Rudeness

[Pararousia]

Hi All,
Could we start a list here of things considered terribly rude to Japanese (so I don't do any of them when I visit)? Thanks in advance!

 

[Nuala]

Sticking chopsticks up in rice, just don't do it. my friends grandpa became enraged, and kicked me out of the dinner party..

 

[Shas]

- do not sneeze in public
- do not blow your nose in public
- do not point with your finger
- do not walk while eating (and vice versa )
- do not point your chopsticks at people


look around in the directory and the forum Maciamo has posted huge thread about japanese manners and stuff there you should find more

 

[Elizabeth]

Sticking chopsticks up in rice, just don't do it. my friends grandpa became enraged, and kicked me out of the dinner party..

Don't even lay your chopsticks across the bowl, young man...

 

[Mike Cash]

If the Japanese would give 1/100th of the thought to how to avoid being rude to foreigners that most foreigners give to how to avoid being rude to them, it would be a wonderful country.

 

[ArmandV]

Is it true that burping at the dinner table is considered a compliment there? I was told years ago (when I was a kid) that it told the host that you liked the meal.

 

[Lingx]

I heard the same thing!

 

[deadhippo]

its not polite to burp
its pretty acceptable to sneeze, i believe, as many japanese people have been sneezing in my face for the last few months without even saying excuse me
and laugh when i say excuse me after sneezing

dont pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks

 

[Otosan-no-Conan]

My mother-in-law does it all the time... burping that is.

My wife has corrected me... she says it is rude, but, acceptable if you own the house.

 

[Apollo]

If you receive a busines card from a Japanese, don't ever just put it in your purse in your backside pocket or just take it and put in your pocket. Instead, you should handle it gently, looking at it.

 

[alexriversan]

If you receive a busines card from a Japanese, don't ever just put it in your purse in your backside pocket or just take it and put in your pocket. Instead, you should handle it gently, looking at it.

backside pockets? ever have seen training pants with backpockets? jeans are not made for rollercoaster and tree climbing: things tend to get loose.

for bathing purpose:

leather: takes days to dry
jeans: takes hours to dry
synthetic: takes 30 minutes in the sun

just to get rid of the assumption, *everybody* would use to have backside pockets.

well, i know, jeans have them, but imagine i do not know jeans, and do not know what you mean? backside pockets?

 

[ralian]

Is it true that burping at the dinner table is considered a compliment there? I was told years ago (when I was a kid) that it told the host that you liked the meal.

It's a storey of some other country.
It's not polite to burp

 

[Apollo]

backside pockets? ever have seen training pants with backpockets? jeans are not made for rollercoaster and tree climbing: things tend to get loose.

for bathing purpose:

leather: takes days to dry
jeans: takes hours to dry
synthetic: takes 30 minutes in the sun

just to get rid of the assumption, *everybody* would use to have backside pockets.

well, i know, jeans have them, but imagine i do not know jeans, and do not know what you mean? backside pockets?

Let me elaborate....don't put a Japanese business card in your pocket (whatever pocket you may have in your trousers....), as this is disrespectful. When receiving a card, read it and then handle it with respect in front of the person who gave it to you. After reading, you may want to put it in your file, briefcase etc...but NOT in a pocket (especially not the backside one...if you don't have a backside pocket, good for you, but if you do and you put the card there - it basically is offensive as you basically will be sitting on the card when seated...

 

[snow san]

My former Japanese girlfriend would slap me whenever we were eating in a public place because I fidget around a lot such as shaking my legs or wiggling my feet(Im hyper)

if you happen to see funeral or pass a cemetary (I forget what the japanese word for cemetary is) DO NOT TAKE PICTURES....I was taking a pic and there was a funeral procession in the back ground...at the time I had not yet learnd to speak Japanese, and Im glad because I got an ear full from several people.

Im from Texas and we usully say excuse me when we bump into someone, but dont think the Japanese are rude because the dont say "excuse me" every time they bump into you....it is so croweded in some trainstaions (rush hour shinjuku station) that if
you stopped to say excuse me you'd be there all day.

I happen to have backside pockets...lol who cares is not everyone does....

 

[deadhippo]

backside pockets? ever have seen training pants with backpockets? jeans are not made for rollercoaster and tree climbing: things tend to get loose.

for bathing purpose:

leather: takes days to dry
jeans: takes hours to dry
synthetic: takes 30 minutes in the sun

just to get rid of the assumption, *everybody* would use to have backside pockets.

well, i know, jeans have them, but imagine i do not know jeans, and do not know what you mean? backside pockets?

i wonder how long they let you out for

 

[Numark]

What is he talking about?!!!!!!!

 

[Dekamaster]

Don't use your left hand for handshakes.

 

[Shibuyaexpat]

Just to put a different perspective on this, here are some things to be considered polite:
- On the train, giving up your seat for elderly and parents with small children (MAJOR POINTS)
- At meals with alcohol, be mindful of other's sake/beer glass and fill (preferably holding the bottle with two hands). Reverse is nice too.
- Depending upon your company, place chopsticks on the little "holders" when not in use.
- When eating soba or noodles in general, it is okay to slurp, as long as you don't hurt yourself in the process.
- When drinking Japanese tea, use one hand to support cup from bottom and the other to wrap around the cup.
- Make an effort to speak Japanese (no matter how little you know). Being inquistive (e.g., how do I say...?) is a sign of your respect. Even if you're wrong, the fact that you're trying is being polite (or at least that's what I've learned)

In the end, if you keep in mind that you're a guest and try to act accordingly, everything will be fine.

 

[alexriversan]

i wonder how long they let you out for

you can make personal comments directly to my weblog. if you are in my buisiness, you are more than welcome.

by the way, i deceler your qoute as "rude". maybe i am wrong, and i am terrible sorry, in this case.

just to add something: backpockets are an invitation to thieves: but if you (assuming you have backpockets) utilize a chain, you are somehow safe.

i have never, ever seen shorts/trainers made from plastic, including backpockets.

actually i wont post for a while, because i do not have enough time anymore. i am terribly sorry for this.

 

[PopCulturePooka]

Just to put a different perspective on this, here are some things to be considered polite:
- On the train, giving up your seat for elderly and parents with small children (MAJOR POINTS)

If only the Japanese themselves would do this. Especially men. The number of times I'd see a carriage full of men sitting and reading and an old women standing...

In the end, if you keep in mind that you're a guest and try to act accordingly, everything will be fine.

I msut say, if you live in a country this idea of being a 'guest' annoys me.

 

[deadhippo]

you can make personal comments directly to my weblog. if you are in my buisiness, you are more than welcome.

by the way, i deceler your qoute as "rude". maybe i am wrong, and i am terrible sorry, in this case.

just to add something: backpockets are an invitation to thieves: but if you (assuming you have backpockets) utilize a chain, you are somehow safe.

i have never, ever seen shorts/trainers made from plastic, including backpockets.

actually i wont post for a while, because i do not have enough time anymore. i am terribly sorry for this.

its what some people would call humour
but i am truly puzzled by your posts and am now more than ever wondering if you are indeed sane
forgive my bluntness

 

[Tonysoong]

Pretentious

Just to put a different perspective on this, here are some things to be considered polite:
- On the train, giving up your seat for elderly and parents with small children (MAJOR POINTS)
- At meals with alcohol, be mindful of other's sake/beer glass and fill (preferably holding the bottle with two hands). Reverse is nice too.
- Depending upon your company, place chopsticks on the little "holders" when not in use.
- When eating soba or noodles in general, it is okay to slurp, as long as you don't hurt yourself in the process.)


All the above you mentioned is in fact borrowed from the west or the civilised world, rather than originally Japanese.

You put it in such a way as you Japanese invented all this, hmmm, funny. Come on.

You admire the west, which is good, but you are still a pagan nation equipped with modern technology.

 

[Iron Chef]

Please try to stay on-topic. No need to jack someone else's thread when you've already posted similar sentiments elsewhere... Thanks.

 

[Numark]

backside pockets? ever have seen training pants with backpockets? jeans are not made for rollercoaster and tree climbing: things tend to get loose.

for bathing purpose:

leather: takes days to dry
jeans: takes hours to dry
synthetic: takes 30 minutes in the sun

just to get rid of the assumption, *everybody* would use to have backside pockets.

well, i know, jeans have them, but imagine i do not know jeans, and do not know what you mean? backside pockets?

okay sorry to be offtopic, but i think i can explain alexriversan's post weirdness. I think he is a non-native english speaker running a language through an online translator.

 

[marcus314]

I do not know if this is invented by Japanese.

When you take off your shoe in a tatami room, the forward side of the shoe must point AWAY from the room for showing respect....

Again can someone confirm this??

^_^