My First Dose of Reverse Culture Shock

At the end of December, Akira and I went to the States to visit my family for Christmas. It was actually my first time traveling outside Japan since I moved here nearly two years ago. There, I experienced my first ever bout of reverse culture shock, so I thought I’d write a short little post about it.

Reverse culture shock is pretty much the same as regular culture shock, except instead of it happening when you travel outside your native culture, it comes up when you return to your original culture. I think a lot of people experience milder versions of this phenomenon when they visit their hometowns after a long time away, especially if they made drastic changes like moving to the city when they were originally from the countryside.

My reverse culture shock this time around was pretty mild. I wasn’t expecting anything too intense, since I’ve only been in Japan a short time, and I was only visiting America for a little over a week.

My first moment of culture shock occurred in an airport bathroom stall. I had honestly forgotten that the majority of bathroom stalls in the States leave a gap below the door and even the stall walls, so you can see people’s feet. (I don’t think that’s the reason for the gaps—it probably saves construction costs or something.) Even along the edges of the doors, there’s usually a little gap where yes, sometimes you accidentally make eye contact with people as they head to their own stall. By contrast, every public bathroom I’ve used in Japan has stall doors and walls that go all the way to the floor, with no gaps along the edges of the doors, either. I never even thought about it when I first moved here, but you can bet I think about it now.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment the next shock came along, but at some point I realized that everyone in America seemed so tall to me. In Japan, most people are around the same height as me, sometimes just a little taller or shorter. Evidently I’ve gotten used to being average, so even all my family members looked way taller than I remembered. (To be fair, a couple of the younger ones had grown, but even so.)

Finally, my last major reverse culture shock was how outgoing the strangers around me were. For example, we were in a convenience store looking at drinks, and a woman excused herself to walk in front of us. Then, she wanted to go past again, and she said, “Sorry, I just really LOVE getting in people’s way.” On a different day, we were out walking the dog at one of the nearby beach towns, and a man told her what a pretty pup she was and asked if he could give her a treat. These sorts of quick interactions happened several times while we were in the States.

Now, being a foreigner in Japan, I probably am spoken to unsolicited a little bit more than the average Japanese person. Other foreigners sometimes stop me and ask for directions, or the occasional Japanese person will ask if I’m lost or make some kind of passing comment in English. That being said, when I go out in public, I can mostly expect that not a soul will speak to me except if it’s their job to do so. No comments on my purchases at the grocery store, no jokes or quips in passing, no advice from people whose names I don’t even know, just business. While I do like having peace to run my errands, I also thought it was kind of refreshing to speak to strangers. It felt a little less “Every man is an island.”

My plan is to visit the States every two years or so. I wonder what kinds of reverse culture shock I’ll experience next time. When the time comes, I’ll be sure to let you know!

Have you ever experienced reverse culture shock? What triggered it for you?