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@ Why Is Age So Important? Don't Ask me~ haha 年齢がそんなに大事ですか？

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May 29th 2012 21:48

Today, I was interviewed by a newspaper journalist while I was looking at Japanese calligraphy at a museum.

It was my mother's exhibition that she holds once a year, as she is a calligrapher.


It's kind of funny that I just was on local news last week, because I got interviewed while I was working out at the gym. Although it is said that TV viewing rate has been falling off, maybe because it was the evening news, I received many phone calls from my friends who noticed that it was me.


Back to today's interview by the newspaper, it left me with a bad aftertaste. Finishing the interview, he asked me my name. I answered it.

The problem was the next question.

"How old are you?"

I came up with an idea that lots of people who don't need to know my age will know it!

"Huh? Should I say it?"
"Yes!"
"I don't want to."

After repeated arguments for a short while, he wrote it off. It's alright for me, but I felt kind of bad. Refusing someone, like even towards bell ringers, often makes me feel bad.


I remembered that an American lady, who ran an international school in Japan, got mad because the newspaper revealed her age without asking her about it directly, when the school was in the paper.

I don't fully understand why ages are so important in this case. I was just a viewer of the exhibition..


Is it a Japanese thing that one's age is put in parentheses after his/her name?


You know, mine is my top secret! lol

(^v^) /




Jared
Thank you for your correction!
May 29th 2012 22:05
  • Back to today's interview from a paper, I had really a bad aftertaste.

  • Back to today's interview from a paper, I had really a bad aftertaste. ( really had a bad aftertaste )

 
May 29th 2012 22:06 愛 mirai
Jared, Hello!

Thank you for your correction!!!

（^^）
May 29th 2012 22:10 Jared
Your welcome mirai. :)
KalenXI
Thank you for your correction!
May 29th 2012 23:36
  • Today, I was interviewed by a newspaper journalist while I was looking at arts of Japanese calligraphy at a museum.

  • Today, I was interviewed by a newspaper journalist while I was looking at arts of Japanese calligraphy at a museum.

 
  • It's kind of funny that I just came on local news TV last week, because I got interviewed while I was working out at the gym.

  • It's kind of funny that I just came was on local news TV last week, because I got interviewed while I was working out at the gym.

 
  • Although it is said that viewing rate on TV has been falling off, maybe because it was an evening news, I received many phone calls from my friends who noticed that it was me.

  • Although it is said that the TV viewing rate on TV has been falling off, maybe because it was an the evening news, I received many phone calls from my friends who noticed that it was me.

 
  • Back to today's interview from a paper, I　really had a bad aftertaste.

  • Back to today's interview from a paper by the newspaper, it left me with a bad aftertaste.

 
  • Finishing the interview, he offered me to say my name.

  • Finishing the interview, he offered asked me to say my name.

 
  • Denial operation, like even towards bell ringers, often makes me feel bad.

  • Refusing someone, like even towards bell ringers, often makes me feel bad.

 
  • I remembered that an American lady, who ran an international school in Japan, got mad because the newspaper revealed her age without asking her about it directly, when the school was on the paper.

  • I remembered that an American lady, who ran an international school in Japan, got mad because the newspaper revealed her age without asking her about it directly, when the school was on in the paper.

 
  • You know, it is my top secret!

  • You know, mine is top secret!

 
I haven't really seen the age in parenthesis thing much in the US. I definately notice it in Japanese though, especially in news articles and even on the TV.

Another thing that's unique to Japanese is asking someone 「何歳に見えますか？」The first time someone asked me this I didn't know how to respond so I just guessed. Luckily I didn't say they were much older than they were. (^_^;)
May 30th 2012 00:03 愛 mirai
Kalen, Hello!

Thank you very much for your corrections!!! I really helps!

You've noticed that our ages was put most of the occasions in newspaper and on TV, haven't you!

An American teacher who I met first at an English conversation school asked me, "How old do I look?", so I thought that it was an American thing! hahaha I answered that he looked 28, but he was 23! He said to me that it was insulting or something in the class. geez, it was HIM who asked me! haha

Anyways talking about ages is a quite sensitive topic for some people like me. Not many people in Japan seem not to feel this way though...I don't know how many~

ありがとう！
May 30th 2012 00:05 KalenXI
Yeah I've never understood the "How old do I look?" thing. I guess it might just be some sort of conversation starter, but it can get you into trouble too.
May 30th 2012 07:06 愛 mirai
Yes, I think so. I didn't want to answer it, but I had to do so because he wanted to hear. And, it ended up being called insulting remark. Hahaha, it is unfair~
Zarma
May 30th 2012 02:31
It tends to be women that are sensitive about their age here... is it the same in Japan? Men don't seem to care nearly as much. The same can be said for weight, which, I suppose as a nearly global social standard, you tend not to ask women about (at risk of bodily harm).

Oh, and if someone ask you what age they are (assuming they appear to be in their thirties or above), and you have no clue, I find it's always best to just say "twenty-five" :p.

May 30th 2012 07:13 愛 mirai
In our culture, knowing other's ages might be important sometimes, because of our group-society. So, women in Japan wouldn't be very sensitive compared to western women. I'm kind of an exception.
Even someone who I meet for the first time ask me how old I am. I can't count how many times I was asked about it for the last month, because I started going to a gym and met new people. It seems to be a natural conversation here..geez~ haha

Thank you for coming by and commenting on it!

May 30th 2012 08:19 Zarma
Ah, that's interesting. I'm not sure why women here tend to be so sensitive about age. It's usually when they're entering their forties more than anything else. Thank you for telling me :D
May 31st 2012 09:34 愛 mirai

Zarma,

Thank you for your comment, really!

For me, to be honest, I don't like to respond to other people's reaction, which are overly reacted, when they find my age.
"Oh, you don't look like the age!" " Oh, you don't look bla bla bla~~" hahaha,

I guess that each person has her own reason to be sensitive.

^0^
cuavsfan
Jun 01st 2012 16:36
I think it is a Japanese thing to put the age in parenthesis after the name in articles. I think in the US it is often included when identifying criminals or suspects, but not very often in other cases.

At least that's the impression I have.
今は日本にいるので、アメリカの新聞を確認することができません　　(^_-)
Jun 01st 2012 18:50 愛 mirai
Oh, you have already arrived in Japan! Awesome!!!

Welcome to Japan! I really hope that you can enjoy the days here!

ところで、私は　犯罪者じゃないので、年齢を言わなくてもいいと思います！^_^笑

Jun 06th 2012 09:18 cuavsfan
Thanks for welcoming me to Japan, 犯罪者じゃないミライさん　(^_-)
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