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Growing up in Sweden we also have a "no shoes indoor" policy and I really don't get countries that doesn't have. The floors must get so dirty lol. Leave shoes at door = far cleaner floors.
I was in Tokyo last week with a constant eye open for my fave content creators but alas, I never got the chance to ask "Are you RU-vidr?" 11:40 I was amazed/appalled at how oblivious some tourists were about being noisy on the train. In the past, it was usually tourist from a certain Mainland country but this time it was mostly Westerners with North American accents. 9:55 I noticed tipping cans were quite common at independent coffee shops, which was great because I got to show my appreciation for the great food/drink
Another time Japanese will do the clapping thing other than shrines is when receiving food. Often goes along with the itadakimasu but other than that I've genuinely never seen it... (commented that too early HAHA)
something interesting regarding table manners that my japanese friend told me while we were at a cafe: dont let your left arm (or the arm that youre not eating with) just hang out at your side. she said it's something her parents taught her when she was younger. you should hold the bowl up with the other hand or just hold the plate/bowl in place using it so it's not just doing nothing by your side
That was such a funny video im here in japan at the moment and everything you's said is true and I've seen in certain situations. Like lugging my suitcase off the train and just move out of the way.! ❤😎🦘🇦🇺
Heh on the slurping thing. Especialyly for Western gals the idea of 'polite' is to eat absolutely soundlessly if possible. I'd hope Japan people might understand there. :)
Great tips! Let me just reinforce and add something about photos - both of Geisha and school kids, and further generally for strangers. From the cultural side, the main thing tourists should know is that Japanese culture values privacy way above most western cultures. Which means it's just not ok to take photos of strangers even in public spaces without consent. Afaik, there isn't a written law forbidding it on paper specifically for just general adult strangers, but it just is a huge nope culturally. People can, and sometimes will get angry at you if you do it. I don't mean you taking photos of yourself and your family members who are on a trip with you and catching strangers in the frame by accident... that'd mostly ok. But shoving a camera at the face of other people and taking a photo is very rude and very bad. Also, street photography in general. You always need to ask for permission first. And if it's for publication in blogs, streaming channels and stuff like that, it goes a whole level up in problematic. Know that this is also true for several venues, restaurants, shops, and whatnot. I think in big cities most places tolerate it due to tourism exhaustion, but not all of them will, and some business owners might get very angry and kick you out for it. So it's kinda like, if you are going to take photos, make short form videos, and stuff like that, it's just good manners to ask for permission first. Yes, and this include food shots for your Insta, TikTok stuff, all of it. Sometimes it's not even because of the establishment itself, but because other costumers might not like it and make a fuss about it, and so by default the owner of the place will tell you to stop doing it because it's disturbing other costumers. You might agree with it or not, but several prohibitions are framed that way - you are disturbing other costumers, don't do it. Lots of Japanese businesses are very reliant on return costumers, and if they lose return costumers because they allowed behavior inside the premisses that they didn't like, it's a minus for them. This is often why tattoo rules remain so present in modern touristic Japan - the owners of the place might not even care all that much, but if other costumers make a fuss about it, they often need to have some sort of response to it. This is very true for small cafes, cozy small venues, etc. Be aware. Ok, that's for the cultural side. On the law side, you also should know Japan has some privacy related laws, photo voyeurism laws, and child protection laws. It's not super specific but it's well understood culturally. Of course, you have laws protecting freedom of expression, and there are no explicit laws forbidding photos in public - but again, there are stronger privacy protection laws, which means that if you take a photo of someone, publish it, and that person suffers some sort of problem because of it, you could end up with a lawsuit against you. Oh, and I think this is kinda rare, but if police finds you suspicious taking photos or videos everywhere, they can stop you and make you show the photos and justify yourself. This has to do with photo voyeurism laws and crimes that have been happening there for a while now. That woman who took the photo of a school kid - she could've ended up in big trouble, no joke. Caretakers, people on the street, or whoever was looking could've reported it to police, and she could have real trouble for it. It's just not ok to take photos of kids. In fact, it already isn't ok in most nations one way or another, but in Japan I feel they are way more strict about this. Might have gotten a pass because she was a foreigner, but it's not acceptable behavior. Japanese society is very sensitive on this because of multiple reasons. As for the other part of this - publication. In Japanese media in general, if you watch news and TV shows in Japan, if you watch Japanese video streaming channels, if you seem documentaries produced there and whatnot, you'll notice that there is great care in censoring strangers even in public spaces. Blurred faces and whatnot. This goes back again into law and culture. You are supposed to ask for permission before taking photos and making videos with people in them, and it's assumed you are going to censor people who you couldn't or didn't ask permission. It's kinda like standard practice. If you don't, and you have say a RU-vid channel in some other nation talking about your trip to Japan, audience being foreigners? Probably not. But in Japan it is standard practice because it can be trouble. It again goes towards privacy law. One way to look at it is that people's right to privacy and general reputation and standing is set above your right to freedom of expression. If a photo gets published and it damages the reputation of someone which you didn't get permission to shoot, it could end up in a lawsuit. Oh, I forgot to mention Geishas, but it's considered deeply disrespectful to take photos without permission. And now you have explicit laws for it because this was previously just a cultural understanding that tourists didn't catch up. People should know that this is also true for people praying in temples, shrines and temples in general. It is sometimes tolerated in temples and shrines that are very popular with tourists, but again, I'm using the word "tolerated" for a reason. It's still bad etiquette. Also, for all the anime fans and otakus - do not take photos of the maids and girls in streets in Akiba, do not take videos or photos inside shops and arcades without permission, just be careful about it in general. They are generally tolerant with tourists, but again, it's bad etiquette. I think that's more or less it from me. xD
A few days ago i saw a video of a Karen chasing a maiko for a photo, trying to get ahead of her and then the maiko would turn away, and the Karen would keep getting ahead of the maiko. It was so crazy rude! Just leave them alone! They aren’t amusement park characters, they are people trying to get to places without bothering others!
I'm going to Japan in a few months for two weeks to attend a skateboard contest! Gonna be my second time there, but last time was in like 2007 when I was just like 11, so really looking forward to it! Have been sorta learning the language on and off since last year, and culture/etiquette, hope to study there for a little bit soon also!
Money isn't exchanged from hand to hand but through a tray of some sort. If you're in a place with tourism they will be used to that confusion and are just gonna point at the tray. Waiters won't necessarily come and ask if you're ready to order and going "sumimasen" (excuse me) to get their attention is not considered rude (unlike the west). Most people will be really nice, some people will find you annoying and some people will be curious about you (especially if there's alcohol involved). There could be (have not experienced this) some crazy old people that shout at you but it seems extremely rare and not something to worry/care about. It's many times more likely they will ask if you need help/directions.
If you are one of the first few customers of a small shop, try not to give say a 10000 yen note when you are only buying like 1-2000 yen worth of stuff. They might not have enough small change at the start of the day. One hot tip, is to go to a train station, when topping up the suica card, select say 1000 or 2000, then chuck a 10000 yen in, it will give you the change back in 1000 yen notes.
First of all, tourists are obnoxious preetty much everywhere not just japan, they might just be even less considerate in japan thats all. Second, the cheering with lowering your glass is not just in business its also among friends etc. Mostly by age, but also social status. My friend is in his 50's and i always try to lower my glass as he is older, but he always lower his more, because he consider me a guest and then he should be the lowest.
Actually a lot of these covered is not just for Japan and in fact also quite a fair bit of area in Asia as Japan share a lot similar culture as the rest of Asia. As for the chopstick thing, best just not to rest it on the bowls. Usually we just leave it on the table beside the bowl. Normally there should chopstick rest in restaurant but not really for home I guess. Sometime I would make my own chopstick rest using a small piece of paper if it's not provided. And taking photos of anyone without asking is definitely just rude in Asian culture. Furthermore, taking photos of taking young children is just wrong in so many levels.
it was weird at the beginning not to put my hands in front of me, while bowing, but i think i got used to it. and you can see how much they respect you, if they try to copy at least the level of your bow, or try to bow lower, the second one was funny sometimes, the sensei wanted to bow i guess same level, i wanted to bow lower, so we kept adjusting, till my abilities to bow were limited (greeting) XD i love Japan
1:15 Little bows of respect have become very common in Australia. I'm not sure if that's due to so many Australians visiting Japan but I see it all the time
I wish you would make one regarding Onsens. When I visited for the first time I actually brought along my swimsuit just for that. Imagine my shock 😅 But also other things like not wearing slippers in there, putting your hair up, removing any metal jewelry, NOT STARING and so on.
Basically… be considerate and not a damn nuisance…. Something that all right wingers/Karens can’t even fathom (thinking about anyone beyond their own selves)
@@James-mi5hi are you a right wing PoS triggered by the fact that you garbage people are being exposed for never being considerate of others in your life?
Another fun fact about the tip system, or the lack of, here in Japan is, sometimes we say "おつり大丈夫です” which is basically "Keep the change". It's a nice gesture that is meant to be a gratitude towards the service that's not actually tipping.
I gotta say, Sarah, my fave give out omiyage is those tacky clip on koalas. Even better if they have an Australian flag vest or are holding a little flag. But it's definitely an item people have to keep and that can be a pain. If you're going over to Japan, I do recommend snacks. Australians, bring some wacky stuff. Caramello Koalas and eucalyptus drops, and if you grab some cute little cellophane packages from a 2 dollar store or Daiso and break up some share packs from the supermarket, you don't even have to spend too much to really thank people. 1 caramello koala and like 2 or 3 eucalyptus drops per package is good. I will say this as someone who is in the travel industry, gifting them to your hotel concierge staff or local tour guides is a really nice way to thank them, especially if they give amazing service (like the English tour guide at the Edo Museum I got. He seemed like he didn't think I was interested, until I asked him some questions that only history buffs would think about. Eventually we got talking about professional wrestling in Japan and he told me some cool facts I still think about). I think it's good to put like 2 gifts in your daily backpack or purse just in case. You never know when someone is going to help you in such a way that requires thanks like that.
I spent 2 weeks in Japan this march, going to many cities and on many trains. Every day I would shower, apply deodorant / antiperspirant... and then my favourite perfume, just 2 light sprays under my clothes... I found out 2 days AFTER after i had returned fragrances are a No no!
How about someone from afar extending their arm, hand palm down, fingers spread, back and forth, beckoning means "come here", rather than the western, "go away". As for to slurp or not slurp noodles: As Sara said, "when in Rome..." (funny scene from the classic Japanese movie, "Tampopo"): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sNAZmLmyCJk.html 😆
Another low-cost video from TC featuring their two best personalities. Difficult to do, but thanks Emma and Sarah. Hope you got to eat some yummy stuff while doing this
高齢の人が、両手を合わせてお礼をするのは、相手に「あなたは仏様のようにやさしい」と感謝を示しています。若い女性が、両手を合わせてお礼をするのは、相手に「かわいい」と感じさせます。男性が両手を合わせてお辞儀をする時は、自分の失敗をあやまる場合です。自分のウソが妻にばれた場合にする仕草です。 When elderly people put their hands together to give thanks, they show their appreciation to the other person, saying, "You are as kind as Buddha." When a young woman puts her hands together to thank you, it makes the other person feel "cute." When a man bows with his hands together, it's a case of apologizing for his mistakes. It is a gesture that a man makes when his wife finds out about his husband's lie.
The shoes rule is weird to me because 1. I am used to taking my shoes off when going into people's homes and such and 2. almost everywhere in Japan, the places that you take your shoes off seem pretty obvious to me.
I don't care if I saw visitors behaving incorrectly, because Japanese culture is complicated even for us Japanese, of course if they do correctly, I will be very very impressed.
It took me quite a while, at least six months to a year, to stop head bobbing and bowing to people when I returned to the States after living in Japan for seven years. It definitely becomes second nature to do this after you've been there a while. Another habit I had to break was a tendency to repeat myself. This is something I picked up as advice from a colleague as I was an English teacher, that repeating what you said was an effective way to get your message though to the listener/student. It took me a while to shake that, and I thought it was something unique to language teachers, but I've since noticed that my wife, who is Japanese, does this pretty much all the the time. And I think I've noticed other Japanese people doing this, so I don't know if it's a unique quirk of a few people, or if it is a Japanese cultural thing. I was aware of the etiquette of pouring drinks for each other at restaurants, but I don't think I ever picked up on the hierarchy aspect of it. The height of people's beverages when we did the cheers/kampai thing seemed random to me, but I bet it was there and I just never realized. Pretty much all my shoes now are slip-on; sneakers, dress shoes, casual, etc. all have a slip-on grip around the ankle, rather than shoelaces, with the exception of shoes designed specifically for tennis or running. It's so much more convenient to just pop them off my feet really quick, or step into them without having to reach down or sit down to tie an untie them. I recommend anyone planning to take a trip to Japan invest in a good pair of comfortable slip-on walking shoes. It will save you a lot of hassle having to do that, as well.
Gotta believe that toilet slippers are a holdover from the days when there weren't so many western toilets in the country. I can believe the slippers were a lot more important then.
Always have your passport on you at all times. Do not j walk wait for traffic lights to change. If you have a backpack on the the train put it in the front so not to have it someone's face or just put in on the floor. Don't try and put your fingers between the train doors if your trying to get on as your fingers will be crushed, just wait for the next train. If your at the train station and your checking what the next train is on the board don't stand in the middle of traffic (people) just stand near a pole and check. If the train is full and your near the doors and the train arrives at a station just get off to the side of train for people to get off , then hop back in. And yes as I've been to Japan for a few years now that I've gotten into the habit of nodding my head when taking to people at home. Keep up the good work. Also Japanese people on long flights take their shoes off and put their slippers on and I've been doing the same also.
Eating on the train is fine. Just dont be messy or be mendokusai about it. I've even seen people drink (alcohol) in the train here. Maybe its just here in shizuoka and people are more chill about stuff like that. But yeah, eating on train here is fine. Fun anecdote. I was travelling to Nagano by local train (from Shizuoka). Grabbed something from the station somewhere in Nagano to eat on the train. I was already over 4 hrs on the train by then, i was famished, i was gonna eat! So I opened one of my sandwiches or whatever and started eating and once all the japanese around me saw that, it pretty much broke the seal and they all opened their food and ate, too. It was lunch time and everyone was travelling. They all were hungry and were hesitating and it took this one gaijin to smash that floodgate open. Lol
Still I would caution against doing this in other areas of Japan. Perhaps it's fine in your situation, but you'd be a doing a disservice by telling people they would be fine eating on the train.
