Chopsticks are the basic eating utensil of Japanese food. The food should be lifted, not stabbed, and with the right form you can soon be lifting even individual peanuts with ease. The various no-noes definitely include not using the sticks to move a dish and wandering around with sticks while deciding what to have next. A good understanding of Japan's chopstick culture will surely enhance your enjoyment of Japanese cuisine.
The Japanese people are entirely accustomed to the notion that the taxi door opens automatically but this system is rare in other countries. Although it looks automatic, there is, of course, a manual lever which the driver operates. The use of an automatic door became popular for its safety as well as convenience. We explain everything about Japanese taxis from how to hail a cab to the system of fares.
It is well-known that in Japan you must take off your shoes when going into a house. Many Japanese people wear slippers inside, but even these must be removed when entering a room that is floored with straw mats in the traditional Japanese manners. Foreign visitors are often also baffled by the use of a different pair of slippers in the restroom. Why is this done? It is said to be related to the history of Japanese housing.
The Japanese love the buckwheat noodles known as soba. Served cold as Mori Soba, they are dipped in a broth and slurped up from that. Although noodles are eaten in many countries, this way is truly distinctive. Foreigners are also likely to be astonished by the sight of people drinking sobayu, the water in which the noodles are simmered. Then add the fact that the eater is expected to make slurping noises! It seems very bad mannered but is believed to make the noodles taste better.
Foreigners accustomed to sitting on the toilet are often troubled by how to use the Japanese squat toilet, which is raised on a platform. Should they even sit on it? No, it's not for sitting on - the two-tier design is intended to make the squat toilet easy for both men and women to use. The program also features the latest high-tech sitting toilets with various hygienic and even daily health-checking mechanisms. The toilet is becoming a place of truly diverse functions.
The Japanese people do bow to each other a lot. It is common even to see people bowing while talking on the phone. Why do the Japanese bow so much? Bowing started as a gesture of presenting the neck, one's weakest part, to a person with high status, and grew from that into a display of respect. The respect stays the same whether the other person can see you or not. So, if the respect is heartfelt, the bowing comes naturally even on the telephone.
The Japanese see the bath as a place to soak away the day's fatigue. The bathroom has both a tub and a washing space beside it. You wash before getting into the tub and the whole family uses the same bathwater without emptying and refilling it. The water is kept warm for the next person by putting a lid on the tub. All sorts of things go in with the water. On May 5th, Children's Day, iris leaves are added to the bathwater as a prayer for the children's healthy growth. On the winter solstice, whole yuzu citrons float in the tub. There is an old saying that there is nothing like a yuzu bath to warm you up in winter.
Sushi is now well-known as one of the representative Japanese foods. The slices of raw fish laid on slabs of vinegared rice can be savored at high class restaurants. How can people eat such food with their hands? Well, it may be high class fare now but, in the old days, it was Japan's equivalent of fast food and sold on open stalls. The custom of picking it up is a relic of those days. You are, of course, welcome to use chopsticks if you prefer.
The business card, called meishi in Japanese, is indispensable when doing business in Japan. Every time people meet for the first time, they start with an exchange of cards. The card gives you the person's name, title, company and contact details. There are rules about how to exchange cards properly. The younger or junior person should present his or her card first, and cards should be presented face up and the right way up for the recipient to read them easily. It is typical, too, to put the cards that you receive in a row on the table for easy reference, in order to prevent embarrassing mistakes.
The flat square cushions known as zabuton might appear at first sight to be placed haphazardly on the straw mats of the traditional Japanese room. Each is, however, positioned according to etiquette, with the pattern facing the front, for example, in order to receive the guests in the most welcoming manner. It is considered rude to move them around at will or tread on them. When kneeling on a cushion, you should place your knees onto it gently one at a time and face to the front.
The furoshiki is a square piece of cloth that is used to carry or store objects in a bundle. It is big enough to wrap around items of almost any shape and keeps out the dust and dirt very nicely. There is a tradition of using attractive patterns, so it could be used as a wall hanging, too. The heavy-duty fabric is thin and light for easy folding in a pocket or handbag when not in use. It is a convenient piece of tradition to carry around.
The Japanese bars known as izakaya serve a range of small dishes as well as drinks. They normally bring one standard dish to every customer as you arrive. Called the otoshi, it gives you something to nibble on while waiting for your order and also serves as a sort of confirmation that your order has been received. You have not asked for it but are generally expected to pay, even if you send it away. You could regard it as a kind of table charge.
One of several Japanese customs that display particular deference to guests and the elderly is the order in which people sit at the table or elsewhere. The place of honor goes to the guest or oldest person present etc. and the lowest seats to the hosts, young and so on. The top seats are the quiet ones furthest from the doorway, where there is least disturbance from other people moving around. The bottom seats are by the door. There is also a seating order in cars. In a taxi or chauffeur-driven car, the top seat is the one behind the driver and the front passenger seat ranks lowest. In the case of facing seats on a train, the top seat is the one by the window facing forwards and the rear-facing aisle seat is the bottom one.
The traditional Japanese room is a multi-purpose space that serves as the living room, bedroom and study. Large closets (called oshi-ire) built into the walls are used to store bedding, clothes and furniture for rearranging the room at will. Moisture-absorbent straw mats (tatami) cover the floor and the rooms are divided by wooden-framed translucent sliding paper screens (shoji). The alcove (tokonoma) serves as a decorative space for flowers or hanging scrolls.
Japanese traditional cuisine includes a wide range of ingredients from both sea and mountain. The equivalent of a full-course meal consists of a large number of small dishes served in sequence, which eventually make the table very full. Why do it this way when it would be simpler to serve it all on bigger plates? The idea is that every dish should be timed for when it is most delicious. The abundance of tiny dishes is also related to the custom of eating with chopsticks.
Japanese people of both sexes and every age group are familiar with the Radio Taiso (Radio Exercise) routine. The stretching is performed to command to the accompaniment of a piano. NHK broadcasts the program daily, both morning and afternoon, to encourage listeners to keep their whole body in tip-top condition. The movements are all simple in themselves and suitable for people of any age.
Gestures, like language, are a communication skill that varies from one land to another. In European cultures, for example, people typically point to their chest to indicate themselves. The Japanese point to the nose. This comes from the fact that in writing, the Chinese character for "self" originally meant the "nose".
Many bars and restaurants in Japan often display replicas near their entrances of the dishes that they serve. These replicas, fashioned from resin and so on, look just like the real thing. They are a Japanese idea for visually stimulating customers' appetites.
Many newcomers to Japan are puzzled by the black thing that is found in the traditional Japanese sweets known as wagashi, wondering whether it is safe to eat. That black thing is an - a paste made from adzuki beans that have been simmered with sugar. They are a vital part of many traditional sweets, imparting much of the flavor. Wagashi are becoming popular amongst younger people amid the present health fad for low-calorie foods.
Many foreign visitors to Japan are astounded by the constant stream of announcements at Japanese railway stations. And there is no let up once people have boarded the train. On the platform, the announcements mention the imminent arrival and destinations of trains. As people are boarding, there are announcements urging them to mind the closing doors. And inside the train, there are announcements mentioning the forthcoming station, and the side on which the doors will open. The railway operators feel they are serving passengers through all of these announcements. The announcements might be one of the reasons why Japan seems to cope with its hectic and crowded rush hours.
Sake, the alcoholic drink produced from fermented rice, has a growing fan club outside of Japan. The selection across Japan is vast. It is unusual compared to other drinks in that it can be savored at a wide range of temperatures, anywhere from around 5°C to about 55°C. Chilling sake makes it softer, while warming it amplifies the bouquet and palate. Heated sake is served in small cups, and should be poured initially in a thin stream, then a thick one, and back to a thin one, in a motion referred to as "mouse's tail, horse's tail, and mouse's tail".
The Ryokan is a traditional style accommodation facility in Japan. Many of these hotels and inns are built in a Japanese style and treat the guests with Japanese hospitality. Tatami - mat rooms are their standard feature. The matting allows a room to be put to various uses. The room can serve as a dining area in the evening, and once the table has been cleared away, the staff will lay down the futon bedding which converts the room into a sleeping space. Timing is everything. The Nakai or "chambermaid" will watch the guests to determine when these transformations should take place. She will not only serve the food, she will also be knowledgeable of the tourist spots in the area. Make a point of speaking to your Nakai - she can make a holiday more enjoyable.
If staying at an old-style Japanese inn, a ryokan, you will normally find that a simple, cotton yukata robe has been placed in your room. This garment started out as a bath robe but it is now usual to change right into one and use it as casual attire. It is offered to help you feel relaxed during your stay. You can wear your yukata not only to the bath but also elsewhere around the ryokan at night and when strolling around the neighborhood. It is typically available in three sizes, S, M and L, and is worn in almost the same manner by men and women with the right side inside. The obi belt goes around the man's waist or just below the woman's bust. The yukata will help you enjoy the full Japanese feel of a ryokan.
Hot spring bathing facilities, called onsen in Japanese, can be found all over the country. These are natural springs where the water is warmed by geothermal heat and said to contain various substances that are good for the body. The color, aroma and effects of the waters vary from place to place, depending on the balance of sulfur, sodium and so on. We are told that there are over 30,000 hot springs nationwide.
Japan's Shinto shrines are dedicated to a wide range of spirits of the ancient animistic religion. Shinto teaches that spirits reside in every part of the natural world, including fire, water, earth and the trees. Japan has more than 80,000 Shinto shrines, which people visit to pray and give thanks for such blessings as safety, prosperity, good harvests and large catches at sea.
The Japanese love green tea. Tea was transmitted to Japan from China some 1,300 years ago and adapted to Japanese tastes through the development of various distinctive production processes. Unlike Oolong and black teas, which are brewed from fermented leaves, green tea is made from fresh leaves. It is highly fragrant and has a pleasing astringent flavor.
The bento is a fixed item on your typical Japanese day trip such as a picnic, a packed meal carried in a bento box for eating outdoors or elsewhere. Its history dates back to the 16th century when outdoor tea and cherry blossom viewing parties became popular. The bento contains Japonica rice, which tastes good cold as well as hot, plus a number of small side items that are also equally good hot or cold and known to keep well.
If you buy a drink from a vending machine in Japan, the machine is quite likely to say thank you as you collect your purchase. Rice cookers and other kitchen devices talk as well, and some refrigerators blurt out a warning when their door is left open. Talking machines are no rarity in Japan. Some people say that the Japanese are less reserved than people of Western cultures about giving human characteristics to their machines.
You'll often see short cloth curtains hanging over shop, bar and restaurant doorways in Japan. These noren typically bear the name of either the establishment or the product it sells. They are hung up when the shop opens and taken down when it closes. It is an easy way to see if the shop is open.
Japanese is usually written with a combination of three different characters: ideographic Chinese characters called kanji, and the phonogramic hiragana and katakana characters. Venture out into a Japanese street, and you will see all three employed in signs and posters.
Yakumi is the term given to the condiments with healthful properties which appear on the table at mealtime. They are added to a dish to suit the diner's taste. Grated daikon (giant radish), for example, can be added to the dipping sauce for tempura, imparting a distinctive spicy flavour, as well as aiding digestion.
Paper is very much employed in the traditional Japanese home, e.g. in sh?ji, the paper-covered room dividers or sliding doors that open out on to a hall. Sh?ji use a particular kind of paper known as washi. Washi is fashioned from the lengthy fibres obtained from plants such as the paper mulberry (Broussonetia kazinoki x B. papyrifera), and the oriental paper bush (Edgeworthia chrsysanthia). The blend of such fibres produces a tough paper, which can also absorb dust, provide insulation, and filter out ultraviolet ray, in addition to other properties. The paper is also easily recovered.
The Japanese customarily give gifts to parents, relatives, work acquaintances, and others to whom they feel a sense of obligation in the summer and toward the year's end. The gifts given in July are referred to as ochūgen, while those given around December are referred as oseibo. Department stores set up special sections around those two times of the year where people can purchase such gifts. The department stores can also arrange for the delivery.
In Japan, a drinking establishment will often have a red paper lantern hanging out at front. Let's look at the reason for this custom. Chōchin are hand-held lanterns fashioned from paper-covered bamboo frames, illuminated by a candle. These lanterns, developed around the seventeenth century, provided a source of light to people when they ventured outside at nighttime. The paper was usually bleached so that the lantern could give off more light. But in due course, the lanterns also came to be used as shop signs, in which case they were often painted a conspicuous red. Hence the spread of the so-called aka-chōchin or 'red lanterns'. Many stores hang a red lantern at front, and the term has become synonymous with drinking establishments.
Nori refers to the paper-like sheets of dried seaweed, which is often cultivated. For many people outside of Japan, it might look like carbon paper, but it is an indispensable part of Japanese cuisine. Nori is usually sold in 25 centimetre squares. Ten billion sheets of nori are produced annually. It complements the staple of rice. It is commonly used to wrap up onigiri rice balls, which often appear in a Japanese lunchbox, and to wrap up sushi.
When a delivery person appears at the door, he or she will ask for a hanko . A hanko is a seal featuring a person's name. It is applied to documents to leave an imprint of the owner's name, indicating that you have confirmed something. A hanko is used in various other occasions, such as the workplace, to show that a person has perused a document. Nearly every adult in Japan possesses a hanko , which is used in lieu of a signature. Hankos come in a whole range of prices, from inexpensive, mass-produced models to pricey hand-carved ones fashioned from expensive materials.
Natto has a distinctive smell and becomes sticky, with gooey threads, when stirred with chopsticks. You might be surprised to learn that people eat it but it is a breakfast staple here in Japan, taken with a dash of soy sauce and stirred into a bowl of piping hot rice. Natto is made by fermenting boiled soybeans with a strain of the hay bacillus. The fermentation process makes the soy protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and other nutrients easier to digest and absorb. Natto is the consummate health food.
Japanese cell phones may has various functions beyond those of a telephone. They can send and receive e-mails, surf the Internet, take high-resolution photos. A special integrated circuit inside the phone makes it possible to buy things at the shop. The diversification of functions started in the late nineties. First up was Japanese word-processing software for simple e-mail composition. As the race heated up, manufacturers moved on through Internet access to music, game and other downloads. Many young Japanese would now be lost without their cell phone.
The Japanese landscaped gardens, often attached to temples and old houses, embody the Japanese view of nature. They recreate the grandeur of nature in a limited space by taking large stones as mountains and ponds as oceans or rivers. The most extreme form is the kare-sansui dry landscaped garden composed entirely of large stones and sand to depict scenes of outstanding natural beauty. Patterns on the sand represent ripples on the water, and large rocks mountains or islands, all according to the imagination of the viewer.
What does a Japanese restaurant manager do after a dreadful customer leaves? He scatters salt. Salt is more than just a seasoning in Japan. It has a ritual cleansing function and brings good luck as well. Unlike Europe and the US where salt is exacted from rock salt, Japan produced salt by boiling down the sea. That was hard, time-consuming work and it is no wonder that this precious salt came to be seen as sacred.
The combination of red and white are the celebratory colors in Japan. The venues for memorial and marriage ceremonies are adorned with red and white curtains, and hosts on happy occasions hand out red and white manju (steamed bean-jam buns), mochi (rice cakes), or kamaboko (fish cakes) to their guests.
Nabe is a style of cooking in which vegetables, fish, meat, and other ingredients are stewed in a pot. The ingredients are cooked at the dining table and shared by many people. The piping hot Nabe are especially popular during the cold season. The raw ingredients are placed beside the pot so the diners can add what they want as they go along. It is quite common to put in cooked rice or noodles at the end to make full use of the broth. Nabe became popular in the 17th century with the introduction of the portable stoves.
The oni is the havoc-wreaking bad guy, the ogre or demon of Japanese folk tales, often depicted with a horn or pair of horns on its head and sharp fangs in its mouth. It seems to be a composite monster drawn from Buddhist hell and demons, evil spirits of the Yin-Yang theory, and Chinese ghosts and ghouls.
People renting property in Japan are expected to make three down payments: one month's rent in advance, a deposit and also the so-called key money. The landlord keeps the deposit for use if the tenant defaults on payment of the rent or damages the property. If all is well, the deposit is returned when the tenant moves out. The key money is said to have started as a tip to the landlord, and it will not returned. In many cases, deposit and key money are each worth two months' rent, so you can find yourself paying the equivalent of several months' rent up front.