A Complete Stranger may Call You "Mom" in Japan あたしはあんたの「おかあさん」じゃねえ！

Japan has several types of sisters, mothers, brothers and fathers....
「おねえさん」、「おかあさん」、「おにいさん」、「おとうさん」についてです。英語の後に日本語が続きます。

A couple of days ago, I heard someone shouting "Hey sis" during a morning walk. I didn't realize that the shout was at me at first, but nobody was around, so I turned around and found a police officer on a bike staring at me from the opposite side of the street. He stopped me because I was jaywalking. I was annoyed but bowed to him and walked away.

I was annoyed not because the police officer shouted at me but because he called me "Sis." Americans use "Sis" for female friends, but I'm not his friend or sister and I found it rude (even though I jaywalked). Besides, Japanese has other ways of calling strangers, for example, "Soko no hito (i.e., a polite way of saying "Hey you"). And this incident reminded me of another but ruder way of calling women in Japanese, i.e., "Mom," which always pisses me off.   

People in Japan (especially in Western Japan) often call men or women of around the same age as the speaker "Bro" or "Sis" and those older "Dad" or "Mom." It's a cultural thing in Western Japan and some locals even say that it's a way to express their respect to others, but still I can't like it and I believe many Japanese people don't either. Who would feel comfortable if being called "Dad" or "Mom" by a complete stranger? (Maybe women feel more uncomfortable.) But I bowed to the police officer anyway to express remorse. After all, I broke the rule. In Japan, jaywalking is illegal. 

So, if you plan to come to Japan, be ready to be called "Sis" or "Mom" (if you're female) and "Bro" or "Dad" (if you're male) by complete strangers😁

At home, I told my husband about this and said if I were called "Mom," I would kill them. (I was joking of course!😆) He was silent for a few seconds and had this to say: "You should watch out and don't jaywalk." Oh yeah, I'm always wrong...😭

先日、朝ウォーキングしていると、どこかから「おねえさん！」という声が。数秒後に自分を呼んでることに気づき（周囲に人がいないので）、振り返ったら道の反対側に自転車に乗った警察官が｡｡｡ 信号無視して横断歩道わたったところをみっかっちゃったんです～。

ただいつも思うのですが（信号無視した私が悪いのですが）、この「おねえさん」、「おにいさん」、いや特に「おかあさん」、「おとうさん」、どうにかしてくれませんかね。私はあんたのお姉さんでもお母さんでもないっつーに。いつもイラっとします。

帰ってそのことを主人に話したら数秒の沈黙の後「気を付けなさい。信号無視はダメ」とのこと。いやその通り、いつも私が悪いんです｡｡｡😭

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