So almost every Friday I go to my friend Iyako's house for bible study on Fridays. This particular week she gave me this beautiful hair bow. I was so nervous when she did. I wasn't sure if this was one of the times that I was suppose to refuse twice or just accept. In Japan gift giving and receiving is very complicated. In America, if I offer someone something I mean for them to have it and if they refuse then they just refuse once. In Japan, sometimes it is considered impolite accept something the first time it is offered. Generally when a gift is given you refuse at least twice before you accept if you want it. So you could easily be offered something five or six times before they stop offering it. With older people it is best to adhere to that rule for almost everything unless it is an invitation. But even then sometimes they will invite you to their homes to save face, but really you are suppose to refuse. It's so difficult to tell sometimes.
Anyway I remembered that Iyako-san use to live in Europe so she would understand if I just accepted without refusing and thanked her profusely. Japanese culture will take some getting use to.
For anyone interested here is a good link about Japanese culture for study abroad students. http://athome.nime.ac.jp/
No comments:
Post a Comment