13 Ways of Life of the Japanese That Are A Little Weird to the West

There are many rumors and stories about the “quirks” of Japanese life. And if you are lucky enough to visit the Land of the Rising Sun, be prepared to follow the local rules of conduct: don’t expect to be invited to a Japanese home, wait to get home to throw your rubbish off the street and, any, wipe your nose in public. Oh yes, and don’t waste your time trying to convince them of your vegetarian beliefs: they’ll still offer you some meat.

O awesome.club compared some points of view on life in the West and life in Japan: it seems that these are 2 parallel universes that will not intersect any time soon. Check out!

A few years ago, many Japanese women followed the European trend of dyeing their hair in brown tones, or even doing blonde highlights, but now the trend is to leave their hair natural and black. According to the guidelines of some institutions, by the way, students from some schools and universities must always have their natural hair color. If the color, however, is not black, they need to show some proof that their hair has not been dyed, such as photos from when they were children.

As far as the colored hair we see in many Japanese, this is a more specific niche reserved for anime fans and cosplay🇧🇷

Inviting even a close friend to visit your personal space is quite unusual as people from this country are naturally more reserved. When they want to meet, the Japanese prefer to have meetings in public places. There is no habit of simply going to a friend’s house to visit him, for no reason, or to avoid boredom. You need to have a good reason to knock on someone’s door.

The food culture in Japan is quite rigid and respected almost spiritually. The Japanese have a habit of appreciating and revering the process of eating and therefore will not eat while walking down the street. Not to mention that the rules are so strict, it is perfectly acceptable for you to drink some juice or soda near vending machines that sell sandwiches and drinks. Eating snacks or meals on public transport is also discouraged, but if you’re traveling long distances, such as between cities, then that’s fine.

Even in the most chaotic traffic situations you can imagine, it is very unlikely to hear horns on the streets of Tokyo. When stuck in traffic jams, local citizens tend to behave decently, patiently and don’t like to disturb other cars with their horns. Many peoples of the West, on the contrary, have a certain need to relieve daily stress and show their dissatisfaction with traffic by honking the horn as hard as they can in the same situations.

The local cuisine doesn’t quite understand that there are people who don’t like meat. In almost every dish (if not all) there is some ingredient of animal origin. Even plain noodles are usually boiled in a beef broth, so be careful. Even if the dish appears to be vegetarian and you only see vegetables in it, it is still quite possible that its preparation was not so vegetarian after all.

If you start wiping your nose, or sneezing, in front of someone in Japan, it’s like you’re cursing them or saying you don’t respect them. This is due to the evident fear of contamination. If anyone on site has the flu or a runny nose, he or she will certainly wear a protective mask. What’s curious, however, is that while the Japanese have this wary relationship with colds, they don’t see any problem with sucking and making noise when eating ramen.

Because of the harsh working conditions in Japan, people rarely have the time (and energy) to enjoy their favorite activities, hobbies, sports or travel. If a Japanese person works traditional hours, that is, more than 60 hours a week, his free time is almost nil. Usually, in many Western countries, it is common to go out after work, relax with friends in the evening, or do various activities. This is definitely not a habit in Japan.

You must not perform someone else’s work in the Land of the Rising Sun. After all, each work activity has been assigned to a specific person who is responsible for that function. So, if you decided to mail the letter instead of the clerk or pick up the trash from the floor instead of the garbage man, this can be seen not as a help, but rather as a “statement” that you are trying to take the rightful place. of that person in society. As exaggerated as that may seem.

In Tokyo, there are almost no garbage cans on the streets and people have the habit of throwing garbage in piles that are later collected by special employees. This is due to the fact that in the early 2000s, dumpsters were often used for detonating bombs. As a result of such attacks, many people died.

Many Japanese, therefore, prefer to store their garbage until they get home, and then throw it away. Smokers only smoke in specific places, so there are no problems with cigarette butts thrown on the floor.

In Japanese society, a “crooked” look or a brief hand shake will not go unnoticed. Any change in tone of voice will be followed by the question, “Did something happen?” People here can read between the lines, sometimes without a word, and understand the whole situation, requests or desires of those around them.

A foreign woman can prove her love to a Japanese man for a long time, but he will understand that he is really loved only when she makes, for example, tea according to a special family recipe, or when she slices the fruit beautifully just for he. The secret is in the details, which for many of us go unnoticed. And the fact that the woman left her own country, her friends and family, will not necessarily serve as a proof of love.

The ideas of patriarchy are still very strong in the country. Officially, they are not widespread, but everyone has the common sense of thinking that a woman’s place is taking care of the house and family. If a woman decides, however, to focus on her professional career, she needs to be prepared to (most likely) be paid less than a man in the same position. That is why many Japanese women open their own companies to establish adequate and convenient working conditions for themselves.

There is also the other side of the coin: after marriage, power over the family and home is usually assumed by the wife. She controls everything, even the amount of money her husband can spend on a daily basis. Here there is the practice (uncommon for many) of the family man transferring his salary to his wife, who will control the expenses.

Going out with the boss to the bar has become a tradition in this country. It is believed that this strengthens professional relationships. Employees feel almost forced to follow the norm: many are afraid of being fired if they choose to decline the invitation.

Of course, if someone doesn’t want to go, no one will force him. However, if you really have to decline the invitation, it is necessary to do so following the rules of Japanese etiquette so as not to offend the boss, who normally invites all employees to have fun on their own.

If there is an office custom of working extra daily, a particular employee will work a few extra hours without any complaints, but these hours are usually unpaid. The salary of many workers is proportional to the time that person has been in the company, and not so much dependent on their individual merits. So you can do one task a day or prolong the same task for a few days, just showing that you are working hard every day. The vast majority choose the second option.

Could you live in such a country? Comment!