Customs that seem odd to Westerners...

[~Aurora~]

What are some Japanese customs that just seem bizarre to us as westerners? I don't remember half of the ones I used to know, but some of the ones that I vaguely do recall:

-You NEVER blow your nose in front of other people. Worst case scenario and you can't leave the room, you turn around and move as far away from other people as possible. I suppose I already actually do this, but my friends would be stoned to death in Japan (they find it normal to blow their nose at the table when we're all having dinner together).

-You never wear shoes inside the house, and you change your slippers going into and out of the bathroom.

Meh, I don't remember any more right now. Someone else post!

 

[vee2x_paradox]

People actually wear shoes in their house?

...Well, a custom I find weird there is on the whole name system thing. Say it the wrong way to the wrong person and your screwed. I know it's just an equivalent of being polite and saying one's respective titles, but it seems you can't even say casual names to your own peers.

 

[~Aurora~]

I wear my shoes in the house, usually... though it depends on the house. In my dorm room I usually wear slippers (but then, I also walk around campus and stores in my slippers, even if I'm on my crutches that day), but in my mom's house I wear shoes unless I'm lying in bed, and then I put slippers on as soon as I get up. Other people's houses I don't think I ever take my shoes off, unless everyone else does.

Another thing that's a bit weird to us: most Japanese schoolchildren go to school for at least part of the day on Saturday. I would cry. I need 2-3 days to recover from school on the weekend.

 

[vee2x_paradox]

Oh right. Yeah their whole school hours are much longer. All of their schools have required uniforms right? Private or not?

 

[phantomness]

Amen to the half day of school on Saturday. I'd hate to suffer that...

 

[Velveteen]

XD MANY Western customs are very strange to us right back! WHY would anyone ever wear shoes inside the house? Spitting- so rude! And even the political and social views, especially concerning families and other people. It took a very long time to get used to the "Western style" cultural norms.

 

[Velveteen]

XD MANY Western customs are very strange to us right back! WHY would anyone ever wear shoes inside the house? Spitting- so rude! And even the political and social views, especially concerning families and other people. It took a very long time to get used to the "Western style" cultural norms.

 

[Perxio]

The vending machines.

http://www.photomann.com/japan/machines/

Some of them seem really handy or just really cool (dude: ramen. vending. machines. I'm not a fan of ramen noodles, but that's just cool).

 

[Hyatt]

(Crystal Clair in an anti-Japan mood)

Amen to the half day of school on Saturday. I'd hate to suffer that...

Dang! I hear different versions of that. First it's "schools in Japan used to have half day school on Saturday in the 80s, but only a few schools do it now" from one site on the internet. Then my encyclopedia (which was written in the 80s) says "school is held 5 1/2 days a week" and then I hear from a friend who went to Japan once but didn't live there that "school is held 5 1/2 days a week.
@_@

Oh right. Yeah their whole school hours are much longer. All of their schools have required uniforms right? Private or not?

Required yes. However, many of them look really cool like the sailor fukus. I'd die of pleasure if I could wear one to school but I cant find them in any stores. T_T someone told me to check a military uniform store but I haven't gotten around to it.

Reguarding the day length
I heard the high school students go to school the longest

School starts at 7:45, and finishes at 15:50.
The third years stay for another class until 17:05.

17:05 is five freggin PM In my school, the seniors get out at ONE PM
btw, what about high school social life? I see in anime it gets dark right after they get out. What about EXCERSIZE! Outdoor hobbies! I know they have gym but jeez! What about spending quality time with your family outside in the park.
*shakes head in disgust*

Japan's a bit overrated

And Japanese neighborhoods look so weiiird. In my neighborhood (which is very varied) we have houses with trees and nice lawns. Sometimes people have chain-link fences and some have picket. On my block, it's just the road, no sidewalk, loads of trees and houses which range from average to big. Lots of hills too.

But when I look at Japan, neighborhood are little varying. The streets seem so freggin narrow (I live right by New York city so I understand having narrow streets in older neighborhoods because back then there were little car traffic. But many of these streets look only 40 years old at the oldest. And what about pedestrians? Is there some sort of speed limit on these streets? Are they "no thru traffic"? Because that's understandable. And some of the houses I've seen are so close together. I know Japan has a space problem but so does my town. We barely have any property left but we have decent property sizes. And about the close together, what if the houses are so close together that it becomes a problem to maintain the outside. What about when they paint the house? You need a little more room than three feet to paint a house (although that question should also apply to the people who have houses two inches from each other in my town (the older sections)).

Oh yeah, one more thing. The weirdest thing about Japanese neighborhoods, all the wals they have around thier houses (sorry about my spelling, my hands are twichting). My mom told me it's as if the Japanese are members of the mafia and have them around their house so people wont drive by and shoot them. I know that's not true though, XD. I heard that they are simply property boundreis. But to be honest, like many things about Japan, I'm mystified.

Oh yeah, what about those Japanese houses where they keep all the paper screens open. What about the mosquitos and the animals that could potentially cause a mess? Unless they have no mosquitos in Japan.....
O_O if that's true then wow, just wow

 

[The Pig King]

I've found all of the bowing somewhat strange. If you see someone older than you, bow your head? If you see someone important, fully bow?

 

[toaster]

I've found all of the bowing somewhat strange. If you see someone older than you, bow your head? If you see someone important, fully bow?

i do that and i'm australian. LOL
my dad is always telling me off.
when i see someone older i nod my head and to someone important i bow halfway.
*it's addictive*

 

[Adamant]

XD MANY Western customs are very strange to us right back! WHY would anyone ever wear shoes inside the house? Spitting- so rude! And even the political and social views, especially concerning families and other people. It took a very long time to get used to the "Western style" cultural norms.

*raises hand* American bedding is bizarre as as hell. I mean, why do you need all that crap? Two pillows, extra blankets, comforters and bed skirts and God knows what. Blah. Duvets and single pillows ftw.

 

[offkilter06]

I think it's funny to talk so strange about Saturday classes, because I had school on Saturdays every other week for my Jr and Sr year of high school. It really wasn't that bad

 

[Moon Light Princess]

Japan is actually one of the places I want to travel to one day in the future. But, I am having second thoughts.

There is quite a few things I find weird. Like school on saturdays for one. That's basically my only free time I have to myself and when I can finally sleep without having someone interrupt my deep sleep. I also read that students have to walk or ride their bikes to school since they don't have buses and since they can't drive.

As for the food, I think I would rather live off of noodles. Some of the other food doesn't really appeal to me.

And the bowing. There's, like, a certain way you have bow to a person with a certain social status or age. I'd hate to see what would happen if you don't bow to someone who is older than you with a high social status.

But, I still think it might be an interesting place to travel to.

 

[Dogasu]

-You NEVER blow your nose in front of other people.

That's funny...I see people do that all the time. In fact, I'd probably even say that it's more common here than it is in the States.

...Well, a custom I find weird there is on the whole name system thing. Say it the wrong way to the wrong person and your screwed.

Eh...if it's obvious that you're a foreigner, they'll be a lot more lenient on you. It's not that big a deal.

Oh right. Yeah their whole school hours are much longer. All of their schools have required uniforms right? Private or not?

None of the elementary schools I've been to have had uniforms, but middle school and high school students all have to wear uniforms.

17:05 is five freggin PM In my school, the seniors get out at ONE PM

1:00? When I was a senior in high school, we got out at 3:00 like everyone else.

btw, what about high school social life? I see in anime it gets dark right after they get out.

In the winter, yes. But in the spring/summer, it doesn't get dark until much later.

But when I look at Japan, neighborhood are little varying. The streets seem so freggin narrow

[...]

And some of the houses I've seen are so close together. I know Japan has a space problem but so does my town.

I guarantee you that your neighborhood isn't suffering from the same space problems that Japan has. The country is roughly the size of the state of California, yet it has 127.4 million people living in it (the actual state of California, by contrast, only has about a third of that amount...37,700,000).

I also read that students have to walk or ride their bikes to school since they don't have buses and since they can't drive.

Yeah, but they often live close enough that it's not that big a deal.

And even when you do live far away, it's not all that bad. The school I'm teaching at now is a 40 minute bike ride away (one-way). I knew this before my first day and dreaded the commute, but it actually isn't all that bad. You get used to it.

Plus, it's great exercise.

 

[QuietDragon]

>>>Oh yeah, one more thing. The weirdest thing about Japanese neighborhoods, all the wals they have around thier houses

We have those where I live in Saudi too. I like them. ^^;
But the annoying thing is when boys JUMP and climb over them, no matter how high they are. Yeesh. Usually to fetch balls they threw in by accident...

Hm. I can't think of any customs I find too weird. ^^;

 

[Lesley_GSC]

*raises hand* American bedding is bizarre as as hell. I mean, why do you need all that crap? Two pillows, extra blankets, comforters and bed skirts and God knows what. Blah. Duvets and single pillows ftw.

I'm an American, but I agree with you. I guess we like our comfort factor too much.

As for me, I have some questions about one Japanese Religin,
but I'm keeping it to myself in fear of starting an argument.

 

[Mega-Markario]

That's funny...I see people do that all the time. In fact, I'd probably even say that it's more common here than it is in the States.



Eh...if it's obvious that you're a foreigner, they'll be a lot more lenient on you. It's not that big a deal.

QUOTE]

Just to clarify Dogasu, you live in Japan, are you Japanese? or did you move out there? Just curious, sorry </off topic>

<on topic> I find the amazing tea drinking ritual fascinating and saki!

 

[SilveryBeing]

Fugu. To each their own but yeesh, why? And since they're are restaurants in NYC that prepare and serve fugu I guess I can ask that question of my fellow Americans too.

And isn't it the yukata where you have to wear it a certain way because the other way is for the dead? Chalk that up for being odd and confusing.

I can't think of anything else. I've semi-studied Japanese culture since it was an interest to my father, I guess I've gotten used to a lot of things westerners would think where weird. My actual college studies taught me about the "evils of egocentrism", and so that has gotten to to think about other cultures without being judgmental, for the most part.

Oh, and the extra bedding thing. A lot of Americans are either from northern countries or reside further north. We're talking 20 below zero or more (less?) weather is the norm in the winter and things such as insulation and heating are rather new comparatively. You had to have extra pillows and blankets to stay warm, and even then you might need to grab a few extra blankets to cover your two comforters (been there, done that). It also saves on heating bills. And where such things aren't really necessary they have become more customary. And the bedskirt now a days is to keep things looking neat by hiding all the crap you shoved under your bed. Originally I hear bedskirts (and table skirts) where made in the Victorian Age, they used to think men where so out of control that even an inanimate leg would drive men to lust. The skirts where made to prevent any "unnatural union between man and furniture." Thank you National Geographic Channel.

 

[Hyatt]

And isn't it the yukata where you have to wear it a certain way because the other way is for the dead? Chalk that up for being odd and confusing.

both the yukata and the kimono, in fact that applies for all traditional Japanese clothing. I read about it in my anime clothes guide book (great book btw). I got a little too into it though. If I saw anyone wearing a robe/kimono the dead people way, I'd either criticize them of being unauthentic or more do something else.

Another custom I find funny is the gym clothes that female students wear. Seriously, it feels a little weird doing gym in an open school yard with all my leg exposed. In my school, we wear shorts. I personally will never make girls in my Japan-set manga wear them. I'll pull a Cardcaptor Sakura and do bike shorts.

Also Dogasu, about that population problem in Japan. It reeeeally helps that you added to the population by moving there (joking, I swear, I couldn't resist)

Just to clarify Dogasu, you live in Japan, are you Japanese? or did you move out there? Just curious, sorry </off topic>

Dogasu isn't Japanese, he just got a teaching job there. I forgot what country he's from. One time I thought England, then Australia, and Virginia for some reason. Now I want something clarified