I have been in Japan for a little over a year now, and I plan on staying her for a lot longer. That being said I thought I would help out my fellow lovers of Japan with a few tips. I will skip the basic things such as
you will need to know how to use chopstick-fu and
knowing any Japanese will help you immensely. Because really, who are we kidding. If you are planning on coming to Japan, you will know them already.
5. If you do not want to stand out then it is important to dress up.
My home country is Canada and in Canada it is perfectly normal to walk around in jeans and a Tee, but while I have been here I not only felt out of place against the women wearing outfits that I had previously thought only movie and TV characters wore but I was also getting the stink eye from a lot of Japanese women.
I had no idea what I was doing wrong and had immediately thought of the Japanese stereotype where if they see you are not Asian they will gawk at you like an animal in a zoo. (Surprise, I am secretly a horrible person that believes in stereotypes. Because they were true at one point in time)
Until my Japanese husband pointed out that I stick out because of what I was wearing. Luckily for me I have found some places to get relatively cheap outfits. Similar to what I would pay to get a few shirts at Wal-mart (I am also a horrible person for buying from a place that steals the souls of children in third world countries).
4. Learn what to do and where to go for Emergencies
I am fairly certain this should be filed under the "well, duh" but a surprising amount of people do not know what to do during an Earthquake. Coming from Canada, I don't think I ever had to worry about an Earthquake being large enough to threaten me or my family. But as everyone knows (Or at least they do now, after what happened earlier this year) Japan is pretty much Earthquake country.
And not only that but every year there is a typhoon season. It is like an annual hurricane. Or two. Or three. And there is always major damage to towns or cities after it rips through, sadly.
3. Learn your table and house manners
Before and after you eat a meal in Japan, the Japanese say two words. 1) 'Itadakimasu' meaning I will receive which is similar to saying Grace before eating. 2) 'Gochisosama deshita' meaning Thanks for the meal.
Chopsticks. There are only a few major things to look out for. Do no stab your food straight down as it means that you are offering it to your ancestors. Do not pass food via chopsticks as this is how they pass bones and such during the traditional funeral ritual (Plus I imagine it being a little difficult anyway). Do not point your chopsticks at anyone because, well, it's just plain rude.
Shoes! Of course everyone has probably heard of the custom of taking your shoes off before you enter a house. But! Japanese people take their shoes off for many things and different places. Such as before you enter a dressing room, going into a doctor or dentist office, or entering a temple. For the more house-like ones, there are usually slippers provided. But make sure that when you switch from one footwear to the other that your feet do not touch the ground.
Sometimes there are slippers for the toilet room. And whenever there is tatami, always remember to remove your shoes!
2. Japan's Smoking Ban is Behind the Times....
While it is slowly changing now, there are still many restaurants and other buildings that allow you to smoke inside. I have seen some smoking rooms inside malls that are contained, as well as some fast food joints that have their seating divided into two sides, with the smoking side sealed behind a door.
However not everyone follows the rules. I was peacefully enjoying my lunch at an Indian restaurant with friends last week and on the wall of every booth clearly stated that you could only smoke after 6pm. We were the only group of people in the restaurant until, half way through our meal, a mother and her three children arrived. And not five minutes later (Sadly, with the children screaming and running around the store like it was their personal playhouse, but more on that later) there was the burning, chemical smell that was the tell tale sign that there was smoking about. Luckily we were almost finished anyway.
I do not know about other parts of the world but usually in Canada we keep our children in check. Usually. And when we don't the store people are quick to ask us to fetch them away from whatever harm they are doing before too long.
But in Japan times are changing. Only 20 years ago I have been told that you would never see a screaming child running between your legs while you are trying to get groceries. Or play a game of tag while dodging the other customers. But now stores are a little too lenient to these incidents. When I hear a small child of about 2-4 cry for his or her mother because they are lost I will tend to ignore it. I will wonder why you left your child alone in a store and question your ability as a parent, but I will ignore it. It is when the child is 5-9 and in general having a tantrum- screaming, crying, yelling for their mother all over the store that I have the problem with. And not just one isolated incident but several. Sometimes on the same day, in the same store!
1. Don't forget to try new things (Even if you find that you don't like them)
Pretty self explanatory. While in Japan you should try their foods. they have been eating raw fish and squid for generations. Personally, I like sushi. With lots of wasabi. And soy sauce. Actually now that I think about it it might be the wasabi that I like, haha. But of course Japanese food is more than just seafood, so go out there and explore!
