What I Wish I Had Known About Kiwi Culture -- Yugo Konno

 I have been in New Zealand for a month now. There are two things I thought I should know about this country before coming to New Zealand. About their shower time and souvenirs. First, I would like to describe shower time. The shower time is very different from Japan. In New Zealand, we have to finish our shower within at least 15 minutes, depending on your house. The next thing that surprised me was the difference in the culture of souvenirs. Before I came to New Zealand, I used to think about what kind of souvenirs my host family would like. However, I learned that the culture of giving souvenirs is not that important in New Zealand.

Comments

  1. TAMONJuly 20, 2022 at 4:43 PM

    I agree with your first idea. I want to take a shower forever.

    ReplyDelete
  2. David WoodfieldJuly 20, 2022 at 4:45 PM

    Hi Yugo, thanks for sharing. I can understand the restriction on shower time might have come as a bit of a culture shock. Don't feel bad about spending time choosing appropriate gifts for your host family. Even though 'omiage' don't have the same importance in NZ culture, people still appreciate receiving them, I believe. David :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ayano YoshiikeJuly 20, 2022 at 4:48 PM

    I also agree with you. I want to take a shower and a bath for 1 hour.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Usa YamagamiJuly 20, 2022 at 4:52 PM

    I too think New Zealanders spend less time in the shower. I miss the bath. And I was sorry that my host family didn't seem to be pleased with the green tea flavor.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mashiro YamashitaJuly 20, 2022 at 4:54 PM

    I didn't know souvenirs weren't important in NZ. I had been thinking about souvenirs for my host family before I came here.

    ReplyDelete

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