We can’t avoid experiencing ‘culture shock’ when it comes to traveling. I am no exception either. Every time I go on a trip, I’m surprised how different other countries’ cultures are compared to mine, Japanese culture. I’ll focus on the differences in food and eating habits between Turkey and Japan in this post.

There is a difference in what you can/can’t get for free in a restaurant. In Turkey, you have to pay for water, but instead, you can get bread for free. You can take as much as you want. Turkey is known as the country with the largest per capita consumption of bread, which is equivalent to 200kg per person. Turkish bread is all called ‘Ekmek’ in general―the outside is crispy and the inside is soft and chewy―which goes well with Turkish food. Rice is a staple food in Japan but you won’t get it for free.

Also, Turkish people love yogurt. They use it for everything; they eat rice, bread, meat, soup…(whatever might be) with yogurt. Yogurt originated in Turkey, and you can see many kinds of yogurt if you go to a supermarket.

This is surprising for us since we’ve never had yogurt with salty things. In Japan, instead, we use soy sauce for everything. We eat rice, meat, fish, eggs or pasta with soy sauce.

There are a lot more things to write about, but what I want to think about is how this kind of ‘the experience of difference’ might make you feel or react. Sometimes, we feel uncomfortable and reject to adapt to the culture before we try to understand, or if not, you might be in ‘cultural confusion’.

To minimize these ‘cultural shock’ or ‘cultural convention’, it would be useful to look up some social norms or conventions of countries you’re gonna visit in advance. Also, the most important thing is trying to be open-minded and flexible. Just enjoy your experience of difference; even if it’s not acceptable, try not to reject, but be curious. When in Rome, do as the Romans do:)

This is called “Rainbow steps”, becoming the new sightseeing spot in Cihangir, Istanbul. The city is known for many slopes, and this steps used to be one of the nondescript steps stunk with garbage until quite recently.

In 2013, the steps were painted by a local aged 66 at that time. It cost almost $800, but he really wanted to make them something special. With the help of his son-in-law, he spent four days to paint the steps with rainbow colour. Immediately, the steps attracted notions from many people. But two days later, it was painted with grey by the government.

This brought sharp criticisms and caused many protest demonstrations across Turkey. The government relented to the pressure, and it ended up being painted with rainbow color again.

The steps have become a symbol representing three things. First, it represents world peace, which comes from the rainbow flag that has been used for antiwar movements since 1960. Secondly, it also represents the resistance against Turkish oppressive government―police can detain people just by painting the steps―as you can see the story above. Recently, it has also become to represent the symbol of LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) that use the rainbow flag for its activities.

Everything was started from just an idea of a local man, but now, it has become “unofficial” tourist attraction. This site is known for the instagrammable spot, and the number of people who come here grew as Instagram became popular. What’s more, the number of rainbow steps are growing in Turkey, originally inspired by these steps.

Sultanahmet Camii is located in Istanbul, which is well-received as the most beautiful mosque in the world. The mosque has been the symbol of ‘exotic’ Turkey for tourists.

It consists of a main big dome, 6 minarets, and 30 small dorms; the facade―covered with marbles and tiles―looks imposing and elegant. It is illuminated at night, which creates a mysterious and sacred atmosphere.

This is commonly known as ‘Blue Mosque’. The reason is simple: the interior walls are decorated with Iznik tiles colored blue. What’s more, there are more than 260 stained-glass windows in the dorm; sunlight come through them, turning to blue lights which illuminate the inside.

The mosque was built between 1609-1616 by orders of the then-Osman emperor. The emperor spent a huge amount of money to it, as this project aimed at regaining the lost prestige resulted from the unequal treaty between Osman and Persian Empire.

Since then, even after the abolition of the imperial system, the mosque has been the symbol of the religious power and the shrine for pilgrims in Turkey. In 1985, it is registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site, which made it well-known to the public.

The country is restoring its law and order, but a few terrorisms have happened in the past few years. Especially you’d better avoid going there in the Ramadan period. In 2016, the area around the Blue Mosque was targeted by terrorists because its symbolic significance, which caused more than 25 causalities. 

The symbol is not reproducible itself, but it is reproduced for tourism in forms of commercial products like postcards, magnets, and plates. You can also enjoy shopping around the area!