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Why don't Japanese people say "I love you"? (5)

Hello, I'm Mog, a Japanese born and raised in Japan.
This is the last installment of a four-part series on why Japanese people don't say "I love you".
こんにちは、生まれも育ちも日本の日本人、Mogです😉
4回に渡りお届けしたテーマ「なぜ日本人は「愛してる」と言わないのか」今回は最終回です。



What does your partner do for you that makes you feel loved?
パートナーに何をしてもらった時に愛されていると感じますか?
A friend who has been reading this series sent me a link to an interesting quiz.
There are many different ways to express love. Words, time spent together, things done for you, gifts, physical touch. This is a quiz to find out which of these ways you feel love 😉.
このシリーズを読んでくれた友人が、面白いクイズのリンクを送ってくれました。
愛の伝え方には様々な種類があります。言葉、一緒に過ごす時間、自分のためにしてくれた事、プレゼント、スキンシップ。この中で、あなたが愛を感じる方法は何かを知るクイズです😉


What was the result?
What does your partner do for you that makes you feel loved?
結果は何になりましたか?
あなたはパートナーに何をしてもらった時に愛されていると感じるのでしょう。

I asked several of my Japanese friends to take this quiz, and the answers were quite different. Even among the same Japanese people, there are different ways of feeling love. In this series of articles, I have written about the cultural background of the Japanese, but that is only one perspective. The way you feel and think about love differs depending on your partner's personality, family environment, and the way they were raised.
日本人の友人数人にこのクイズをしてもらった所、答えは全く異なりました。同じ日本人でも愛の感じ方はさまざまです。この記事のシリーズでは日本人の文化的な背景について書きましたが、それは1つの視点にすぎません。パートナーの個性や家庭環境、育ち方によっても感じ方や考え方は異なります。

In the end, I guess there is no other way but to learn about each other through observation and dialogue. It may be a good idea to use quizzes like this as a starting point for dialogue. However, I think it is necessary to keep in mind that the results may not always be correct.
結局は観察や対話によって、お互いの事を知っていく以外に方法はないのでしょうね。対話のきっかけとして、こういうクイズを使うのも良いかもしれません。でも、その結果も正しいとは限らない事も心に留めておく必要はあると思います。

I have talked about this subject with my friends. I am grateful that I have friends who take these conversations seriously. Here are my own conclusions.
私はこのテーマについて、友人達と話をしました。こういう話に真剣に向き合ってくれる友人がいる事に感謝します。私なりの結論をここに書きますね。

What if you have different priorities for the affection you want to receive from each other?
お互いに受け取りたい愛情の優先順位が異なる場合はどうするか。
Compatibility is not only about priorities of affection. It is unlikely that you and your partner will have exactly the same priorities in terms of affection. However, if you can make your partner happy, you will want to give them the love they want. Maybe that is what love is.
In order to understand each other, it may be important to carefully observe and discuss what makes the other person happy and what makes them sad.
相性は愛情の優先順位だけではありません。パートナーと愛情の優先順位がぴったり合う可能性は高くはないでしょう。しかし、相手が喜ぶ顔を自分の喜びにできるなら、相手が欲しい愛情を与えたいと思うのではないでしょうか。それが愛なのかもしれませんね。
相手がどんな事で喜び、どんな事で悲しみむのか、注意深く観察したり、話し合ったりする事もお互いを理解する上で大切な事かもしれません。

How to make it easier to communicate small complaints
小さな不満を伝えやすくするには
A friend of mine was told by her partner, "Let's promise to solve our frustrations by the end of the day with each other.
She is not good at verbalizing small complaints, but now that her partner has said it, she can preface it by saying, "It's a small thing, but it's a promise I made to you, so let me tell you one thing.."
私の友人はパートナーに「不満はお互いにその日のうちに解決する事を約束しよう」と言われたそうです。
彼女は小さな不満を言葉にするのが苦手ですが、パートナーがそれを言ってくれていた事で、「あなたとの約束なので、小さな事なのだけど、1つ言わせてね」と前置きして言えるようになったそうです。

It is very important to speak while choosing words that will not hurt the other person before small complaints accumulate. Japanese people who are not used to this will have to practice it over and over again. Conversely, those who have Japanese partners may need to make an effort to sense their partner's emotions by observing their facial expressions, words and actions.
小さな不満がたまらないうちに相手が傷つけない言葉を選びながら話す事はとても大切です。それに慣れていない日本人は何度も練習をしなくてはならないと思います。また、逆に日本人をパートナーに持つ人は、表情や言動を観察しながら、相手の感情を感じ取る努力が必要かもしれません。

A relationship that requires effort and patience on the part of only one of us will not last. It would be wonderful if we could work together to find ways to make each other feel comfortable through flexible thinking. I believe that assertiveness, empathy, and flexible thinking are all essential elements in building communication.
どちらかだけが努力や我慢するような形は長続きしません。柔軟な思考により、お互いが心地よく過ごせる方法を一緒に考えていけたら、素晴らしいでしょうね。アサーティブネス、共感力、柔軟な思考はコミュニケーションを構築する上で、どれも欠かせない要素だと思います。

There are not only cultural differences in international relationships, but also language barriers.
国際恋愛には文化の違いだけでなく言葉の壁がある
A friend of mine, who has an American father and a Japanese mother, told me this.
"She said, "My parents basically speak English, so when they fight, my mother is sometimes at a bit of a disadvantage.
The possibility that your partner may not be able to express his or her mind accurately in words may be necessary in an international relationship.
アメリカ人の父親と日本人の母親を持つ友人は、こんな事を教えてくれました。
「両親の会話は基本的に英語なので、二人が喧嘩をする時には母が少し不利になってしまう時がある」と。
パートナーが言葉で自分の心を的確に表現できない可能性も国際恋愛では必要かもしれません。

Thank you for taking the time to read this long column. I am still in the process of learning about communication, and I still have a lot of trouble with it. However, this was a good opportunity for me to think deeply about it.
長いコラムにお付き合いいただき、ありがとうございました。私自身、コミュニケーションについて、学んでいる途中で、まだまだ悩む事ばかりです。しかし、それについて、深く考える良い機会となりました。

And let me say it one last time. My friends, I can't tell you how much you have inspired me by reading this blog and sharing your thoughts with me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"I love you💕"
そして、最後にもう一度言わせてください。私の友人、このブログを読んで感想を聞かせてくださった皆さんにどれだけ気づきをもらった事か。心から感謝します。
「I love you💕」

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