5 things you must not do when you visit Japan | Guidable - Your Guide to a Sustainable, Wellbeing-centred Life in Japan

5 things you must not do when you visit Japan

By Guidable Writers Aug 6, 2017

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If you are planning to visit to come to Japan in this summer vacation, no matter which place you are going to, I really recommend you to read this article, as this article is going to explain the things that you must not do in Japan. If you want to visit Japan and give the local Japanese people a good impression, follow these five rules!

 

 

1. Don’t tip when you are at the restaurant!

Maybe it may sound to you that paying tips are very normal, but in Japan, money can’t buy someone’s heart. Instead, you should keep yourself in a good manner when you talk to the waiter when you enter a restaurant. You might just want to make your waiter happy, but even if you give him or her your money, he or she would not feel anything or in the worst case, take it as an insult. In Japan, the culture of tipping does not exist. Therefore, you do not need to tip your taxi driver, waitress or hotel bellboy. Remember that in Japan, your attitude is the most important thing! Don’t be rude to the people who are serving you, as it will really give them a bad image and they might not want to be nice to you.

 

 

2. Don’t eat and drink while you are walking!

This is more like an advice for you, but I really think you should not eat and drink when you are walking because you will find it very difficult for you to find a rubbish bin. You might want to sightsee the local places of Japan while holding your food in your hand, but keep in mind that there are very few garbage bins in Japan. If you eat something while you are walking, you need to keep your garbage with you for the whole trip, as in Japan; you can barely find a garbage bin in Japan.

 

 

3. Don’t throw your trash into the recycle bins!

In Japan, it is really strict where to throw your rubbish bins. It is extremely hard for you to find a rubbish bin, but it does not mean that you need can throw it away on the street. You can also find the recycle bins, but those bins are for you to split your waste of plastics and paper. You should not randomly throw your trash into the recycle bins, because Japanese people are really concerned with the environmental issue, and separating the trash is a very important in Japan.

 

 

 

4. Don’t talk loudly on the train!

No matter in what kind of places, you cannot talk loudly with your friends no matter how excited you are. Especially in the trains, people are expected to be quiet. If you talk too loud in the train, you will disturb the people around you. Usually, the people in Japan are really exhausted by the time they get on the train. If you speak in the train in a loud voice, it will be really disturbing to the people. If you take the train at night, you will find many people sleeping on the train. Having worked for more than 8 hours, they really want to have some sleep. So try not to disturb them!

Also, don’t sit on the priority seat because those seats are made for elderly and disabled people. It is okay to sit on the priority seat, but bear in mind that you should give your seat to the others when you find someone who needs your help.

 

 

5. Don’t enter a bathtub without cleaning your body

I think you might get the chance to enter Japanese Onsen, which you will get a chance to take a bath with many people. Before you enter the bathtub, you must take a shower. It is really dirty if you don’t do so. It is written as rules in most of the Onsens, so you should follow the rules there. Before you enter the bathtub, you should make sure that you have cleaned all your shampoos. Also, tie your hair and don’t let your hair touch the water! If you go to Onsen it is really a good chance for you to talk to the local people and make many friends, so make sure that you are following the basic rules!

 

These are the rules that you need to follow when you come to Japan. If you do these things when you come to Japan, it will definitely give local Japanese people a bad image. If you want to keep a good relationship with Japanese people, you really need to follow these rules. Leave a comment in the comment box below this article if you have any concerns about the custom or rules in Japan!