Cultural dos and donts in Japan

Japan is an incredibly friendly, fun, welcoming and hospitable country to visit. In fact it could be the perfect destination for first time travellers – it’s very, very different from home (wherever that may be), but it’s fairly safe, clean, easy to navigate and difficult to run into major trouble.

The Japanese people also seem very welcoming (or at least accommodating) of foreigners and their strange habits (like requiring dairy or bread to be a part of almost every meal). However that doesn’t mean travellers can just trounce around the country without regard to the local customs. At the most, it’s responsible tourism in a place which sees millions of foreigners come and go each year, and at very least it’s just a nice thing to do.

Some of these rules are just pointers in the right direction, while others could cause grave offence if broken.

1. Take your shoes off

(Image: Morgan Calliope, Wikimedia Commons)

Unless you’re specifically told to keep them on, take your shoes off when entering a home. Even if a Japanese host initially says “don’t worry about it”, it’s worth pushing the point one or two more times, just to make sure they’re not being overly polite.

2. Chopsticks go by the bowl

Bento box on the shinkansen

When you want to rest your chopsticks, put them down beside, or across your plate. Never stick them in your rice standing up – that is done at funerals, and it could elicit a few horrified gasps if done at a restaurant.

3. Silence in the metro

When you work as long hours as many Japanese people do, you’ll appreciate the quiet time you get on the metro between work and home. That’s why phones are required to be on silent mode, and calls are not allowed on the metro carriages. Don’t be that noisy foreigner that annoys everyone – send an SMS instead, and if you’re having a conversation with your friend, there’s no need to shout at each other.

4. Modesty in public

This is a tricky one, because we’re talking about Japan here, not Iran. However Japanese society still has its social mores, and while you’ll never get arrested for walking around downtown Tokyo in a bikini – there’s no need to test the limits. This includes men too – board shorts and no shirt is a great look at the beach, not so much in the city centre. Likewise for PDA – just because its legal doesn’t mean a passion session in a public street is a good idea.

5. Don’t mention the war

There is a place and time to discuss world history, and on holidays in Japan is not it. Go online, go to a library, perhaps even in some academic/scholarly settings in Japan, but digging up the past with your new Japanese buddy isn’t a nice thing to do. Just don’t do it.

6. Don’t expect stereotypes

Not every Japanese woman is a Harajuku Girl or a geisha, and not every Japanese man is a samurai or a sushi master. Just like not every foreigner is white and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Let that thought inform the conversations you have.

7. Business culture 

(Image: Kousuke Sekidou, Wikimedia Commons)

Japan has a very highly developed business culture. Respect, presentation and punctuality are all highly valued. Business attire should be neat and formal, people usually arrive before (not at) the scheduled time of meeting, and if you are handed a business card you should receive it with both hands, and inspect it attentively. Don’t put a business card away in front of the person who gave it to you – wait until you get a chance to discreetly file it carefully.

8. Decorum is a big deal

In a nation which values respect and decorum so highly, no-one likes an over-the-top personality. The person who barges into a restaurant, talks loudly, complains that things are taking too long, shouts at the waiter for the bill and talks about how “back in my country, we do things this way…” is the antithesis of a good guest in Japanese eyes.

9. Wipe, don’t blow your nose

(Image: https://pixabay.com/en/users/Mojpe-885231/, Wikimedia Commons)

In Japan tissues are for wiping runny noses, and if you really must blow the contents out, go to a semi-private place and do so discreetly. A washroom, or even the side of the pavement facing away from passers-by will do. Walking among people and blowing your nose loudly in Japan is considered disgusting in the same way that the “hoicking” noise before spitting is in the West. Carry disposable tissues and dispose of them each time – reused tissues or damp handkerchiefs are a sure fire way to gross out any Japanese people in the vicinity.

10. Relax!

While all of these might sound rather instructive, most Japanese people would be too polite to ever pull you up on them (except for maybe number 5). You’d probably get a couple of angry or incredulous stares, but that’s it. What would mortify most Japanese people is if they thought that your holiday was ruined by a set of rules that were totally alien to you. As long as you bear these in mind and don’t do anything intentionally offensive, you’ll have a great holiday and will be forgiven for the few times you might slip up.

Have I missed anything? And have you ever made a cultural faux pas in a foreign country? Comment below!