Anytime you visit a new place, it takes a while to adjust to the
new culture. Paying attention to even the slightest behavioral differences is
key to understanding the way people operate in a different country. In Japan, for instance, distinctions in
accepting business cards and greeting strangers can make un-informed visitors
stand out. These nine travel tips will help you easily navigate asian cultures on your next trip.
1. Greetings. It’s fine to appear shy when encountering a
new acquaintance or a shopkeeper, but casual indifference comes across as
rude. Upon entering a shop, seek out the eyes of the person behind the
counter and greet them (or at least nod and smile).
2. Bowing and handshakes. The subtleties of the Japanese
bow are beyond the reach of most outsiders—how deep, how long, the placement of
hands, etc. At the same time, only Westerns who look local will be
expected to know how to bow correctly, and the Japanese give points for any
attempt at good manners. If they’re familiar with Western habits, they may
shake hands, but if a hand comes out in your direction, be cautious: the proper
Japanese handshake feels limp to someone accustomed to the vigorous
grab-and-pump of the West, which variety may spark an uncomfortable laugh (see
below) or involuntary wince.
3. Shoes. In Japan, you do not wear outside footwear into
private homes or traditional hotels. (In 1924, the year Dreaming Spies takes
place, the first Tokyo department store created a hubbub by permitting street
shoes to be worn inside.) Wear slip-on shoes and good socks, since you’re going
to be leaving your shoes in a lot of entryways. Generally, slippers are
provided at the door, although socks are acceptable (but not bare feet—if it’s
sandal weather, carry a pair of socks with you.) Often you find a
different set of slippers outside the toilet door. Use them and be sure to
change back into the house slippers when you come out!
4. Business cards. Give and accept cards formally
and treat them with respect. Using both hands, read any card you have been
given, then place it carefully on the table in front of you or into your wallet
or case—never just stick it in a pocket. If you want to write a note on the
card, do so later, not in front of the person who gave it to you.
5. Laughter. Around the world, laughter is both a sign of
relaxed enjoyment and a way to conceal discomfort. Paying attention to the
difference between the two in your own culture makes it easier to tell them
apart in Japan. If a relative stranger, or someone in a lesser position
socially (shopkeeper, hotel staff) laughs, you’ve probably embarrassed them.
6. Bath. The communal bath (mostly single-sex) is central
to Japanese culture. Since the water is not changed after every use, all
require a scrub before soaking: there will be either showers or the more
traditional buckets for all-over sluicing.
7. Toilets. With heated seats, washing sprays, and even
buttons for tinkle-obscuring noises, these are an endless source of
entertainment for Western visitors. Freeway rest stops are shrines to the
toilet art, with flower arrangements, murals, and internal gardens. The
one thing they often lack is a means of drying hands after washing, so take a
small quick-dry towel, sold by travel shops, along with you.
8. Payments. If there’s a little tray near the cash
register, put your money there rather than thrusting it at the cashier.
9. Pay attention. This should be the basic approach to all
travel, but cannot be repeated enough. Paying attention to local behavior
amounts to a college degree in the culture. Do pedestrians here obey the
Don’t Walk signs or ignore them? Do they crowd in when a shop door opens
or neatly queue up? Wave their hands to attract the attention of a waiter
or sit attentively with their menus closed? Bargain or go by the price
tags? In some countries, hesitation and scrupulous manners can mean you never
get across a street and spend the whole trip hungry, but in Japan, when in
doubt, go for the formal and conservative, and emulate the locals in their
behavior. If they see you’re trying, you’ll receive fewer uncomfortable
laughs and more true smiles.
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