Japan Culture Differences.

Cultural Tips for Japan

Remember the comment from Bridget Jones' mum about the Japanese being cruel? Forget it. There are cultural differences, but people who visit Japan on a gap year are often overwhelmed by how friendly and willing to help the locals are.

Your welcome will be even warmer if you follow some of our cultural tips for Japan while on a gap year…

Number 1 of our cultural tips for Japan - say goodbye to your shoes
Not forever, but at the entrance to homes and many public buildings. Slippers will usually be provided for you to change into, although you may be asked to remove those at a certain point inside. Don't panic - just remember that this is simply one of the cultural differences in Japan, and observe what others are doing. The shoe-for-slipper exchange often happens at the toilets, too.

Number 2 of our cultural tips for Japan - don't be unfashionably late
If you're not good at being on time, put your watch forward. Being late won't go down well. And if you're going for a train, these cultural tips for Japan could be the difference between you missing it and catching it!

Ps If you're coming to Japan from Africa or Latin America, this cultural tip might take some adjusting to!

Number 3 of our cultural tips for Japan - mind your chopsticks
Bad news! It's not enough to learn to eat with chopsticks, you also have to know how to handle them. Ideally anyway - don't get too hung up on these chopstick-related cultural tips for China. If you can remember: standing your chopsticks up in your rice is something that's only done at a funeral, and crossing them and pointing with them are no-nos. Our cultural tip is to lay them down, pointing to your left.

Number 4 of our cultural tips for Japan - open wide!
Eating sushi is a must in Japan but try to eat the mouthfuls as they were intended to be eaten - whole. Cultural differences mean that cutting them up is a sign of disrespect. Obviously, if you're in danger of
choking, you can ignore this one!



Number 5 of our cultural tips for Japan - empties need filling!
Think back to the HSBC ads from a while ago - where an unsuspecting foreigner is served an eel, and, having a managed to force that down, is brought an even larger one. This sums up the cultural differences in Japan pretty well. An empty glass is a sign that it needs to be filled again so leave it full once you are. And on the subject of filling glasses, it's not polite to fill your own glass - someone else will do it for you. Taking these cultural tips for Japan will help save your waistline!