Okay, here goes another culture fact: Japanese people hate saying "no".
Remember this when asking to do something or permission, they usually try to talk their way around actually saying no. For instance, one day during my first trip in Japan I had a dress on that, in Japanese standards was a little too revealing, and when I asked my host mom "is this outfit?" the reply I got was, "Yes it is cute... but I think it would look much cuter with a jacket"
...... it was over 90 degrees out.....
This is how my host mom basically told me that the outfit was not cute and not appropriate for going outside, but because the Japanese are kind and avoid direct confrontation she hinted that I should not wear the outfit "as is".
You will see that in different situations, they may not directly say "no you can't" but rather "I don't think that is the best idea" or something around those lines, maybe even more indirect than that. Being Americans (or whatever nationality you may be) we are used to hearing "NO" and that is that, and when someone says "maybe" that signifies that it possibly could be a yes, yet in Japanese culture a "maybe" usually is their way of avoiding a direct "no". Many Americans tend to keep pushing for a direct "yes" or "no" answer, which can add stress and annoyance to the Japanese person.
Now not all Japanese are the same, obviously, I am just using the basic stereotypes. I have met many Japanese that will tell you "yes" or "no" directly, especially if the questions are yes and no questions, but many Japanese, with more difficult questions, will tend to beat around the bush.
ON ANOTHER NOTE:
SO SORRY for the late post, and not being constant with my postings, I have been incredibly busy with applications and school, and I promise to post more, especially once i'm in Japan!
More posts to come!
