Perhaps the first step a Western man must take on the path to understanding his Asian girlfriend is to focus on the fact that cultural differences have driven entire countries to war many times before.
It is therefore important to realize that being from different continents, things may not go as smoothly as planned, as far as relationships go.
Some of her characteristics might seem too quirky to him, while his ways might even be seen as downright shocking behavior to her and her family.
This article examines some of the things that may cause friction between cross-cultural partners, and how understanding them can lead to better harmony.
There are posters in Beijing which show a young Chinese couple kissing on a public bench while people look on in disgust.
It is meant to be an example of how not to behave in public, quite an old-fashioned view of things.
Half a world away, in cosmopolitan Paris, seeing couples locked together in a tight embrace, kissing, cuddling, acting as if they were alone when in fact they are in the middle of hundreds of people in a public square, is quite common and generally accepted as normal.
It would be wrong to judge which behavior is intrinsically right and which is wrong.
They are just different.
Generally speaking, public displays of affection are still some way away from being normal in most Asian countries.
Holding hands is generally safe public behavior, but anything beyond that might be harder to swallow the usual Asian girl.
Interestingly, in India, holding hands among young men is just an ordinary act among friends, much as Western girls who are friends might hold hands.
It is also common to see men dancing with other men, and there is no idea of homosexuality attached to it.
This is an offshoot of the social taboo that forbids men to touch women who are not their wives, in public.
The Japanese, which world media conveys as being some of the most emotionally repressed people anywhere, would raise the eyebrows of even the most modern citizen of the West with their ancient Hounen Matsuri, a festival which celebrates fertility and renewal by parading portable shrines dedicated to the penis.
Giant phalluses are carried through the streets while candies, dumplings, trinkets and other items, also in the shape of the male member, are sold along the parade route.
The saying is that Asia is a land of contrasts, and for the Western male wanting to share his life with an Asian female, this is something to be taken to heart.
Things can get complicated, but then that is what sets the Asian apart from people who grew up in other cultures.
Once you understand this, then you are well on the way to understanding your Asian girlfriend.