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Japanese Culture

Japanese Culture is about the Japanese ideographic wearing slippers, visiting temples and shrines, table manners, Japanese Bowing, sitting techniques, rules, Japanese name, and Superstition.

Japanese Culture The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. ...

Lesson 1: Wearing Slippers

 * When entering a ryokan make sure that your slippers are lined up on a genkan.


 * When entering a Japanese house or a ryokan, outdoor shoes are always replaced by slippers at the doorway (genkan). Slippers are provided by the host.


 * When entering a room with tatami floor, slippers are removed as well. Tatami should only be stepped on with socks or in bare feet.


 * Finally, there are special toilet slippers for exclusive usage inside the washroom. The usual house slippers are left outside the door while using the washroom.


 * Please also consult our special pages about sitting techniques and rules, table manners, toilets and bathrooms.

Lesson 2: Visiting Temples and Shrines
This page briefly describes the most important steps and manners with respect to visiting Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines in Japan.

How to Visit a Temple


 * Behave calmly and respectfully. Show your respect by making a short prayer in front of the sacred object. Do so by throwing a coin into the offering box, followed by a short prayer.


 * At some temples, visitors burn incense (osenko) in large incense burners. Purchase a bundle, light them, let them burn for a few seconds and then extinguish the flame by waving your hand rather than by blowing it out. Finally, put the incense into the incense burner and fan some smoke towards yourself as the smoke is believed to have healing power. For example, fan some smoke towards your shoulder if you have an injured shoulder.


 * When entering temple buildings, you may be required to take off your shoes. Leave your shoes on the shelves at the entrance or take them with you in plastic bags provided at some temples. Wear nice socks.


 * Photography is usually permitted on the temple grounds. It is forbidden indoors at some temples. Watch for signs.


 * Make sure that you burned an incense (osenko)to the temple incense burner.

How to Visit a Shrine


 * Behave calmly and respectfully. Traditionally, you are not supposed to visit a shrine if you are sick, have an open wound or are mourning because these are considered causes of impurity.


 * At the purification fountain near the shrine's entrance, take one of the ladles provided, fill it with fresh water and rinse both hands. Then transfer some water into your cupped hand, rinse your mouth and spit the water beside the fountain. You are not supposed to transfer the water directly from the ladle into your mouth or swallow the water. You will notice that quite a few visitors skip the mouth rinsing part or the purification ritual altogether.


 * Make sure to go the purification fountain near the shrine's entrance to purify your body and soul.


 * At the offering hall, throw a coin into the offering box, bow deeply twice, clap your hands twice, bow deeply once more and pray for a few seconds. If there is some type of gong, use it before praying in order to get the kami's attention.


 * Photography is usually permitted at shrines. Watch for signs.

Lesson 3: Japanese Table Manners
Table and Sitting

In Japan, some restaurants and private homes have low tables and cushions on the floor, rather than Western style chairs and tables. These are usually found on tatami floors. Please visit our information page about sitting techniques and rules for more information.

Itadakimasu and Gochisosama

In Japan, you say "itadakimasu" ("I gratefully receive") before eating, and "gochisosama (deshita)" ("Thank you for the meal") after finishing the meal.

Individual Versus Shared Dishes

It is not uncommon in private households and in certain restaurants (e.g. izakaya) to share several dishes of food at the table rather than serving each person an individual dish. When eating from shared dishes, move some food from the shared plates onto your own with the opposite end of your chopsticks or with serving chopsticks that may be provided for that purpose.

Chopsticks

The proper usage of chopsticks is the most fundamental element of Japanese table manners, and therefore, we have assigned them a separate information page.

Some Table Rules


 * Blowing your nose in public, and especially at the table, is considered bad manners.
 * It is considered good manners to empty your dishes to the last grain of rice.
 * Talking about toilet related and similarly unappetizing topics during or before a meal is not appreciated by most people.
 * It is considered bad manner to burp.
 * After eating, try to move all your dishes back to the same position they were at the start of the meal. This includes replacing the lids on dishes and putting your chopsticks on the chopstick holder or back into their paper slip.

Drinking Rules

When drinking alcoholic beverages, it is customary to serve each other, rather than pouring your own beverage. Periodically check your friends' cups and refill their drinks if their cups are getting empty. Likewise, if someone wants to serve you more alcohol, you should quickly empty your glass and hold it towards that person.

While it is considered bad manners to become obviously drunk in some formal restaurants, for example in restaurants that serve kaiseki ryori (Japanese haute cuisine), the same is not true for other types of restaurants such as izakaya, as long as you do not bother other guests.

Do not start drinking until everybody at the table is served and the glasses are raised for a drinking salute, which usually is "kampai". Avoid using "chin chin" when drinking a toast, since in Japanese this expression refers to the male genitals.

How to Eat

Rice

Hold the rice bowl in one hand and the chopsticks in the other. Lift the bowl towards your mouth while eating. Do not pour soya sauce over white, cooked rice.

Sushi

Pour some soya sauce into the small dish provided. It is considered bad manners to waste soya sauce, so try not to pour more sauce than you will use.

You do not need to add wasabi into the soya sauce, because the sushi pieces may already contain it, or may be eaten plain. However, if you choose to add wasabi, use only a small amount so as not to offend the sushi chef. If you do not like wasabi, you can request that none is added into your sushi.

In general, you are supposed to eat a sushi piece in one bite. Attempts to separate a piece into two generally end in the destruction of the beautifully prepared sushi. Hands or chopsticks can be used to eat sushi.

In case of nigiri-zushi, dip the piece into the soya sauce upside-down so that the fish enters the sauce. A few kinds of nigiri-zushi, for example, marinated pieces, should not be dipped into soya sauce.

In case of gunkan-zushi, pour a small amount of soya sauce over the sushi piece rather than dipping it into the sauce.

Sashimi

Pour some soya sauce into the small dish provided. Put some wasabi on the sashimi piece, but be careful not to use too much as this will overpower the taste of the fish. Dip the sashimi pieces into the soya sauce. Some types of sashimi are enjoyed with ground ginger rather than wasabi.

Miso Soup

Drink the soup out of the bowl as if it were a cup, and fish out the solid food pieces with your chopsticks.

Noodles

Using your chopsticks lead the noodles into your mouth. You may want to try to copy the slurping sound of people around you if you are dining in a noodle shop. Rather than being bad manners as Westerners are often taught, slurping noodles is considered evidence of enjoying the meal.

In case of noodle soups, be careful of splashing the noodles back into the liquid. If a ceramic spoon is provided, use it to drink the soup, otherwise, lift the bowl to your mouth as if it were a cup.

Kare Raisu

(and other dishes in which the rice is mixed with a sauce)

Kare Raisu (Japanese style curry rice) and other rice dishes, in which the rice is mixed with a sauce (for example, some domburi dishes) may become difficult to eat with chopsticks. Large spoons are often provided for these dishes.

Big Pieces of Food

(e.g. prawn tempura, tofu)

Separate into bite sized pieces with your chopsticks (this takes some exercise), or just bite off a piece and put the rest back onto your plate.

Lesson 4: Japanese Bowing

 * In Japan people greet each other by bowing. A bow ranges from a small nod of the head to a long. 90 degrees bend at the waist. If the greeting takes place on a tatami floor, people get on their knees in order bow.


 * When bowing to someone of higher social status, a deeper, longer bow indicates respect. Conversely, a small head nod is casual and informal. However, most Japanese do not expect foreigners to know proper bowing rules and so a nod of the head is usually sufficient.


 * It is also common to bow to express thanks, to apologize, to make a request or to ask someone a favor.


 * Shaking hands in uncommon among the Japanese, but again, expectations are made for foreigners.

Lesson 5: Sitting Techniques and Rules
Most Westerners are not used to sitting on the floor, however, in Japan sitting upright on the floor is common in many situations. For example, meals are traditionally held on a tatami floor around a low table. Sitting on the floor is also customary during the tea ceremony and other traditional events.

The formal way of sitting for both genders is kneeling (seiza) as shown on the picture below. People who are not used to sit in seiza style may become uncomfortable after a few minutes. Foreigners are not usually expected to be able to sit in seiza style for a long time, and an increasing number of Japanese people themselves are not able to do so either.

In casual situations, men usually sit cross-legged, while women with both legs to one side. The former sitting style is considered exclusively male, while the latter is considered exclusively female.

Seating Order

The most important guest sits on the honored seat (kamiza) which is located farthest from the entrance. If there is a tokonoma in the room, the guest should be seated in front of it. The host or least important person is supposed to sit next to the entrance (shimoza).

Lesson 6: Japanese Names
Name Order

In Japan, like in China and Korea, the first name follows the family name. A person with the first name "Ichiro" and the family name "Suzuki" is, therefore, called "Suzuki Ichiro" rather than "Ichiro Suzuki".

Family Names

Most Japanese family names consist of two kanji (Chinese characters). The meanings of many of the kanji used in family names are related to nature, geographical features or locations, for example, mountain (yama), tree (ki), rice field (ta), island (shima), village (mura), bridge (hashi), between (naka), below (shita) etc. Some of the most common Japanese family names are Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka and Watanabe.

First Names

Japanese first names also commonly consist of two kanji. The meanings of those kanji are often positive characteristics such as intelligence, beauty, love or light, names for flowers, the four seasons and other natural phenomena, or the order of birth (first son, second son, etc.).

Since quite a few kanji have identical pronunciations, first names that are pronounced the same, are not necessarily written with the same kanji. For example, there are about five common versions for the popular female first name Yoko, depending on the kanji for "Yo".

Not seldomly, the gender of a person can be guessed by the ending of his/her first name. First names ending with -ro, -shi, -ya, or -o are typically male first names, while names ending in -ko, -mi, -e and -yo are typically female first names.

The names of foreigners are usually written in katakana.

Titles

The Japanese commonly address each other by last name. Only close friends and children are usually addressed by first name. In addition, people rarely address each other just by name, but usually attach an appropriate title to the name. There is a large number of such titles depending on the gender and social position of the person you are addressing. Some of the most frequently used titles are:

This is the most neutral and famous title, and can be used in most situations. Only in formal situations, san may not be polite enough.
 * san: (for example Sato-san)

This is a more polite form of san, commonly used in formal situations and letters, but too polite in a casual context.
 * sama: (for example Sato-sama)

This is an informal title used for boys and men that are younger than yourself.
 * kun: (for example Yusuke-kun)

This is an informal title used for young children and very close friends or family members.
 * chan: (for example Megumi-chan)

This is a title used for teachers, doctors and other people with a higher education and from whom you receive a service or instructions.
 * sensei: (for example Sato-sensei)

Seimei Handan

Seimei Handan or Name Diagnosis is a type of fortune telling concerning names. Its theories center around the number of strokes that are required to write the characters of a name. (Note that there is a defined number of strokes for every Japanese character).

Depending on the total number of strokes, and the sums of strokes for different parts of a name in relation to each other, a name is considered more or less auspicious. Some people consult seimei handan when selecting their child's name or their own artist name.

Lesson 7: Superstition
In Japan there are certain things one does not do because they are thought to cause bad luck. A few examples are:

The number four is considered inauspicious because it is pronounced the same as the word for death (shi). Therefore, one should not make presents that consist of four pieces, etc. In some hotels and hospitals the room number four is skipped.
 * The number Four

Do not stick your chopsicks into your food generally, but especially not into rice, because only at funerals, chopsticks are stuck into the rice which is put onto the altar.
 * Stick chopsticks into the Rice

This is only done with the bones of the cremated body at funerals.
 * Give food from Chopstick to Chopstick

Do not sleep towards the North because bodies are laid down like that.
 * Sleeping Towards the North

If a funeral car passes you should hide your thumb.
 * Funeral Car

If you cut your nails at night, you will not be with your parents when they die.
 * Cut Nails at Night

If you lie down immediately after eating, you will become a cow.
 * Lie Down After Eating

If you whistle in the night, a snake will come to you.
 * Whistle in the Night

There are also some imported superstitions such as the believe that black cats crossing the street in front of you cause bad luck.
 * Black Cat

In many shrines, temples and souvenir shops, amulets are sold that are supposed to bring luck, safety or good fortune. There are amulets for money, health, love, success on exams, safety on the streets, etc. Small pieces of paper (omikuji) that predict your future are also available. These pieces of paper are tied around the branch of a tree after reading; either to make the good fortune come true or to avoid the predicted bad fortune.