JSランゲージスクールブログ | Good Neighbor Day
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Since the 28th of September was Good Neighbor Day, today I would like to talk about the differences between neighbors in the country and in the city. In the United States, if you live in the countryside you tend to know all of your neighbors. It is a very tight-knit community. Most people know you and your family as well. They know all about your life.
Neighbors in the countryside also tend to share things. If one neighbor grows tomatoes and they have too many, they usually give them to the other neighbors. Also, during holidays such as Christmas, it is very common for neighbors to bake sweets or breads for other neighbors. We give them as gifts.
We also tend to give homemade food to new people in the neighborhood. This means that if you move to the countryside in the United States, you can probably expect to receive some various kinds of food from neighbors. I like this kind of environment. I think it feels very friendly.
However, in big cities in the United States many people have never even spoken to their neighbors. People in cities usually do not interact with other people living around them. This means that even though you have lived by someone for a few years, you probably only know their name. In many cases, you might not even know that.
Living in the city is sometimes kind of lonely. You do not get to feel the friendly atmosphere as much. However, you get a lot of privacy which is also nice. I noticed in Tokyo, it is similar to cities in the United States. I live in an apartment building but I have never even seen one of my neighbors. I have been living in the same apartment for a year and a half, but I have never been able to say hello to anyone. I am not sure how the countryside in Japan is. Please let me know!
