Anyways, this week I'm here to discuss, address, and explain just a few of the cultural and social norms, that I'm learning on my adventure in Japan.
So first, I want to take the time to give a VERY brief introduction to one point of Japanese culture for those of you who may not be familiar with Japan. At its core, the Japanese people and their culture are incredibly polite. They will do their absolute best not to offend or cause a scene in any situation. One very common thing I've noticed is that you will hear apologies for every little thing! That brings up another point, any time you apologize for anything, like being in someone's way on the street or something of sorts, the person you were blocking will say sorry too. It's so polite, people say "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me" or "Thank you" for everything wherever you go, I've heard these three phrases every where. So if you're planning on coming to Japan, be sure you at least know the phrases: "Gomen Nasai" (I'm sorry) and "Sumimasen" (Excuse me) and "Arigatou Gozaimasu" (Thank you very much).
So aside from that little bit of polite cultural information, I've ran into several interesting cultural/societal norms in the last few weeks here. Let's get to the fun!
1. Escalators. Escalators are everywhere in Japan! That may seem lazy at first, but just wait. Unlike back home in the states, everyone doesn't just cram onto an escalator and enjoy the ride. Here in Japan there are rules, escalator etiquette if you will. That being said, if you are taking an escalator and want to enjoy a few seconds or so standing around and letting technology do its thing, you had better be standing on the left side if you don't want to be an obvious outsider. On Japanese escalators, the right side is reserved for people who want to walk up the escalator. In America we see that as a little strange, like "Are you in that big of a hurry that you can't just wait a few seconds?" Well for some people in Japan, yes, yes they are. So do everyone (and yourself) a favor and be sure to remember this if you're coming to Japan.
2. Tissues. This is one I learned right before arriving, it is NOT acceptable to blow your nose in public here in Japan. That being said, I'll refer you back to my first little statement about how Japanese culture is incredibly polite, they aren't going to yell at you or cause any problem, it's just something that isn't socially accepted and will label you as a foreigner (not in a bad sense or anything, but if you want to really blend in, following native cultural norms is the way to go.) So as the weather is beginning to get colder, I've noticed quite a lot of sniffles when traveling around, I expect this will only get more common as cold season sets in. Which brings me to my next point...
3. Surgical Masks. If you know even a little about Japan or if you've seen pictures of Japanese people, you've probably noticed some of them wearing surgical masks. This is something unique and kind of cool in my opinion, whenever a Japanese person is coming down with/has a cold (or they want to avoid catching someone else's cold) they will cover their faces with a surgical mask. I think this is so considerate, I've yet to catch the bug that's been going around on my floor (which got 3 of my Japanese roommates) because they've all made an effort to keep their germs to themselves. *Excuse me as I go knock on wood before jinxing my current stroke of good luck.* So, if you're coming down with a cold or you're living in a dorm with several people and you don't want to catch a roommate's cold, you have a huge selection of masks to choose from. Surgical masks are even becoming a bit of a fashion item here in Japan, I just read a recent survey about how young people/teens wear them just because they think it's cool. They also come in different colors, designs, etc. at a range of prices so there's a lot of variety.
Princesses, Pooh Bear, etc. Surgical masks can have style!
Or for the not so flashy, you can stick with plain white.
So these are only a few little cultural norms that I've been exposed to thus far, I know quite a lot more regarding sushi etiquette, but that's a whole post in itself. I hope you found this little cultural differences interesting. If you like, post some other Japanese norms in the comment section, or even cultural norms of other countries.
またね,
Julia.
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