It can be said that Japanese transportation is one of the safest and most civilized transportation systems in the world. If you come to the Land of the Rising Sun, you will rarely see motorbikes crowded together on the road, even at rush hour. Some Vietnamese tourists when coming here even joked that “Japan is so poor, people don’t even have motorbikes.” The truth is, the Japanese follow traffic laws very strictly!
If you are still used to the habit of jaywalking on the road, then when you go to Japan, you should pay attention. If they encounter a person breaking the law like crossing the street indiscriminately, they will honk loudly to protest even from quite a distance.
In addition, when walking, you should wait for the car to give way before leaving, and if you ride a car, remember to give way to pedestrians.
Smoking outdoors
According to CNNalthough Japan has no laws banning smoking in bars and restaurants or private businesses, if you smoke outdoors, you can get into big trouble.
If you have the habit of smoking, you should absolutely stay away from public places such as streets, parks, etc. In many cities in Japan, including Tokyo and Osaka, there are laws prohibiting lighting cigarettes outdoors, except in designated areas. area designated for smoking. If you defy this ban, you could be fined $400.
Littering trash
In many Asian countries, even around the world, it is not uncommon to “ignore” trash bags on the street. However, in civilized countries like Singapore or Japan, people never accept this.
If you pass by a piece of trash without bothering to pick it up, or you litter the road, there is a high possibility that you will be stared at in an unforgiving manner, or expressed surprise and dissatisfaction. Only when you “clean up” your waste will you be “let go”.
In Japan, you have no excuse for littering, because trash cans are everywhere in big cities. In addition, you should also put your trash in the right bin. There are “flammable” and “non-flammable” bins for convenient waste disposal. Even in fast food shops, trash cans are classified into plastic, paper and other types.
Don’t point fingers at others
Pointing a finger at another person is one of the extremely rude actions towards the other person. In most Asian countries, pointing at others (with fingers, chopsticks or feet) is considered an act of command or insult or contempt for the other person. You should be careful to avoid this.
Shoving and jostling while queuing
One of the bad habits of Vietnamese people is not having a queuing culture, while in the Land of the Rising Sun, this culture is considered an “unwritten law”. You can witness this culture everywhere, on the train or in the elevator in Japan. Crowds always line up in a certain order.
Even though the subway trains are crowded and at rush hour, people still maintain this principle of respecting everyone around them, even avoiding talking on the phone. Conversations on the train must be kept as low as possible, most people do not say anything on the train. You’re free to put on makeup, snooze, text, and play video games quietly, but eating or drinking is absolutely not allowed on the train.
Do not leave your shoes outside the door when visiting a local’s house
Going to a Japanese person’s house is very welcome, but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you like. When visiting a house, you need to leave your shoes/slippers outside the door because Japanese people love cleanliness.
In addition, socks need to be clean, fragrant, free of holes and have a color that harmonizes with the outfit and shoes. Japanese people often say “O-jama shimasu!” (“sorry for disturbing”) when visiting home. They often bring a small gift called o-miyage to give to the homeowner.
No need to tip staff
In Japan, you do not need to tip when eating at a restaurant or taking a taxi because they will not accept it. They have included a service fee in the price. Therefore, there are many funny stories when some restaurant employees chase customers to return “forgotten” money.
Likewise, taxi drivers wearing uniforms, hats, and white gloves often return change and refuse tips. Another detail to remember, taxis in Japan have doors that open automatically by the driver, you should not try to open or close the car door.
Do not be naked in the onsen bathing area
Although it is a country with many rituals, however, if you wear a swimsuit at hot springs (onsen bathing) you will be considered strange and impolite. You should scrub thoroughly before bathing in an onsen, even in public or private places. However, you should cover up tattoos on your body when in onsen baths or public gyms because in Japan, tattoos are often associated with the Yakuza mafia gang.
Signal with your fingers
The use of the finger sign in Japan has many meanings. Giving a thumbs up is not a good idea but is meant to indicate a boyfriend. And raising the pinky finger means girlfriend. Therefore, when in Japan, you should not arbitrarily make hand signals to avoid misunderstandings.
Insert chopsticks vertically into the bowl of rice
Japanese people never stick chopsticks on food and especially on rice bowls because only at funerals do people stick chopsticks on rice bowls and place them on the altar. Do not use chopsticks to pass food because at funerals people use chopsticks to pass the remaining bones after cremation.
Eat while walking on the street
When walking on the streets in Japan, the next thing you need to remember is not to eat while walking because it is easy for old people to reprimand you or look at you with unsympathetic eyes.
Wear new shoes in the evening
In Japan, there is a taboo that says wearing new shoes at night will bring bad luck. On the other hand, if you are not used to wearing new shoes, you will easily fall and possibly get injured, so you should not wear new shoes at night. The Japanese believe that “when wearing new shoes, you should rub the new shoes on the soles of the old shoes” or use an oil paint pen to wipe the soles of the shoes, so the shoes will look less new, which is also a way to pray for good luck from old shoes.
Huong Giang
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