When conversing with Germans, there are three simple topics you can raise if you have the time and energy to enter into an endless conversation: where they went on their previous vacation, where they are planning to go during their next vacation, and what household improvements are under way.

Everytime I have had the pleasure of visiting the house of a friend in Germany, I've always wondered why the host insists I check out their storage room or basement. Showing me their bathroom is understandable; you never know when you might need to use the toilet. Taking me around their garden? Yes. A compliment or two from the guests is always pleasant. But their storage room? I'll have to think about what to say about that.

Being Japanese, I've always considered my home to be a very private place. In Japan, when visiting someone's house, it's an unspoken rule that you inform them of your arrival beforehand.

Not so in Germany. German's are much more open about having friends or neighbors drop by their house, even if it's just for a chat. While the living room might be the extent of the house to which a Japanese might introduce their guests, Germans, especially those who own a house, perform a "tour" before serving you a welcome drink.

I was a bit excited with the prospect of this tour, until I found out it was basically a guided tour and presentation of the house by the host. The guests are taken around every room in the house while the proud host explains the concept and background behind each space. Through such tours, I was impressed to discover the amount of importance and care the Germans place on making their homes perfect.

I even got the impression that Germans are not only keen on showing off their house and its interior, but want to present them as a symbol of success. For them the house, along with the garden or terrace, are the most visible barometers for wealth. However, such self-assertion is laughable and somewhat annoying, and I must admit that after a while I became exhausted conjuring compliments for the large, neat living rooms, something very unusual in Japan. And since houses are generally larger in Germany than in Japan, there's always going to be some area that requires repair or improvement. This means that enthusiasm for DIY is a part of many Germans' psyche.

To the Japanese, the do-it-yourself concept — nichiyo daiku, or Sunday carpenter, as we say in Japanese — usually implies small repairs or simple carpentry undertaken in our spare time. But in Germany, this isn't the case. I've often heard of Germans visiting gigantic home centers during their lunch break, stocking up for the weekend when they embark on serious carpentry work. That painting and simple repairs also take place goes without saying; they will drill holes through walls, replace faucets or even tile the floor.

Recently, I received another invitation to a friend's newly bought house. Expecting the routine tour, I must say I wasn't very excited. However, in the end I was quite impressed to see the German DIY spirit in full effect. The 70s-style house — presumably fashionable back in the day but a bit out of date now — was undergoing renovation, and I had a chance to take a look at the process. New walls were put up and a new bathroom was installed, complete with toilet and bathtub. All without the help of any paid professionals! I discovered that in Germany, you not only could buy broken pieces of the Berlin Wall but can purchase real walls, toilets and bathtubs at DIY shopping centers, to be taken home and assembled, just like a dollhouse. I have a great deal of admiration for such creativity.

While Americans invented drive-in theaters and drive-in fast-food restaurants, the Germans recently achieved another innovation — the drive-in DIY center. The idea behind it: wouldn't it be great if people could drive through to pick up — just like a hamburger — necessary household appliances without parking their cars or bringing heavy tools? I believe the Germans are the only people who could come up with such a system.

In Germany, it's not DIY, it's DEY — Do Everything Yourself.