Taboo in Japan

Japan is always known for its "unwritten rules". If you intend to travel to the land of the rising sun, keep in mind 13 things below.

Japan has long attracted millions of visitors because of its unique culture, friendly people and impressive natural scenery. However, many tourists also do not "fear" when reading the prohibitions, taboos or should not do when coming to this country.

Whether you are a tourist, an international student or a business traveler; There are things not to do that you must always remember when you come to Japan.

1. Give tips

You will wonder why Japanese people do not want to receive tips? If you have a chance to visit a restaurant in Japan, don't be too surprised to see the waitress running to give you the extra money, even if it's only a few yen. Getting tips is not a way to praise the waiter. Japanese people think that when guests give them tip, it means that customers are not satisfied with the service and want to say "try harder in the next time".

2. Enter the house and still wear shoes

When entering someone's house, before entering the inner area, you will see a small doorstep. The Japanese call that area by the name "genkan". This is a place for guests to take off their shoes and put them neatly on one side, or on a shoe stand placed by the wall In addition, you must also remove shoes when entering some places like temples, pagodas, even restaurants.

3. Eat and drink while walking

Remember that Tokyo is not New York so you can enjoy a cup of coffee or a sandwich while going down to the subway. One of the more "taboo" things is that you should not eat or drink on board. For Japanese people, you can only eat and drink outside in music and cultural festivals.

4. Drain the garbage

Discharging garbage into the road will bring great trouble and huge fines for you in many countries around the world. Japan is no exception. The city government has installed many trash bins with eye-catching shapes and easy to see so you can throw garbage in the right place all over the city.

5. Hug

Perhaps for many people, hugging is the way to express yourself as a friendly person. However, Japanese people feel uncomfortable when hugging, especially with intimate relationships and strangers. Ideally, you should just shake hands or bow politely.

6. Talk on the phone on the train

If someone calls you when you are on the train, refuse the call. Answering the phone on the subway is considered rude when it will affect other passengers, especially if you speak too loudly.

7. Insist on paying when invited to dinner

When you are invited by someone to dinner or drink, you will always prepare a bit of money to "puddle" with the other person. However, if you are invited by a Japanese to dinner, you should not insist on paying because it is considered rude to the person who invited you.

8. Jump right into hot springs without taking a shower first

If you want to try the feeling of bathing in public or an onsen in Japan, it is not simply to take off your clothes and immerse yourself in the water immediately. You should bathe and clean your body before soaking in hot springs. Thus, it will not be dirty or make other guests feel uncomfortable.

9. Speak too loudly

You may not notice it but sometimes, your volume when speaking will be louder than you can imagine. Try to keep your conversation with enough volume and not argue in public places. Take it until you come home.

10. Frightened by people wearing masks

It sounds weird, but many tourists are afraid to see Japanese people wearing masks all day. What serious disease are they having? Is it easy to spread?

In fact, in Japan, people often wear masks to protect themselves from allergies or colds. If someone is sick, they also wear a mask to avoid spreading it to others. Many people also believe that masks are also a beauty accessory for them.

11. Improper conductive practices

If someone offers or offers something to eat, you should not forget to say thank you "arigato gozaimasu". If you go out to eat with Japanese friends, don't forget to say "itadakimatsu" (good taste) before eating. Remember that food should not be left over and always say "gochisousamadeshita" to express gratitude.

12. Bring credit card only

Like many other countries, Japan also has many rural areas, where you can only buy goods at small local grocery stores. Therefore, your credit card will become useless when it comes to these areas. Always remember to bring some money to defend yourself if you intend to travel to Japan.

13. Choking chopsticks when eating

You can play with your chopsticks at home if no one is paying attention. Use them to fight swords, make a drum stick or even . poke in the nostrils, that is your right. However, if you do that in Japan, you don't respect the owner or the people who invite you to eat.

Also, do not use a chopstick to break food, poke it or use chopsticks.