HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

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FINAL ASSIGNMENT
CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

By: Th Mai
Student ID: 0741180190
Group: H TA3 Intake 7
SUPERVISOR: T Ngc Hin Minh, MA
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H Ni, April, 2015

COMMENTS AND MARKING

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Topic: Culture Shock

Perhap, everyone knows the term culture shock. So, what is culture shock?
And how is its effects to us?
Culture shock can be the feelings one experiences after leaving their familiar,
home culture to live in another cultural or social environment. Many people
associate culture shock only with extreme changes of going from one country to
another, but it can also be experienced closer to home, such as when traveling
from one city to another within your own country. Even the most open-minded
and culturally sensitive among us are not immune to culture shock. One of the
most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign
environment. The degree of influence "culture shock" and the time to pass of
each person depend on the knowledge, age or mental preparation of each person.
The young people have the ability to adapt new living environment faster than
elderly people. The impact to young people will be less. I had seen a culture
shock that certainly everyone is wrong when traveling to Japan at the first time.
Last month, I have a chance to visit my aunt in Japan. I witnessed a lot of strange
culture in here. For example, eating culture, greeting culture, etc. Especially,
giving up the seat to women, children, elderly people culture in subway.
When I was sitting on the subway, I saw a woman about 60 years old. She
brought a lot of luggage. So, I decided to give up the seat to her and said: "you
can sit down here". I thought that she probably would be satisfied and would say
thank to me; but, she express discomfort and scowled emotion. I did not
understand the reason why, and also very angry. When I returned home, I told it
to my aunt. After that, my aunt explained to me the reason why made that woman
angry.
She said to me: in Japan, giving up seat to someone is impolite. I was very
surprise because in Vietnam, this action is very polite. Then, my aunt told me that
it is Japanese culture. She explained to me more detail: Japan is one of the most
civilized and polite country in the world; but in here, having many differences
from ethical standards worldwide. The special features is when you join the
public transport in Japan. You can easily see that the young people were sitting
on seat while the old people were standing in front of them. This is normal in
Japan because of the reasons below:
The first reason is not wanting to cause a nuisance to others. When you give up
the seat to someone, this will make them feel that they are a nuisance. In

addition, they have life motto. "Even you have good intentions is giving up the
seats, also does not mean that others must agree to receive your kindness."
The second reason is wanting to be affectionate person: Japanese people always
respect the fairness. It means that if you come early, you can have a seat and if
you come late, you have to stand.
The third reason is high self-esteem and sense. In Japan, public transport always
has priority compartment for the elderly people, pregnant women, children and
disabled people. If you have demand, you can use this compartment.
The final reason is not wanting to be old. Japan is a country with an aging
population, but the old person have very good health. They think that "fight" in
the crowded carriage in the morning is very normal.
If the young people give up the seat to old people, this action can be considered
that the old people is old and don't have good health. So, even you give up your
seat to the elderly in Japan, they will politely declined.
So, in my case, I thought that woman felt uncomfortable and angry because she
thought: was I old? Why did you give up the seat to me?. Although I have good
intention, she felt be offended. Unlike Vietnamese culture, when you use public
transport such as bus, one of the basic principles to remember are: giving up the
seats to the elderly people, children, pregnant women and the disabled person. If
you are not giving up the seat for them, you can be considered like an
insensitivity person.
On the subway in Japan, giving up the seats to someone is rare thing, Japanese
are not only unconcerned with consciousness, "seniores priores", no supporting
the elderly people, do not have the habit giving up the seat to the elderly, but also
have awareness of "elderly" totally unlike us. If you really want to give up the
seat to someone, please do not tell anything and then stand up. After that,
pretending to prepare to move on to the train station or the other. Japanese would
sit comfortably and they will not think about the seat which you have just given
up to them.
Through the story above, we can draw out a very useful lesson: when you want
to travel or live in foreign country, you should know about the cultural of that
country to avoid culture shock.