These are educational for Gaijin and Tokyoites alike... If you are ever on riding a Metro subway train you will see these posters up.
Most of these don't-do's are committed by drunk people at night.
ENJOY!!
Please also enjoy:
空気読めない
Kuuki Yomenai = K.Y.(Adj,,n.)
When I first heard it I thought of something dirty. Don't lie, you know you did too!
It literally means "cannot read the air"
While you are living in Japan you will find this is a commonly used phrase. It is NOT ONLY used by young people. It is referring to a person who is oblivious to his current surrounding, and may say or do something insensitive or inappropriate.
This has a negative connotation of ignorance.
Synonymous words would be : Dense or Thick-headed.
Another variation is C.K.Y.
C is for Chou = super, really, extremely
Aizuchi (相槌 or あいづち)
It is the act of nodding your head an uttering something to reassure the speaker that you are listening. This is VITAL to communicating in Japan.
The noise that is often used is:
This is a list of things/words you need to know:
Kinen-Seki and Kitsuen-Seki:
These will be the first thing your hear when you enter a restaurant. It means non-smoking and smoking. In Japan, smoking is still allowed in doors. This was a bit of a culture shock to me, since I grew up in San Francisco. We haven't had smoking sections since I was a child.
If you wand non-smoking you say "kinen-seki onegaishimasu".
Note: their little dividers will do little to block the smoke from wafting into your nostrils. Also, if you have sensitive eyes like I do...invest in some eyedrops...o_o
Oshibori(おしぼり or お絞り):
Wherever, you eat you will have a wet towelette to clean your hands. You will have this regardless of whether or not you will be eating with your hands.
Note: hot in the winter, cold in the summer
WARNING: DO NOT WIPE YOUR FACE WITH THIS (I've seen some salarymen do it. but it's a no-no)
Osusume(おすすめ or お勧め):
"Osusume ha.." is acceptable... or
"Anata no osusume ha nan desuka" if you are determined to speak in whole sentences.
Teishoku:
I love love...LOVE Teishoku! It is set meals! Considering that I was hungry for the first 4 months in Japan, I looked forward to these reasonably prices filling meals. Lunch time is of course cheaper, and it always comes with delicious miso(even at Denny's)
I find that the family owned hole-in-the-wall spots can be pretty darn delicious...so start looking! And share you favorite spots with your friends.
Omochikaeri:
It means "to go". If you go to fast food restaurants they will ask you for here or to go.
Note: There are no such things as doggie bags in Japan. People will just look at you funny.
Betsu-Betsu:
Whenever you eat at a restaurant you will almost always pay at the door. Before you pay, just say the magic words "betsu betsu" and they will very easily SPLIT THE CHECK. Each person will pay only for their own meal, and since gratuity is included it just makes it easier.
Note: I'm more impressed because I am American...Because if you ask an American waitor/waitress to split the check, they look at you as if you asked them to do advanced quantum physics.
"Gochisou sama deshita" (ごちそうさまでした):
"Thank you for a wonderful meal"
This is very useful for relationship building...and it's pretty standard for politeness.
Whether you live in a dorm or go to you favorite sushi place. You should say that as your are leaving. Say it loud and proudly, to further emphasize how delicious the meal was! It will make them happy, and make you happy for feeling like you are a part of the culture.
I had Kaiten-sushi(revolving sushi) way to often... so I used it regularly. The preparers will remember you, and it will help your cultural immersion in Japan!
Gan Batte!
However, each time I lost it, it was not only returned but had ALL THE CASH! This would happen ONLY in Japan!
Mind you that I'd carry about 30,000yen at minimum ($300USD) You live in Japan long enough, you know...that you ALWAYS need to have cash!
In either case, this is possibly my favorite attribute to why Japanese people are so great! They are so considerate. In America, the best you could hope for...in the case of a lost wallet is...is your empty wallet with all your ID's and credit cards. Not in Japan..my experience has been phenomenal. If it was at school I got it in the lost and found. College students are poor...I would not have been surprised to find my money missing.
So in Japan here is the protocol for receiving all your money back! This is not mentioned in textbooks or anything of that sort. So yes...japanese people are considerate...but it is also assumed that you will be grateful...and thus be osewaninatta(in debted to).
Rule of thumb is about 20-30% of the cash that was in the wallet. Wherever your wallet was returned to, they will often leave contact information...it is up to you to contact them and give them thank you money.
World's most populated city, along with the most advanced rail systems....
Tokyo is famous for their crowded trains. Now, combine the idea your average encounter with Asians(likely to be Chinese, and loud) except multiply that by thousands... and you will probably have an image that it is unbearably NOISY!
However, Japan is quite the opposite.
When I say eerily quiet, I do mean it. You will never have heard such intense silence in your life (Except possibly a Japanese movie theater before a film starts...I'll explain in a future post)
There is generally some minimal noise created by living beings. Such as: coughing, shuffling, breathing... In the trains though, you are left with only the sounds of: the tracks, cellphone button clicking (e-mails), PSP's, tapping of a DS, or a rude person with earphones too loud. I mean..you can honestly hear a sneeze practically in the next car over.
Now for people who live in Japan for longer periods of time, you will likely have your handy iPod or mp3 player on hand all the time. But one of these days, you will forget to charge it or you didn't plug it in correctly...and BAM! It's your morning commute and you are deprived of your music and/or podcasts for the remainder of your journey. It is at that moment, when you realize that it's quiet....scary quiet.
To make things clear, the only time that it is not quiet is during the late evenings....which are usually loaded with drunken salary men and rowdy young people who are trying to catch the last train home.
In most countries, trains will be noisy...but why....is it in Japa
Well when I asked a number of my Japanese friends as well as students, the best understanding i can provide is it's historical context...
When trains were first introduced, it was a luxurious form of transportation. People would dress up, and exhibit a "proper" image. During that time, it would be rude and inappropriate to be boisterous. It is only over time, that the train system evolved to span the entirety of Japan...and grow into one of the world's most efficient systems. It may no longer be considered and a upper-class luxury anymore, but the importance of caring for others is still very much there
In addition, considering that you are often face-deep in somebody's armpit during a rush hour train...don't you think it's nicer that nobody is talking and yapping away letting their morning breath into the already stuffy train?
Although this is a generalized statement, Japanese people are very much the type to care for others. It is both a positive and negative attribute...But if you are to live or stay in Japan, it is one of the core understanding that is needed to understand Japanese culture...
So next time you are in the train...understand hat by being loud and inconsiderate of others, you would be infringing on another persons overall comfort and experience...Thus, it is important as foreigners that we respect and abide by this social rule of in train silence. Many foreigners feel it is stupid to abide by this rule..and that Japanese people simply care too much...but in the end...if you are in THEIR country, you should abide by THEIR rules.
So please....Don't be a BAD foreigner, and be courteous in the train. (don't eat on the train either!)
Please also read How to Survive a Rush Hour Train!
Suggestion on how to endure the silence:
Sorry folks!
I've been M.I.A. for the sake of school. I realize i haven't blogged in a couple months now, so I'm going to make up for it this winter. Please let me know if there are any specific articles you want me to write about first.
I have lined up:
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