To many foreigners, Japanese culture appears quite unique.
Here are some of the unique aspects of Japanese culture.
Please refer to them when you travel to Japan!
Contents
1. Eating out alone is totally acceptable
Unlike many other countries, people in Japan usually eat outside alone.
2. Do not wear shoes indoors.
Slippers for the bathroom are often provided separately. Before entering a house, restaurant, or hotel, shoes are removed in order not to bring dirt outside with you.
It is quite difficult to get dirt off tatami mats (tatami mats). There is a special space for shoes at the entrance of a building, and it is common to take off outside shoes there and change into slippers for indoor use.
It is very impolite to enter a Japanese house with dirty feet, so do not enter with slippers.
3. Everyone bathes together in the nude.
Nakedness in public may seem a little strange to people in Western countries, but in Japanese culture, it is quite normal to use public bathhouses naked.
Onsen are natural bathhouses, while sento are bathhouses with plain hot water, and this tradition has continued for centuries.
4. Reading the “air” in Japan
Reading the air” is the act of knowing when to change the subject or end a conversation.
People who are not sociable or annoying are said to be “air-readers. Being overly aggressive or not knowing when to break up with a friend when you meet with them are examples of this.” It’s like “reading between the lines.
Bowing is a very important part of Japanese culture.
Bowing is very common in Japanese culture and is very important. It is basically the same for everyone.
Whether it is a nod to the clerk at the convenience store or a big bow to your boss at work, it is true.
How many times you bow and how deeply you bow shows respect to the other person. We bow even between friends!
6. It is against manners to make noise on a train.
When you get on a train in Japan, there is one thing you will notice right away. That is that it is quiet. Of course there are people who talk, but generally they talk quite quietly.
Also, people rarely make phone calls on the train (this is useful to know in Japan). Since the train is a confined space, it is not only polite, but also the healthiest thing for each of us to restrain ourselves. It is all for the sake of harmony.
