The Japanese Culture Thread

[97SaturnSL1]

Dont drive a Big old chevy Suburban over in Japan unless you are a driving expert because the streets are super small and you may have a few mini cars flattened in your path. Though i have seen a few chevy astro and ford E-series vans over there which in a way can contradict its self on that only small cars are over in japan....

alos It isnt recomended that you honk your horn exept in life or death situations. guess im not going there then.....

[Spectrum Achromatic]

You don't share an umbrella with someone unless you are really really close friends, or there's an obvious reason I think. There's this term called Aigasa, and while it literally means to 'share an umbrella', it also points out that the two people sharing the umbrella are in a relationship - or at least like each other.

So if one doesn't have an umbrella when it is raining, they usually go buy one, not share.

[Spectrum Achromatic]

Why are the dogs named Alexander? I mean, in a lot of anime and stuff, most of the pet dogs are named Alexander...

[Faye Valentine]

Adding on, it's customary to wait for everyone to be served before eating your own meal.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Isn't this the same in the West as well? I'm American and I was always taught that if you're in a sit-down meal, it's rude to eat before everyone else has been served, unless you're the only one who ordered a particular course (like a soup or salad before the main course). Also that it's rude to eat in front of others who don't have anything to eat themselves, at least without offering them something.

[Joshawott]

I read in a phrasebook that you should never cross your chop sticks, as the only time this should normally happen is after someone has been cremated and relatives are picking out the leftover bones from the ashes, or something like that. Line your cross sticks to be parallel with each other instead.

Also, I hear they prefer people to be clean shaved.

Adding on, it's customary to wait for everyone to be served before eating your own meal.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Isn't this the same in the West as well? I'm American and I was always taught that if you're in a sit-down meal, it's rude to eat before everyone else has been served, unless you're the only one who ordered a particular course (like a soup or salad before the main course). Also that it's rude to eat in front of others who don't have anything to eat themselves, at least without offering them something.

I live in the UK and that's the same here. There are exceptions though, like if you're both having a hot meal but one person's will arrive a considerable amount of time before the others. At the very least, I always wait until someone else has started. In a more formal situation though, I always wait until everyone has been served unless I've been given permission to start.

In regards to shoes, it's interesting to hear that in Japan that rule even applies for businesses. Here in the UK, you always take off your shoes when entering another person's home (or just before, depending on the person), but with businesses you wear your shoes.

[SSJ_Jup81]

Adding on, it's customary to wait for everyone to be served before eating your own meal.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Isn't this the same in the West as well? I'm American and I was always taught that if you're in a sit-down meal, it's rude to eat before everyone else has been served, unless you're the only one who ordered a particular course (like a soup or salad before the main course). Also that it's rude to eat in front of others who don't have anything to eat themselves, at least without offering them something.

Well, I sorta was thinking of situations at the time where it's not fully necessary, like maybe if you're having a meal at home with family or if in an informal setting....but for Japan, both informal and formal, seems you're supposed to wait until everyone's dishes have been served. Even in the schools, the kids are not allowed to begin their meals until every single kid in class has been served. Not sure if this is the case with high school, but it'd surprised if they didn't, when they do for kindergarten, elementary school, and junior high school.

[Denki Wolf]

I read in a phrasebook that you should never cross your chop sticks, as the only time this should normally happen is after someone has been cremated and relatives are picking out the leftover bones from the ashes, or something like that. Line your cross sticks to be parallel with each other instead.

I'm not sure about that, but I do know you should never put your chopsticks straight down vertically in a bowl of rice, due to funeral ceremonies where they do just that.

Also, and this was just from a magazine I was reading once about buisness trips to Japan, it's a bad Idea to go out in the kimono's that hotels will sometimes give you. The reason why is these kimono's are, for a lack of a better term, pajama's. So you are just walking out into the streets with your jammies on. They aren't meant for going around town or ceremonies.

[SSJ_Jup81]

Why are the dogs named Alexander? I mean, in a lot of anime and stuff, most of the pet dogs are named Alexander...

Maybe the name was just popular.

[SSJ_Jup81]

[QUOTE=Denki Wolf;4246529]

Also, and this was just from a magazine I was reading once about buisness trips to Japan, it's a bad Idea to go out in the kimono's that hotels will sometimes give you. The reason why is these kimono's are, for a lack of a better term, pajama's. So you are just walking out into the streets with your jammies on. They aren't meant for going around town or ceremonies.

In all honesty, I'd be surprised if anyone literally did or even considered doing this. One look at them, and you'll see they're very robe-like and obviously for indoor use. There's nothing about them that even looks like something you'd wear to a ceremony or a festival. When I first saw them, the thought to wear them outside of my hotel never even crossed my mind, and I didn't have the prior knowledge of not doing so beforehand either. It just seemed obvious.

[kiera2]

To be honest, if you don't look Japanese then any eccentric behaviour will be brushed off as just part of your foreign-ness. Japanese people will generally forgive any cultural faux pas so long as you act apologetic and say sumimasen a lot.

One thing that goes hand-in-hand with never wearing shoes indoors is never going barefoot outdoors. Both stem from the idea of keeping the dirty outside separated from the clean inside of a house - and if you don't wear shoes outside, you have nothing to take off to keep the inside of the house clean.

When you put down your chopsticks, rest them on a holder on a table or across the top of your dish. Don't leave them with the ends stuck or sitting in the dish; this is only done when leaving rice for dead people and so is considered poor manners and bad luck. (Related tip: if you're given disposable chopsticks, you can fold the paper wrapper into a little rest to put your chopsticks down on.)

Never pass food from one set of chopsticks to another. If you want to share, either place food on someone else's dish or take it directly from their dish. Passing between chopsticks only happens when you are passing bones around after cremating the dead, so again: bad manners and bad luck.

When in an izakaya, it's completely normal to call SUMIMASEN! across a crowded room to get the attention of the staff. Less so in restaurants.

I guess I should've mentioned that you don't pour anything over your rice, if the rice is a dish by itself. For example, a plain bowl of rice...but let's say you have Curry rice, of course you'd mix the curry and rice together.

That really depends. There are a lot of meals where it's totally normal to put bits of your meat/veg/whatever on your rice and eat it together. And plenty of Japanese people will put sauce or furikake on their rice. I have one Japanese friend who loves to mix mayonnaise into her rice, then eat it with nori. (She convinced me to try it once and it was surprisingly good!)

Also, and this was just from a magazine I was reading once about buisness trips to Japan, it's a bad Idea to go out in the kimono's that hotels will sometimes give you. The reason why is these kimono's are, for a lack of a better term, pajama's. So you are just walking out into the streets with your jammies on. They aren't meant for going around town or ceremonies.

lol... those are yukata, and yes, they're basically pyjamas. You can buy nicer yukata for outdoor wear though - they're the standard outfit for fireworks festivals in the summer.

[miyoun]

I know this place hasn't been posted in awhile, but I was wondering... what are the exact "do's and dont's" of chopstick etiquette?

The subject seems really untouched upon on a lot of blogs I read. Pretty much a lot of people are like "I'M A FOREIGNER I DON'T CARE JAPANESE PEOPLE DON'T CARE COS I'M FOREIGN" but I'd rather be very polite because in nature I am.

Also I've always been very curious.

[SSJ_Jup81]

I know this place hasn't been posted in awhile, but I was wondering... what are the exact "do's and dont's" of chopstick etiquette?

The subject seems really untouched upon on a lot of blogs I read. Pretty much a lot of people are like "I'M A FOREIGNER I DON'T CARE JAPANESE PEOPLE DON'T CARE COS I'M FOREIGN" but I'd rather be very polite because in nature I am.

Also I've always been very curious.

Well, what's polite in one person's culture maybe rude in another. I was actually scolded for something I was doing that was considered "rude" when back home, it wouldn't be, but never mind that for now.

Only thing I can think of as far as chopsticks go is to not point with them. If you're passing food with them, use the other end of them, not the side you eat from. Do not stick them down straight into a bowl of rice. If you have to put them down for some reason, just set them on your holder as opposed to sticking them down into a bowl of rice (for instance). That's about all I can think of right off. Maybe someone else can think of something else.

[Wyvernphlare]

It is to my understanding that you are to treat random business card you get from people like a collector treats there collection extremely delicately. And crushing someone's business card is the ultimate ultimate insult. Not sure if this true though.

[SSJ_Jup81]

It is to my understanding that you are to treat random business card you get from people like a collector treats there collection extremely delicately. And crushing someone's business card is the ultimate ultimate insult. Not sure if this true though.

I'm going to assume this is true. Most people here carry business cards to trade, and thus, most have business card holders not only to hold their own cards, but to be able to take others.

[kiera2]

It is to my understanding that you are to treat random business card you get from people like a collector treats there collection extremely delicately. And crushing someone's business card is the ultimate ultimate insult. Not sure if this true though.

I'm going to assume this is true. Most people here carry business cards to trade, and thus, most have business card holders not only to hold their own cards, but to be able to take others.

Business card exchange is a big thing if you're at a conference, business meeting, formal dinner... anywhere you might make any kind of professional contact. If you're offered a business card, it's polite to take the card with both hands, look it over, and put it carefully in a case/wallet/pocket. Don't just grab it and stuff it wherever. Crushing someone's card isn't "the ultimate ultimate insult" but it would be considered pretty rude.

Also, if you're living and working in Japan you should have some of your own business cards made up. A lot of places will do them in Japanese on one side, English on the other.