Ibunka-U4-Teacher's Book

4 Having Guests in Your Home

One Step Further ACTIVITIES

Here are some more responses from the Ibunka Survey on the topic of the home as a social space. Let’s examine them for underlying cultural trends. We can see that the language in many responses hints at two basic patterns.

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SURVEY

LOOKING FOR PATTERNS

CULTURAL PATTERN A: Socializing outside of the home

CULTURAL PATTERN B: Socializing in the home In other cultures, houses welcome guests on a regular basis because having people over for meals, drinks, etc. is considered an important part of friendship. In those cultures, it is important to keep one’s house tidy and accessible enough that you can welcome visitors at any time.

In some cultures, the inside of the house is seen as a private place that people outside one’s immediate circle are not expected to enter. People feel more comfortable getting together in public places like cafes and restaurants.

Read through the Ibunka Survey responses below. Highlight in one color the words and phrases that hint at Cultural Pattern A: Socializing outside DQG LQ DQRWKHU FRORU WKH SDUWV WKDW UHȵHFW Cultural Pattern B: Socializing in the home. You can work and discuss this in pairs or small groups.

9MJ ƳWXY YNRJ . \FX NS[NYJI YT F UFWY^ FY F KWNJSIX MTRJ NS &RXYJWIFR I took an expensive store-bought cake. But when I arrived, I saw that other guests were bringing simple things like a homemade pasta dish, or nothing at all - we were all students on a limited budget. I got used to that relaxed attitude after a while. -DSDQHVH IHPDOH WHDFKHU OLYHV LQ WKH 1HWKHUODQGV 1 The houses I saw in Ireland had a lot of closets. When I returned to Japan, I realized that the stuff I buy tends to pile up around me, because my home has very little storage. I can’t have visitors just dropping by without notice, and if I wanted to invite someone over it would require a lot of preparation, so I hardly ever do it. -DSDQHVH PDOH FRPSDQ\ HPSOR\HH KDV OLYHG LQ ΖUHODQG 2 In Australia, it is [JW^ HTRRTS YT NS[NYJ UJTUQJ T[JW KTW F RJFQ FSI TW IWNSPX . It’s not such a big deal for most people. $XVWUDOLDQ IHPDOH FRQVXOWDQW OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 3 I often eat out here in Kyoto where I live. The quality of food and hospitality is really quite high, and the prices pretty cheap, so NYX JFX^ YT ƳSI F LTTI UQFHJ YT XUJSI YNRJ \NYM others. Sometimes I feel parties and events can be a little too stiff and ritualised, but eating out and talking with friends (and co-workers who become friends) is usually lots of fun. $XVWUDOLDQ PDOH WUDQVODWRU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 4 I usually socialize outside the home, that is, in a cafe or restaurant. I think one of the reasons for this is that inviting someone to your home means inviting them into a very personal and private space, so you have to be careful not to give them the wrong impression. -DSDQHVH PDOH EDQNHU KDV OLYHG LQ )UDQFH DQG &DQDGD 5

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