Cultural Behaviour in Japan 2

As someone’s habit might be a mirror of cultural behaviour in daily lives, a tiny little thing upholds a different value for someone else’s. In Japan, how’s our considered “normal” behaviour being seen?

1. Promise

A promise is never meant to be made if you do not have a serious intention to keep it. No matter how close you are to someone, especially Japanese do not casually make a promise about something out of the blue. Promises are considered sacred and breaking one will cost you very high which in this case, trust.

2. Punctuality

Punctuality is a must. Late is not an option. Most Asian people are known to tolerate some common problems such as a little bit of unpunctuality caused by human or non-human factors. But this is not the case in Japan. Being late means you are out. This counts in every aspect whether in school, interview, work, meeting, and of course with friends.

In Japan, they have a fixed schedule for almost everything, and for example, we are going to have a look at their trains and buses.

Image source: Wordpress

In the case of busses, traffic is the main factor as busy hours may cause unexpected traffic and therefore the usual margin of error is between 1 - 7 minutes.

The difference between bus and train is that even though trains cost much more expensive than buses fares, the margin of error is almost none except if there is an accident or a natural disaster.

Even if there’s a late occurrence, the train station related will provide you with a letter of apology explaining what happened, what time and how long the train services are late provided with stamps.

And in some unexpected cases, either the train or buses depart or arrive faster than scheduled also cause some problems. There was even an occurrence where they got scolded for being a bit fast and of course, responded with an apology statement from the related public transport company. This shows how punctuality is a serious problem in Japan.

3. Ladies First

Ladies first is a Western courtesy where a gentlemen’s code is appreciating and respects the ladies and provides them with extra caring behaviour. When a man walked through a pushing door and there’s a lady behind him, he would push the door and not let the door handle go until the lady behind him pass first. Or sometimes let the lady go first after opening the door. While this is a very pleasant behaviour in most cases, you will get a confused stare instead or when you do this in Japan.

4. Otaku

Being a foreigner who likes idols, anime, and manga we often call ourselves Otaku. But how do Japanese people perceive Otaku? There’s nothing bad being Otaku but that’s unlikely the case in Japan. Otaku is perceived negatively in Japan whereas it would more likely that the person is “Anti-social” although that might not be true at all.

5. Nod on a conversation

During conversations in Japan, it is important to keep on track with your counterpart. Why? It’s because when you show them enthusiasm, it will show them that the conversation interests you. They will feel awkward when there is no response when they are talking. It would mean that the topic is boring or you are not paying attention to them although it is unlikely the case. A small gesture or nod for a reply is good.

6. Eye Contact

Don’t stare directly into their eyes. Although it is common in most countries to make eye contact when conversating, do avoid direct eye contact when talking with Japanese people unless there is a special occasion like when you are talking about a very serious talk. Japanese people tend to be very shy, even if you feel like they are looking at you, most likely it is a courtesy while they are staring around the nose area or between the eye.

7. Trash Bin

Although Japan is widely known for its cleanliness, you probably won’t be able to find any trash bin along the road. While they do usually provide trash bins near “Jidouhanbaiki” or Vending Machine, it is especially for dumping Pet Bottles or empty cans after you drink for recycle. Often tourists do not know this fact and dumping every trash they have into this which are causing a problem and serves as a bad example as a tourist.

While in Japan there are a lot of Konbini or Convenience stores in every corner with a proper Trash can, it is only meant for their customer and their product waste after use. It is recommended that you bring your plastic bag for keeping your trash and throw them out at the place you are staying. Although you might also need to “Bunbetsu” or separate between burnable and recycle based on the product category.

8. Taking pictures in public

When you go to Japan for a trip or other purposes, you might feel the urge to take pictures and treasure the moments. And the perfect tools for that are most likely cameras, a digital camera or phone camera.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the moment of your trip and using these but there are several things that might be useful for you to take note of.

1. 1. People

Make sure your picture does not take strangers or including their faces vividly. Privacy is a thing in Japan and it’s not okay to even publicize it.

Even though Japan’s famous Cosplay culture is internationally known, acknowledged, and being practised by people around the world, things might work differently. How’s so? When you see someone’s cosplay and are fascinated, you might feel the urge to take their picture or might do a selfie with them. When you are about to do so in Japan, DO make sure you got their permission first when you are about to take the photos. Taking photos without permission is not allowed.

2. Places

In public transportation such as buses and trains, there have been several cases of indecency where people are taking photos of the underskirt. This is one of the reasons why you better refrain from taking pictures while using public transportation.

In case you are wondering why Japan’s phone camera shutter couldn’t be turned off is to prevent this kind of act from happening and protect people's privacy.

Another note is that, due to the increasing case of children kidnapping and pedophilia, you better refrain from using your phone or digital camera, let alone taking pictures near kindergarten or elementary school areas. You will be labelled as a suspicious person and might get into trouble with the nearby officer on duty while you do not mean particularly any harm.

In general, doing what we think is right or common might be the wisest thing to do. But never do we know that the common in our senses might differ so slightly or even have the opposite meaning to others. Hope this note proves helpful to you. If there is anything you would like to share, please write your thought below in the comment section. Thank you!