Being Polite!

Japan has many cultural taboos, some of which may be heading out but should still be observed. Here are just a few.

~ Mostly bodily functions should never happen in public: nose blowing, passing gas, failing to wear a mask if you are hacking and sneezing, etc. Especially do not do any of these things in a restaurant. If it comes out of the body it is probably frowned upon.

~ Food: Say "Itadakimasu before you eat, say "Goshisoosama deshita" when you finish. Do not stick chopsticks upright in rice, this echoes funerary rites. In the same vein, do not pass food with chopsticks; this represents the passing of bones at a funeral. Slurp your Japanse noodles, it's polite. Do not slurp your Italian noodles. Do not wipe your face with the warm cloth provided to hands. Try to eat everything you are given, especially rice. Drink all the alcohol you are given. ALL OF IT! Do not put sugar in Japanese tea. Do not make faces at the food. Do not mix foods that are not meant to mix. Do not walk and eat. Do not loudly chew gum. This can go on and on and on.

~ Four is an unlucky number, never do anything in fours (Give gifts, knock four times, etc.). The word for four is "shi" which is also the root word for death.

~ Bring a gift when you visit someone. Make sure the gift is wrapped in a cloth (furoshiki) or other reusable material. Do not be surprised if the gift is not opened in front of you. Do not give knives, scissors or clocks. If you are staying with someone and go on a trip, bring back a regional souvenir. Be modest about your gift in most situations.

~Do not wear shoes in a home, leave them at the entrance and put on slippers. Do not wear -any- sort of shoe on tatami. It is expensive! If you enter a bathroom, change into the (often green) bathroom slippers.

~In every situation BE VERY POLITE. (Unless a pervert grabs you on a train, then I think it's o.k. to get mean...) Try and learn polite phrases for common situations such as bumping into someone, interrupting someone, and in general bothering someone. Also try to learn how people might react to certain situations. If you ask someone a question and they answer "Chotto..." it probably means "no" but they are too polite to outright deny.

And there is even more! But I don't want to bore you too much. Basically, again, do your research! It will really matter if you want to make a good impression.


P.S. Totally unrelated, but here is a CNN article on things someone found surprising about Japan. the one I can relate to the most is  noticing not only how clean the cities were but also how this cleanliness came about. I never saw a single person litter. I remember getting to my home train station, Aobadai, early one morning and seeing the epitome of an Oba-san wearing a utilitarian dress and a head scarf, patiently mopping up pigeon droppings. The station had the perfect roosting place for pigeons and they certainly took advantage! Yet, none of the usually nastiness related to flocking skyrats birds seemed to occur, and this was why!