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| Image Source: mtwjapan.com |
It has been
over 3 years since I travelled to Japan with my sister, and despite my initial
anxiety (it was my very first holiday abroad) it remains one of the best
experiences I have ever had. I recommend Japan to anyone who wants to
experience a very unique world and culture, even if you have never previously considered
going there.
Given that I
had an interest in Japanese culture, film and television for quite some time
before booking a holiday there, I felt pretty confident that I knew almost all
there was to know. However, when I actually spent time in the country, I
started to learn even more!
Here are
some extra tips from an inexperienced gaijin (foreigner) to try and help ensure
your time in Japan goes as smoothly as possible!
LEARN SOME JAPANESE
It goes
without saying that learning a little bit of the language will help you if you
are visiting another country. No one will expect you to be fluent, of course,
but learning a few basic words will stand you in good stead and even impress
some of the natives.
A few
essentials I would recommend are:
Ohayo gozaimasu/konnichiwa/konbanwa –
Good Morning/Good day/Good evening – "Ohayo gozimasu" is usually said before 10am, "konnichiwa" for
the rest of the day, and "konbanwa" in the evening and at night. You might also
want to say “oyasumi nasai” to
someone before going to bed (which means “Good night”).
Sumimasen: Excuse me – This word can be used in various
situations, e.g. if you want attention, if you want to get past, if you
accidently bump into someone and more. Basically, if you cause even the slightest inconvenience to anyone in ANY
way possible, be sure to say “sumimasen!”
Gomen nasai: I apologise – self-explanatory really. You can
also say “honto ni gomen nasai”
which means “I’m very sorry” and accompany it with a bow if the situation calls
for it. You will hopefully hear the response: “Daijoubu” or “ii desu ne”
(meaning “it’s okay”).
Onegashimasu/Kudasai yo: Please do – Remember to say please whenever you
can!
Arigatou gozaimasu: Thank you – You can also say “honto ni arigatou
gozaimasu” which means “thank you very much”. Again, it’s good if you can give
a little bow when you say this. If someone has worked hard for you and given
you a great service, you can say “Otsukaresama
deshita” which is a way of saying “Thank you for your hard work”. When in
Japan, I would try to say this to the coach drivers (who had been driving us
around all day) and give a 90 degree bow. They seemed really pleasantly
surprised by my appreciation and happily bowed back.
BE SURE TO BOW
Bowing is a
very strange thing for foreigners, but in Japan, it is an essential custom. The deeper and longer the duration of your bow,
the more respectful you are being. You will probably be surprised at how
quickly bowing becomes second nature for you – It only took me a couple of days
to find it more natural.
Most quick
interactions only require a slow tip of the head, but for other situations, a
bend of the torso to a full 90 degrees at the waist is good. Keep your
arms by your sides or your hands clasped at your front. Most importantly you
should take your eyes away from the
person you are bowing to. The whole idea of the bow originates from warriors
showing trust to one another, so taking your eyes off of the person illustrates
your trust and respect.
This was
something I found a little difficult to remember, probably because in the West,
eye contact often connotes respect. Don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t
come naturally to you.
Something I
also learned was that people will even nod to you when getting out of the lift.
You may not have even spoken to each other during your short time in said lift,
but be aware of others went they leave, just so you can return their respectful
nod.
SILENCE ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT
In many
Western cultures, talking on public transport is completely normal; you might
even find yourself wishing a fellow passenger would end their very loud phone
call. In Japan however, this is very frowned upon.
If you are
on public transport in Japan and your phone rings, press the hang up button and
send the caller a text to say that you will ring them back when you arrive at
your destination. If you must talk to a fellow passenger, keep your
conversation to a quiet whisper. Otherwise, save it for later or engage in a subtle
game of charades.
You won’t be
kicked off if you do talk, but you
might get a few stares.
PEOPLE MIGHT STARE
As a
foreigner in Japan, you might find that natives will look at you. The vast
majority of the time, this will just be because there are not a large amount of
foreigners in Japan and usually does not have any malice behind it. If you catch
someone staring at you, try not to get annoyed and just give them a big smile.
They might not have realised they were staring at you in the first place!
We got a few
lingering stares when we visited a restaurant that wasn’t often frequented by
tourists. It was strange for me as I had never been “the foreigner” before, but
it was fine.
Also, if you
have a lot of tattoos on show, be prepared for people to take photos of you and
even pose with you. Again, it’s just because it’s fairly unusual there and
people are curious.
PACK SOME EXTRAS
It’s a good
idea to pack some hand sanitizer, tissues and a flannel in your bag for when you are out and about. This is because
you might come across some old-fashioned toilets – these could be standing
toilets that may not have toilet tissue or hand soap. It is said that you do
not need to wipe yourself after using these toilets, so that is probably the
reason for the lack of toilet tissue and soap (some may even only have sinks that
give out cold water). But if you are not used to standing toilets, you might
find these little extra items essential!
These
old-fashioned toilets will often only be in the more rural areas, with the
well-known, super hi-tech Japanese toilets (with full handwashing facilities)
appearing everywhere else.
PUT THE MONEY IN THE TRAY
When you're at the
till of a shop and are going to pay for your goods, rather than pass the money
directly to the cashier, place it in the small tray that you will likely find
on the counter. The cashier will then collect the money from the tray and place
your change there. This is probably to avoid any awkward hand touching when
exchanging currency. I forgot to do this sometimes, and cashiers would either just
take the cash from my hand anyway or gesture for me to put it in the tray.
GIVE AND RECEIVE WITH BOTH HANDS
Whenever you
are passing or receiving anything to or from another person, hold and take it
with both of your hands (as opposed to just the one). I also forgot to do this
a few times, and I don’t think it was a big deal, but using both hands is
generally considered more polite. Perhaps this is because it shows that you
giving your full attention and effort to the exchange.
DON’T POINT THE FINGER
If you want
to gesture to a certain place, try to avoid pointing your index finger.
Instead, gesture with your open palm instead. It’s less aggressive to gesture
this way and is considered to be more polite.
BE HUMBLE
Humility is
a highly-prized trait in Japanese culture. Always be humble. For example, whenever
I was spoken to in Japanese and failed to understand, I would say “Sumimasen,
watashi no nihongo wa honto ni dame desu!” which means “Excuse me, my Japanese
is very bad!”. The person I was speaking to would often then deny my claim and
we would both laugh. This really helped us get through that awkward situation,
and shows how my acknowledgement of weakness in the Japanese language (hopefully)
helped me come across as a bit more friendly and approachable.
Etiquette is
extremely important in Japan and you
might feel overwhelmed by it all. However, try not to worry too much and aim to focus on
being as polite as you can be. Generally speaking, Japanese people are very
understanding, and will often cut you some slack because they know you are not
used to these things.
| If you want to learn more about Japan
and its culture, GaijinPot is a
great source of information. Any more questions, please feel free to ask me! |
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