People take their shoes off before entering a home in Japan. Itโs a reasonable and hygienic request when you think about it. They simply donโt want the dust and dirt from the outside streets being trekked all over their clean floors and tatami mats.
Most homes have a small recessed vestibule called a genkan where shoes should be removed and slippers put on (guest slippers are often provided) if don't want to be barefooted
I would argue it's because it's not really good for health.
No alternative known for now.
Tipping is not part of the culture and people will be running after you to give you back your money, so let's not make them do some effort for nothing :)
You can just say a big good "arigato gozaimasu" which means "thank you", it should be okay
alled tsukitate-bashi (็ชใ็ซใฆ็ฎธ), it is incredibly taboo because it reminds Japanese people of funerals, where a bowl of rice is left with two chopsticks standing vertically in the center. Itโs also supposed to bring bad luck.
Just put it near your bowl. You can also follow this guide that explains the best ways to use chopsticks. https://justhungry.com/your-guide-better-chopstick-etiquette-mostly-japanese
No reason known for now.
No alternative known for now.
Obviously it's because of hygiene and i guess for hot springs there's also a holly kind of thing around this fact.
Wash yourself just like before going to the pool, it should do the trick.
Except you're in a private place or you're with somebody that has these habits, do not expect Japanese to hug you or kiss you to greet you. Japanese people do not even kiss in public, public displays of affection is not a thing there, most Japanese are shy or simply modest.
You can simply say "hello" from far away, maybe not as far away as Norwegians do haha. You can also just shake hands, no need to bend like in films except if you're talking to your Japanese boss or step family.
Trains and buses are just not the places to talk loud in Japan since they are very tiny public places, you need to respect others. A lot of people take time to sleep in trains.
Put your phone on silent mode or step down the train to take a call.
Japan is one of the cleanes countries i visited and they wan't to keep it that way. Carry your trash with you until you find a place to throw it out.
No alternative known for now.
In Japan you will see a lot of smoking spots, smoke there or near your hous but do not smoke on the streets. This is mostly to keep streets clean and also not bother other people.
Carry a portable ashtray for urgency smoking i would say.
Respect the escalator's side. Tokyo is left, Osaka is right.
When you don't know the side, just look at people or ask someone.
Because of the crowd. (Eating and drinking on long distance trains is fine though, since you have pull-out trays and such. Theyโll even come to your seat to sell you food and beverages.)
Drinking discreetly from a PET bottle is okay
Yeah... there's a lot of stories about chopsticks, one of them is that you should not point at someone with chopsticks or he can think you're provoking him / her. This is considered to be somewhat ruder than pointing with ones fingers.
Just use the god damn chopsticks to eat :)
This remembers funerals once again
Just use the god damn chopsticks to eat :)
Although Japan is known for it's highschool girls with skirts (sometimes really short skirts), showing a cleavage is... considered sexual.
No alternative known for now.