worst japanese manners

[den4]

the one gal that says all japanese are well mannered must be living in a cube..

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=popvox&id=408&display=all

 

[doudesuka]

When they just come through an aisle and run into you if you don't get out of their way. Also, laughing and talking about you as if you were invisible.

 

[budd]

she definitely hot though
hmm... i know some guy gotta been bothering her on the train...
well, i guess its just like asking if there are any curse words over there... what's the response? that's right
but there should a link talking about bad American manners, just to be fair

 

[jspecdan]

haha. i personally won't move for anyone if they're walking right at me. they always move.

 

[kirei_na_me]

I don't know. I hate going out with my husband in public sometimes. I mean, I know in Japan it's really crowded and you don't have the time to excuse yourself all the time or to be really courteous, but gosh! He does it here, too. Sometimes I get so embarassed and sometimes angry when he doesn't say excuse me or move out of someone's way or say thank you for little things while in a store or whatever. He's gotten a little better, but still. It can be really embarassing. I guess I'm just really particular about stuff like that. I'm always really careful to say thank you when checking out in a store or restaurant, always say excuse me if I accidentally bump into someone, go out of the way to get out of the way of someone else....maybe I'm just a doormat?

I should clarify one thing. It depends on who he's around. If he knows people, he's so nice, but if he doesn't, it's like he doesn't bother.

 

[jspecdan]

some of these "manners" goes along with seniority. Younger people are to move for older people. That's why that old woman mentioned in that article thingy was pushy. She knows she's older, she gets more respect than a 20 year-old.

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by kirei_na_me
I guess I'm just really particular about stuff like that. I'm always really careful to say thank you when checking out in a store or restaurant, always say excuse me if I accidentally bump into someone, go out of the way to get out of the way of someone else....maybe I'm just a doormat?

Kirei_na_me,

These sorts of things are VERY important, I agree, and I try to be conscious of them as much as possible as well. I can easily become impatient at lacksidasical service -- if store clerks or service type people are doing personal business or keeping customers waiting or whatnot -- but do try to smooth things over after the transaction, anyway, just not to give a ringing endorsement of their behavior. It is a fine line, but I can't stand the attitude of so many Americans that they are owed something or entitled to "need" what they actually only want and are fortunate enough to have the chance to get. You hear it for fast-food orders all the time, for example,...."I need, need, need" such and such. :angryfire

 

[Mandylion]

I think this was mentioned on another thread (maybe another forum), but old men who just pull their little k-trucks to the side of the road, hop out and take a piss always astounds me. I do live in the country, but I have seen it in big cities too (minus the k-truck)

 

[kirei_na_me]

I have always gone out of my way to be courteous and polite in those kinds of situations, but after working with the public myself, I became even worse/better...

 

[budd]

a lot of this is just culture though, huh?

 

[Marc]

Originally posted by budd
a lot of this is just culture though, huh?

Well, the problem is that while most of the gaijins take their best efforts to understand Japanese culture and society and respect their difference, the opposite is rarely true.
When I go to a different country, like Japan, I try to learn as much as possible how to behave correctly in their society, so to not hurt anyone's feelings or act like a jerk. At the same time you see Japanese businessmen who constantly go to America and Europe that still shovel and slurp their food at fancy restaurants as if they were eating on okasan's place.
Come on, I know I'm generalizing, but there's something called common sense...

 

[Ninja Rock Star]

I'm 6'1 and 95 kg, so I don't get bumped into that much, everyone tends to get out of my way, ha.

I had a kid say once: "Mite!! Okii na Schwarzenegger-mitai na hito da!" Ha. (I look nothing like Schwar-chan)

Slurping etc.. that I can put up with (although I still can't do it myself). The thing that gets me is the spitting. Yuck. Hoik & splat! Right in front of you. As if it's normal.
Bleh!

 

[Gaijinology]

However, then there is the flip-side. By this I mean the way that whenever you enter a shop (even bigger stores, in my exp) in Japan you are always greeted with "irraishimashe" (welcome) - which never happens in the uk.

Also the amount of time "dozo" is said is really polite. And also, i was amazed when in kyoto I went into a video game arcade opposite the train station and saw a place outside to leave your unbrella. I left my unbrella in the slot outside. I went back after 10 minutes to see if it was still there. It was. And so were many other unbrellas. I then stayed in the arcade for another hour and when i came back my unbrella was still there!!

 

[neko_girl22]

Originally posted by Marc
Well, the problem is that while most of the gaijins take their best efforts to understand Japanese culture and society and respect their difference, the opposite is rarely true.
When I go to a different country, like Japan, I try to learn as much as possible how to behave correctly in their society, so to not hurt anyone's feelings or act like a jerk.

Gaijin have a really bad reputation in Japan, especially in Tokyo. Gaijin crime is a BIG problem. Also gaijin trashing hotel rooms etc etc.....
I really didn't want to participate in this thread because I believe there is good and bad in ALL cultures and I'd rather focus on the positive.
Someone said, they hate how Japanese spit. well, in NZ I saw guys doing that alot. (I'm not excusing it, I hate guys that do that). Don't label something as a bad habit unique to Japan, if it isn't.

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by nzueda
Gaijin have a really bad reputation in Japan, especially in Tokyo. Gaijin crime is a BIG problem.

Do you mean mostly Chinese and Koreans living in Japan? I rarely see stories on suspected Western criminals in Japanese papers (although only through online ones now) -- in the same way that most Westerners would never believe the types of Japanese-Japanese crimes are just as horrendous as in the US and Europe. Only with knives, arson, homemade explosives, etc rather than guns. Good and bad everywhere indeed.

 

[mdchachi]

Gaijin have a really bad reputation in Japan, especially in Tokyo. Gaijin crime is a BIG problem.

It is if you believe the media. Crime by both Japanese and non-Japanese are going up. However, the per capita rate of crime by foreigners is going DOWN. (Total crimes by non-Japanese is going up because there are more non-Japanese in Japan than ever before; but a on per-person basis -- total crimes divided by number of non-Japanese -- it's actually lower than ever).

But are the police going to admit that they are ineffective or that crimes by Japanese is going up? No, it's much easier to blame the rising crime rates on gaijin and pretend that there are no other problems.

 

[mdchachi]

And also, i was amazed when in kyoto I went into a video game arcade opposite the train station and saw a place outside to leave your unbrella. I left my unbrella in the slot outside. I went back after 10 minutes to see if it was still there. It was. And so were many other unbrellas. I then stayed in the arcade for another hour and when i came back my unbrella was still there!!

Try leaving a $50 umbrella outside in Japan. You might get away with it for a while but it won't last long.

 

[SalaryMan]

Hmmm some bad japanese manners huh? ... What about staring at foeigners... I find that pretty unnerving and sometimes stare straight back at them which usualy results in their looking away.

Burning stuff at the edge of the roads : This is VERY annoying... Farmers with their rice field tend to make huge piles of dry grass / weeds and burn them directly to the side of the road , this causes thick smoke to block driver's vision and can cause accidents. Not only dirvers are affected , People walking along the road or people who live nearby get a good old lung full too.

Public peeing is definately one. I witnessed a 60+ y/o guy stop his game of mallet golf to take a pee against a wire fence facing toward the road ofcourse there was a lavatory 20 meters away but that was obviously to far for him to walk without indecently exposing himself.

Vacume cleaning your noodles : Eww , I consider "bad" table manner to be ANYTHING which makes people around you un-comfortable , My first trip inside a ramen shop ended with my standing up and leaving within 5 minuets... The guy next to me .. Oh my god ... He was like a 2000w vacume cleaner. Hey ! it's not only ramen either ... I witnessed the human vacume cleaners at work on a Pizza ... That's right .. people actually SUCK their pizza up ... hmmm what else .. Basically anything .. They get it on their chopsticks and fuuu! its sucked into their mouth. discusting.

Insulting other people's countrys openly infront of them.... This must be a damn tradition here or something... When i first arrived in japan in 1992 I met my spouse's cousin. After a little discussion she decided to inform me that mail theft is very high in the country i come from and that even registered mail gets stolen freuqantly.. the whole insulting conversation lasted around 10 minuets at which time I was fairly furious. Then ... I go to a potential student's house , A 70+ year old lady , and she comes out with this stupid random comment " There are no good looking women in the country you come from "

Mis-teaching your children in schools : I spent 3 hours undoing the schools teachings about WW2 ... World war 2 was NOT started by England and the States did NOT initiate the war with japan .

SalaryMen : Ok ... Being drunk in public does NOT make you look good and passing out in the phone booth makes you look like a fool. What I see as the average salaryman's Day :

1. Get up and expect breakfast from your wife because you are sexist and think that women should cook and clean.

2. Go to work and dream about your evening ahead.

3. Finish work and enter your usual snack bar where you will proceed to cheat on your wife, get completely hammered on around 30000 yen work of drinks ( you and hostess )

4. Knowing that your are unable to walk .. you must now attempt to walk home in public.

5. Passout with card in pocket instructing taxi driver of your address.

IRASHAIIIII!!!!!1111111 : I really .. REALLY hate this one. The japanese believe that sound makes fresh food taste better so .. There is the constant IRASHAIMASE!!! at the top of which ever male staff member is present's voice , even if he is right next to you and no-one has entered that section of the shop when he shouts.

Couples with the above about fresh food sections :
Radios and loud announcement speakers ... This is so so annoying ... You cant walk into a fresh food section without being blasted by a radio which is stating the OBVIOUS ie. The price of the item which is right next to it. If you ever plan on going to your local fish market for the first time .. prepair for an audio assault which could possibly leave you partialy deaf.

urgg Ill leave it here... good stress relief

 

[neko_girl22]

...... Salary man....
You shouldn't be in Japan! You sound way to sensitive and easily upset...
Common.... You walk out of a ramen shop because of the slurping? What makes slurping rude? Here, it is the way to cool down the noodles, and I try my best to fit in lol. Of course, I wont do it back in NZ. Do as the romans do and all that.

You made so many generalisations.....
basically reading your post really annoyed me urggh....... and I am married to a Japanese man, so you could've really offended me by your senseless generalisations about them, but I'll try not to be too senstive. I just hope you don't live in Kyushu

 

[SalaryMan]

Ah yes , Sorry if I ofended you or anything. What makes sucking up noodles wrong? well ... It's uncomforting for one thing... and NO people do NOT do it to cool the noodles down .. If that was the case then why SUCK the somen ( cold noodles ) up?

I remembered one! : Japanese driving style in country areas like nagano ect ...

Old man X decideds that it's a greeeat idea to stop his car and chat to his friend from inside .... Ok yes , he pulled over to the side to do it BUT Some of you know the width of countryside so called "2 car roads" ... I wouldnt even call it a 1 horse and cart road or even a foot path. Anyway .. Old man X continues his conversation for 10 minuets with cars gathering behind him and doesnt give a damn. Eventually he will struggle his way into first gear and leave off at a steady 20 km/h @ 8000 rpm ( doesn't know how to get into 2nd gear )

 

[budd]

be glad he ain't in gear!

in gear
edit: i like the slurping, better than the smacking here (bbq patii)

 

[neko_girl22]

he's right about the somen - they're cold. But I asked a slurping expert (my hubby) and he says it's basically a habit and it also helps to pick up the soup/dipping sauce with the noodles.


I suppose some people complain about anything...

 

[SalaryMan]

Fact : The Japanese have certain traditions or belifes that sound , with your meal , makes it taste better thus they suck noodles up. This was an explanation given to me a few years ago when I complained to my brother in-law for sucking up his pasta.

Science and modern day common sense should tell people here that sound has no effect on your food what so ever.

On another note , rather that create another thread about it, Does anyone have any knowledge of a weird thing my spouse has the habit of doing :

The pan in which the first meal of the year was cooked DOESN'T get thrown away , even if it loses all it's non-stick surface and becomes useless. Why do people do this ?

 

[kirei_na_me]

Originally posted by SalaryMan
On another note , rather that create another thread about it, Does anyone have any knowledge of a weird thing my spouse has the habit of doing :

The pan in which the first meal of the year was cooked DOESN'T get thrown away , even if it loses all it's non-stick surface and becomes useless. Why do people do this ?

Well, my husband has no idea about this tradition. Of course, he says every area of the country has different New Year's traditions. Obviously, it's done for good luck, because that's what all New Year's traditions are centered around...

 

[Elizabeth]

Originally posted by SalaryMan


Fact : The Japanese have certain traditions or belifes that sound , with your meal , makes it taste better thus they suck noodles up. This was an explanation given to me a few years ago when I complained to my brother in-law for sucking up his pasta.

I heard slurping somen was supposed to mix it with the oxygen of the air and enhance the flavour. Especially since high mountain noodles take longer to cook through. :