Going to Japan

When two cultures mix, I find that the people of both parties are bit more cautious than usual. Both parties realize that they're different and neither group wants to offend the other. I have this happen to me all the time when I have Caucasian friends over and they interact with my parents. My parents are hesitant to feed my friends certain foods (not dog or anything crazy :P) and my friends are just plan awkward at times. I've learned that when you talk and confront these issues things go a lot more smoothly. When you talk about it, both groups realize that it's pretty silly to be so stressed about cultural insensitivity.