[TiK]

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I was talking to Japanese guy a while ago and he said he found it downright bizarre that parents would hug their kids before bed. Is there normally little physical contact in families?

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It's not as much physical contact, but displays of affection, be it hugs, kisses, "I love yous", etc. I can count on my hands how many times I've told my mother I loved her, and vice versa. It's just something that's not said.

What's especially strange is that it doesn't apply to non-Japanese. My mother used to say "I love you" to her adoptive parents who are American without any uncomfortableness (though only in reply to them saying it to her; she never initiated) and I have had no problem saying it to any non-Japanese girlfriends in my past. I'm currently dating a Japanese girl and it's downright bizarre. It's just weird telling her that I love her even though I do, though it's getting more comfortable. And she and I are both Japanese-American, born to Japanese parents, born and bred in NYC.