Japan Unwritten

What you need to know about smoking in Japan There was recently a viral TikTok video that had shown a Japanese man angrily scolding an Australian couple for smoking at a ski resort in the mountains of Japan. But that isn’t the only instance. More and more natives are confronting tourists in Japan for smoking where they are not supposed to. Top Sign: No smoking in the elevator For the Japanese people their society and the community they have built around their culture is sacred. They take great pride in the fact that the people who live here abide by the rules written and unwritten. It is ingrained within each Japanese person that they are a single part of a whole who is responsible for how the society operates. And for the most part, they have chosen harmony. When people see tourists, from their perspective, ignoring the rules many feel personally affronted. Even if it is a person or a few people sitting by themselves having a smoke and enjoying their evening. And while most people wou...

Japan had beaten Germany 2-1 in the world cup in 2022 in Qatar which surprised many. However, the story coming out of that world cup was not just of Japan winning soccer games in miraculous ways, but also how the Japanese fans stayed after the game and cleaned the stadium. It made headlines all over the world, brandishing attention and surprising everyone at the concept. Which was this, you ready––clean up after yourself. Mind blown. What a concept! The crowds around the world discovered for the first time in history that if you picked up the trash around yourself you would be clean. Yes. That is sarcasm. Japanese Trash Cans When you come to Japan, you are going to notice how clean the city streets, the countryside, and all in between are. But here is the kicker; trash bins or cans are few and far in between––some even say they are a myth (<--- this part is a joke, there are trash cans I talk about them later). Allow me to elaborate further, there are almost no public trash cans an...

Valentine’s Day in Japan Valentine's Day and White Day's Origin Imagine if the roles were reversed on Valentines Day. Where the ladies of the relationships were the ones who had to make the moves, and the men didn’t have to pretend they forgot or “aren’t good at this sort of thing.” Valentine's Day in Japan is exactly that.  After the end of the second world war a western style chocolate company called Mary's in Japan introduced the idea of Valentine's Day. They started the association of February 14th as a day for women to give gifts to the men they like. The men got to see how popular they are by comparing how much chocolates they got from different people. And the women get to feel empowered because they get to take the reins and initiate something if their crush wouldn't get the hint. Or that was the idea back then. The tradition further became popularized by other companies and it became a full fledged commercial holiday. The holiday later evolved into some...

Gestures in Japan In many cultures our hands tell stories. From saying hello to a friend, to getting a thumbs up from a parent. Gestures are the easy way to communicate a thought or a feeling. Japan is a culture that values harmony and respect. A gesture here is worth a thousand words. Tourists do what they can to learn the basics of a language before traveling. But sometimes the words don’t immediately come to mind. Below are five useful gestures that would be good to know to get around when the words in Japanese fail us. Cultural Side Note. People in Japan avoid speaking in a direct or frank manner. When two people talk to each other they try to broach the subject of sensitive topics in a way that seems gentle. This is to avoid making the other person uncomfortable. No one in Japan wants to be seen as aggressive or confrontational. People speak indirectly rather than speak on something directly. One example of this kind of scenario is if a customer wants to return something. It might...