During the period, Ikegami had thought about giving up the relationship. However, through numerous quarrels, they started to understand each other deeper and better. "I didnt believe that they could make it," said one of Ikegami's friends, Keya. Even though they still cannot speak English perfectly now, Ikegami believes they have survived through the most arduous period and he will not surrender their relationship to the challenge of languages. "We still quarrel sometimes," Ikegami said with a bashful smile. From his resolute eyes, I think he was trying to let me know that each couple has their own ways to communicate. .
Besides language, culture is another significant problem for people from different backgrounds. "There is no big difference between our cultures," Ikegami said. Compared with Eastern and Western cultures, the discord between Japanese and Taiwanese are obviously smaller. The two countries have in fact influenced one another throughout history and therefore, Ikegami and his girlfriend tend to have similar attitudes and opinions on most issues. In recent years, the media has also reinforced their understanding of the other country with the exchange of pop culture among the young. These reasons have helped them eliminate some cultural differences. However, the slight variation in culture still had left some unforgettable experience for them. "She was so surprised and stared at me when I went to eat Ramen (Japanese traditional noodle) with her for the first time," Ikegami mentioned. For Japanese, making sound when they are eating noodle means it is delicious and is a polite way to show appreciation to the cook. On the contrary, Taiwanese are taught that making sound while eating is very impolite. "She is learning how to make the delicious' sound when she eats Ramen," Ikegami laughed. To Ikegami and his girlfriend, the cultural difference is not considered as much of a problem.
