I take public transit to Tofugu World Headquarters every day, and in the couple of years I’ve been commuting, I’ve seen people commit every faux pas in the book, and generally do some stupid, stupid things. I’ve watched people step in front of moving vehicles, spit on other people, and generally disregard all rules of [...]
Japan can be a strange and interesting place for first time visitors. Japan has different customs, traditions, and some things that may seem normal in your home country may be the total opposite in the land of the rising sun. Since I’m sure not all of you live in America, Japan’s customs listed below might [...]
Told you they’d be back. It’s been a little while since the last Baka Gaijin post, but today I’d like to explore the world of Japanese tea ceremonies. For such a simple little ceremony, they can be pretty intimidating and a bit confusing to the uninitiated. Fortunately for you, though, we’ll be learning about some [...]
Japan is a delightful place to get your drink on. The drinking age is 20 and public drinking and intoxication are perfectly legal. Not surprisingly, alcohol is a huge part of Japanese culture. Proper drinking etiquette was briefly touched on in my Japanese Etiquette: How to Save Yourself from Embarrassment in Japan post, but I [...]
Did you know that it is extremely rude to rub your chopsticks together? If you’ve ever considered a trip to the land of the rising sun you’ve probably done some research on proper Japanese etiquette. Many daily customs are significantly different from those of the western world. Hopefully this compiled list of proper manners will [...]
For better or worse, a large percentage of Japanese people spend more time in bars and “izakaya” (Japanese style pubs) than with their own families. That means that going to one of these places will arguably give you more chances to learn Japanese than if you actually had a host family (in some cases not [...]
A lot of people ask about bowing in Japan, and what they should do if they ever visit or live in Japan. Now, bowing in Japan is so deeply ingrained in culture and society that it’s not something people really think too much about (unless you’re in business, but we’ll talk about that in a [...]
