#TravelMeetsCulture

Japan is known as a highly ethnically homogeneous country. About 98% of the population is Japanese. The language which is spoken in Japan is mainly Japanese. However, the situation has been changing these days. First of all, more and more Japanese people are interested in foreign cultures and languages. Even though Japanese is our native language, the number of people who speak English as the second language is increasing.Some Japanese study a foreign language other than English.Similarly,as for culture, Japan has been adopting various foreign cultures. In addition, I think the percentage of foreigners in Japan will increase in the future.As the aging population is becoming a problem in Japan, I think there will be a shortage of workers in some industries.As a result , Japan might accept more immigrants in the future.

We are happy to announce the 15 winners of our #TravelMeetsCulture event! Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and experiences with different cultures. Winners will receive their $10 italki credits in their wallets within 5 days.

Doing research and preparation before traveling will allow you to have a deeper understanding of the local customs. How do you prepare for your travel? Come and share your preparation tips with the Community! You still have 3 days to participate in our event #TravelMeetsCulture and get the chance to win $10 italki credits!

Today is UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development! Cultural diversity varies from country to country. Use the Prompt to share the situation of your country. 5 of you will have an additional chance to win $10 italki credits beyond the main event! 👉 Prompts: - Chinese: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8w2d - English: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8vyA - French: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8wG2 - German: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8wBZ - Italian: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8wOy - Japanese: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8wXu - Korean: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8wTR - Russian: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8wKV - Spanish: https://www.italki.com/prompt/W9CQmfvHHvx47hteQy8w76 By the way, our community event #TravelMeetsCulture is still live. Click the below link to explore and check it out! https://www.italki.com/post/hDH7rcCZY78rSdPfD6K7bB

Traveling is an activity that I enjoy to the maximum! I love going to different places and exploring. In my time of travel, I met a group of people that traditionally brew their own traditional beer. It was fascinating to see the process and effort it takes to make the traditional beer. They referred to it as “umqombothi” it had a distinctly sour aroma. I have never seen or tasted any beer like it. It was non transparent and light tan in color. The experience was a total gain and I learned a lot from it.

Few year ago our family arrived to Йошкар-Ола. This is the capital of Марий-Эл. It was found in 1584. But it isn't so big. There we wanted to visit my grand grandma. She had been living there since childhood. She lived in apartment house, at the center of the town. The place was calme, there weren't a lot of people. And nearly there was a small river. It was so cool! We could swim every day! But also I had a culture shock. I was a bit surprised! Behind apartment houses, at the center of the town locals planted vegetables and fruits, there were small kitchen gardens. It's a bit strange. Roads with cars and kitchen gardens at the same time - at the center. Unfortunately, I haven't any photos, but I have one photo with my cousins in Йошкар-Ола. This photo was made in the park.

I went to Alaska when l was a sophomore in college. It was the first time I traveled abroad. I felt so amazed that strangers say “hi “ to each other when you have eye contact. In most Asian countries, people never talked to anyone they don’t know except asking for directions or selling stuff. This trip changed part of my personality in some way, now I’m more open to make friends with others and sometimes I can be the one to break the ice. When the lockdown is over I hope l can go to Alaska again.The landscape is wonderful and you can see aurora at night.

When I traveled to France, I was so surprised that people gave each other two kisses on the cheek when they met. Here in Peru, we give only one. Two kisses seem like too much haha. I think I never got used to the greetings because I stopped at one kiss and people stared like saying "why isn't she giving two kisses?". Also, as a 'latina', I noticed the coldness between people. Young people didn't spend much time with their families, they just went out with their friends. I think here family time is more valuable and teens get out of their house later in age. Just to point out this is not a generalization, there are probably families that aren't like that. I of course would go back to France, I love discovering cultural differences because that shows me how rich this world is!

Returning to my country of birth after living overseas for 3 years, I found I had absorbed the customs and greetings of my host country, words automatically came out of my mouth wrong, and my brain couldn't switch back without even realizing, walking around the supermarket in my home country felt surreal and weird. Full reintegration took about a year. In my opinion, don't underestimate how as humans we adapt and meld into our surroundings without even being aware of it. Be patient with ourselves - it takes time

Culture shock can occur when we don’t understand the customs of a local culture. This causes issues for travelers but also troubles for locals. However, we can avoid cultural differences during our travels by doing some research in advance. Come and join our #TravelMeetsCulture event and share with the community your experiences with another culture! Was it a culture shock or a surprising gain? Be a tour guide on italki and share your tips. Everybody who enters has a chance of winning $10 italki credits. The chance of winning will be higher if you add a photo of your trip to your post!