omega 0 Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 OK we had the engagement ring costing 3 months salary crazy thing going on, any other crazy mad bonker 'traditions' here in good ole' Japan. Not a Japan bashing thread, just a fun discussion, hopefully. Link to post Share on other sites
LiquidX 0 Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 Seemingly neverending cycles of "okaeshi" (< ?). Give someone a present, you'll get one back, if you're good you have to give one back, etc etc etc etc Presents often not exactly what you want. Only winners are the omiyage/gift shops. Link to post Share on other sites
sanjo 2 Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 Loud election rituals Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Paying a priest to get rid of bad luck. It might not be japanese only but it is silly. The more money you pay the better he might pray. Link to post Share on other sites
nagoid 4 Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 Too much "tatemae" builds up lots of stress and distorts reality. Link to post Share on other sites
Tosk 0 Posted April 28, 2003 Share Posted April 28, 2003 What exactly is tatame? Link to post Share on other sites
Roger's head 0 Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 Endless present giving, with you on that one. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 Bobbing. Not bowing, that endless bloody bobbing that certain people do - up and down, up and down. In traffic, you wait to let someone turn, you flash your lights and gesture 'go ahead', and instead of getting on with it, they sit in their car and bob at you three or four times. I find myself staring balefully at this kind of person, and as they're usually of a fairly nervous disposition anyway, it just makes them want to bob even more. It's a vicious circle of bobbing and hostility. Link to post Share on other sites
sachiko 0 Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 Nengajo is pain. Bobbing, do you meaning small bow when people cannot real bow? ? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 Yeah, I mean lots of small bows, so the person looks like one of those little black and white bob-tail birds. Yesterday after writing that post, I stopped for two old ladies so they could cross the road, and they took so long bobbing at me ALL the way across the road that I was tempted to run them both over. Whatever happened to the democratic nod? Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 That makes me laugh Link to post Share on other sites
snowboard_freak 0 Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 Damn old ladies! Did you sit there revving the car or did you just smile and bob with them?? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 I glared. My Impreza-da-babes revs by itself. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Stupid traditions - the one that says Japanese women have to go back to their mothers' for a month following childbirth. I think this has its roots in a traditional post-birth isolation, but the reason I've been told contemporary women do this is so they can learn childcare, i.e., how to wipe their kids' bottoms. Even before this, many women stay in hospital for good few days after the birth (which many hospitals won't let the father watch), so you're looking at your kid coming home as late as five weeks, by which stage your wife will no doubt have been inculcated with her mother's way of doing everything. I told my wife before marrying her that this is a definite non-starter. Some childbirth in Japan related info is here http://www.thejapanpage.com/html/book_directory/Detailed/389.shtml Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Also the dad gets to miss the early stages when the kid's shit smells more like a tasty dairy product than, well, shit - so he misses the grace period for learning to change nappies. Patter of tiny feet there NoFakie? Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Nah not yet. Maybe another coupla years. Gotta nail that switch cab 900 first. The trade off is going to be with all his/her mates going "Is that your granddad?" I'll learn to live with it no doubt Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 My friend just went through this crap with his inlaws. He had to go over to grandmas house just to see his baby. The grandma even said he wasnt doing enough. What can you do went you dont even live with the baby. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Don't the babies get squashed when the mum drives a car?? Link to post Share on other sites
JEZx 0 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I always think that when I see it too. Are those backpacks re-inforced or something? Link to post Share on other sites
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