こんばんは

So, the time for a new post has come. I've decided that I want to make a list of all the new, interesting facts that I've learned about Japanese language and culture since coming to Columbia. Please enjoy!

1) おじぎ: I already knew that the Japanese bow to each other, but I didn't know the details--the placement of hands for men (sides) vs. women (front) and the face that you do not want to make eye contact as you bow.
2) Exclamation points: I was surprised to learn that formal writing in Japanese never includes exclamation points. They tend to be rare in formal English writing as well, but nevertheless they are definitely present, even in academic papers.
3) にほんごのLabはsexistえす!! I know that Japanese culture tends to be very patriarchal/male-oriented, but it was simultaneously hilarious and annoying to see that come out even in the Language Lab work. In our very first session, when we were practicing common phrases, a woman's voice would read out the phrases that we were supposed to repeat like, "arigatou gozaimasu--polite way to say thank you." But then, when we reached how to say "thank you to a subordinate--arigatou," a male voice appeared out of nowhere in order to read that one phrase! The implication that men will be the ones thanking subordinates was so blatant that I actually laughed out loud (lol'd) in the middle of the language lab. ひどいですね...
4) The workers at the elevator in the department stores: my aunt actually mentioned them the other day when she was talking about the time she spent in Japan. She thought it was a very interesting custom--it seemed very foreign to her, since she felt that people should be capable of just pressing the elevator buttons by themselves haha.

ええと...those are all the ones that I can remember for now, but more to come later!

じゃまたあした！