Japan Travel Guide and Tips: Things You Shouldn’t Do
This travel guidance from wow-j.com about Japan Travel Guide and Tips: Things You Shouldn’t Do .
1. Awasebashi (passing food from one pair of chopsticks to the other)
Awasebashi is the act of passing food from one
pair of chopsticks to the other, such as in the photo when someone is
offering you a bite. It's also called "hashiwatashi," and it's a breach
of manners that will break the fun atmosphere of your meal. Why is this
bad? In Japanese funerals, after the body is cremated, the family
members pick the bones from the ashes and pass it to each other using
chopsticks. Since awasebashi is reminiscent of that, it is an act that
will bring bad luck. So what do you do in the case of the photo below?
You ask them to place it on the communal plate so you can pick it up
yourself or you pass them a small dish. Under no circumstances do you
take food directly from chopstick to chopstick.
2. Tatebashi (standing chopsticks)
Tatebashi is what it's called when chopsticks are
placed in a bowl of rice standing up. In Japanese Buddhist funerals,
rice is offered to the deceased with the chopsticks standing straight in
the bowl. Since it has this funeral connection, it's also a breach of
manners to do it in daily life. When you're eating and you want to put
your chopsticks down, please use a chopstick rest. If there isn't one,
place the end of your chopsticks on a small dish as shown in the photo.
If you're using disposable chopsticks, you can also use the paper
envelope it comes in as a chopstick rest.
3. When you wear kimono or yukata, the left side goes on top
Since Western shirts have the buttons on the
opposite sides depending on the gender, many Japanese people think that
kimono or yukata (summer kimono) are meant to be worn with the opposite
side on top depending on gender as well. Actually, both men and women
are meant to have the left side on the top. If you have the right side
on top, you're dressed the way deceased people are dressed for funerals.
An easy way to remember it is to wear it so that your right hand can
easily touch your chest under the top layer. In this photo of a woman
you can see that her right hand should be able to easily slide into her
kimono. That's how you know the left side is on top. Please remember
that when you wear a kimono or yukata, your right hand should be able to
slide into your clothing easily so you know you're wearing it
correctly.
4. Don't bring outside food into restaurants/drinking establishments
Since restaurants are establishments made to offer
food and drink, you're meant to eat what they have on hand. Depending
on the store, there are places that will let you bring in outside food
for a fee but this is not a regular rule. Also, for restaurants, if a
customer gets food poisoning then it won't be clear where the customer
got it from and the store might have to close temporarily, making it a
very big problem. Please only eat food offered at that restaurant. For
example, don't bring rice balls to a French restaurant. However, if
you're going to a food court, you're relatively free to eat what you
want. If there's something you want to bring to eat, please go to a
place like a food court. Please consider ordering something from a place
in the food court as well.
*Photo is for illustrative purposes.
5. Stand on one side of the escalator
Technically you're not supposed to walk up the
escalator, but in Japan it's considered polite to leave one side open
for people in a hurry to walk up. When you ride the escalator, please
leave the right side available for people. While the rule to leave one
side open for people in a hurry is nationwide, standing on the left is
the Kanto rule. In Kansai, you stand on the right. This is only a rumor,
but it's said that the reason people in Kansai stand on the right is
that when the World Expo came to Osaka in 1970, they moved to the right
to match Western etiquette. So why do people stand on the left in Kanto?
It's said to match Japanese traffic laws, where cars drive on the left
so people pass on the right. This might be different from your country.
On
escalators vators that aren't wide enough to pass by, please be careful
to utilize the escalator when you're in a rush to you avoid accidents.
When you walk on them, please make sure to use the handrail.
6. Don't speak loudly or use the phone in trains and elevators
It's fun to move around while talking with your
friends. But if you get too excited and speak really loudly, it's
considered a breach of etiquette in Japan. It is even worse in a small
space like an elevator or a train. Speaking in such a loud voice that
the people around you can hear you clearly will make others
uncomfortable. Also, on trains, there is an announcement asking to put
your cell phones on manner mode, to refrain from speaking on the phone,
and to turn your phone off entirely when you're by the priority seats.
Most Japanese people will hang up their phone quickly or respond by text
if their phone rings. Even during the morning rush hours when trains
are packed, it's surprisingly quiet. The basis of this rule is to not
intrude in on other people's space and cause trouble, something that is
very important to Japanese people. While it isn't necessary to ride a
super-packed train, please be careful of your volume when you're in
public areas.
7. Trash separation
It's necessary to separate your trash when you're
throwing it out. The biggest categories are burnables (raw trash, paper,
etc.), non-burnables (pots, glass, etc.), and recyclables (glass
bottles, cans, plastic bottles, newspapers, cardboards, etc.). Also,
depending on the organization dealing with the trash, it might separate
food trays that comes with pre-prepared foods bought at the supermarket
separately from burnables, or non-burnables might be separated into even
more specific categories. Please be aware of what it's like in the area
you're staying in. Something that you'll see often is trash cans by
vending machines that separate plastic bottles and cans. At convenience
stores, there are garbage cans with illustrations representing which
trash they're for so please try to use them without making a mistake.
Being able to fully enjoy your trip sightseeing in Japan while
participating in keeping the country clean is truly a great thing.
Please separate your trash.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Please remember and abide by these Japanese manners during your stay.
*Please note that the information in this
article is from the time of writing or publication and may differ from
the latest information.
Writer:
KAMIOKA