A Japanese exchange student who is living in New York City has opened up about the immense ‘culture shock’ she experienced after moving to America – and has showcased all the major differences between the two countries, including the US’ ‘hugging culture,’ constant ‘small talk,’ and massive amounts of garbage everywhere.
Yumeka Umemori, 21, left her home in Asia to study in Manhattan six months ago – and she was stunned over how dissimilar her new life in America was compared to her old one.
She began documenting her study abroad journey on TikTok, where she would detail all of the things that made the two places so contrasting, and many people on the web were just as surprised as she was over the differences.
According to Yumeka, one of the first things that she noticed was how much more friendly and social Americans were to one another.
A Japanese exchange student who is living in New York City has opened up about the immense ‘culture shock’ she experienced after moving to America
She showcased all the major differences between the two countries, including ‘hugging culture’ in the US, constant ‘small talk,’ and massive amounts of garbage everywhere
Yumeka Umemori, 21, left her home in Asia to study in Manhattan six months ago – and she was stunned over how dissimilar her new life in America was compared to her old one
She began documenting her study abroad journey on TikTok, where she would detail all of the things that made the two places so contrasting
She explained that ‘small talk isn’t a thing in Japan,’ so after relocating to the States, she had to get used to having conversations with strangers.
In one TikTok video, the student showcased her first American flight, and she said she was so ‘nervous’ about having to converse with the passenger next to her.
But after they started chatting, she soon realized that being social wasn’t so bad after all.
‘Now we’re friends, she is the best. I’m so glad I talked with her. I want to get better at small talk,’ she said.
Another major difference between the two countries that Yumeka noticed was the way that younger people speak to adults.
She explained that in Japanese, there is a ‘formal’ and ‘casual’ way to talk, and that you must always speak in the ‘formal’ version to your elders.
‘I love English because we talk to anyone in any age the same way,’ she told her followers.
‘For me, it’s crazy that I can be friends with people who are older than me quite easily when I speak English. It’s definitely not the same when speaking in Japanese.’
A third thing that quickly caught Yumeka’s eye was how often people in the US embrace one another – something that happens very little in Japan.
‘I adopted the hugging culture since I came here. In Japan, we barely hug,’ she dished in a different TikTok.
According to Yumeka, Americans are much more friendly to one another. She said ‘small talk isn’t a thing in Japan,’ so she had to get used to having conversations with strangers
In one TikTok video, the student showcased her first American flight, and she said she was so ‘nervous’ about having to converse with the passenger next to her
But after they started chatting, she soon realized that being social wasn’t so bad after all. She said: ‘Now we’re friends. I’m so glad I talked with her. I want to get better at small talk’
‘I never questioned it when I was living there. But now here in America, I’m hugging quite often, and I love it.
‘It’s so fascinating to me that each society has its norm and you never really question it until you go outside of your hometown. I’ve got to go more places to learn new stuff, this is so fun.’
Another thing that quickly caught Yumeka’s eye was how often people in the US embrace one another – something that happens very little in Japan
Some of the other things that Yumeka has highlighted in her videos includes the amount of trash that she has noticed sitting around and the excess size of portions in the States.
In one video, in which she listed the things that she felt were the most ‘American’ so far, she said: ‘Huge amount of cheese on salad – I was surprised when my friends said it’s normal – and the size of ice cream – in Japan, ones that are half the size are normal.’
Other stuff on her list included: Strangers posing when she was taking pictures of views, not them, T-shirts with random Japanese letters or phrases on them, the laid back attitude of her teachers, music playing on a public bus, and people wearing matching PJs on Christmas.
She also dished on how different dating is in the two countries, something she experienced first hand.
She detailed one time a guy she met on a dating app invited her over to his house to meet his family after they ‘hung out like five times.’
But afterwards, he told her he just wanted to be friends – something she said would have never happened back home in Japan.
She also dished on how different dating is in the two countries, explaining, ‘We don’t really have a “talking stage” in Japan’
After living here for half a year, Yumeka, who has now gained more than 167,000 followers, admitted that she has already seen a major change in the way she acts and looks
In the end, she said she has fully embraced the American lifestyle and feels like she is finally living her ‘best life’
‘We don’t really have a “talking stage” in Japan,’ she revealed. ‘I was freaking out because in Japan, this doesn’t happen that much.
‘If you do this in Japan, it’s like you’re marrying that person or you’re in a real serious relationship with that person.’
After living here for half a year, Yumeka, who has now gained more than 167,000 followers, admitted that she has already seen a major change in the way she acts and looks.
‘I recently noticed how American I got, I don’t dress Japanese at all anymore,’ she admitted in one clip.
‘It’s so funny how different I act from Japanese people. I’m getting better at having small talk.’
In the end, she said she has fully embraced the American lifestyle and feels like she is finally living her ‘best life.’
‘One of the reasons I’m so happy in this country is because I feel freer,’ she added. ‘Especially regarding freedom of speech.
‘I feel like in Japan, we have a lot of taboos. We don’t talk about mental health issues, we don’t talk about body image issues, we don’t talk about politics that much.
‘I love talking about everything, it’s so fun. If I talk about everything I feel in Japan, I’m called the “loud one” and “too opinionated.” Like a “weirdo” and stuff.
‘But here in America it’s normal. I feel like I can do anything here. I vibe here, I love it.’
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