hello!

What was it about Korean culture that surprised you when you came to Korea? Today, I will introduce you to the cultural differences between Korea and Japan that I personally experienced while living in Korea, as I am from Japan.

One. cultural differences between Korea and Japan; card culture

In Korea, there is a culture of using cards more than cash wherever you go, but in Japan, cash is still often used when paying. They say that recently, only credit card payments have become possible when using Starbucks. I think the culture of using a card even when paying 100 won was so fascinating!

2. Cultural differences between Korea and Japan; password culture

As those of you who live in Korea know, you use a password to open the door to the bathroom of a Korean home or store! I think it was an unexpected culture in Japan, where there is still a key culture. So, when I first started living alone, I remember being scared because it was a bit unfamiliar haha!

3. Cultural differences between Korea and Japan; tissue

I heard that there are many people in Korea who use toilet paper in the living room, but I was really surprised because it is actually not common in Japan. I also thought the culture of giving toilet paper as a housewarming gift was really interesting. What was also interesting was that when you ask a friend for tissues, Japanese people usually give you only one roll, but Koreans give you two or three.

4. Cultural differences between Korea and Japan; spicy food

One of the things that surprised me the most about Korea was the spicy food. Even the food that my Korean friend said wasn't spicy was very spicy to me, and I remember having a bit of a hard time at first because most of the food was spicy. Now, as time goes by, I am able to eat spicy chicken stir-fried noodles, which I couldn't eat at first! And it was very interesting to see the level of spiciness expressed as “Shin Ramyun”!

5. Cultural differences between Korea and Japan; convenience store restroom

When going out, if you need a bathroom in Japan, you often go to the bathroom at a convenience store! I also remember using it a lot while living in Japan. however! When I first traveled to Korea, most convenience stores didn't have restrooms,,,haha. So, I'm still really curious about which bathroom Koreans use when they want to go to the bathroom. My Korean friends say they often use “station restrooms,” but which restrooms do international students living in Korea use?

How was it? Was there anything you could relate to? Thank you for reading until the end today!