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My favorite lesson this year was teaching about hand gestures in America vs Japan.
USA's "come" gesture:
Japan's gesture for "come" is similar to go away in English.
The first time I was beckoned in Japan, I thought the shop keeper was telling me, "No foreigners allowed." Turns out she was welcoming me in.
Gestures get weirder.
This is the sign for money in Japanese:
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This is the sign for asshole in American sign language, which is well-known thanks to the film Mr. Holland's Opus:
Okay is also the hand gesture for money in Japan.
No one asked me what it meant in English.
I just explained it was a bad word and that was enough for them. The culture here isn't that curious.
You of course know this sign:
Turn it around:
In many parts of the world, that means:
And finally, I noticed that in Japan if you move your hand while doing the sign for "a little," it means no thanks:
What's your most commonly used hand gesture?
Remember to remember . . .
