2026 Lise's blog

CULTURE & LANGUAGE Conversations & Discussions in Japan and the World May 2026  ·  Living in Japan ✦ Growing up in Lyon (France), conversations were loud and overlapping. Disagreeing with someone at the dinner table wasn't rude, it was almost expected. My mom was always comparing me to a famous French politician because I am not scared to politely step up in a discussion if I disagree with someone, to give my own opinion. So when I arrived in Japan a few months ago, I quickly realised that the way people talk here follows a completely different set of unwritten rules. In France, a good conversation often means a lively debate. Personally, I love discussing hobbies, current events, and life goals, topics that reveal who someone really is beneath the surface. I think of it the way Roland Barthes described language in  Mythologies : every exchange carries a deeper layer of meaning, shaped by culture. In Japan, I've noticed that this "deeper layer" is often left u...

Inviting Guests in Japan & the World During today's class I had the opportunity to speak to my classmates and I realised that we have totally different habits when it comes to inviting guests into our home. In my opinion, Asian and European countries are totally different on that point.  I learned the French concept of "RSVP" (Répondez s'il vous plaît) in class. It means that when you send an invitation to someone, you expect a response. It is very important for me because I love to find some time to see my friends but if they don't reply to me, I'll just lose my time.   Regarding punctuality, I always try to be on time because I think it is rude to be late and I think that it is the same in Japan. However, there is a cliché about being always late in France and it's kinda true. I talked to my Latin American friends and they told me  that arriving late is not a problem and considered as polite. I also love bringing a little gift  when I go to a friend...

Cultural "Other" Awareness (Concept)      According to an article found on Oxford-review.com , the definition of Cultural other awareness refers to " the ability to recognise and understand one’s own cultural identity, biases, beliefs, and values, and how they influence interactions with others." This week's topic made me conceptualise  the fact that people's behaviour toward others can be very different depending on  the country they are coming from.  Since I arrived in Japan, I had the chance to talk to many people from all around the world. They shared a lot about their culture and the way they are acting with others, and I realised that it is sometimes very different from the things I am used to doing when I am in society. Social interactions are therefore not universal and are strongly influenced by daily life.  The videos about high and low trust societies particularly caught my attention because it shows how much we are different in our behaviou...