Reverse culture shocks moving to Europe from Asia - Americans in Italy
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
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In this video, we talk about a few reverse culture shocks that we've experienced since moving back to Europe from Japan. Let us know a few of your thoughts!
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Finally you said that: "Europe is different in each country". One of the few Americans who understands that.
The diversity in Europe is truly one of the best parts of it!
100% agree!!🥰
I think they understand it on an intellectual level, but not quite on an emotional level. As someone from Switzerland, I still find it odd how often they refer to themselves as being "in europe" instead of "in italy".
Europe is not a country we are very much different do you know abaut 100 years war?
@@JackFate76Probably because each country is like a US state and most Americans will visit several countries during one trip so instead of listing each country, it’s easier to say Europe.
In Italy, besides Veneto, there are 19 other regions, each one different from the others. If you have the opportunity to explore Italy, you will notice that there are profound differences in relatively close spaces.
We imagine! We are curious to see how each region varies in Italy!! Definitely stay tuned as we started explore more areas and share our thoughts about them!
@@OurStorytoTell Sì, variano. Ma solo da un punto di vista folkloristico, linguistico ed economico (in parte minimissima).
@@angelodichiara7909 Beh, dipende. I miei amici siciliani che lavorano qui a Milano mi dicono che gli sembra di essere in un altro mondo e che se non fosse per la lingua non sembrerebbe nemmeno Italia (personalmente non ho ancora capito qual è la loro idea di Italia)
@@strikedn L'esperienza soggettiva non corrisponde a conoscenza informata.
Can´t wait to see you exploring Italy! I recently spent nine hours on trains going to Baden-Württemberg. The first four hours on the ICE were nearly completely silent (and that was so nice). The more local the trains got, the more conversations were happening.
Hi there! From our memory, the ICE trains were much ore quiet than the locals, is that mostly correct?
@@OurStorytoTell The reason is simple. Most travellers on long distance trains are solo. While more travellers on regional trains are families, youth groups or colleagues which take the train together to get to work.
But as I was taking the train on Fridays and Sundays almost exclusively there were oftentimes groups which wanted to spend a weekend together in a city like Hamburg. Or attend a football meeting as a fan group.
as someone who lives in the city next to yours (i'm from verona), yes, winter is gloomy and sad, and 'cause of climate change it doesn't snow anymore (when i was a child i used to do the snowman in the garder, it's 10+ years that snow doesn't even stick, if it falls at all), but wait for summer, you will get so much sun that you'll regret saying "not enought sun" :) :P
Ciao to you neighbor ;) That is a bummer to hear that now it doesn't snow. We got to experience snow during the winters in Germany and we loved it! In Japan, the winters are sooo sunny (and truly the entire year), that it's just been a noticeably gray Winter for us. But, we have heard that it's going to get HOT this Summer here, so we totally think you're right! We will be missing the cooler temps haha
Well, the Lessinia mountains just north of Verona still get some snow.
@ yes, in the mountains, but i wasn't talking about mountains
@@OurStorytoTell "Prepare yourselves" psychologically because in Italy it is very hot, usually 35°/40° degrees for 3/4 months in summer in a row. Unfortunately with climate change temperatures have increased in Italy (and they were already hot to begin with) and there are periods like "monsoon" and it rains more. Sometimes there are months of drought and months in which it always rains. It wasn't like this before. Obviously in the South there is a better climate.
@@ProfumoDiSanremo They have AC in Italy in most places, right?
You are so much privileged…enjoy it with your kids🇩🇪
Moving to Germany from the United States really showed how strong we were as a couple. We’ve grown so much. So interesting to hear your thoughts and impressions coming back to Europe!
Rich germans Are moving to Spain , USA.
Yes yes yes! You grow so much with each move! Stepping out of your comfort zone is so important. Way to make the move :) You guys are awesome!
Nice video. I'm italian who lived many yrs in North America so I do understand what means moving from one continent to other so I think your points make sense. About taxes...consider yourself lucky if you have not anyrhing to do with italian tax system or even simply with italian burocracy coz, you can bet on it, will be by far the first cons on a vid like this 😆, benvenuti e buona permanenza!
Hey fun to hear a little bit about you! You would be able to relate for sure! We are open to the idea of staying in Italy once our work contract ends, so the Italian tax comment is a bit daunting lol! Thankfully we won't cross that road for many years haha! Grazie mille! :)
You have a lot to see ,if you move to Verona and lake Garda there's many placet to visit,you'll enjoy for sure
We cannot wait to explore those places! :)
looking forward to your experiences in Italy. Great channel.
Thank you so much! We are excited to share our journey with you! :)
I'm German and live in Veneto. Yes, it's loud in restaurants 😅 and it will get very very hot in summer, be prepared. Lidl at least introduced die Bretze (I'm from Munich) to Italian supermarkets, Aldi followed.
Pretzel can be found in any supermarket in Italy, not just Lidl or Aldi. As a matter of fact you can find almost any kind of bread.
Actually the ocean is somewhat far away! 😉The sea, the Adriatic sea is just within a stone's throw. But I know the word ocean for many americans simply means sea. Great video as usual!
Haha oops! 😂 yes ocean is the same thing as sea in our American minds! 🫣
Now that you have another move to Europe under your belt to compare to (since I imagine moving to Japan was a lot more challenging simply because of language/ not even being g able to read and bigger cultural differences) I do wonder how different the move to Italy was compared to moving to Germany considering now you have two bigger kids and not just little baby Willa with you. Was it harder since there’s two now or easier because they aren’t quite as small anymore?
Overall, I'd say this move was a bit easier now that the girls are older and able to walk and carry a few items. However, it was still a challenge because Noa is mobile and didn't want to be in the carrier or stroller that much. Once we were at the airport and could check in our big bags, it was pretty smooth sailing! Jet lag is the most difficult adjustment to it all!
In the UK we have definitely had a long dull winter with lots of cloud and rain, so maybe your weather is having a similar pattern. Hope you are settling into your new home now 😊
Quite normal if you live in Northern Italy.
We've heard! Had someone visit from DE the other day and they wanted to stay cause we had 4 days straight of sunshine haha. Thanks for the best wishes! We haven't quite moved in, but soon!
Just wait for the Spring to finally settle in. Public spaces will come back to life after winter's hibernation!
Great video! Welcome back to europe!👍🏼
Thank you! ☺️
Always fun to watch☺
Love to hear that! Thanks for being here 😘
09:50 It’s so cute how Willa walks away from the sandwiches with her hands clasped behind her back!☺
It’s sure been very Dull Grey wet cold since November in parts of Europe 😕 we only seen the sun last few days for a very short moment Roll on the Spring 😜.Hows your house hunting Going ? Are you finding your way around
Your New home Town 😊. Yes so true every country in Europe is very different , thats whats so interesting, finding out new Foods, education, history, etc .
Hope you have a Good week take care 🥰
I think in Vicenza you get some cold air from the Alps this time of year. But the location is great for several day trips like Verona, Lake Garda, Lake Como, Venice and even Florence. I see only 300km to get to Croatia, Porec and these lovely towns on that coast area. Austria is pretty closeby too. Enjoy your time in Italy :)
I believe there is another component to your surprise at "slow eating" in Italy (and/or Europe). In Italy (but also elsewhere in Europe), they distinguish quite clearly between (1) places (mainly full-fledged restaurants) where you go to eat in your free time (e.g. with family and friends), in which a slow and longer meal is expected; (2) places (bars, snack bars, the so-called "rosticcerie") where you would eat during your workday, where a faster service and a quick meal (a sandwich, a slice of pizza, a quick pasta) are expected and you can eat in 10 minutes. So, I suspect you simply came across more of the former so far, and will have to learn to distinguish the two types of places better. I also believe both sorts of places exist in the US and in Japan as well (I cannot believe there are no middle- to high-end restaurants in the US where you sit down and eat several courses over at least one hour!), but it is possible that the difference in the duration of a meal across the two types of places is more evident in Italy.
Hey guys! Thanks for sharing your stories-it’s really inspiring and insightful. I had a question about visas: you all look quite young, so I was wondering which visa you applied for and how the process went.
The reason I’m asking is that most expats moving to Europe seem to be older and retiring, so I’m really curious about your experience. I’m turning 38 this year and have always wanted to move to Italy, so I’d love to hear any advice you have. Thanks!
Oh I love checking out grocery stores! The differences are an education in itself. Let’s face it food and meals are such cultural things. Enjoy every bite you get 🍽️😋😃
you s close to Africa do a trip there doesn't take too long to reach it with a ferry ,it's very cheap and fun
Where should we go? We would love to!
@@OurStorytoTell Tunisia first then morocco and then you go down to other African countries or jump back to Egypt . also Malta and Sicily are great place you can visit them before you reach Tunisia , it's really worth the adventure and it's very cheap and really underrated place
@@TheBlackbirdii Tunisia! You'll never doubt German environmentalism again, when you see what washes up on the beach. You'll be greeted in German, French, and English every morning. Hearing the call to prayer every day is something everyone should experience. And certain times of the year you can go see where they filmed the original Star Wars film. Just don't go in Summer! There isn't enough AC on the continent for that heat. Also, gender segregation is a thing.
Clouds, noise levels, a bunch of things I'd probably have never thought about comparing IT/EU and Japan! Interesting
I'm definitely glad you guys are back in Europe!! 💪
Yes somehow it’s the little things that seem to really stick out with this move! 🤣
So happy to hear it!
Japan is mostly mountainous, green land. Agriculture is limited to small areas because so much of the land can't be cultivated because of mountains. Cities are crowded cement jungles because of limited space available for habitable land.
I also used to live in Japan. I was there for seven years, both in Tokyo and Yokosuka. Anyplace around American military bases is going to be overcrowded with infrastructure.
That is true! I have heard that in a few other military zones in Japan have more agriculture nearby.
This winter is quite anomalous and mild, normally the rain you are experiencing these days would be snow. In Veneto there have been years when the temperature in the plains has dropped to more than 30 degrees Celsius below zero.
That would be fun to experience snow. We understand the weather in Winter is quite normal and expected for this region. In Japan, the winters are extremely sunny with clear skies. It is still cold/cool temperatures, but sunny. Honestly it's one of our favorite times of the year in Japan. So, we mentioned weather because we have felt a noticeable difference from Japan to Italy's winter.
30 degrees is a bit of an exaggeration, maybe you live in some village in the shadow of a mountain. I live north of Padova, here the temperature rarely dropped 10 degrees below zero, I remember snow and ice many years ago, in the eighties and nineties. Then in 2000 - 2010 we had wet snow vanished in few hours, every year less, and last 3 years no snow at all, the temperature is around 0 degrees in january, only few nights.
@@trattogatto ricordo che molti anni fa in tutto il Nord Est si arrivò a quelle temperature, in pianura e senza neve. Fu un'eccezione ovviamente, ma anche il caldo di questo inverno è anomalo.
2:00 I think one thing to add is that even within a single country, there are regions with big cultural, linguistic, and culinary differences. In Italy, Spain, England, France, etc., wherever you travel from city to city, you’ll discover different traditional foods, dialects, local festivals, lifestyles, and much more.
6:00 I think the issue of the noise you hear around, whether on public transport or in the squares, is something typically Italian or Spanish. I don’t think there are other European countries with so much background noise. For me, as an Italian, it doesn’t bother me at al (in fact, I enjoy hearing people chatting in the squares) but maybe for someone else, it could be annoying.
Even in restaurants, but even more so in pizzerias (especially in Italy), people talk at a volume that’s probably too loud compared to the size of the space. In those situations, you either raise your voice too, or you just can’t have a conversation with your friends at the table. 😂
11:00 This is absolutely true. In Europe, there are so many cities separated by countryside, so when you travel from one to another, even if you’re on the highway, you’ll always find greenery around you. Nowadays, even in the cities, among the buildings, there are trees, flowerbeds and parks, much more than in other continents.
Great comment! We love the addition for the diversity in each country! We explored almost every Bundesland in Germany, and we came to realize how unique and different each one of them were too! We especially love trying to local food for each region;).
Again, thanks for the comment! Such great thoughts! :)
After I watched this video I started thinking about "so quiet in Japan". I have never been there. All I know about Japan is what I learnd from watching TV documentations or YTs from expats living there. But my guess is: The Japanese culture is extremely focused on not showing any emotions in public. I mean, sure, in each and every country people are wearing a mask when leaving the house...... there is that "being at home" feeling which can't be transported outside. But I think this mask we all may know is much more extreme in Japan and some other Asian countries. Talking in a train will firstly make it hard not to react emotional to the conversation, and secondly may disturb others.
I always remember when my Mum and I were using public transportation back in the days. Even in Germany people weren't much talking in the bus or train. "Shhh, be quiet, we aren't alone here" was the standard words my Mum told me. Today it is different in Germany, but Japanese people seem to be trained to always hold themselves back when in public. Like "show the polite face, smile politely and don't dare to open up more"!
The weather..... well it is Febuary, and sh* weather is relatively normal now. But spring is coming closer........everything will be fine soon.
Yes we agree that many Japanese individuals seem to be aware about the things you mentioned! Also, yes it is expected winter weather for so many places around the world, but coming from Japan... the winters were always so sunny with clear blue skies. :) In general, the sun is shining throughout the year in Japan. So it's been a bit of a shock to our bodies lol!
@@OurStorytoTell there are sunny winter days along Europe, but I guess they are rare compared to Japan. And this is because of the Gulf Stream. It makes European weather more moist and rainy than the weather on other continents far from the Gulf Stream. Maybe we should ask Mr. T to buy the Gulf Stream and ask Mr. M to transport it to Mars?
(sorry, guess it's my sarcasm day today) 🤣
08:57 Yes, the Mediterranean climate is more or less like this: cold winters, but not too harsh, and very humid and rainy; very hot and scorching, dry summers, with rare but intense thunderstorms "Acquazzoni estivi"
We aren't so sure we are ready for the scorching Summers, but each seasons brings pros and cons for sure! :)
The climate in northern Italy, including Veneto, is continental and alpine, not Mediterranean. These are things you learn in elementary school!
@@spidertube79 Si ma tu capirai che, sebbene sulla cartina ci sia una linea netta, la transizione è graduale, e queste classificazioni servono per descrivere delle caratteristiche generali che sono influenzate dalle caratteristiche geografiche circostanti.
A scuola insomma insegnano anche a mettere le cose in prospettiva e a fare collegamenti dinamici, non solo ad imparare la poesia e vedere il mondo netto e schedato
@@FrancescoDeo_ ma il clima mediterraneo a Vicenza non c'entra un fico secco. Non c'è nessuna linea in quella zona, è pienamente clima continentale. Se vuoi trovare il clima mediterraneo devi andare nel centro e sud Italia, esclusa tutta la zona appenninica. Nel Nord Italia lo puoi trovare giusto nei primi km di costa della riviera ligure, dove però il clima diventa subito continentale e alpino appena ci si addentra nell'entroterra. E comunque è la vegetazione che indica il tipo di clima e non ci sono pini marittimi nella pianura padana.
@@spidertube79 A parte che i pini marittimi non fanno assolutamente parte della macchia mediterranea, sono stati tutti portati dall'uomo. Comunque non ho detto che tu abbia detto una castroneria, ma le influenze non sono trascurabili, non si tratta dello stesso clima continentale che si trova in Germania, per dire. Ci sarebbe anche il processo di tropicalizzazione che a sua volta fa retrocedere le zone a clima continentale.
Generalmente le puntualizzazioni sono anche molto apprezzabili, ma ti sei posto in modo abbastanza passivo-aggressivo, sono sicuro tu possa fare di meglio in futuro e avere interazioni più positive e costruttive.
Insomma non è il caso di prenderci a capelli su, buona giornata 👍🏻
Hello beautiful family, thank you for sharing some of the differences between Italy/Europe to Japan. I am noticing some differences between Australia and Germany. I am in Germany for almost 3 months and even though it’s cold and I’m missing our lovely summer, I am enjoying the local lifestyle here . The homes are so much warmer in Germany and I don’t mind being in an apartment. The bakeries are amazing. I’m really going to miss the bread and cakes. The people have been quite friendly in this particular town . Even though I don’t speak German, I find we can sort of understand each other. I did attract a few looks though when I called out to my daughter in the local supermarket.😂😂😂 do we need potatoes? It was either my English words or I was a bit loud 😂😂 anyway I am loving my time here. I totally understand why you choose to experience different cultures and countries. It really makes you a more well rounded person . See you next time❤
Loved our time in Germany, but found the biggest change from Japan being convenience (especially around postal delivery and convenience stores). How are the shopping hours in your new Italian town?
Oh yes convenience is such a great perk in Japan!! We loved that!! We haven't done a lot of shopping here so honestly that's probably why we haven't felt or experienced that culture shock, YET. We will, but because we are in temporary housing, we aren't buying things yet.
Maybe "eating out" is so different because in Europe it is more like a special event to eat out and not a day by day experience. So you take your time to enjoy meeting and eating together and relax/have fun. If you look at the streetfood restaurants at lunch time, there will also be lots of people just for a 30 minutes lunch break, order-eat-leave. I have the impression that eating out is more every-day-thing in the USA and nothing special. But I also noticed that more and more German restaurants set a special time-schedule for your stay (about 2 hours) because they give away the table for reservation after the time is over. That was never a thing in the past - you could have stayed all evening if you keep on ordering sth, even just drinks.
Yeah that's a good point to make! I do think Europeans, Americans, and Japanese (i'm sure everyone around the world) all view eating out in a different way. For us, eating out in Japan was much more frequent because of the convenience, cost, fast service, and abundance of street food/restaurants. For us, living in Europe (and if we lived in America), we will not be eating out nearly as much mostly just due to the cost. We love eating out lol!!
South of Germany or North of Italy is often much colder than Berlin in winter mostly . The temperature in winter in Europe has nothing to do with north or south, but mostly with west or east.
Oh very interesting!! We totally would have thought otherwise! Thanks for sharing!
No ocean in Italy, just the sea, Mediterranean sea 😄
Oops 😂 That’s what we meant lol!
😂 you are going to miss this cold weather in 2 months, believe me there's a lot of hot sun coming
You are living in an area, Venetian empire, distant less than an hour from the Alps, culturally Bavarian. Not much more time from Croatia, Slavic. To the south Ravenna and Emilia Romagna, medieval Roman empire. To the west, Milan and Turin, mitteleuropa. If you go further south it's Greece and In Sicily North/African, Arab and again Greece. Italy is a mosaic of cultures, we have villages speaking Albanian, Greek, German, French .
Just search videos of our big traditional events and compare it😅, here's a not exhaustive list:
Carnevale di Venezia
La notte della Taranta
Palio di Siena
Battaglia arance di Ivrea
Festa di S.Giorgio piana degli albanesi
Mercatini di natale Alto Adige
We believe it! From what we have heard it gets HOT! It's so cool to hear about the diversity within Italy as well. thanks for the list of big events! We are hoping to experience Carnevale di Venezia soon. :)
@OurStorytoTell great! Don't forget to watch the unending 5 days of Sanremo song competition next week you are part of Italy now, you have to suffer with us 😅♥️🖐️
@@quelodequelo NO, please, NOT Sanremo. They don't deserve it!😁
@@OurStorytoTell Beware of going to the Carnival in Venice with little kids. It usually gets super overcrowded and it's easy to panic when you realize that you can barely move and all you can do is walking at snails pace in those narrow alleys. If you really want to go, skip the weeked and Giovedi Grasso which is the last day of Carnival. Don't forget that Venice is made for walking and kids can get easily tired and nervous after sometime. By the way, I'm Venetian (with kids). Enjoy your stay, Veneto is an amazing region.
I hate foccacia too. "Solo eaters" - It's been so long, I used to go to restaurants almost every day and eat alone in Seattle. 20 minutes max. Now I know going out to eat that often is ridiculous but I miss solo eating in restaurants. I've done it a few times in Germany and it feels really awkward.
That‘s because Germans have working kitchens and a basic knowledge of cooking to not be reliant on eating out for our daily needs.
As a German, eating alone is a social stigma, which tells everyone around you that you got no friends to enjoy a meal with you, so everyone in the place will pity you for your lack of social connection!
@@lynnm6413 Which tells you all about the nature of german society. It’s horrible.
@@lynnm6413 Exactly. Funnily my hobby is cooking, I cook a home made meal for my husband every single day, and spend my afternoons watching Kuchenschlacht on ZDF where I learn to be a better cook. I just wish I could every once in a while go to a restaurant alone and not feel like a freak.
@ I only ever eat out when my mother is visiting, because she likes to treat me.
We just had cocktails and Fajitas at a Mexican restaurant.
I‘m just too poor to enjoy paying a weeks worth of groceries for one meal, but besides the beef being stringy and overcooked, it was a lot and well seasoned!
I like trying out new recepies as well.
I really wouldn‘t want to sit somewhere by myself, it would make me feel so sad.
@@lynnm6413 That's the difference between Japan/America and Germany/ Italy I guess. In two of those places you can both be a hobby cook and eat out totally alone and not feel awkward. To be honest I've never gone to a Mexican restaurant in my life alone, that would be so sad. I'm talking downtown Seattle Thai, Teriyaki and Indian joints: )
tanner crept up, he thought "wow, that woman has beautiful hair, I have to kiss her". smaaaaaack. oh it's risa!!! yes, the italians are pretty loud but hey, you're americans, the loudest people in the world. your japanese neighbors put their hearing protection on ebay when you left.😂
wow, way to go pinpoint some stereotypes on a channel showing respect and curiosity for all kinds of different cultures 😅
@@MariaSo56 please, not so loud 👌🤫;)
@@MariaSo56 if you don‘t want to hear the truth about Italians, you better unsubscribe, because there‘s gonna be tons of them!
@@lynnm6413 what are you talking about? I was referring to the rude comment about Americans
@ same thing, tho, isn‘t it!
Americans as well as Italians are proven to be obnoxiously loud.
What‘s your point?
BTW have you already been made aware about the fact that you are now close to Grappa country?
No we had to go and search what Grappa was! Interesting! Thanks for sharing. :)
@ your welcome, but enjoy like the Italian, I.e. in moderation 😉
The first spot you choosed for the video was probably "the most beautiful place" in Italy. I am sure the tourist administration will not ask you for advice 🤣
Haha yeah that was on the US base! Definitely not a place of interest or access! 😂🤣
As you may already know, greeting a person you don't know with "Ciao" might be considered a bit too informal, unless talking to a child. A good neutral way to say hello is "Salve".
Yes, we have noticed that! Thanks for the reminder.
I've asked before but maybe the answer has changed: have you seen The Man in the High Castle? A documentary about Japan and Germany occupying America after WW2?
The ocean??? Not very far away from Vicenza? I know it's an innocent slip but it's still funny. In the summer you will be nostalgic of the clouds and the cold. Summer has become very very hot in the last 20 years or so, even in the north
Yes meant to say Sea but in my mind for some reason, they’re almost the same thing! lol🫣
Interesting observations about the differences between crowds in public places re Japan and Italy.
I hate to be a wet firecracker but one difference is that when traveling/commuting, there are women and children only train cars in Japan where women can travel without worrying about male harassment whereas those aren't available in Italy or the rest of Europe and essentially one must either ride in taxis,ubers or one's own private vehicles to completely avoid those strangers who aren't gentlemen as Tanner is.
I look forward to your adventure and travel videos exploring the Boot and as much of Europe as you all are venturing to.
Take care!
That is an important and valid point to bring up. We think it's cool that Japan provides those train cars! Thank you so much for the support and interest! :)
Move down to Tuscany. That's the place to be in Italy.
We genuinely are so happy with our area, but there are definitely culture shocks with each move. Tuscany does sound amazing though! We have heard nothing but great things!
In italy there isn't ocean😂 we only have close seas...
When will you get a dog ?
We won't We travel too much to take care of it the way it deserves to. Do you have one?
@@OurStorytoTell I cannot even have a canary. I'd love to, but it's enough for the horsesitter, all the work in the barn. I miss canaries. They sing like modems.
Mine died recently
Love your vids but PLEASE label your ads as ads! Add a chapter marker or something. As an Aussie I have zero interest in the software to file a US tax return (and can't believe that your govt makes it so difficult). I don't want to watch ads. I subscribe to UA-cam Premium specifically to avoid them. Please don't make me unsubscribe. Yes I can skip them but 9nly after watching half of it before it became apparent that it is an ad. A bit devious, and actually illegal in some countries eg UK.
Oh thanks for the suggestion! Adding a chapter is a good idea for the ad. We had never thought about that! We totally get your perspective & how you wouldn’t be interested! Next time we will try to do that. Thanks for sticking with us!
@@OurStorytoTell Also, I moved to Europe in 2007 and never filed a tax return to America. And America knows I'm here, I get all my voting materials.
I have the impression that you are happy being back in Europe. I didn’t follow much your Japanese adventures since I‘m not so interested in Japan. Best wishes!
Me too!
Thanks for the wishes! We are happy to be back in Europe. Honestly we do miss Japan too, but we also miss Germany and Utah too. Lol such is life as a family who has lived abroad and moved multiple times.
@@OurStorytoTell That’s the challenge with living in different countries. You want the best of everything and are torn.
6:10 View from Germany: Italians are nearly as loud as Americans...
Interesting to hear! Thanks for sharing!
come to visit Berlin --- wahrscheinlich ist berlin nicht in Deutschland.
@ Korrekt!
It was a little bit confusing to me that you were talking about your culture shocks coming from the US to Europe in the beginning AND Asia to Europe. Not only that but you were also trying to compare Europ to Japan? I think Japan has SO MUCH more to offer culturewise than Germany alone (and there are more physical differences within Japan than in Germany - like the Southern Japanese people have darker skin than the Northeners, to take as just an obvious example). But if you compare Japan with Europe then of course Europe has much more diversity..
The "culture" shocks you were refering to between Japan and Europe are mostly determined by the up bringing of Japanese being VERY mindful and "considerate" to others (and therefore always being watched by others, too!) and Europeans being taught to be mindful and considerate to yourself first (and therefore not always being watched by others!) and then to others as well. (Of course, I don't mean to put everyone in one pot and I know there are regional differences - especially in Euope because it is such a huge region - so I mean most or the most common representatives of them.)
Because Japanese are being taught to be VERY "considerate" to others they don't take time eating outside in crowded places because there are others who want to eat there as well, and are VERY quiet (it's even frowned upon to blow your nose in public, although I've heard some of them trying to defend themselves by saying it's also to not spread any bacteria). If you look at the izakayas for example, where they are drunk and throw every good upbringing over board, you will see that "even" Japanese can take a lot of time eating and be very loud. 😁
I'm not taking anyone's side here. I think both cultures have their pros and cons. For example I LOVE how crowded it is in Tokyo but still they can walk through the crowd without touching anyone because the Japanese look (very discreetly and most of the times even unkowingly) at everyone around them and show by their body language which direction they are going and therefore can also see where others are going. They also have a VERY sensitive "radar" and can decide these types of things in milliseconds. Or the famous queuing during the Tsunami catastrophe for food etc. Which I appreciate SO much. So, much more "we" than "I". But on the other hand they lose themselves in trying to please everyone around them (which also explains the high rate of bullying because Japanese tend to go with the majority rather than listen to their hearts).
On the opposite side we have the average European who is taught to have boundaries and to be very independent. Which I also appreciate SO much, especially because I was brought up by my Japanese mum (although she is not like the average Japanese she really drilled this "be considerate to others" and "you are always watched by others" mindset into me). And I think it's SO important to resepect yourself. But this also shows in their behaviour when they are in (for them) unusually big crowds for example. Where they tend to use their elbows and body and mind strength to push through. So "I" rather than "we".
Again, I know there are regional differences for example the countryside versus city life, even within families, etc. But I think overall this is one of the biggest reason for the differences most people encounter between Europe and Japan.
Being from Europe myself, Italy is way to loud and noisy for me. Japan seems like such a reserved country in
comparison to many countries in Europe.
Yes Japan is definitely a more conservative and reserved country.
There should be no apostrophe in 'Americans'.
We changed that! Thank you! Definitely a grammatical error we didn't mean for!
@@OurStorytoTell Enjoyed the video--Thank you for sharing your experiences between Italy and Japan.
L'Europa non è uno Stato o Nazione, è un continente formato da varie nazioni con lingue, usi, costumi e culture completamente diverse le une dalle altre. L'Unione europea di per sè è un agglomerato di Stati che per meri motivi burocratici, è stato "unito" con l'unico scopo di agevolare scambi economici e supportarsi in caso di necessità come banco di mutuo soccorso. Le nazioni che ne fanno parte sono agli antipodi le une dalle altre, oltre che per lingue, culture,usi e costumi, anche in fatto di leggi e costituzioni. Niente di più niente di meno. Altro esempio, l'Italia al suo stesso interno ha praticamente 23 territori con usi e costumi diversi tra loro.
Quello che tutte le volte mi stupisce guardando video sulla rete, è il perchè gli Statunitensi non capiscano questa cosa così semplice e come facciano a continuare a credere che l'Europa sia una cosa unica ed omogenea.
We understand that the European continent is diverse and we mention at the first of the video that each country is different and unique. Of course, this video naturally is focused more on the time we have spent in Italy and Germany, rather than a full analysis of all of Europe.
Le regioni sono venti. Gnurant!
@ grurant lo dici a tua sorella, capito!!!! Chi cazzo ha parlato di regioni, ho detto 23 territori!!! Emilia-Romagna, Friuli - Venezia Giulia, Trentino -Alto Adige… Sono regioni a se stanti accorpate in uniche regioni per ragioni burocratiche ma sono a tutti gli effetti territori ben distinti con usi costumi e lingue proprie… Somaro.
@@user-rt2dy1im5b solo l occitano l arpitano il catalano il sardo il ladino e il friulano e le lingue non romanze sono lingue. Gli altri sono dialetti italoromanzi. Non lingue a se.
@@user-rt2dy1im5b ossia dialetti della lingua italiana. E non tirarmi fuori la scusa che non sono mutualmente comprensibili con l italiano standard. Xk 1 si. Lo sono parzialmente. E il dialetto veneto altamente.
2 tutti gli idiomi locali di francia Germania olanda Danimarca svezia croazia e cina non sono mutualmente comprensibili tra idiomi dello stesso Paese ne con le rispettive lingue nazionali standard ma eccetto le lingue delle minoranze etnicolinguistiche gli altri non sono tutelati sono assimilati e sono chiamati dialetti delle rispettive lingue nazionali. Non vedo perché l italia debba essere diversa.
Poor kids, always movieng from here to there! Pretty shit.
What a narrow-minded way of thinking. Isn't it a big chance to experience different cultures/way of living than spending your whole live in the same village, full of stereotypes and "fear" for everything unknown and strange? Be open minded for the whole world - this is what makes your character grow and develop!
This is how we view it too. :) Thanks for this comment!