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72 votes

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

I found, when in Europe, that going "beep beep" when trying to get through would instantly get both a way through and a smile from the former obstructors.
MMacD's user avatar
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51 votes

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

Well I think in case they are polite Asian people, you should say more than just 'excuse me'. Because in Asian language, 'excuse me' does not mean anything rather than just an opening of a ...
Tien Le Thuy's user avatar
49 votes

Is it possible to travel by car from Europe to Thailand?

In order to get from Europe to Thailand by car, you would have to pass through at least one of these three countries: Afghanistan, Iran, or China. Afghanistan: extremely dangerous and unstable. Out ...
Johnnyjanko's user avatar
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45 votes

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

I live in Sydney. When you say "Asian", I think you mean mostly Chinese people since Chinese people are our largest immigrant group by far. In Australia, we currently have over 200,000 international ...
Ali's user avatar
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38 votes
Accepted

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

To deal with the situations you faced, I will share some tips. If all she does is nod or say something like "Ah~~~", then it is likely that she either doesn't understand English, or is so obsessed ...
Blaszard's user avatar
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37 votes
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In which countries in Asia is Mandarin more understood than English?

For that list of countries, the answer is none: English is more useful than Chinese in all of them. The only country in Asia outside greater China where Mandarin is an official language or spoken by ...
lambshaanxy's user avatar
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28 votes

Is it possible to travel by car from Europe to Thailand?

It is actually possible. Definitely not easy but feasible. A friend of mine did this a little over 3 years ago, driving from Paris to Kuala Lumpur, passing through Russia, Mongolia and China. It took ...
Itai's user avatar
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27 votes
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Do Europe laws apply in foreign (Asia) countries?

Crimes should be reported where they occur. With the exception of very major crimes, countries will generally not enforce the laws of other countries, although in certain cases they will agree to ...
Jim MacKenzie's user avatar
25 votes
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Is it safe to plug a power strip into a travel adapter plug?

There are two types of travel adapter plugs commonly used: Plug adapters. These just convert the physical plug into one of a different shape, but do not perform any voltage conversion. It is ...
Zach Lipton's user avatar
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24 votes
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What does this symbol on a door mean? (福)

This is the Chinese character for "Good Fortune" 福. January 28 was the Chinese (Lunar) New Year.
Paul Richter's user avatar
23 votes
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Most useful languages other than English in Asia and Oceania

I'm pretty sure your best option would be Malay. It's an official language of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, and mutually intelligible with Indonesian, which is a designated "working language" in ...
lambshaanxy's user avatar
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18 votes

Is 'wai' greeting a serious thing? Is it inappropriate to 'over-wai'?

In Thailand, there's a superstition that wai'ing someone younger than yourself takes a year (maybe years?) off of their life. A couple of times when I have wai'ed Thai friends that were noticeably ...
Gary99's user avatar
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18 votes
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Should I bring prescription drugs with me for a long trip?

Hong Kong customs states : Pharmaceutical products and medicines imported in the personal baggage of a person entering Hong Kong and which are accompanied by him and in a reasonable quantity for his ...
Nicolas Formichella's user avatar
17 votes

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

Different countries have different social norms. How do queue up for a line, how close to you stand to people in a public spot or in an elevator, when do you engage in conversation, etc. Combine this ...
Hilmar's user avatar
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15 votes

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

People from densely populated culture (e.g. China, Japan, and many large cities) generally think that if they've left you enough space to squeeze yourself through that that would be good enough. They ...
Lie Ryan's user avatar
  • 437
15 votes

Is it possible to travel by car from Europe to Thailand?

There are roads and famous journeys using them so it's possible in that sense (there is nothing like the Darién gap on the Eurasian landmass). Customs (for the car) and visas will not be trivial to ...
Relaxed's user avatar
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13 votes
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Importance of cherry blossom season in South Korea

Blossom viewing is common to all East Asian cultures, and the cherry blossom is the most prominent spring blossom in Korea. I would not say it is central to the culture the way it is in Japan, however....
choster's user avatar
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12 votes

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

Follow your polite 'Excuse me' with a neutral 'Can you please step out of the way' followed, if needed, by a sharp 'I have to be where you stand now'. If that does not work, get rude and push. When ...
Willeke's user avatar
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12 votes

In which countries in Asia is Mandarin more understood than English?

I just spent a week in Seoul and many stores there seemed more fluent in Mandarin than in English. This was especially noticeable in touristy areas such as the Myeongdong area and Noryangjin fish ...
nukeguy's user avatar
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11 votes
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Is it possible to visit manufacturing facilities "for fun" in China?

Industrial tours for students are a growing niche market in China, with universities (e.g., MIT) arranging visits and exchanges, and tour operators offering many packages targeted at students/...
Giorgio's user avatar
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11 votes

How can I know if a country allows drones?

This site lists drone laws by country: https://uavsystemsinternational.com/pages/drone-laws-by-country It should be able to give you any known laws. However, I would still be sure to declare them ...
airXforXlife's user avatar
10 votes

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

I've never been to Australia, but I have lived for several years in both Tokyo and Shanghai. Every day for the last 10 years, I have made a journey via crowded stations and trains in one of these two ...
bubba's user avatar
  • 239
10 votes

What's this Japanese food?

It looks like shirasu (or "whitebait"):
Ronan Boiteau's user avatar
9 votes

How to politely ask people from East Asia to give way?

I did a lot of ESOL tutoring in my youth, and one of the lasting takeaways is that Asians as a group will say OK or YES to mean they heard you, but does not mean they understand. Example Me> when ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 601
9 votes

Most useful languages other than English in Asia and Oceania

In all of my travels in Asia, the only places where I found speaking English wasn't as convenient as speaking the local language, or almost so, were Japan and China. Everywhere else, comprehensible ...
Michael Lorton's user avatar
9 votes

Do Europe laws apply in foreign (Asia) countries?

There is no such thing as "Europe Law". Europe is not a country nor a jurisdiction, it is a continent. That being said, any court can decide to take any case for any reason. Usually, there are laws ...
Jörg W Mittag's user avatar
9 votes

Do Asians generally want a tourist/visitor to "act Asian", or "be different"?

You're overthinking this. Do what's polite back home, and nobody will be offended, because people understand that you're a foreigner and not familiar with local customs. "Asia" is also way ...
lambshaanxy's user avatar
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