Japanese manners and etiquettes

Etiquette and Manners

- Critical to functioning in society

- Standards of conduct which are heavily

based on cultural tradition and heritage

- Both concepts involve rules of behavior but

involve different types of skills

Etiquette

- specific rules of conduct or code of behavior- can be learned by taking specific lessons

Manners

-general behavioral guidelines-often become second nature

The Indispensable Basics

1. When entering a Japanese house

or a ryokan, outdoor shoes are

always replaced by slippers at the

doorway (genkan).

2. When you are invited into a Japanese family, bring a

small present or "omiyage".

3. Say "o-jama shimasu" (sorry for disturbing) while

entering someone's house.

4. Some shops, cafes or department stores provide plastic

covers for umbrellas. Make sure not to enter with a

dripping wet umbrella without one.

The Indispensable Basics

5. Refrain from blowing your nose in front of other people. Japanese only use paper tissue for this.

6. You should not eat while standing or walking in the

street. Even inside a house, you should sit down to eat.

7. Do not point your finger, feet or chopsticks at people.

If you have to indicate an object or direction to

someone, wave your fingers with the palm downwards.

8. Avoid expressing your opinion too directly. Japanese

have what they call "honne" (real opinion) and

"tatemae" (public opinion)

The Indispensable Basics

9. Avoid interrupting people when they are speaking or

thinking about an answer. Japanese do not mind short

periods of silence in the middle of a discussion.

10. Avoid fixing someone in the eyes.

11. Do not use your mobile phone in trains unless it is

clearly allowed to do so. Using emails or SMS is fine

though.

Table Manners1. Do not stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice, as

this is used in Buddhist funerary ceremony.

2. Do not pass food to someone else with your chopsticks.

3. At a "nomikai", you should (re)fill the glasses of people

around you when they are empty, and they should do the same

for you. If you want to refill you glass, start by serving other

people. If you do not want a refill, do not empty you glass.

4. Noodles can be and should be slurped. Likewise, bowls or

plates should be brought up the the mouth rather than

bending one's head toward it.

5.It is polite to say "itadakimasu" once before eating or

drinking, and "gochisousama deshita" to your host or to the

restaurant's staff after eating or when leaving the place.

Business Etiquette

1. "Meishi" (business cards) are exchanged when

meeting someone for the first time. They should be

given and accepted with both hands in formal

situations.

2. Make sure to observe it carefully and remember your

opposite's name. Place the card on the table in front of

you if you are sitting,

or put it in your wallet.

Do not put a proffered cards

into your pocket or fold it in any way.

Bathing Etiquette1. Japanese wash themselves before entering the

bath, as they have a customs of sharing the bath

water. This is true as well for public baths (sentō

銭湯 ) as for thermal spring (onsen 温泉 ) and bath

in individual homes. The reason is that other

people will use the same water after you.

Bathing Etiquette2. In public baths, do not mistake men and women's

changing rooms, as it is extremely impolite. The

men's room are usually on the left, and normally

has a blue curtain with "otoko" (男 ) or dono-sama

( 殿様 ) written on it. The women's room is usually

on the right, with a red curtain reading

"onna" (女 ).

3. Tattoos are banned

in most public baths.

Japanese Bowing

A bow ranges from a small nod of the head to a long, 90 degree bend at the waist. If the greeting takes place on tatami floor, people get on their knees in order to bow.

Japanese people bow to greet, express thanks, apologize, make a request or to ask someone a favor.