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I like having people over to my home to socialize. I love to cook and to host. Unless I was paying for my guests, I would feel cheap inviting people to a restaurant. If I wanted to see my friends, I would invite them to my home. $XVWUDOLDQ *HUPDQ IHPDOH VSHHFK WKHUDSLVW OLYHV LQ $XVWUDOLD 6 Yes, here in Japan things are quite different from France; we don't often invite people to our house, even family. For example, when my Japanese wife’s parents visit, we will pay for a hotel for them, even though they come from far away. They don’t stay long at our place, either. In order to adapt to the local culture and especially to the wishes of my Japanese wife, I have gotten used to not welcoming people to our home very often. I miss it. )UHQFK PDOH SURIHVVRU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 7 In my experience, Japanese homes are a cluttered mess, especially if kids are involved. Ours is a disaster, and I do not enjoy having people over. After a while, this "who cares" attitude sinks in, and it's just too time-consuming to bother with tidying up. &DQDGLDQ IHPDOH KRPHPDNHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 8 I once visited a Japanese colleague without pre-arrangement. This happened by chance; I went hiking, got lost, and stumbled across her residence. She made me wait outside while she tidied YMJ MTZXJ KTW FGTZY ƳKYJJS RNSZYJX GJKTWJ \JQHTRNSL RJ NSXNIJ . This was 35 years ago. I have not visited a Japanese colleague unexpectedly since then. %ULWLVK PDOH FKHI OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 9 Tidying up the house does not seem as important as in France, since the space remains private and will not be seen by outsiders. French people often feel that Japanese homes are cluttered, not managed enough, and that they are not designed to be beautiful on a daily basis. In France, people look for beauty and functionality, but in Japan, I feel people are preoccupied with functionality and don’t worry about beauty. )UHQFK IHPDOH WHDFKHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 10 Most Japanese houses I visited were often full to T[JWƴT\NSL \NYM stuff, just piled up. I guess this can largely be put down to the size of houses, or lack of storage options. $XVWUDOLDQ IHPDOH FDUHHU FRXQVHORU KDV OLYHG LQ )UDQFH DQG 0RURFFR 11

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