Global Cultures and Baffling Moments for Tourists

From phallic paintings everywhere in Bhutan, beating thieves to death in Nigeria, to shockingly polite attitudes in Canada… tourists from all over the world share the most memorable culture shocks they have experienced.
Not only dazzling architecture, new climates, and intriguing local cuisine, but there are also many other things that will surprise you when traveling.

1. Crossing the street in Nigeria



Thousands of Quora forum members shared hair-raising moments when commenting on daily life in Nigeria. An American tourist was terrified to see drivers handling their vehicles so recklessly that minor traffic accidents were a regular occurrence.

Crossing the street is another hair-raising experience, as walking locals will literally push you across to the other side as they cross. The tourist noted that if there is a crowd of Nigerians waiting to cross the street, they will stop a car traveling at 100 km/h because if you accidentally hit a pedestrian, all the other pedestrians will rush in to beat you up for no reason at all.

He revealed another terrifying example he witnessed: It's called jungle law, and I had the chance to see it with my own eyes. If a thief is caught at the market, everyone—young and old, male and female—will immediately stop what they're doing to jump in and beat the thief to death.

2. Women-only train cars in Japan



In some countries, women have dedicated cars on public transportation. If you are a man and unaware of this rule, you will have to endure the wrath and scowls of fellow passengers.

Tourist Oman Hedvat admitted feeling very embarrassed when he inadvertently stepped into such a car and realized it too late.

3. Kneeling down to apologize in Japan

Several tourists were astounded and embarrassed by the culture of Dogeza, used to express a deep apology in Japan.

Lila Adamson, an American tourist, shared a story that happened at her table in a Japanese restaurant. A waiter knelt on the floor and bowed his head low, asking for our forgiveness. He said he was very sorry to ask, but because the restaurant was very crowded and we had finished eating, could we please make room for new customers? We didn't feel offended at all, but this act of apologizing made the two of us feel terrible for lingering long after our meal and keeping others waiting.

4. The politeness of Canadian drivers


Canada has a global reputation for the polite manners of its drivers.



An amazed tourist, Jacek Karaszewski, wrote: 99.5% of drivers in Canada will stop and wait until you cross the street, regardless of traffic volume, whether there's a crosswalk, or if the light is green or red. As long as you want to cross or show an indication that you intend to cross, all road traffic will stop to give way to you.

Illustrating this, he added, The politeness of Canadian drivers forced me to cross the street a few times even though I had no intention of doing so—but they stopped, and I felt bad if I didn't do it.

5. Time in Spain

Sharing a culture shock in Spain, tourist Paul Farr described the concept of time there as truly peculiar. He recounted that in the US, if you make plans with someone for 6:00 PM and show up at 6:20 PM, you have to apologize for being late. But in Spain, even if you arrive at 6:55 PM, nobody minds. Being late is never considered impolite or rude in this country; it is just a normal inconvenience of life.

6. Phallic artwork everywhere in Bhutan



Aside from graffiti on abandoned walls or playful doodles on student desks, phallic paintings are not very common among most cultures around the world. Therefore, many tourists visiting Himalayan Bhutan are astounded by the decorative artwork on the exterior of local homes.

Swister Yong explained: The drawings are extremely varied in color, size, and decorative style. I was astonished by the penis paintings here, especially since Bhutan is a fairly conservative country.

The reason behind these wall paintings is to protect their families from evil spirits and to promote fertility.

7. The sauna obsession in Finland

Pooja Gautam was extremely surprised to discover that every apartment, house, and even student dormitory has a sauna.

She shared: What was even more shocking is that people go to the sauna completely naked. Finns consider it unsanitary to enter a sauna with clothes on.

8. Sharing bathwater in Japan

In Japan, people usually wash themselves at night before soaking in a hot bath.

However, Ms. Gautam was surprised when she accidentally drained all the water and left the tub empty, only to learn that she was supposed to leave the water in the tub after soaking so the entire family could use it afterward. This means a single tub of hot water is used sequentially by each family member without being changed.

9. The open nature of Americans

Many foreign tourists experience American culture shock at least once. Habib Fanny reflected: Here, it seems like everyone wants a hug.

He also didn't know how to react when people were so open about personal matters. He shared: You meet a stranger on the bus and have a conversation with them. Then they immediately tell you that their father died of cancer, or that their parents just got divorced.