By Ken, Teacher in Warsaw
Dzień dobry, konnichiwa!
Living in Warsaw and Tokyo has been a rollercoaster of ramen and rosół and it’s been quite the adventure. Geographically they are thousands of miles apart, but how far apart are they culturally? The answers may surprise you, and in this blog I will share with you my experiences of Polish and Japanese culture. Let’s start off with….
Taking off your shoes
Fun fact: In Japanese schools, students have 2 pairs of shoes. One pair for walking outside, and one pair for being inside school. This makes it easier for the school to remain clean. Although this doesn’t happen in Poland, the rule for going to someone’s house is the same in both cultures. Take off your shoes!! It is considered impolite and rude if you don’t. Also in Poland they tend not to like it if you keep your coat and other outdoor clothes on if you are visiting. You’re not outside, so why wear a coat?
So remember – wear fresh socks and take off your shoes at the door! Some houses in Japan may even have special indoor shoes for you to wear.
Quietly (and respectfully) does it
Poles and Japanese people tend to be reserved and keep to themselves unless they’ve been drinking. It’s not like in the UK where people can be very outgoing and will talk to every Tom, Dick and Harry in existence! They are also both very respectful of their surroundings and seem to appreciate what they have, perhaps more than their western counterparts. None of this giving 20 presents to kids at Xmas time, it’s only usually 2 or 3 at most.
There is one major difference between Polish and Japanese people, and that is how they speak. Poles are very direct, and Japanese people tend to be very indirect so that they avoid any potential confrontations (even saying “no” in Japan is considered rude!). Often in Japan we have to “read the air” instead of concentrating on what the person said, leading to countless misunderstandings! In Poland you always know where you stand with people.
Both groups of people seem to love seafood though! Poles wish that their country had fresher seafood, whilst it’s abundant in Japan as it’s of course an island.
Food, glorious food
Both Polish and Japanese cuisine have dumplings. In Poland they’re called pierogi, and in Japan they’re called gyoza. They’re actually Chinese, but they’re common in every Japanese town and city. The Japanese diet is very heavily fish based (even vegetarian dishes have fish in them) but on the whole very healthy, full of fresh veg and meat. I remember having school dinners in Tokyo and they were always something I looked forward to! Another highlight of Japanese cuisine is bento boxes, which are boxes full of different foods so it feels like you’re eating 2 meals at once! They can also be bought at some Asian establishments around the world.
The Polish diet is also pretty healthy, with plenty of stews and soups made fresh. My personal faves are Żurek soup which is a soup made from sourdough and contains ham, sausage, vegetables and a hard boiled egg and also gołabki, which are stuffed cabbage rolls. They are often served in a sauce with salad and buckwheat groats. Delicious!
On a side note also, I would say that both diets are much healthier than a typical western diet – much less processed food and fresher ingredients.
Other similarities
Although there has been a surge in foreigners coming to both countries to live and work they both remain very homogenous. It’s still pretty rare to see someone in Japan who isn’t Japanese, even in bigger cities like Tokyo (unless you attend expat meetings and go to pubs). Both Warsaw and Tokyo are beautiful cities, extremely clean and also extremely safe. Unlike other capital cities around the world it is perfectly safe even at night however of course I’d still recommend you don’t travel alone!
Maybe it’s just my students, but Polish people seem to love Japanese culture and are very interested in it. Comes in very handy if I can’t think of anything else to say!
Any other differences?
The weather!
A Polish Summer gets up to around 25-35 degrees, and Tokyo’s Summer can reach around 45 degrees. Add on top of that the 90%-100% humidity and the creepy-crawlies and it feels more like the Amazon rainforest. Additionally a Polish Winter can last 6 MONTHS and a Japanese Winter normally lasts the standard 3. Japan does have a rainy season though, and when I say rainy, I’m talking about probably the heaviest rain you’ll ever witness. It’s also prone to tsunamis and typhoons especially near the coasts, and earthquakes are a weekly occurrence. That isn’t a typo. Thankfully, the majority of them aren’t even noticeable. In Poland, there is nothing of the sort and the only thing you have to think about is how to survive the long Winters!
To summarise…..
Both cultures are very interesting and I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg. What I can say is that I consider myself extremely lucky to have experienced both cultures and regardless of what country you may go to, I would always recommend that you embrace the culture and experience it as much as possible. Life is an adventure, and we only have one. Of course you’ll have more lives if you believe in reincarnation but that’s another story!
If you fancy a cultural adventure why not see what opportunities are available by clicking here?
