8/18/2019 11 Japanese Customs That Are Shocking to Foreign Travelers

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11 Japanese customs that are shocking to foreign travelersJapan has a unique culture that has a very strict code of etiquette.There are specific ways to eat noodles, good practices for accepting gifts, and certain rules tofollow so that you avoid insulting a host.This complex web of social rules and traditions can be overwhelming for those traveling toJapan, so we’ve compiled a list of some of the things that foreigners find most shocking whenvisiting the country.Here are customs you should know before traveling to Japan.1. The number four is avoided at all cost.

!n Japan, the number four is avoided because it sounds very similar to the word for death. !n thesame vein as the number " in #estern culture, the number four is extremely unlucky and is usedas little as possible. $ou must always avoid giving anyone something in fours since it can be seenas a very ominous gift.%levators will often be missing a fourth floor & and in some extreme cases, they will not havethe floors '()'*. The number '* is especially unlucky, as it sounds similar to the phrase whichmeans + pain until death .The practice of avoiding the number four is called + Tetraphobia , and is common in many %ast-sian and outheast -sian regions.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/01/why-the-number-four-is-considered-unlucky-in-some-east-asian-cultures/http://www.allaboutcounseling.com/library/tetraphobia/http://www.allaboutcounseling.com/library/tetraphobia/http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/01/why-the-number-four-is-considered-unlucky-in-some-east-asian-cultures/

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2. Blowing your nose in public is considered rude./lowing your nose in public is not only seen as rude, but simply disgusting. !nstead, people willgenerally sniffle until they find somewhere private. !f you simply must blow your nose, it isrecommended that you do so as discreetly as possible.The Japanese are also repelled by the idea of a handkerchief.

3. Tipping can be seen as insulting.Tipping is considered rude & and can even be seen as an degrading. Tipping will often causeconfusion, and many people will chase after you to give you back your money.!f someone has been particularly helpful and you feel absolutely compelled to leave a tip, 0ough1uides suggests leaving a small present instead.

4. alking and eating is seen as sloppy.

-lthough walking and eating is often convenient and widely accepted in many #estern cultures,the practice is looked down upon in Japan. 2any also consider it rude to eat in public or on thetrains.There are 3ust a few exceptions to this rule, including the fact that it is okay to eat an ice)creamcone on the street.

http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/japan/culture-etiquette/http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/japan/culture-etiquette/http://www.wa-pedia.com/culture/japanese_manners_etiquette.shtmlhttp://www.wa-pedia.com/culture/japanese_manners_etiquette.shtmlhttp://www.wa-pedia.com/culture/japanese_manners_etiquette.shtmlhttp://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/japan/culture-etiquette/http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/japan/culture-etiquette/http://www.wa-pedia.com/culture/japanese_manners_etiquette.shtmlhttp://www.wa-pedia.com/culture/japanese_manners_etiquette.shtml

8/18/2019 11 Japanese Customs That Are Shocking to Foreign Travelers

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!. There are designated people who will push you into a crowded subway car.

4shiya, or +pushers, wear uniforms, white gloves, and hats and literally push people intocrowded subway cars during rush hour.They are paid to make sure everybody gets in and doesn’t get caught in the doors.5. 6eople will sleep on the trains with their head on your shoulder.!f someone falls asleep with their head on you shoulder in Japan, it is common practice to 3usttolerate it. 6eople have very long commutes and work dreadfully long hours, so many will oftenfall asleep on the train.+There is a tolerance that if the person next to you falls asleep and their head kind of lands onyour shoulder, people 3ust put up with it. That happens a lot, andra /arron told 788.

". There are toilet slippers for the bathrooms.

!t is customary to change into slippers when entering a Japanese home, a traditional restaurant,temples, and sometimes museums and art galleries, according to 0ough 1uides . /asicallyanytime you come across of row of slippers in Japan, you should 3ust put them on.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/world/asia/tokyo-travel-subway/http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/japan/culture-etiquette/http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/world/asia/tokyo-travel-subway/http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/japan/culture-etiquette/

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There are even special toilet slippers kept inside the bathroom, so you’ll take off your houseslippers and put on the toilet slippers.

#. $ou must always bring a host a gift.!t is an honor to be invited to someone’s home in Japan , and if this happens you must always

bring a gift. The gift should also be wrapped in the most elaborate way possible, and lots offancy ribbons are suggested.$ou should also never refuse a gift once offered & but it is good practice to strongly protest thegift at first.

%. &ouring you own glass is considered rude.!t is customary in the 9 :and many other countries in the world; to serve others before youserve yourself, but in Japan you are never supposed to pour yourself a drink. !f you have pouredfor others, another guest will hopefully see that your drink is empty, and pour for you.$ou must also always wait for someone to say +

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11. (leeping in capsule hotels that aren+t much bigger than a coffinis very common.

7apsule hotels are used as cheap accommodations for guest who purely want a place to sleep &and are most often used by businessmen working or those who have partied too late and havemissed the last train home.

The sleeping quarters are small capsules that are not much bigger than a coffin, and the beds arestacked side)by)side and on top of one another. The concept has been around in Japan since the*=(s, but has begun to spread to a few other countries around the world .

The hotels are a cheap alternative to a hotel, since a bed costs only >5? a night , but should beavoided for anyone who suffers from even slight claustrophobia.

http://www.businessinsider.com/capsule-hotels-2013-4http://www.businessinsider.com/capsule-hotels-2013-4http://www.gizmag.com/how-to-use-a-japanese-capsule-hotel/19811/http://www.gizmag.com/how-to-use-a-japanese-capsule-hotel/19811/http://www.businessinsider.com/capsule-hotels-2013-4http://www.gizmag.com/how-to-use-a-japanese-capsule-hotel/19811/