Cultural misunderstanding

When I was a high school student, I went to New Zealand and I have experienced some cultural misunderstandings.

One day, my friend asked me about whale hunting of Japan. She said, "Why do Japanese hunt and eat whales?" She thought every Japanese eat it as we eat beef, chicken, and pork. I explained to her that many Japanese haven't eaten whale meat. Actually, I wasn't really interested in it until she asked me.

Also I experienced a misunderstanding about Japanese greeting. Some people know Japanese words such as "Konnichiwa" and "Arigatou" and when they say that, they bow with their hands together. It looked very weird for me. I don't know why they believe that's Japanese greeting. I think they confuse it with Indian greeting.

There are many misunderstandings between cultures. I think it's very important to deepen our understanding of other cultures.