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Holding my arms across my chest and pretending to shiver, she quickly nodded her head and retrieved a space heater. She "explained" to me that when I went to sleep, I had to turn it off. We were getting quite good with our nonverbal communication!
The next morning was very cold! The heater had been off for hours, and there was no hot bath. When my breakfast arrived -- cold rice, topped with a raw egg and fish with its head still on -- my grimace made the woman wrinkle her brow in concern. I apologized and took some of the rice with a smile and a "thank you" in Japanese (a couple of the words I knew.) stayed at the inn for a few days, and it became easier as we shared some words and became more comfortable with each other's actions. I know that she probably found many of the things that I did comical, but did not let on. This privacy and thoughtfulness is very indicative of the Japanese. There were some things, however, that we all understood. She and the other Japanese travelers enjoyed it when I took out my camera for photographs. Perhaps they did not speak English in the country, but they sure knew about the latest technology.
It was with some sadness that I left the inn. I was looking forward to getting back to my friends and being able to talk and laugh about my experiences. I also missed the hustle...
However, I enjoyed my stay and the opportunity to communicate with gestures and expressions rather than words.
If I ever decide to be in a similar situation, either in that country or elsewhere in the world, I promise that I will learn some of the language in advance or at least the more essential words and phrases. It was not fair to my hostess that she had to guess at my strange charades. An electronic translator would also be helpful. Something I had not realized was that even though many gestures are universal -- such as putting food into the mouth, pretending to drink, shivering, etc. -- many are not. I occasionally received a very strange look when trying to act something out that was more Western/American than Eastern/Japanese. There are also gestures that mean something different in the two cultures. It is inappropriate, for example, to point with your index finger at something in the room. It is better to use an open hand or thumb. A smile in Japan can mean happiness or satisfaction, as with Americans, but also being embarrassed.
Some better understanding of differences in the culture would also be of help. That would have made the bath scene less confusing and embarrassing. It would also not have surprised me so much when I saw the cold fish and raw egg on my plate
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