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The beautiful sound of apology【Beautiful stories from far away From Japan】

2021-12-01 | TOSHI

Japanese people who went abroad were warned not to

apologize easily in foreign countries, especially…

⇩⇩Read by people from 52 countries !!⇩⇩Part 1

Beautiful stories from far away From Japan【The taste of tempura combined with Matsuzaka Beef】Anyway, try getting a Japanese friend!【Complete version】https://clubrosy.jp/article/699.html

Hello dear followers and readers. This is TOSHI. I’m a Japanese woman.

When I was young, Japanese people who went abroad were warned not to

apologize easily in foreign countries, especially when you get in a car accident.

“Sumimasen”

As the Thai word “My Pen Rai” is famous, it is surely known that Japanese people apologize more often than people in other countries.

Even though my mother tongue is Japanese, there are few days when I can avoid using words of apology, especially “Sumimasen”.

“Sumimasen” is a word similar to the English phrase “Excuse me”, but it’s a deep, vague, and in some ways really useful word that doesn’t stop there.

For example, when you enter a store, you say hello in English, right? “Hello”. In Japan, I often say “Sumimasen”. In this case, it also serves as a greeting. And it can be used to mean “thank you” as well as “excuse me” or a light apology.

Let me give you an example. A conversation in Japan.

Customer: “(I enter a certain store, but the clerk doesn’t notice me, so I say “Sumimasen” with a slightly louder voice)”.

Clerk: “(In the sense of apology because I made the customer wait a little) Oh, sumimasen”.

Customer: “I want _________”

Clerk: “Well, I wonder if we have any. I’ll look it up. Oh, I’m out of stock now. We don’t know when we’ll get more. Sumimasen(apology in this case). Is there anything else?”

Customer: “It’s alright (it’s a nice customer service, and it takes time to find out, so it means apology and gratitude) Sumimasen. Thank you very much”.

In this way, it is a word that is often used in Japan, and even Japanese people criticize others for saying

“Don’t overuse ‘I’m sorry’. You should say ‘Thank you’ instead”.

“In the first place, it’s too light for an apology. You should not say it to the customer”.

 

The fact that there are people who insist on what others say is proof that Japanese people often use this word.

That heart of respect for harmony is part of my identity

Whenever I have the opportunity to speak Japanese with a foreigner who has learned Japanese on their own, I am always asked, “Why do you apologize so much?” Not only with Westerners, but also with people from other Asian countries. I think I’m talking normally, but I couldn’t explain it well, and even if I explained it in Japanese, the content becomes so sophisticated that I can’t properly explain it, so I’d like to explain it now.

This may be my personal opinion, but I think it is a tactic for the Japanese to apologize well to each other and to avoid getting too personal, giving up, or starting fights.

As anyone who has lived in Japan knows well, Japanese people do not get into fights easily. Even I don’t know why this is.

I’m usually quiet, but when I’m really angry, I can’t stand being silent. While I’m told that I have the power to act, I should still avoid a fight even if the other person has wronged me. The advice came from a person who graduated from a good girls’ high school and was actually strong in fights.

“In such a case, if possible, it is better to apologize in exaggeration in front of an audience and break the relationship softly . To avoid becoming a bad guy, talk to your friends and people who are likely to understand the truth”.

I am still grateful to that person for her advice.

“But that sounds stressful!”

Do you think that? Actually, I sometimes think so too.

In foreign countries, there are people in Asia who will argue in the middle of the road. When I see things like that, for some reason I’m impressed and almost cry.

However, when I go abroad and encounter a situation where I have to fight for myself, I feel that I can be extremely exhausted and shocked.

When I return to Japan, I always feel relieved when I have a lot of fun memories, but I also feel relieved when I see my compatriots giving up with a gentle smile, saying “I’m sorry” and “No, I’m sorry.” That heart of respect for harmony is part of my identity.

As for my daily life, I, or “Rosie-chan,” tweet on Twitter at Club Rosie, so please take a look if you like. It seems that it may be possible to translate with Google.

A follow would be appreciated, so thank you in advance!

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