An Intercultural Perspective of Inviting Guests

-
Rainy days aren't my cup of tea–and neither is the "inviting guests over" thing.

In China, I rarely invite friends to come to my house. The only time my family has people over is during Spring Festival when a few relatives or neighbors drop by for a meal (which, let's be honest, feels more like tradition than choice). If I had to pin down a reason, I guess it's that in my family, private spaces are kind of "sacred"–like VIP access. Only the super close people get invited into that zone. For most friends and coworkers, meeting up in a café or restaurant feels totally enough. 

When it comes to Hofstede's Individualism & Collectivism model. Both China and Japan are often labeled as "collective cultures". I won't argue that–our parents, schools, and society do constantly remind us of the importance of groups and interdependence. 

However, I don't think this model works for everyone in this era. The model, based on data from the 1970s, tends to generalize entire cultures, ignoring the diversity within each society, like generation, education, and personality. I mean not all individuals from a so-called "collectivist" country behave in a collectivist way or subscribe to all collectivist values. We weigh options. We hesitate. We say no–politely, of course. Maybe it's not so much a cultural trait as it is just... being human.

What do you think?


评论

  1. Ali2025年6月9日 23:27

    Yes i agree, living in Indonesia myself and also considered as a collectivist country, i didn't considered myself in that category. Friend and culture influence of course bring me change to my whole personality, but individualist is still my mindset and is just the way i do thing.

    回复删除
  2. Emiliano2025年6月9日 23:27

    Thank you so much for your post, was a really interesting reading.
    I liked your comparison at the beginning was really fitting.
    For me is interesting classifying VIP places of your home, I understand it though, some places are special for us, can be emotional or only by the fact that they are ours
    Also I share your opinion with the model of Hofstede's.
    I think it can be classified that way cultures

    回复删除

发表评论

此博客中的热门博文

Cultural "Other" Awareness Post

-
      As I mentioned in my last blog, diverse cultures require open-mindedness and mutual respect. Embracing people's different ways of living, working, and  interacting  helps us connect more deeply, no matter where we come from.      In my culture,  we use eye contact mainly to recognize someone we know, not as a way to greet strangers.   N odding and smiling, two warm gestures, are generally reserved for friends or people we are familiar with. When passing someone I don’t know, I always find myself looking at my phone, which masks the awkwardness of not knowing how to react. T his seems quite normal in my home country, but now I am getting used to smiling at others instead of hiding behind my screen. If it's such a nice way to show kindness, why not do it?      Last week's class discussion also made me realize that i t’s hard to fully show our personality in another language.  I arrived in Japan one month ago, and ...
阅读全文

A Reflection on Conversations & Discussions

-
Welcome back, my friends! 💜 This week, we explored the nature of conversations and discussions around us. The questions raised were quite typical, yet revealing. I was particularly surprised to find that one of us enjoys talking about politics. I had assumed our generation was largely indifferent to such topics. It turns out, that's my own stereotype. 💧In my culture, politics is more seen as something discussed by older men–who speak as if they know everything, even when they don't. Personally, I tend to reserve abstract discussions for close friends.  I enjoy meaningful exchanges, but only when I feel a strong sense of familiarity and trust. That’s why I found one guy’s comment especially intriguing–he said he often talks about deep topics with people he barely knows, as a way to “test” whether they’re worth forming a deeper connection with. His idea is really constructive and thought-provoking. After all, it's lucky to meet someone with whom you share a kind of soul ...
阅读全文

How Do Our Cultural Backgrounds Shape Our Interactions?

-
Understanding our own cultural identity is the first step in building meaningful connections with others. It helps us recognize our biases, values, and communication styles before exploring cultural differences. Just as we discussed questions like "What kind of things do you mention when introducing yourself to others?" in class, we first reflected on ourselves based on our cultural background, and then we got to know other's opinions by listening. Naturally, this kind of communication made culture flow.  When meeting others for the first time, introductory topics such as sharing one's name, hometown, and hobbies are similar in both my home country, China, and in Japan. Since these two countries are both located in East Asia, I believe they have some shared traits in emphasizing politeness and maintaining respectful distance. Behaviors like hugging or being overly expressive may be considered inappropriate and rude in both cultures. Similarly, the Japanese practice of...
阅读全文