Chapter 333: Vtuber Collection -VCollect-

Chapter 333: Vtuber Collection -VCollect-

<There are other interesting ways to count things in English too... like how ‘a pride of lions’ refers to ‘a group of lions.’>

<That sounds kind of cool.>

<Crows are called a "murder", rats are a "mischief", and buffalo are a "gang", among others.>

<Wow, I didn’t know that.>

<Well, it’s not really a common way of counting things. But it does feel like there’s a playful side to English that Japanese counters don’t have.>

Language is fascinating; the more you learn, the more interesting it gets.

There are actually hundreds of ways to count animals in English, so if you look into it, you might discover even more.

<In these details, you can really see the values and sensibilities of, say, Americans.>

<Values and sensibilities, huh? This is my personal opinion, but I believe that to truly learn a language, you also need to learn the culture of that country. It's kind of unavoidable.>

<That reminds me, you said before that when you went back to Ukraine, the cultural gap with Japan was shocking.>

<Yes! It was so shocking!>

<Whoa!?>

Iryena jumped in with great enthusiasm.

It seems she has quite a story to tell.

<In Japan, before a meal, you say "Itadakimasu", right?>

≫It’s a word that expresses gratitude to the ingredients, the farmers, and the person who made the meal (Ukrainian).

≫There’s no equivalent in Ukraine (Ukrainian).

≫Though we do have some phrases before meals here, too (Ukrainian).

<That’s right. But those phrases are more about "enjoying the meal!" than expressing gratitude.>

<It’s the same in America. Depending on religion, some people pray to the earth or God before meals, but it’s quite different in nuance from Japan’s "Itadakimasu.">

<Ukraine is culturally closer to America than Japan, so I understand that. Or maybe Japan is just "too unique" as an island nation.>

≫Yeah, I can’t really argue with that LOL (Ukrainian).

If you suddenly started eating without saying anything in Japan, it’d probably be considered rude (Ukrainian).

≫It’s kind of like how we give a toast before drinking (Ukrainian).

<Alright, that’s enough of that! Are there any other cultural differences between Japan and Ukraine?>

<Well, in Ukraine, there’s no culture of smiling at strangers. Smiles are reserved for people you're close to. Smiling at others can actually be considered rude.>

<Really!?>

<Yes. So, when Japanese people smile and talk to us, it can make many Ukrainians wary.>

<Culture sure is tricky.>

<But it’s not that we’re in a bad mood, so please don’t misunderstand. At the same time, we also need to be careful not to offend others.>

<Hmm, I didn’t know that. Or maybe I just didn’t notice. I always had the impression that you were smiling brightly at me from the very start.>

<Of course! I always show Iroha-sama an even bigger smile than I would my family!>

<...Oh, I see. Thanks.>

<Not at all! It’s how I really feel!>

<O-okay...>

≫Iroha-chan is on the defensive LOL.

≫She's both on the defensive and being admired LOL.

≫Despite everything, Iroha’s weak when it comes to direct expressions of feelings (Ukrainian).

<Another unique thing about Japan is how people treat objects like they have personalities, right? Like how the Japanese often "personify" things.>

≫Countries, battleships, swords, animals... it's harder to find things the Japanese haven’t personified (Ukrainian).

≫In Japan, there’s a belief that gods reside in all things, so maybe it’s a form of idol worship (Ukrainian).

≫Sorry, I’m only thinking about what’s "moe" LOL (Ukrainian).

<...Ah, I misspoke. I meant to say that the Japanese often use "personification" in expressions.>

<Haha. That makes more sense.>

Iryena corrected herself, looking a bit embarrassed.

But honestly, I love personification. In fact...

It’s something that’s very common with VTubers too!