Japan Local Custom Tips by giampiero6

Somebody Always Asks

Well because somebody always asks, here are the facts. 20 years old to buy Alcohol and Tobacco. I'm not sure how much it's enforced cause I saw A LOT of younger folks smoking. Anybody know. Can anybody help me out? My friend and fellow traveler Nixca316 adds the following in April 2011, "anyone can get beer & cigarettes in vending machines til the y2K yet now rule is no liquor or tobacco if you're not 20 yet & you can't buy those stuff in "proper" establishments, but you can still buy beer anywhere, but they are strict about D.U.I."

Politeness, Bowing, and all the Rest Part 2

Many people have an image of Japanese people as extremely polite and living by an arcane code of social interaction. It is often lampooned in popular movies etc. While it is true that Japanese folks are generally more formal and less casual than westerners, you don't have to be neurotic about making some social blunders.

Japanese people understand that westerners are different and may not be fully versed in their customs. I find that it is much more appreciated if you follow a few basic manners, but try to let your personality come through. In other words don't be a boor, but also don't stifle yourself for fear of 'doing the wrong thing'. Just keep in mind a few simple basics:

As everywhere else around the world, learn a few words of Japanese. It will go a long way, as most Japanese don't expect you to speak their language but appreciate the effort.

Don't rub chopsticks together (to remove splinters???) It's like a wierd insect or something.

Don't stick chopsticks standing up into food. Thats' an honorary for dead people.

Don't pour your own drink. Let others pour yours and make sure to keep an eye on other drinks and keep them filled. (I find this touching and endearing)

Ask questions more than expounding your own damn opinons.

Don't back slap and glad-hand unless you have a certain level of intimacy.

Don't point directly with your finger if indicating someone. Gesture politely with the whole hand.

Don't lose your personality for fear of making a misstep. Enjoy!

I personally find the habit of politeness very refreshing and wonderful. Folks actually try to think about the needs of others and not just their own. What's wrong with that? I found that a week of Japan was actually a good change of pace of the group of New Yorkers I was with.

Politeness, Bowing, and all the Rest

Many people have an image of Japanese people as extremely polite and living by an arcane code of social interaction. It is often lampooned in popular movies etc. While it is true that Japanese folks are generally more formal and less casual than westerners, you don't have to be neurotic about making some social blunders.

Japanese people understand that westerners are different and may not be fully versed in their customs. I find that it is much more appreciated if you follow a few basic manners, but try to let your personality come through. In other words don't be a boor, but also don't stifle yourself for fear of 'doing the wrong thing'. Just keep in mind a few simple basics:

Make sure you have clean-no holes- socks. You'll be taking your shoes off before entering homes, many restaurants and some hotel rooms.

Be polite. Say please and thank you. Consider the needs of others before immediately thinking of your own (remember kindergarten?) It will go a long way! The Japanese are more apt to think of the dynamics of a whole group rather than just what they want. (It's kind of nice)

Many Japanese will assume that westerners will want to shake hands and be comfortable with that. However, I found it useful to think bowing first and then if the other offers a hand, go ahead and shake.

Don't lose your personality for fear of making a misstep. Enjoy!

I personally find the habit of politeness very refreshing and wonderful. Folks actually try to think about the needs of others and not just their own. What's wrong with that? I found that a week of Japan was actually a good change of pace of the group of New Yorkers I was with.

Visiting Temples

Everyone brings their own spiritual and aesthetic notions to the temple so everyone's experience will be different. One thing that I like about Buddhist practice and visits to temples is that there isn't so much dogma attached or a sense that your experience should be channeled towards certain conclusions. Temples are less organized in the sense that there isn't mass at a certain time in the week that you attend. Anyway, the end result is that you can participate in the experience even if you're not an expert or practicioner. Give and offering, light a candle, bang the gong. It's definitely much more complex than that, but one definitely has less a sense of dogma and theology than comtemplation and a space set aside. Maybe that's just because it's something other than my background, but I think there's more to it. In short enjoy the experience even if you're not in the know.

Lucky Charms

When visiting Temples in Japan, you will often have the option of buying little paper fortunes. They might be good or they might be not so good. I was told that if you got a good one your kept it, but if you got a not so good one, you tied it in a knot onto one of the many fortune knot lines. You'll see these babuies everywhere.

The Japanese Wedding - Stage Setting

Many Japanese weddings are a mix of western stage setting and traditional costume and ritual. Not that you'll be seeing shinto ceremonies necessarily, but certainly there will be more emphasis based on the ritual of united to families as much as 2 people. There will be speeches-- intended to introduce the backgrounds of the spouses and families, even slide shows, or other presentations. At the wedding I attended a Japanese Congressman (the family was in diplomatic service ) gave a talk about the couple.

One of the most interesting features of the wedding was that the stage setting of the christian ceremony was used, though Im fairly sure no one was really christian. The Japanese are great adapters of cultural artifacts and in the same way that they celebrate Valentines Day, they have no qualms about adapting western wedding traditions.

What's The Stick With The Little Spoon on the End?

My confused friend asked this very question and then went to buy this implement. Because the Japanese diet has less fat than western diets, (and this is slightly disgusting) their ear wax is less fatty or gummy than that of westerners. Consequently Japanese use this wood spoon to scrape the flakey ear wax from the ear. A Q-tip would be ineffective. Sure it seems a little wierd to discuss, but it's just another way that all us migrants from the african motherland have grown to be slightly different over millions and millions of years. Other differences include an obsession with cartoon characters, bowing instead of shaking hands, and the singing of Karaoke.

Japanese Cemetary

Each of the monuments belongs to a particular family. Each of the long poles refers to a specific family member who has passed away.

Good Design

One thing that I really enjoyed about the experience of Japan is that most consumer goods seem to be well designed and well thought out. Why the hell doesn't every TV in the US come with built in handles? Huh? I mean everything from how a rice ball is wrapped so that you can eat it withouth touching the rice, to this little gem:

The bathroom mirror is heated in back so that you don't get steamed out.

Sure some of it gets way overwrought and leads to parody, but it's kind of nice to ordinary experienes be rationally designed.

The Mandatory Japanese Toilet Tip

Yep, you've heard about them. The Bidet/Toilet that does everything except the actual deed for you. One button warms the seat, one rinses your rump, one a little more frontal if you know what I mean ladies, one controls the power of the spray. Luckily the one in my hotel room was bilingual. You might want to keep the lid down when you experiment with the buttoms if they're not understandable to you. Yes, there is no greater teacher than experience!