Let's talk about why Japanese think
foreigners living in Japan are rude.
[intro music]
So I wanted to cover what Japanese
consider rude that's not usually
in your average blog or video.
Probably fair to say that visiting Japan as a tourist
and living and working in Japan is a
completely different experience.
It is no longer just about visiting the coolest sites
or eating the coolest food.
Foreign residents become a part
of the daily grind with all of the
other Japanese living here.
What a lot of foreigners don't realize
is that there are a lot of unwritten rules
here in Japan to help maintain the society
until maybe it's too late.
So I'm gonna share with you some of the more
interesting unwritten rules that I personally came across to help
anyone planning on living in Japan
to avoid being considered as that rude foreigner.
As always, these are general rules. Nothing is absolute in this world.
Everyone is different and some Japanese will be
more sensitive to these rules than others.
Also, I am interested to know how these rules compare
to your country. Anything stick out - let me know in the comments.
If you want me to do more of these type of videos
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Let's get into it and move on to the next spot.
Number 1: Working in Japan.
So many foreigners coming and living in Japan are here for work.
So let's start with that.
This first issue is one of those things that bother a lot of Japanese.
You may already know that Japanese employees operate as a team
especially in an office environment where everyone is required to do their part.
If you're working long enough with the company, you're
gonna want to take some time off. Eventually during holidays & long weekends
to maximize your time.
This result in some foreigners to be inconsiderate to their co-workers.
and take the time off as they please.
They come in with the mindset that no matter what, they're taking the time off.
No matter what (End of August, I'm taking one week off. I deserve it)
BUT therein lies a problem. In Japanese culture,
it's important to consult with your co-workers beforehand and discuss
ongoing and future projects ensuring your projects are covered before
taking the time off.
Essentially, prioritizing your co-workers and company first.
The downside is that since a lot of companies run pretty lean
It becomes difficult to take the time off as it becomes a huge burden
for your co-workers.
And, a large reason why many employees don't take the time off at all.
Number 2: Coming Back From Vacation.
Now, if you were able to get that time off without alienating yourself
from your team, it's time to return the favor. This comes in the form of omiyage,
a gift usually from a place you visited.
Maybe a box of sweets/snacks to share with the team,
since they had to cover for you while you were gone
This is a gesture to say 'Thank you for handling my workload when I was gone
and here's a treat so you can experience a piece of my holiday.
Forgetting this as well as taking holiday as you please
would be a double punch to your co-workers.
Number 3: Greeting Your Neighbours.
What many people don't know when moving into a new place
is that you should greet and give a gift to your neighbours to introduce yourself.
BUT it's probably fair to say that
this is one of those older customs that even some younger
Japanese families aren't following themselves.
This is more common in less densely populated areas
especially homes where you often see neighbors
and less common in densely populated areas like Tokyo
and large apartment buildings.
The idea behind it is for neighbors to get to know who you are
and the gift itself doesn't need to be major.
Usually a snack or towel worth about 5 to 10$.
Number 4: Visiting Someone's Home.
At some point you'll probably be invited to someone's home
and you probably already know that when entering a Japanese home
you're suppose to take off your shoes but what many
don't know is that there is a proper way to do it and
when Japanese don't do it themselves
it kinda shows that they weren't raised correctly.
Just after you take off your shoes, you
don't just leave it as it is and walk in. You are supposed to take off the shoes,
line it up and re-face it towards the door like this.
Doesn't it look just so much cleaner this way?
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Number 5: Shopping for Food.
If you ever make your way to a supermarket,
you might want to know this one.
In Japan, it's considered bad manners to feel up the food and put it back,
especially in the Meat Section and Produce Section.
One, no one wants a bruised peaches or kiwis.
Plus, it makes the fruit unsellable and there's something about someone else
pressing up on your meat.
The idea is all that food is going into someone's mouth and by touching it
it's like putting your fingers inside of their mouth.
A lot of these unwritten rules were something taught to you as a kid.
So it's even rude to tell someone that you're being rude to their face,
so you probably won't even have any of your Japanese friends tell it to your
face but they may talk behind your back.
Number 6: Eating Manners.
Now there's so many eating manners and chopstick etiquettes rules
here in Japan that I can't cover it all in this video. But in fact, I already
created a video on that. If you're interested, check out my video called
'How To Eat Japan'
BUT one thing that I didn't mention and that Japanese think is really gross
and that some foreigners don't realize is licking your chopsticks
is really really just kind of disgusting.
I don't think anyone goes out their way
to lick their chopsticks.
[people that aren't good with their chopsticks]
and they get food over it.
They think naturally the best way to get food off of it is to lick it off.
If you've gotten here - you're kinda at a point of no
return as there's no proper solution (mana wise) to remove the food off your
chopsticks as Japanese wouldn't have allowed food to remain on their chopsticks
after the first bite. As a last resort (better than licking your chopsticks),
covertly wash off your chopsticks with your soup.
Anyway, that's a no-no in Japan so best to probably avoid doing that.
Number 7:Owning a Dog
Now, this one really surprised me when I found out, especially coming from the US.
If you ever decide to own a dog in Japan, you're gonna have to take it out for walks
It's probably already common sense that you
need to clean up after your dog's poop
BUT in Japan, you're also supposed to clean up their pee
by washing it down with water afterward.
Is there any other country that do this?
Number 8: Wedding Gifts
So, if you've made some close friends in Japan you'll probably get invited
to a few Japanese weddings.
If so, you'll quickly find out that its customary in Japan to give the bride
and groom money instead of an actual gift, usually starting at about 300$
The thing foreigners should be careful with is to give the money in
odd increments so 300$, 500$, 700$ and so on
but most importantly the money needs to be
brand new crisp bills picked up from the bank. It's actually rude to give used,
folded or wrinkled bills as a wedding is a symbol of a new beginning.
I guess in this case: money isn't all the same.
Number 9: Receiving Gifts.
Now if you ever receive a gift for something like a childbirth, a wedding
or a special celebration, you're obligated to give 30 to 50% back of the
gift's worth. In fact, this custom is so ingrained in Japan's culture that they
even have returned gif booklets and now websites
where the original gift giver can select a gift to get back
To say the least, if you get a gift don't forget
to give one back. Personally, I always thought it's quite funny that in
order to follow this custom you have to do research on how much the gift costs.
Finally, if you live in Japan long enough it's quite unfortunate
but you may be invited to a funeral. So this one
caught me really off guard. Yes, wearing black attire is a must and
the overall attire may be more strict than other countries, but what struck
me is that if you wear sunglasses at a Japanese funeral, it is
extremely rude.
See, in the US it's quite common to wear sunglasses to cover your eyes
but in Japan, it's a definite no-no.
So there you go, that's my list. What did you think?
Anything that was extreme? Anything that was fair?
Let me know all in the comments. Again, I can't stress enough that
these are general rules: not every single person in Japan
follow these rules but nonetheless it should serve as a guide to avoid being
considered that rude foreigner if you're planning on living in Japan.
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