STORY 8 : The most important thing in intercultural communication

The most important thing in intercultural communication

Hello! I am Shinji - project manager of 73eats! I am now, has developed the 73eats application
which "anyone can understand menu from around the world" to inbound guest.

It started from Muslim drink beer that stayed overnight in late January 2015, and by the time of spring,
someone in some country changed and came to visit my house every day!

From this time on, I have met countless foreign guests and had a lot of fun drinking! (Although I can
hardly speak English !?)

Today I would like to introduce the most important thing I felt in the cross-cultural communication
I have been experienced!

Hello! i'm Zinedine!

Do you guys like soccer? I love it because it is a wing generation born in 1972. And my favorite player
is former French captain Zidane!

Do you know Zidane?

I'm the same age as Zidane!

And the same bald head! Lol

Yes! This is a no-fail joke that I talk to a foreign partner I meet for the first time! Lol

Foreigners, especially the home of European football guests, will laugh 100%! And the distance of the
heart at the moment of laughter shrinks at a stretch and you can get along!

The most important thing is joke! ! !

You already know! ?

The most important thing that I found after 4 years of cross-cultural communication with over 3,200
foreign guests in 55 countries is to say a joke!

He's David, a Belgian who sometimes helped translate when he was the MGR of a guesthouse last
year. Originally a SONY engineer who likes Japan too much, and now he is climbing up the mountain
and enjoying Japan while doing an English conversation teacher at Berlitz.

David said when drinking with me.

"Shinji! That's right!"

"The worst part of the Japanese is that if you say a joke, you'll become stupid by saying
"worn-out joke(オヤジギャグ)"!"

“Even if  foreigners like we for the first time, or ridiculous jokes, we all laugh together to reduce the
distance and warm up the conversation!”

“Oh! Berlitz admitted that jokes are important!”

Not good at English like me have no convincing no matter what I say, but I'm sure the Berlitz teacher
said it! ? Lol

Old Japanese were good at jokes! ?

Soichiro Honda, who created Honda, which I respect the most, is famous for being loved not only by
customers and employees but also by people all over the world.

There are various anecdotes and legends, but he always told jokes to please the people around him.

There was a time when there was no flush toilet. At a business reception with foreigners, It seems that
the guest had dropped his teeth in the toilet.

Soichiro who heard that looked into the toilet, picked up the dentures, disinfected it cleanly and put it
in his mouth and said, “ダイジョウブ(It's alright)!”

If someone done that to you, then surely that guest will love Soichiro right! ?

There is also a psychological support! ?

I used to study psychology for a while, so I always use psychological logic for communication.

I know this is sudden but are there any Japanese who have done “hugs” that are common in Western
movies?

That hug is difficult for us Japanese people, right?

After getting used to intercultural communication, I often hugged when I said goodbye to fellow guests.

However, I was not able to do the  “ほっぺにチュッチュッ(poke on the cheek)”!

In fact, this “hug”, “poke on the cheek” has deep psychology!

“European Americans who were originally hunting people have a wide personal space.”

Do you understand personal space? A distance where people are nearby and feel uncomfortable.
Of course, depending on the person, there are people who don't like it even if they are out of reach,
and there are people who don't care at all even if they are close enough to touch their skin like me.

And Westerners who inherit the DNA that was originally hunting as a hunting race have a wide
personal space = far away!

The DNA which being close is makes you unconsciously feel the possibility of being attacked by an
enemy.

Therefore, the action to confirm each other “I am not an enemy, I'm your friend” is that “hug”
and “poke on the cheek”!

Even though I look like Zidane, it is impossible for me, who only has the DNA to cultivate the field,
to do a poke on the cheek right! ? Lol

The cross-cultural communication world continues!

I'm sure Berlitz got a certificate!

I made a lot of jokes one after another and became friends with foreign guests!

This is a greeting book I got from a guesthouse last year when I got a guest from a new country.

You understand the point right?

Not "Hello, Thank you, Good bye" But is "Hello, Thank you, I love you"

Of course, even after laughing here, I followed up my question with another.

Do you know？I divorced now, so I'm looking for new wife!

Of course everyone laughs! Unfortunately, no new wife has been found yet! ? (Crying)

The cross-cultural communication world continues!

It's so much fun to spend every day like this!

Unfortunately, I can't remember the names of all 3200 guests, but it's always happening that friends
who befriend and connected on Facebook come to Japan and drink together!

There are now foreign guests all over Japan! Let's enjoy joking and enjoying cross-cultural
communication with them!

Next time, I will introduce the Latin guests who came from South America, which is the farthest from
Japan, and the frequent guest TO guests!

Have a nice weekend～！