Japan is a beautiful country and traveling there is an incredible experience. If you are planning a trip to this wonderful Asian country and you want to integrate minimally into its culture, you must take into account some very basic rules of behavior . Based on our own experience, we have made a selection of those rules of behavior in Japan that we consider curious or essential in order to enjoy the trip without offending anyone.
Rules of behavior in Japan
Queue
In Japan there is a queue for everything and it is very frowned upon to skip it or sneak in. Not only do you queue at the checkouts in supermarkets or stores, but also to enter the subway or train, even to cross the street. On the ground there are marks that indicate where the tail should start and this is strictly respected. Without pushing, without rushing and in a respectful way, you should always wait your turn.
No smoking
You can’t smoke on the street or, at least, not in the vast majority of them. At the exits of the subway, in stations or places with a lot of traffic there are spaces enabled for smokers . However, there are restaurants where you can smoke freely if the owner has decided to do so. There are also premises with spaces enabled for it.
Eating on the street is frowned upon
This is one of the most surprising rules. The cities and towns of Japan are full of street stalls that serve take-out food , however, it is very frowned upon to eat it walking down the street . These stalls usually have a tiny area to eat. If they do not have any area enabled for it, the normal thing is to stand in a corner so as not to disturb the people who are walking and eat it standing right there.
Mocating forbidden
The Japanese are quite scrupulous and do not see well that a cold or sick person exposes their viruses and can infect others. When a Japanese catches a cold, he uses a mask to avoid contagion. For this reason, they do not look favorably on a person getting wet in public spaces . In fact, not all stores sell packages of handkerchiefs, but they do sell boxes to leave them at home.
If you have a cold, we recommend that before leaving the house or hotel, you take tissues and wet yourself discreetly in a corner or in the bathroom.
Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of people wearing masks, not all of them are sick. For a few years now, they have been using it regularly to avoid inhaling polluting gases, avoid allergies or catch any virus in general.
There are no bins or containers
Something that may surprise any Westerner is the absence of bins or containers . Only in stations, next to vending machines and at the exit of some stores there are small bins.
We recommend that you always carry a plastic bag with you to deposit the waste that you generate. You can go hours without seeing a trash can. In addition, there they recycle a lot , so perhaps the one you find does not work for you because it is not for that material. The ones next to vending machines, for example, are usually just for plastic bottles or cans.
In the subway, silence
The Japanese are quite discreet and quiet. In public places it is very frowned upon to speak with a very high tone of voice or even to speak on the phone. In the subway or train, everyone is silent or conversations are in a rather low tone of voice so as not to disturb other passengers.
Before eating, a wet washcloth
In all restaurants they give wet wipes. This small gift is to clean your hands before eating. It is not used during or after a meal, only before.
Good table manners
Eating correctly in Japan and not offending anyone can become an art. First of all, the drink is served to others before oneself . Second, you always eat with chopsticks .
It is well seen:
- Make noise when eating noodles.
- Eat sushi with your hands.
- Take the bowl with your hand and bring it to your mouth.
It is frowned upon with chopsticks:
- Stir the soup or other foods.
- Suck the tip.
- Carrying them from one plate to another wondering what to take.
- Stick them in food.
- Target another diner with them.
- Bite them.
- Return something that had already been taken to the plate.
- Passing food to another person.
- Rummaging through the plate.
- Use them to bring a bowl or other object closer to the table.
- Let the sauce drip off them.
- Use them like a spoon.
- Take the bowl and the chopsticks with the same hand.
Surely now you feel a little lost and think that you will do something wrong. Surely yes. Surely you make a mistake and do something that they do not see well or something they are not used to. But do not worry. Tourism in Japan is booming and they are increasingly aware that a foreigner does not have to know all the rules of the country.
