I love how polite you are. You're not even talking to the guy, you're only watching his video. And you're still letting him finish every point before you start talking, even though you literally have a pause button.
I don't know how many times I've seen reaction videos where they pause it mid sentence and start speculating and jumping to conclusions or even just asking questions and then it's addressed immediately after they unpause it.
@@egorex1834 and this is whats wrong with society everywhere in the world now, that people think being polite and well behaved is boring, but without it society falls apart. I think the Japanese are to be admired for this, though they have maybe taken it a little too far !
Somewhat. But things like not expressing your opinions is definitely not a good thing. It’s being “considerate of others”, but this makes the whole country have a cold atmosphere where nobody disturbs anyone. And its one of the sole reasons student and working life is absolute hell over there, you aren’t an individual, you’re just one more person in the crowd, thus the declining birth rate in japan and high suicide number. It might be being considerate at superficial level. But look at it more carefully and it’s actually a society killing itself slowly.
I don't remember that japanese people cared about it much. I only remember americans making a fuss about it. So that's more like what not to show to americans of your vacations in japan.
@@skaruts yah but im not sure that was a case of "don't be offended for someone else". I think its just in poor taste in general to record a suicide victim. also we did NOT like it at all. We revere our dead no matter how they died. If you live in America all you will see is offended Americans. if you live in Germany all you will see is offended Germans.
I mean, if you are an douchebag in Poland you will get beaten up badly, so most people are nice to each other. In Japan they are being taught way better than anywhere else.
@@qi6303 I mean japanese culture is very respectful, they are educated to be polite. people from other countries of course can be polite too, naturally, (and some japanese people also can be rude, I mean, we're all humans) but in Japan is like part of the culture so strongly that they are known for that. I wasn't saying no one else can be polite
In my city, people will talk so loud on their phones on the train or bus, people at the other end of the car can hear everything. Hate it. I don't want to know your business. The other thing many do, is watch a video with no ear plugs so everyone can hear, and be bothered by your crappy music video.
One time I traveled from Cali to Kansas on a train and in the eating area there was this dude having the loudest conversation that you could hear form the other side of the room. It went on for a solid hour. I'm fine with quiet phone calls for like 15 min but sometimes people are really inconsiderate of others. 😔
@@michaelhoffmann2891 So he meant that the cat died from that nerve agent? I mean in Swedish, the word for being married and the word for poison is the same(Gift)
@@GrebbChannel Goodness, no! I was just making a silly joke, seeing as Chris has mentioned "Schroedinger's Cat", which of course *is* about a cat being potentially exposed to a nerve agent, which due to the vagaries of quantum theory is both alive and dead at the same time. However, I wonder about the state of Swedish marriages if they use the same word as for poison. :)
That's a thing in Japan. There are a lot of "mmmmm"s and "soooo desu" and such. Master these sounds, and you're already 50% fluent in Japanese! (Seriously, I once had a 10 minute conversation with my taxi driver responding only with "MMMmmm" because my Japanese was super bad. He finally found me out with a yes or no question, and luckily he found it funny!)
That's normal in japanese. Humming is a way to show you are paying attention to the talker (not necessarily agreeing, just paying attention). It's like saying "yeah, yeah, I see". We KINDA do it here in Italy too, but not to that extent.
The silence on train is true. Japanese don't strike up conversations with strangers like Indians. I was surprised when in a bullet train a Japanese middle aged guy struck up a conversation with me and didn't even lower his vouce to avoid disturbing others. Turned out that this guy had spent decades working in foreign countries including India and called himself a foreign Japanese. He didn't give a rats ass about "disturbing" others. Very open and talkative.
That would be tough! I'm a Brazilian and we meet people kissing on the cheek and hugging when it's time to say goodbye 😑 I sometimes hug people I don't even know haha
@@davilopes5925 Sameee, I'm from Mexico and although not eeeveryone likes to hug people, it's pretty common here too xD. I totally respect the culture, but I think I would feel sad without hugs :(
@@davilopes5925 Não sei não colega, eu sou de Curitiba e os unicos que saem abraçando e beijando a galera são uns folgado, que no geral, a mulherada fica sem graça de recusar, eu só abraço meus familiares.
@@Crashandburn999 Lmao, no that's Natsuki. Ryotaro is the one with a better British accent than Chris himself and often tries to kill him in attempts to take over the channel.
Hieronymus Pseudonymous He’s a friend of the guy who made the video, and he’s in a ton of his videos. There’s even a “movie” about him because he’s really popular 😂
Dutch people actually kiss each others cheeks 3 times as a greeting or to congratulate someone with their birthday (and then you have to kiss everybody in the room basically, or a hand if you don't know them that well). When I explained that to my Japanese friend, he was blushing so hard haha.
As an American it's more like he is saying "yes but no." Like there is a base for the rule and in some very niche situations still follow it to a degree, but times are changing and/or very few people would care unless you drew in attention. Like the food thing, no one is going to bat an eye to you carrying and drinking a coffee but I bet everyone will give you a bad look if you dropped the cup and left it or walked through something like a clothing store.
🤣 First I saw someone do that was in the film Johnny english when I was a kid 🤣 then I used to always do it, now I just submit and go straight for the fork 🤣
@@christianrobinson7745 all the floors in my house are clean enough to walk in socks. No one is dragging their sandy gravely shoes on my clean floor. That’s the case for literally every house in my province
Hey uhhh some of them get hit by a certain motor vehicle to send them flying by law of Anime so maybe you should follow that tip.... Or unless you want to get isekai'd like most of us right now
@@eddyreyes4369 legit the only Natsuki I know of was the mangaka of Fruits Basket lmao which makes me sound a whole lot weebier than I actually am. For real who is that?
Tipping is a sleazy business practice where the owner of a business puts some of the responsibility of paying their employees on their customers. It's been around long enough that people have forgotten and think it's a good thing. As an employee i would rather just get paid a consistent wage that i can live off of than worry about tips. As a customer I'd rather just pay what the price tag says and not worry about extra tip.
As a customer when an employee has been polite and did a good job I find it normal that I reward him/her as a sign of my appreciation for the effort they put in. Yes the fact that some employers use the tipping tradition as an excuse to pay their employees less is disgusting. But even if I knew the employee is receiving an adequate monthly wage I would still tip them to show my appreciation for their service if they did a good job.
When Seattle first raised the minimum wage to $15 (and now beyond), a number of restaurants tried going the no tipping route. Not a single one stuck with it because they all suffered from business loss due to the perception of their menu prices being higher (even though you just end up paying the same).
I think tipping is too ingrained in us to ever stop it. Im not sure i disagree with it. I certainly don't want some waiter that is treating me like hes doing me a favor ti get paid the same as a waiter that is super pleasant and makes me actually feel welcomed at the place im at, like its his place and hes appreciative that we chose to eat there at his place.. Why should this waiter be paid the same as the ass that scoffs because you ask for a refill, you shouldn't have to ask!!!
@@caseyhall2320 Yeah, Japanese vocalizations tend to sound different until you get used to them. It's a cultural thing. What sounds like negativity here in America is likely just pondering/thinking sounds in Japanese.
@@RabidDogma Yep, lol. That's something I learned real quick with my friend Claiton. He was a Native japanese dude who started going to America for schooling somewhere around the 7th grade, and we met during high school. His "hhmmm"s and "aaahhh"s were nonstop, and never represented his final thoughts on almost any subject lol. I had to ask him why he always makes those sounds when he listens to people lol.
I mean they will tolerate it. They won’t confront you. It’s more of a self awareness thing. People don’t call on public transport mainly because they don’t wanna bother others, not because they’ll get told off by someone.
Maybe because you left it alone in home and you can't watch him, it's make him automatically a Schrödinger's cat until the next time that you open the door 😏.
I went to a library and asked if they had a book about Pavlov's Dog and Schrödinger's Cat. The librarian said "Well it rings a bell, but I'm not sure if it's there not"
Regarding the tipping system: It sucks. Mainly because it is a practice that leads to exploration. In American it started out with good intentions but soon companies/places would taken advantage of that system and cut short their employees wages. I believe that the japanese have it right. You are paying for a meal and shouldn't pay extra for the basic service, the employees should be payed and taken care for by the place they work in not by the customer. In my home country Portugal we actually have this sweet spot in between, tipping is NOT mandatory and NOT expected, but if for some reason you really really liked the service you can leave some coins to the waitress, like around 1/2 euros, nothing too much, or just give them the change. But it's not at all common, I never tipped in my life.
@Little Shy I mean, the initial idea of a tip is that you're giving the people servicing you a little extra for doing an exceptional job. The problem is, like OP pointed out, in the US tipping is taken advantage of by companies and employers who instead pay their employees below minimum wage which pushes all responsibility of their staff's wages onto the customers. I worked as a restaurant server for a couple years in college and my hourly pay was $3.75. Without generous tips, people in those jobs can't afford their basic living expenses.
Props to this guy for going through the struggle of learning english, that's something that has to be appreciated and specially since english and japanese are so different.
@@AstonGryffynn Dunno. Here in Latvia Russians are some of the loudest, most social people. Then again, maybe us Latvians are just extremely introverted and they seem loud in comparison.
Chris has spent a lot of his time in more rural Japan (山形県 specifically), so I think that maybe people there are a little stricter about etiquette in his experience. I lived in 秋田 for a year, and I was definitely scolded by locals for 食べ歩き and the rubbing chopsticks thing. 😅
His wife is also Japanese I think. I'm sure that helps too. I also lived in Akita for 8 months as an exchange student *near Yuwa-machi* beautiful place in the winter! Gotta love Akita festivals, Namahage and kiritanpo :D
@@muajin He doesn't have a wife lol. I'd love to live in rural Japan some day though, appeals to me way more than the city. So lucky to exchange in such a lovely place. ♥
@@tirorinn12 Oh. I often see him in vids with the same Japanese woman, assumed they were a couple. :P Japanese rural life is the best for learning the language, customs, culture etc. I've been to some awesome matsuri in Akita. I lived in Japan for 7yrs and in the process of waiting to go back. *I've been in China now for 3yrs, due to better pay*
@@muajin Yeah he had a gf at one point but I as far as I know they're not together anymore. Oh wow that sounds fantastic, city life is too fast-paced and large for me. I'd much rather live somewhere small and mix with the locals much more. You are so lucky, what job were you doing in Japan? I'd also love to live in China too. Such amazing countries! There's so many places I would like to live some day.
@@tirorinn12 When I lived in Japan, i was in Niigata a year and near the Tokyo/Chiba border for 5. It's a very quiet area. I was an english teacher. I'm hoping to start manga writing as well as teaching when I go back
Same. I live In rural US. Smaller town. Everyone still waves to each other when passing by in cars and hold doors open for people, just general kindness for others. I absolutely despise going to bigger cities in the US because everyone is so rude and inconsiderate of others. I think Japan sounds like a dreamland where everyone is kind to each other.
Japan also has a more or less constant quantity of, and very homogeneous population. Nothing of the multiculturalism or globalist bull crap that Europe has to deal with.
They also have their own flaws, like having separate train cars for women (apparently) or being pretty close minded with foreigners, and no none of this things are due to multiculturalism or diversity like this probably racist person is saying. For example i'm italian and we have a lot of flaws, like leaving trash in the street, especially in the south, and they don't have anything to do with immigrants. Every people of every has its pros and cons and they all are beautiful in their own way
@@livioventura5061 Call me racist if you want, but multiculturalism brings worse things than optional gender based train cars. Italy of all countries should know that. A defensive stance towards foreigners proves nothing, Americans for example are extremely polite towards foreigners and that country is on the brink of civil war.
@@skyfoxrinoasfr4778 One of the subjectively happiest people in the world are the constantly starving nomads of Ethiopia. The Japanese are constantly looking to improve which stresses them out, that´s all.
Back in the 80s on kangaroo island in South Australia we met a wonderful guy from Japan as he was backpacking around Australia . For 2 weeks we treated him like family and had a great time and we were all sad when it was time for him to leave . Now all these years later my son is about to head to Japan to teach english and I hope he is embraced the same way.. Great video thanks .
Here in America, (at least where I live) we just walk across wherever and whenever we want. Like we literally don’t care if you jaywalk, just don’t get hit by a car.
Same here in Brazil. Another frustratingly common practice here is to walk literally on the road... the amount of times I had to poke my mom to go to a sidewalk is insane.
@@sorakafutanari Here it's pretty the same, every day i see a lot of people crossing the road without ever looking, risking to cause serious damage to theirself, sadly this type of things is common especially in the big cities like mine
The problem with the tipping system in the US is that it is used as an excuse to not pay an employee a living a wage, and often employees don't get to keep the tips they earn, it is pooled and divvied out, with the employer taking a cut.
I’ve worked 4 different restaurants and at every one the waiter make 2.25$ an hour but all of them made more than our managers off tips, America’s tip system is very fair in the south because of our southern hospitality you will be judged and I’ve seen other customers even stop someone for not leaving a tip and/or leave a tip on someone else’s table if one wasn’t given as well as on their own
@@joebro3979 Lol as someone who grew up in the south, I can assure you that this is false. Southern Hospitality doesn't apply to poor pathetic servants. They should pull themselves up by the boot straps and start their own plantation! Seriously, people in the south are hands down the worst tippers in the country.
@@fulluphigh yeah hard disagree, of course there are some people who refuse to tip just like everywhere else, but most people I know tip and they tip big.
@@goose2tat2 See that's where your logic is flawed, your small pool of people you know do not represent the majority. You're using a small example to prove that everyone does the same, when it's not true. Either way, the tipping system itself is fucking retarded and was again just created to make employees not pay living wages and it's annoying to be paying for food AND just for someone to bring the food and drinks out. Like damn just pay your employees.
The way you hum when watching throws me off every single time because it sounds like the hums Americans make when we strongly disagree with something, but I can tell you're just looking alert and processing the information lol!
This is how misunderstanding starts and depending on the person it can even cause misguided resentment. Thankfully enough there are videos trying to clear this up. Yet it still depends on the person willing to learn or not.
Hi, just now, find you here! It's the first video on this channel I saw. I like your pronunciation a lot! It's well, very good. I'm telling you this because I have met someone from Japan in my country (Lithuania) and most of the time we used translators on our phones, and even that person was trying to speak it was still difficult to understand. So I appreciate how clear you speak. It's nice to listen to you! I also like your decision to comment on other people content about what they think they know in Japanese culture. It may help a lot for us from overseas to understand the local culture, standards and strict rules. I support that and appreciate much! Thank you for being you and doing what you like! You are amazing!
The guy: dont- Japanese guy: mmmmmm Me: yeah he don't agree with him. Lol he don't know what hes talking about. Japanese guy: hes right Edit: Sub to my gaming channel Im in need of good people
It's a polite mmm. Then again, a lot of Japanese people I know avoid confrontation like the plague and just act like they're cool with something. Or, maybe that's a ruse.
@Troy Krentz I agree he understands some etiquette for how to behave in Japan, but he’s definitely taking it all to the next level of being as respectful as possible. I assume he lives in or near Tokyo as most foreigners do. I don’t live near Tokyo and most of the things he’s mentioned not to do are things I see happening quite often by Japanese. Not trying to say ignore the things he’s said, they’re all valid points that I agree with to a certain extent, but his last point is definitely spot on. Don’t worry about every single hidden rule there is here in Japan, just be respectful and you should be fine.
Yeah especially in bigger western cities. I used to live in quite a big city before I moved to a smaller village and I realized that I was actually quite rude compared to my neighbors and schoolmates. I wasn't doing it on purpose I was just so used to it.
100%. I follow a lot of these rules anyway because many of them are basic etiquette in terms of being polite but a lot of the western world is not very polite. I would like to see that change, but we're only growing more angry and more individualistic and opinionated. So... I don't see it happening anytime soon.
Believe it or not we were like this as well. George Washington wrote about the 110 Rules of Civility when he was 16. www.foundationsmag.com/civility.html Freedom, progressive ideas and balances of Cultural norms always shift. Women's clothing was very respectful once upon a time too, not that I'm complaining. The view is great.
@@sonnikdoh2510 Yeah I'm not saying we were never polite or civil (although we are less so these days) but it was never as strong culturally as in Japan or many other countries. Some were polite, some weren't. True for Japan too, but they're more communal in their ideas and societal norms.
@@warmmilk9480 Believe it or not A long time ago it was. Not every Country accepts different Religions and Cultures like America did and does. America was such a new idea back then so many people immigrated here for the freedom. With so many cultures living in 1 Country with so much freedom, it is impossible to maintain a single unified Culture of behavior. So many of those extremely polite traditions dissolved.
hahaha it would be funny but in such a situation people will just hug each other lol We just don’t do that in daily life. Actually we don’t bow other than formal occasion too. Sorry 😅
"The loudest voices we hear are those who advocate conflict, divisiveness." As that saying goes, I wouldn't generalize Americans for it when we're going through our fair share of complete societal atomization. Japan isn't doing much better either, even if they're staying quiet.
@@crazinkcf1840 I completely agree. My comment's perspective, however much we like it or not, is the general outlook of those who don't live in the USA. Not just Japan. Many other countries too.
@@BamBam0141 Well aware for how we're seen to each country and nation. As my reply still stands, if they're willing to judge us and assume what we really are by the ones who want to cause trouble, then so be it. The greatest of middle ground is understanding that every country and land has their cultural pros and cons, and unfortunately us Americans are really in it deep for really garbage reasons. If I had to sum it up, the loudest voices are living so peacefully and easily that they're looking for trouble at this point.
@Douglas Costello Its not that serious of a comment. And im not so ignorant to think that only Americans are hated and the rest of the world is happy with each other and do no wrong. The reason why the media only brings up hate is because it sells better. Hate makes them so much more money than highlighting good things.
@@tumage8592 Oh no, people should definitely be able to give tips if they want to, but people regardless of their job, deserve to be paid a wage they can survive on
i love the fact that we tip in the US for the simple reason you make more in tips than a lot of other hrly jobs plus it most of the time not all but a good majority you get a certain tip amount depending on how the service that you rendered so people better at the customer service aspects of the job tend to make as lot more than those who are unable to talk or deal with others in such a close situation
@@Tanniss I don't think that's true; most servers struggle to make a liveable wage on tips, and the amount people tip is usually not based on how well the service is. Besides, the tipping industry in the US was literally started in the prohibition time, because restaurants were losing money from the lack of alcohol, so they implemented tipping as a way of paying their servers less. If tipping was a good and fair system, other industries would have adopted it as well; imagine if cashiers in grocery stores worked for tips as well for instance
explanation: they weren't paying attention and thought you crossed because it was a greenlight? OR alternative: they've always dreamt of doing it and so to see someone doing it in front of them, they couldn't resist. And as more people started doing it, they all joined in XD haha
yeah i think that's why he brought up the word "debate". there's saying things like "i like cake" and then there's going off on a rant on some poor stranger in public. but yeah- always be mindful of when someone doesn't want to get into a heavily opinionated convo and just wants to relax
@@rameynoodles152 i don't think its quite that extreme in japan. Once you get close to someone the rules are a lot different then lets say- a co-worker or a stranger on the street. You're probably not going to get into a political debate at a bar you've never been to or something like that but you can probably complain to a close friend. And you'll probably run into situations where they might want to "agree to disagree" but they are still willing to listen to you, its not like you can't talk about anything bad ever when you go there, but if you plan on staying there a long time its not a bad idea to try your best to know social ques (since they vary from country to country). So yeah- don't "avoid" bringing up your opinions but don't go out of your way to keep pushing for an opinion if someone doesn't seem like giving theirs. People in japan usually expect people outside of japan to act differently anyway so its not something you should worry about too much anyway.
@A water guy. there are a lot of "types" of opinions so its really hard to say which ones they are hinting at but usually if you're pushing something on someone you should either be 1. already super close to them and know their comfort levels or 2. its a bit rude anywhere in the world. People in japan aren't incapable of bringing up lighthearted stuff online, which is a lot different then real life for sure but they aren't afraid to tell you they like or dislike something, but they might not want to talk about politics with someone they just met. Basically: don't assume people in japan want to go on a serious debate, but don't be so nervous that you never bring up things you like and dislike either. there are polite ways you can do that, either in English or Japanese
If you were a worker, you would hate the tip system. It's used to pay you less because you're expected to get the rest of your salary from tips. Which means, you're underpaid and don't know how much you'll have each month to live. And as you say, customers hate having to tip. We don't do handshake anymore ! Summary : Just be nice, and you'll be forgiven.
I was about to dislike this video because George wasn't giveing any decisive opinions, until they talked about Japanese people not giving decisive opinions. Then George decisively did give his opinion about not giving opinions..... Well played George, well played
@Marakis Dagnils bs, extroverts annoying af. All yall do is go outside and make noise. How tf do we annoy you? Not annoying the entire world is annoying to you? I have a video for you, but i will only send if you reply
So many weebs in the comments are gonna be disappointed when they go to Japan and find out that the people there are just people and it's not some eternally polite elegant wonderland lol
Osaka in general seemed a lot more casual to me. They didn't even stand left on the elevators and I was like whaaaat. Also random people just chatting with you, lots of fun.
ShinAlive Well actually they still have the rule for escalators, just on the right side. If you see anyone standing on the left there, they are probably from elsewhere and equally confused!
@@exii-bit7349 no, tone indicators are necessary, im guessing you are neurotypical, but for people who are on the autism spectrum like me it's hard to understand. saying things like that is inconsiderate to neurodivergant people, and it's also selfish, saying those kinds of things is ableist. thank you for using tone indicators op
Hey George. I just discovered your videos about a week ago, and I have to say you’re very charismatic! You have a very fun and positive energy about you. Keep up the good work, and greetings from Michigan!
no, FORCE tipping is bad. I think tipping for actually wanting to tip someone shouldnt be frowned on. But forcing people to tip and having your workers live off of tips should be a no go.
vickerfinal I’m in Australia and in my teens and early twenties I did a lot of waitressing. I loved it, (and retail) I still don’t know why there are so many always complaining about having to deal with customers. I love customers. We do not have a tipping culture as such, wouldn’t even think to look for one, but people do tip now and then, and only for service that goes above and beyond. I did get tips sometimes, because I was very good at my job, not for just existing like in the US. It makes you feel really good when you know you’ve actually earned it.
@@llddau because people in america trash on waiters and you can legally be paid 2.15 an hour usd in some places and you will be punished if you dont make up for tips and people will sign the check telling you how they didnt tip because you are worthless and should get a real job and leave fake bills with politcal messages and jesus on them or worse yet, their scams.
In the United States - and so far as I know, _only_ the United States - tipping is expected and not tipping is rude. Everywhere else, it's the opposite. That's because the United States refuses to pay its workers properly. They can't afford to be proud. Everywhere else, they actually get a decent wage and see tipping as an insult.
YES! I worked for a brief time as a passenger assistant at the Nashville International Airport, and boy let me tell you something: We. Did. Not. Make. Squat! If you decide to take on that particular job, well.... how should I put this? You're screwed! Enough said. But anyway, you're right about wait staff not making enough.
This guy: "Don't be overly opinionated and vocal in Japan. They'll see it as obnoxious." Me: "Where have you ever been where that isn't considered obnoxious??"
@@zacharypegg790 to a certain extend in Germany we like to have strong opinions. I can´t speak for everyone but personally I like to have a different view when talking to others
I'm glad that also Japanese people can laugh about Chris' sarcastic humour. I'm painfully sarcastic myself. So much so, that even my European friends sometimes can't understand that I'm joking. When I was using my sarcasm on my Japanese friends, they where just believing it, or asking me what I was talking about. So I was getting the impression that most Japanese people don't get sarcasm.
Unless it’s last train after a night in Shibuya/Shinjuku then anything goes really. Also a quiet conversation with someone next to you isn’t a big deal
@@ha22el5 The tipping system on its own isn't bad, but the tipping system was started as an excuse to pay people low wages. In America especially, the current federal minimum wage (which is already too low to begin with) is $7.25 per hour. Tipping jobs pay around $2.50 an hour because their tips are considered part of their income. So, on some really good weeks, they can make a bit more than a normal paycheck, but on regular or poor weeks, you'll be horrifically short on your check. So yeah, if the tipping system was added on top of an already secure minimum wage, then I'd be more for it. But not the way it is now.
@@JShepLord In addition, places that pay their employees a decent wage will require their workers to report how much they make in tips and will take your money if you make over a certain amount in tips. I only know this because my brother worked at a Pizza Hut and somehow got his own money mixed in with what he collected for deliveries. They literally robbed him of his own cash because they thought it was tips.
@@trajectoryunown Yea they will take portions of your money as either making too much or as a tip split with other servers of up to 50% so half your tips are just not yours. They will also switch around who you tip split so you cant just partner with 1 other person and both be the best. So if you do great one night for tips then the person your tip splitting with does poorly then you basically just lose half of your tips because someone else is lazy.
I just love the Japanese Culture and it's people. My grandfather sent time in Japan during the 1950's and still to this day he talks highly of the Japanese, their honor and hospitality. I so hope to visit Japan as soon as possible. After we move I want to look into hosting guest from Japan. Thank you for your video and time.
In my country it's all that but talking in public is accepted. Because we aren't Americans with their 190dB voices. It's perfectly possible to talk in public and not disrupt. Almost every nation understands that.
In Japan: it's important to try to keep silence in public transportation - no phone calls and such, it's just polite this way. In Romania (in some bus, 10 seats away from me): "AYO WHATCHU SAID? YOU WANT TOILET PAPER?!"
I love the fact that crossing a street with red light on with no cars, is looked down on in Japan. Reminds me of a quote. “If you want people to respect the big laws, you have to make them respect the small ones”-Batman
Accurate list: 1) Don't punch anyone 2) Don't kick anyone 3) Don't bite anyone 4) Don't steal from anyone 5) Don't kill anyone 6) Don't hurt anyone 7) Don't Rob the bank 8) Don't slap anyone 9) Don't drive past the speed limit 10) Don't throw food at anyone 11) Don't Break any laws 12) *Don't do anything you wouldn't do in your home country*
Chris Broad's 'Abroad In Japan' channel is excellent, although his British humour may be a bit difficult for non-Brits to appreciate. Sardonic is what I call it. Others might think it's sarcastic. Either way, he shares his experiences of living in Japan for several years in an informative and very amusing way. Interesting hearing your opinions on what he says.
I grew up in the U.S. watching Fawlty Towers and Black Adder ;). I love watching Chris' videos just as much as Rowan Atkinson and John Cleese. They all share the same sense of humor and deliver it with such a straight face.
Gotta take your shoes off in a Filipino household, too. I went to my friend's house once back in high school and neglected to take my shoes off (he neglected to tell me to take my shoes off, too...guess he assumed I just knew)...and this little, old Filipina (his grandmother) chewed my ass out as SOON as I put my first foot through the door. John, buddy, if you ever read this...your grandma could put the fear of God into himself.
There are a few backwards cultures that still believe we live on dirt floors. Most places in the world you take off your shoes when entering someones home. The thing with Japan is that the same is true for many restaurants and some businesses. Not everywhere, but if you go for something not at the fastest or cheapest end of the spectrum.
Joseph honestly depends on the family. a lot of filipino families (including mine) dont have that rule/superstition anymore. but we always take caution and ask about it when going to someones house as courtesy. (usually for me, the people would tell me not to take off my shoes/slippers cuz they say their homes are dirty or cuz they feel more comfortable with everyone not having to take off their shoes all the time)
Great video! I felt this way when I first visited China for a few weeks. These videos are gems for those wanting to travel across seas and not want to be rude to their culture.
"Maybe my cat is dead" as an answer of the question "do you have any cats?" would be very passiv aggressiv in german. If someone gives you an answer like that, he/she most likely told you already and is pissed, that he/she has to remind you. Or they just don't want to talk to you about details of their live in general. Then it depends: is the person seemingly happy talking to you, it's just a way to tell people they don't want to talk about this. But it is okay to keep talking about everyday things. If the person seems cold and reserved, they most likely don't want to know you and don't want you to know them. Then it would be awkward or even disrespectful to try to talk to them further, even if you just want to be polite. Funny how different things are.
its not always true that servers like tipping systems cause when there is a tipping system in the US, the owners can pay the servers below minimum wage.
Technically, they have to make up the difference if you don't earn the equivalent of minimum wage throughout the year, but almost no one reports their cash tips so they don't have to pay taxes on em, so good luck with proving that.