JAPANESE ARUARU
A Japanese friend answers a weekend invitation with “I’d love to, but that day is a little…” You suggest another date; the hesitation returns. What sounded like a scheduling discussion may already have been a gentle refusal.
At dinner with a Japanese friend, the soup bowl may rise with every sip. The host, who laid out a spoon, notices it is not needed. By the end of the meal, the spoon alone is still perfectly clean.
Take a look
At an outdoor pool with a Japanese friend, you might open your book just as they put on goggles and get in the water. After several lengths, they pause, then swim again. The neighboring deckchair spends most of the day holding a bag.
Take a look
Sharing food with Japanese friends, you may find one final piece left. “Go ahead.” “No, you.” The plate moves between them. The conversation has changed subjects, but that piece is still in the middle of the table.
Take a look
Invite a Japanese friend for sushi and you might hear, “I love it, just not raw fish.” They order omelet sushi, cucumber rolls and inari. A plate arrives, but its cast looks rather different from the one you pictured.
Take a look