good/alright/ not too bad" followed by "and you?" Any other responce and they are 100% an imposter!
Im british and i just say "yh, u".
Guess im apart of that 10%
I'm British and I still have a mini crisis on how to reply, because I hate to be insincere and do what most people do!
"I want" is considered rude as it is seen as more of a demand. "I would like" is considered polite.
Yeah its funny that, also if you say "im wanting [blank]" instead of "i want [blank]" it comes over much less rude even though its essentially the same thing
My parents always said to us when we were little 'I want never gets' if we said we wanted something.
@@Laura_Norda same for me! Cant ever say i want without feeling guilty
In Australia people say 'can I get...' when ordering.
I work in a Costa that serves a lot of Asian students and I can confirm that they say "I want" a lot. I don't see it as rude because I understand that learning a language is difficult but it can seem rude to British people for sure. I also hear "I want a cup of - insert drink name-" a lot too, not sure why.
Japanese and British are similar in a lot of ways, Island mentality - always avoid conflict and confrontation, always be polite.
I have lived in Japan and have always thought this!
Love of tea and seafood, everyone else thinks we have weird humor, we're really super similar.
Don't forget our need to expand! In the past anyway. Empires!
@@WindsGuardian I'd rather that we each did forget that to be honest.
@@VerticalBlank better to remember in the hope that we don't make the same mistakes again.
We British have always heard how extremely polite and well mannered Japanese culture is, so this is interesting. :)
Most of the books on Japanese politenes is written from an American perspective. In reality, Japan and the UK are very similar in their use of indirect language and extensive use of politeness.
Remember that what's considered polite varies from culture to culture. Just because a culture doesn't do something that we consider polite, doesn't mean that they're less polite.
@@MrEsphoenix umm, yes. There is literally a well known international scale grading cultures on how polite they are. Some cultures are absolutely more polite than others. British and Japanese score very highly on this and the USA scores as one of the least polite. That isn’t a good or a bad thing (I am not suggesting that polite = better) but it is definitely the case that not all countries are equally polite, just in different ways.
@@DavidSharpMSc I would also say it's quite complicated, based on the old class systems etc. For example bowing to a lord/lady is polite, but you wouldn't expect a lord/lady to be particularly polite back to a commoner, whereas in Japan everyone bows to everyone, no matter the class, don't they? Just one example though.
@@itsrobm8 Indeed. One “politeness” difference I found quite interesting was that in Japan it is considered polite to announce a morning greeting to a whole room when you arrive at work in the morning, whereas in the UK shouting like that would be considered rude. Meanwhile in the UK it is considered polite to greet coworkers individually as you pass them when you arrive at work, but in Japan that would be considered a rude imposition. I can see both sides of it now.
I was always taught that "I WANT" never gets.
The correct/polite phrase should be "I would like...."
Yes, I'm old ! (59)
I was taught the same, it's served me well over a similar (cough) number of years
May I have...
“Can I have ... please,” or “may I have ...” or “I’d like ....” Any one of those would work as they imply a level of cooperation rather than a demand from the requester.
But on the other hand "if you don't ask, you won't get" 😊
@@shamteal8614 its not about asking for something its about how you ask shows your level of respect to the person your asking
As soon as British kids learn to speak, the first thing they're taught is please and thank you, it's the law😁👍
Not for the last 50 or so years it hasn't been....... Standards have slipped somewhat. Bring back National Service, along with sending children up chimneys to clean them. I once walked past 2 schoolgirls - both in uniform - smoking in a shop doorway. On my walking past, one of them threw a cigarette packet on the floor next to me. There was a rubbish bin about 10 feet from where she was standing, so I said "excuse me, you just dropped your cigarette packet on the floor". She replied "oh it's ok, it's empty". Lots of hope for the future then?
@@Brian-om2hh I don't agree, for the most part, most kids are taught manners, of course there are unfortunately, kids that are dragged up by ignorant parents who themselves were not brought up correctly either, but that's nothing new. As for what to do with young delinquents, it's beyond my remit I'm afraid.
See I think I'm in the minority but I find most kids to have better manners than most people older than me nowadays or my generation. (me being 32 now)
I've always been raised to use my manners & poor manners does/can bother me! But think it's more about the individual and way ones raised.
@@JackRabbit002 exactly, from being as young as I can remember, if didn't say please and thank you, my mum, grandma and grandad (these are the people who raised me) would come down on me like a ton of bricks, I did this with my daughter and no doubt she will do this when she has kids
@@Brian-om2hh You live in a rough area.
The thing about sniffing when you have a runny nose, is that it goes on and on and is ultimately more annoying than someone occasionally blowing thier nose.
while most people find constant sniffing annoying, i very rarely meet people who actually think the person doing it is being impolite, its more like a sympathetic ‘ugh this situation is annoying for them and for me’ thing because we know they’re self aware but cant stop. the only people i know who get angry about it are generally rude to everyone lol, so this list surprised me!
@@chickenfoot2423 I don't get angry it's just an annoying background noise. It's annoyance builds though, I have been in the office before and one of my nearby colleagues has been doing it for hours it starts to grate and I have to find something g else to do.
Omg. Someone did this when I was in a classroom at university doing an internship.
All I could hear was this one person sniffing the entire time. I was this close to throwing a packet of tissues at him but I don't like conflict and was too polite.
Yeah, don't do that. If you've got a runny nose, go ahead and blow lol
@@ocarinajourney5374 you say that but people I still know from school still complain about one of our GCSEs in which I was almost constantly blowing my nose and that was 4 years ago.
@@chickenfoot2423 I definitely think it's impolite. My colleague sat next to me for a whole hour and by the end I wanted to punch him in the nose.
I find it strange how some cultures don't say please and thank you.
I once worked with a rather unpleasant woman who never once said please or thank you in all the years I knew her. She wasn't a culture though, but more of a vulture............
Da Mighty Shabba I live in San Sebastián, my friends think it’s funny how often I say please and thank you, but i steadfast refuse to change 😂
@@tomlangdonec You're one mighty fine chap. Never change.
Peter Wright thank you you’re too kind
It's becoming less important in the UK these days.
Interestingly, when someone says 'bless you' after a person has sneezed, it is an abbreviation of 'God bless you' and relates back to when bubonic plague was prevalent throughout Europe, as one of the first symptoms of the plague, could be flu-like symptoms and sneezing. There is also a children's nursery rhyme that is still taught today, that relates to the plague: Ring-a-ring o' roses A pocket full of posies,A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down.
It's amazing that something that happened nearly 750 years ago still echos in our daily lives.
In my experience, 'bless you' is mainly used in Southern England and is seldom used anywhere else in the UK.
@@Jams848484 It killed 60% of the population, that's bound to leave a mark.
I looked into this for a translation class once. It's quite interesting. Almost every country in the world that was either affected by the plague, or that speaks the language of a country that was affected by the plague (countries in North and South America, for example) has their own version of the phrase "bless you". The plague didn't really hit East Asia (aside from originating in China) and there was limited spread of western languages in the area, so East Asian countries never developed their own version of the phrase.
From experience, a Japanese person will either say nothing when you sneeze, or they will ask if you are okay, cold, or if you have a cold (friends and relatives at least, not so much strangers).
Germany and Russia, and probably other places say 'Good health' or 'be healthy' for the same reason, but it may be a bit more obvious what they mean than the rather more obscure 'bless'.
Your first tea customer was like The Terminator visiting a cafe, you even had the sunglasses :)
I NEED YOUR TEA LEAVES, YOUR HOT WATER AND YOUR TAKEAWAY CUP
May I have your clothes, boots and motorcycle, please?
@@karepanman2770 of course! how rude of me not to offer! can i get you anything else? something to eat on your journey perhaps? a map?
It's okaye I have Skynet GPS! Hasta La Vista Cookie!!
I personally think the Japanese and English cultures are very similar - respect, manners, please, thank you, don't make a scene, respect your elders etc.
Good manners cost nothing 🙂👍
Don't make a scene? Only in the south.
@@yasashii89 it's a middle class thing, I think
You're looking at the superficial top coat of vocal dressing and social interaction. The actual cultures are in almost no way similar.
Japan, yes. English culture is very disrespectful, I've found. I lived in the USA and the kids there all call adults sir and ma'am. Here in the UK they don't respect adults or authority figures. Try telling off a group of people in the UK and you'll get physically or verbally abused.
@@voicesofww2 I was actually stating the opposite.
The British may not say sir/ma'am, that's only an American thing but we are all very respectfully of our peers and elders etc.
Maybe check out videos of Americans who have traveled or who stay in the UK and they all state how nice the population is.
It’s so funny that the “thick skinned” thing came up because people told me the same about Japan, Japanese people might not like to express their opinions as directly as Americans but when it comes to making comments about your appearance they don’t seem to hold back! I’ve seen multiple people be told “you put on weight!” in Japan (and I know this is more about showing concern or care than insulting them but it still comes as a surprise!) and that they have a “small face” which is apparently a compliment haha! I think Japanese politeness and British politeness is quite similar but it’s interesting that there are subtle differences like you pointed out!
I would only tell a very close friend that they had put on weight out of concern. Not someone I hardly know unless I wanted to insult them.
@@Linh-rv5dg I was very thin as a child and in my early teens so that would have been a compliment.
one thing that will get us brits upset is queue jumping, it is polite and courteous to allow the people in front of you to proceed in orderly manner. For example, if you arrive at a bus stop and there are three other people in front you should allow them to step on without being hindered. It's polite to also to move down the bus by saying "excuse me" as you pass people to sit at the vacant seat. Regarding seating, if you are on a bus or train and if you are sitting in a seat that has a sign stating its priority to older patrons, pregnant and less able to stand then you should a lighten to allow that person to sit. Nothing more upsetting is seeing a senior citizen with a walking stick standing while a fit, young person is sitting in that seat reserved for that purpose. ~trooper
It's a good job the Japanese share our tendency to queue!
When I take the bus, I go to the upper deck if there is one. All the priority seats are on the lower deck for obvious reasons.
I'm British but I assume this would also be rude in Japan (maybe even more so?)
Was in a shop the other day and the person at the front of the queue had gone to the exit of the tills rather than the entrance, but everyone else just queued up behind her rather than going to the proper entrance and pushing in, or calling her out on her mistake.
@@David-vm4ee Definitely! It was actually quite surprising how many similarities UK and Japanese have in terms of this kind of thing. Especially when most of the other countries i've visited or worked in were so different.
You seem to understand England better than a lot of English people. Your videos are really interesting. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss this year. Take care.
Here's an addition to the bit about "How are you?"
When someone asks "How are you", it's considered a bit strange to reply with details of how you actually feel.
For example, if you say "I am stressed out, because my boss has been very difficult today!" - then you are signalling that this is now the topic you want to talk about. It's a bit rude, because a polite person will now have to wait while you explain your problems, when really, they were only being polite by asking how you are, and didn't really want to hear about your problems. But because they are polite, they won't tell you to shut up!
I won’t tell a stranger but I won’t like to my friends if I’m sad or angry
Which is why you shouldn't ask the question in the first place. Tad bit inane.
I think "bless you" is an interesting way of getting over the awkwardness of someone sneezing (perhaps mid conversation), allowing it to be acknowledged but not so as to cause embarrassment to the person that sneezed. That way everyone can move on without a second thought.
It is also a left over from the Black Death, when sneezing probably ment you did not have long to live God bless you.
@@iantait309 Which is an interesting cultural meme in that sneezing wasn't a symptom of bubonic plague, and is uncommon in pneumonic plague. Coughing was far more likely to be a symptom and spread the disease.
@@delivix Thanks for that, I was thinking of the old rhyme Ring a Ring of roses, atissue atissue we all fall down.
@@iantait309 I get the reference and I agree with you. I think the reference to sneezing shows how they misunderstood the plague at the time. The "pocket full of posies" line is interesting as it's a reference to the scented bags that the well-to-do used to carry round with them to suppress the foul odours they encountered when walking through the filthy, diseased streets.
@@iantait309 As far as I am aware, there is no actual specific origin of 'God bless you' as a response to sneezing. A wide variety of cultures wish someone well after they sneeze, whether or not they invoke deities. This is probably a common custom, particularly for societies that believe or believed in intercessionary prayer, because sneezing is associated with illness. A lot of ancient cultures also had a breath/spirit association and they may have believed someone lost part of their life-force or soul etc. when they sneezed.
It's very sweet that you take the time to understand the manners and customs of the UK
English culture is more like Japanese culture than American culture. When I was an EFL teacher the English and Japanese had so much in common.
Well they do say Japan is the Asian version of the United Kingdom
I was surprised how comfortable I felt in Japan, the culture felt more similar to the UK than I thought it would.
I do worry now that I may have say please and thank you too much though!
Also, we're taught: "I want, don't get". "Can I have" or "I would like" or "Do you have", not "I want"...with please & thank you, of course!
Better to sneeze into a handkerchief too!
Yes we never say I want,my parents would have clipped my ears if I ever spoke to someone like that.
Fascinating to read observations of us English. I think your obvious charm would get you through any moments of misunderstanding.
I have been to Japan a few times and I believe that of all western cultures the English culture is the most similar to that of Japan. Obviously its very different, but also similar in ways
Hi Shizuka
Thank you for your videos. I am from Australia, and we sit maybe between the British and Americans on many cultural aspects. However, everything you have described as good manners in this video is true for Australia as well.
I think it would be great if many migrants here learned about these basic manners - as well as many locals who seem to have forgotten them!
Your perspective is very interesting. Plus, I really like hearing little bits of English accent come out when you speak. I think England and Japan have a lot in common culturally.
English person here. I loved your comic timing, especially the reaction to “bless you” and the little pause before silently sweeping away with your tea. As you know, we really do appreciate a good sense of humour.
Hi Shizuka. I work as an English teacher in Japan. I've just started sharing your videos with my students. I really like what you are doing!
I think all your videos are great. Your intelligence, understanding and appreciation of English culture is amazing really and I think some of us natives could learn an awful lot from you.
In north west of England we always thank you the bus driver when we get off the bus and say bye to shop staff after we been served. When you are walking down the street and try get get out of someone way and they try the same thing but in same direction as you. There is a saying in north west Are you dancing? then other would say are asking?
Watching that first order was painfull.
I can understand not necessarily saying 'please' when ordering... but being handed your drink and just walking away without any acknowledgement?? Is that normal in Japan??
I never thought I was polite before this, but watching that scene made me realise that I literally use “please” and “thank you” as punctuation
@@otocan it's normal in a lot of places afaik. not everywhere has equivalents of please and/or thanks.
@@sjs9698 I'm learning Japanese at the moment and they do have ways of saying please and thank you. Maybe they don't use it as often as we do in almost every setting.
Squirming in the non-politeness 😅
It's interesting that 'bless' has moved just from sneezing to common parlance, although some British may condemn it. In other words, if someone has had a misfortune or showing vunerability, for example, you might hear 'bless him' or 'bless her'. It's not condescending; it's a statement of sympathy or empathy. It doesn't have a religious element to it in this context. Robert, UK.
Very intelligent examination of cultural differences.
These are great tips and will help people visiting the UK a lot. We have many things that I didn't even realise, but when you showed the examples I immediately noticed the lack of please/thank you and not replying 'how are you.' They're such a huge part of our conversation and it felt odd when they were missing. This video is excellent and will help visitors have more natural conversations.
I'm English and I could feel all of the mistakes. Well observed!
As someone from England who recently moved to Japan, these kinds of videos are so so interesting!
"Hi Shizuka! How's it going?" Thank you for these videos. I'm Hugh and I'm British. My parents moved here from Jamaica and I was born in the early eighties here. It's really interesting to see how life is in Britain from a new perspective, so enjoy these videos. My sincere condolences for your loss. I hope life in Britain goes on to be a positive experience for you.
UR ACTING IN THIS VIDEO IS HILARIOUS. I LOVED IT WHEN U JUST SHUFFLED AWAY AFTER ORDERING THE TEA LAMOOO
0:46 omg... I’m a 16 year old brit and I realised it Immediately. Never even thought that other countries don’t do Please and Thank you like us.
This channel deserves more subscribers. =)
As a Brit, I got 100% XD But in all seriousness, this is a really interesting video. You don't notice all your cultural nuances when you're in them so it's really interesting to have them pointed out - good video and great format! Love the quiz x
Your videos are the best I've seen in explaining the English. You have no axe to grind and have analysed our society impartially and accurately.
Another thing that is common in England (and other parts of the UK, I assume) is how we get someone’s attention.
It’s considered rude to go straight up to someone and ask for what you want. The polite thing is to say “Excuse me,” and many people will also apologise for taking the other person’s attention away from what they were doing.
For example, if you were in a shop and couldn’’t find an ingredient for dinner, the proper ettiquete is to go up to one of the employees, say “Excuse me, could you please tell me where ___ is?”, and then thank them for their answer.
(This doesn’t need to be done if the person already had their attention on you, like if you’re ordering at the till.)
This is refreshingly accurate and funny, well done and enjoy England (and the rest of Britain). Britain vs UK vs England, now there’s a topic... if you manage to cover that, can you send it to all the Brits to learn too 😉
She doesn't know the difference yet.
This is fascinating!
It’s these small idiosyncrasies I would of never of thought of
Thanks for making
So happy to see you back on UA-cam after your recent struggles. My housemate (also Japanese) and I have throughly enjoyed your videos, particularly the more personal ones. England misses you. Please let us know if you have any plans to return!
Cheers “ is also a good word to learn about !
simple things like holding a door if somebody is behind you or saying thank you if somebody holds a door for you but there are many things people do as good manners is important and yes please and thank you are a must...my advice if anybody visits england they head for london which is a big mistake visit the north of england you will find people are much more friendly
This was really eye opening! Japanese people are renowned for being very polite and respectful, so i assumed that they would instinctively say 'please' and 'thank you'. It goes to show that what is considered polite and good manners differs according to the culture.
These videos are so incredibly lovely, thank you for making them
its also very common to say 'cheers' instead of 'thank you'. often said without much thought but definitely goes a long way in the polite culture
I've been to Japan several times and have invariably found the people to be very polite and courteous.
Thank you Shizouka, your videos really remind me of how exciting it is to immerse yourself in a different culture, and how significant every little difference is. Keep making these charming things.
really enjoyed your video , when I was a child I was taught it was bad luck to say thank you when some one said "bless you" after you sneezed ,but it seemed so rude not to say thank you I risked having bad luck and said it . note; the bad luck was only for the sneezing situation ,saying thank you is fine in every other situation .hope you continue to enjoy your stay in England
Great video Shizuka! My biggest shock was going to America and realising people are not as polite. People would say 'pass the salt', instead of 'please can you pass the salt?'... Also we say 'sorry' so much!
One of the symptoms of the plague was coughing and sneezing, and it is believed that Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) suggested saying “God bless you” after a person sneezed in hopes that this prayer would protect them from an otherwise certain death.
interesting, I had heard that it was said a people believed that sneezing was thought to be the body expelling out the devil or his 'vapours'. In Bavaria where I lived for several years the traditional greeting in this Catholic area is 'Gruss Gott' which translates to God is great or as we might more commonly hear it now ...... ............ Allahu Akbar !!
I was told in my church that you said it because people used to think that your soul temperately was pushed out with the sneeze and you said " god bless you" so the devil did not get it during that time.
@@jonathanperrins8432 - the difference seems to be that our Church assumed the devil was already in us !
Yeah I think the plague thing is just an urban myth, I remember it being on QI about the origin of 'Ring a ring a roses' song. Plus sneezing is not a symptom of the plague, even the pneumonic type.
@@Wang_Monkey Was just about to say this about sneezing not being a symptom of the plague. Watched a vid earlier about Dark Nursery Rhymes. LOL!
saying "bless you" started in an earlier pandemic I was told, when sneezing was one of the symptoms.
the mediaval story (German) goes a poor but honest man was reduced to abject poverty and could no longer stand the plight of his starving children, so he decided reluctantly to rob a wealthy man in his town. On his way he met another 'man' going the same way, as they walked they struck up a conversation the other man somehow knew where he was going and his intent , and revealed he was the Devil himself going to reap a soul (!) but let slip the man would neeze 3 times and if no-one said bless you he would take the mans soul the devil helped the poor man into the town house and waited for the man , whilst the poor man helped himself to the silver, finally the owner came into the room and began sneezing, the poor man now terrified for the other mans soul on the last sneeze said loudly Bless you, whereupon the devil issued a scream of rage and vanished in a cloud of sulphurous smoke, when he had everything explained to him(!) he rewarded the poor man with more wealth than the littles he had already taken, since then it has been a european custom to wish a blessing of good health on anyone who sneezes.....this story is apparently one from the 1200's...it seems sneezing was seen as a precursor to a satanic attack back then :)
The explanation I ws given is that sneezes are caused by a devil in your nose. Saying "Bless You" drives it away.
@@jonathanwetherell3609 ITS prosit in Sweden (your health) and in badly spelt german its gesundheit which is roughly the same, so they probably all have a similar source :)
We're never happier than when a foreigner understands the British sense of humour. That is the key to being a true Brit. Nothing else really matters. If you can make a little, not a lot of fun of yourself, we find that endearing. It's great to have you as an honoury British person. Thank you for pointing out what we take for granted everyday. Hope you will enjoy us and our green and pleasant land with her cloak of leafy green for your whole life. Britain will always love you right back. We're both island nations of course and both have significantly different cultures from the main land, which is actually very cool!x
I'm a Brit and I enjoyed the vid. Must admit I didn't spot all of them either. But yeah that first one about please and thank you is VERY important.
You are so eloquent. And your video quality and humour is amazing. Well done.
Excellent observations Shizuka! The 'Bless You' after a sneeze comes from way way back when England was decimated by the Bubonic Plague. The first symptom was sneeze sneeze sneeze. So everyone then knew you were going to die. So 'Bless You ' means 'Bless your soul' in preparation for it to go to Heaven when you meet your God in a few days time! Also look up the nursery rhyme 'Ring A Ring of Roses' - same subject. The Roses were the wheals on your skin that were a later symptom.
I have an English person I am so glad I got all of these right. it’s really cool to see what isn’t normal in other cultures I didn’t occur to me other places wouldn’t ask how are you back. Thank you!
Dear Shizuka, you have a good degree British to your accent. It is a pleasure to hear. 👍
Very useful observations- hope it may help some others visiting the UK for the first time. The first time I visited Japan, many years ago, we were warned about blowing the nose in public, specially using a linen/cotton handkerchief and putting it back in your pocket afterwards - we were told this was considered disgusting in Japan, and that it was better to use a paper disposable tissue and to blow the nose discreetly and dispose of the tissue in a waste bin. We were given a number of other useful tips for how we should behave in Japan - hopefully I managed to avoid upsetting too many people.
I'm with the Japanese on this one. Nose blowing reminds me of wet farts. Should be practised discreetly/privately. Oh the times I gagged in public because of blatant, wet, gurgling, snottery.
Very interesting.I think in some ways UK and Japan isn't so different. A lot of stuff about not wanting to impose on other people but also a lot of embarrassment if you do it too much. Its the ambiguity of personal space.
Love your videos. You are a very nice person and l recommend you go on a canal narrow boat. You are in a great location to try the canal system
You made me laugh at my English ways. Thank you. One odd thing we do is say 'Sorry' if someone bumps into us in a supermarket. It's like 'Sorry I was in your way'.
"And yourself" is a good reply to "how are you"
Welcome to Europe (I'm not english, so I can't welcome you to England). It's brave to move to such a cultural different region, I hope you'll feel at home despite the differences. To me it's very refreshing to hear you pointing out differences that I've heard of from people who have moved to japan - albeit the other way round :-)
Regarding your first observation of saying "please" and "thank you" in stores, I've heard the explanation that in Japan, the employees never talk in their own words, but have to say fixed sentences just like robots do - and noone would say "please" or "thanks" to a robot, would they? In contrast, so goes this explanation, europeans tend to be more spontaneous and to express their friendliness by blending more of their personality in the conversation. Can you comment on this theory?
Btw.: When I had the chance to be in Japan, I constantly felt awkward because I knew I couldn't behave properly. I made so many embarrassing mistakes - fortunately, japanese people ar so forgiving to foreigners and simply ignore our bad manners.
Glad you geh'ing along OK in the UK and dropping your 't's already 😉
I had a shop! No please no service! Rarely people didn’t and a pause and look usually enough!
An extra to the "How are you?" is that if someone you know gives you a half-smile it's usually a non-verbal "How are you?" if you do not kind of smile back little... you have committed a great sin.
People sometimes ask "who would you like to have a dinner party with" Shizuka is on my list!
Ha, luvvit! It's funny to see our traits exposed. Btw, one should never blow one's nose at the dinner table. You can wipe it quietly, but not blow it!👍
Both risk stuffing up the sinus, apparently
No loud or continual sniffing!!!!!!! - spot on. - preferably wipe not blow if it would disturb others or is near food - physically turn away from people /table if you really do need to blow. Some people leave the table.
these things are so ingrained in our culture, it never even entered my mind that other nationalities didnt do them or would think them unusual
Great video. England and Japan are two countries where respect and etiquette goes a long way. Translation of speech might confuse the matter somewhat, however I think this is a common ground both cultures share. 2 respectful cultures who can respect one another :)
Lovely video, thank you for your insight into our way of life!❤️🇬🇧
I love this! So totally didn’t notice what us British do that non-british people wouldn’t know about until they got here. Made me appreciate the cultural things differences between UK and Japan more as I am studying Japanese at the moment. Although part of me thinks that British culture has more similarities to Japanese culture compared to America from all the videos about that on UA-cam. Thanks :) James
Watching this as a British person is so interesting. I never thought for example that other cultures might not use "please" and "thank you", or say "bless you!" After sneezing! Very fascinating haha
"Bless you!" after a sneeze supposedly came from the times of plague when some diseases could have a very high fatality.
Something else to remember, there are about 200 differences between "English" and American-English.
This is not just spelling it's also grammar and punctuation, culture is also different due to history.
Love your video by the way, very well done. 10/10
The point about sniffing and blowing your nose was very interesting. I would have never thought that some cultures view that differently.
Lass=Female
Lad=Male
Usually slang in Northern England and Scotland referring to the above terms, just in case you didn’t know, if you didn’t know, now you know. Cheers for the videos, they help myself and I think others understand an Expat’s/Foreigner’s perspective on life here in England/United Kingdom, keep up the good work lass, I hope you’re enjoying your time here, keep an eye out for ‘Chavs’ they’re usually quite rough-around-the-edges and can be quite forward and rude depending on the person, they’re quite common in Urban areas and have a knack for loitering, ignore them if you see them, they’ll usually leave you alone but it’s usually a good shout to keep your distance just in case, thank you for the videos, they’re informative and interesting .
Stay safe out there lass.
"Bless you!" Comes from a time when people were VERY polite and they hoped that your "Sneeze" wasn't caused by a serious Illness. They were "Blessing you" as a means of asking God to protect you. Nowadays, less people believe in any one religion, but the polite people will generally still say "Bless you!"
Great reply, people forget that this is a christian country despite the efforts of many to change that status. Be very careful what you wish for.
We have always taught our children and grandchildren to remember their PS & Qs. Please and thank yous, costs nothing!
Theres also another tradition around sneezing, but you dont hear it said as often these days. There is a little rhyme
One for a wish,
Two for a kiss,
Three for a letter,
Four for something better!
Sometimes, usually a person of the older generation, instead of saying 'bless you' , someone might say a line of this rhyme depending how many sneezes you had!
I didn't realise it but flip most of these things really grated my gears haha guess I better thank mom for raising me right🤣 even when during the call she didn't respond with a "I'm alright thank you, how are you?"
Your video's are very well produced, and quite humorous to watch too.
No need for an apostrophe if a word is just plural.
Things I wasn't expecting to see today:
A Japanese person saying that the British are very formal and polite.
It might not be a thing in London, but always thank the bus driver when you get off a bus.
Hi Shizuka, a small but correct way of english spelling is the word Directly which applies to the sentence you were saying, the word you actually used was Directory which refers to something such as say a Telephone Directory, hope you did not get offended by the spelling correction!, (so glad to see you back in your Bubbly self again!!).
Reputedly, the expression "Bless you!" by strangers if one sneezes in public started during sixth century when plague was killing large numbers of the citizenry. Coughing and sneezing were early symptoms of plague and, at the time, if one coughed or sneezed it was a fair bet that one had contracted plague and would shortly die. Pope Gregory, in the infinite wisdom of the Catholic Church, ordered that people offer prayers to those likely afflicted by plague and the standard short-form prayer "May God bless you!" (later shortened to simply "Bless you!") became the standard offering on such occasions. Even though plague has long since departed, the traditional short-form prayer response became deeply ingrained in the language and remains with us today.
Yes, when walking in a group of 5-6-7 and you're taking up all the pavement and some one is walking towards you, the group is expected to reshape into a tighter formation leaving a bit of space for others to comfortably walk past without walking out onto the road... It's real bad manners to force a person out onto the road... It can leave people quietly fuming with rage.
Your videos keep popping up and I am sure I am not the only one who misses you loads and I only hope you are well and ok.
In Japan you literally don’t make small talk with coffee shop/convenience store staff, as in you don’t have to greet them when ordering/purchasing or respond to their remarks like ‘welcome’ or ‘sorry for the wait’. In the UK it would be a bit rude not to reply. Also small talk is an art! Super awkward for beginners but essential to build relationships both in formal and social contexts. Cultural differences!
The origins of someone saying "bless you" when someone sneezes is a christian religious thing, it stems back to the black plague and sneezing was one of the symptoms of the plague, so what you was doing is blessing someone on their deathbed
As an Englishman who's spent significant time in Japan and America, I can confirm this list is spot on.
love your accent! Sometimes you sound like a proper londoner.
Yes I also noticed that.
Oof. Don't be so mean. ;P
@@LordBilliam ?
One big thing to note for the UK in general is, whilst we do speak English as a first language, British English is quite different to American English (We have different meanings/spellings for the same words) and relies heavily on tone and inflection. It isn't merely about what you say but how you say it.
This can be very confusing to visitors! Especially when we're speaking to friends or family because, being the people we're most comfortable with, British people will often use what may seem like derogatory language to their nearest and dearest but which is actually very friendly and kindly meant.
Then you have local slang and accents, which change from village to village, and in a lot of the more secluded countryside you'll find words being utilised as they would several decades ago rather than their modern counterparts. Bit of a mixed bag really.
But we do love having company, much like the Japanese, and it's always a treat to share our heritage. Traditional crafts were one thing I took great delight in when I visited Tokyo, actually, and we now own several hand-forged kitchen knives from Japanese master smiths. A love of quality craftsmanship is something both the British and Japanese seem to have in common!
Not saying "please" and "thank you" is impolite no matter where you are! I'm not English but this is how I was taught since I was little.
the Sneezing/bless you/thank you cycle is actually an example of christian appropriation of European traditions. In the Christian mythology if you sneeze it's because Satan is trying to steal your soul so you say bless you to chase him away, which is why you traditionally thank the blesser. Before that if you sneezed it was because fairies (the fae) were tickling your nose. In this case when someone says "bless you" you thank them but you also clap to show the fae that you believe in them - it's the origin of clapping for Tinkerbell in Peter Pan
A very good video format.
Managed to go through your dressing up box, too.