JAPAN - MANNERS AND ETIQUETTE FOR THE TRAVELER
For those traveling to Japan for a holiday or for business reasons we have some travel advice regarding etiquette and manners.
Every culture has its own rules regarding social manners and etiquette. To save embarrassment and possibly offending your host especially if you are in Japan to do some business, it is worth knowing some of the “rules”. In this article Travel Advice offers a few, basic suggestions to ease your visit to Japan.
In the case of Japan, some of these rules are quite straightforward; others are a little more complicated. Fortunately the Japanese are a very polite race and will not point out your errors. Making an effort to adhere to local customs will impress your hosts and save embarrassment.
Greeting
Bowing is probably the best known feature of Japanese etiquette. Japanese people bow instead of shaking hands as they find physical contact uncomfortable. For a foreigner they often combine a bow with a handshake. In this instance it is advisable to turn slightly to one side to avoid bumping heads! The etiquette of bowing, including the length and depth of bow is complex. The best advice is a bow of 15 degrees, avoiding direct eye contact and although you may feel strange, you will be considered polite.
Visiting
It is quite common to be invited to a Japanese home by someone you barely know. This is often done out of politeness and you should not turn up without prior confirmation. That said, you should always take a gift, usually an inexpensive food item such as a cake, rice crackers or packaged fruit.
On arrival you are expected to remove your shoes and replace them with slippers provided by the host. You will be well-advised to wear “slip-on” shoes for such visits. Entering a room with a Tatami Floor (matting) the slippers are always removed. Visiting the wash room, you will find special slippers outside the door, used only in the washroom. On leaving, your host will expect to accompany you all the way to your transport. Remember, there is no “Ladies First” in Japan.
Restaurants
Most restaurants provide hot or cold towels, depending on the season, to clean your hands before eating. The towel should not be used for the face and neck. Normally, napkins are not provided and most people carry handkerchiefs to place across their laps. Japanese table settings include toothpicks as it is not considered impolite to pick one’s teeth (discreetly) after a meal. Bowls containing soup or rice are normally lifted to the mouth and the rice “shoveled” in with chopsticks. It is acceptable to make slurping noises when eating broth but not when eating rice, meat and vegetables. It is polite not to waste any food and Japanese eat every grain of rice in the rice bowls. One should always pour tea or saki into the cups of others and allow them to do the same for you. Finally, unlike certain other countries, burping is considered impolite.
Chopsticks
The correct use of chopsticks deserves a separate mention. In restaurants, a rest is provided for resting the chopsticks when not in use. When serving from a common platter, the chopsticks should be turned around and food served from the end that has not been in the mouth. It is impolite to pass food between people using chopsticks, or stick them in food. They should not be used to spear food or be waved around in the air
In restaurants where disposable wooden chopsticks are provided and they have a splintered edge, a new set should be requested rather than rubbing the two edges together.
General
Try to avoid blowing your nose in public. Japanese people do not carry handkerchiefs and it is common to see packs of tissues being given out in the street for discreet use indoors. Eating on the street is also considered impolite. Also toilets frequently do not provide paper so it is best to always carry a pack of tissues as they come in handy for several uses.
Travel Advice offers these suggestions in the hope that they will prepare you for your trip to Japan. The Japanese are most tolerant of foreigners but with a few of the above rules in mind you will impress them with your courtesy and polite behaviour
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