Some Japanese Culture

Many of you may wonder what culture is actually like in Japan. How is food, school, relationships, etc. handled in this amazing country? Well, I have decided to list a few (or maybe not a few) things that you may be interested in.

1. Bowing
Think of how often you casually say `hi` or wave to somebody. Pretty often, right? Well, now think of bowing instead of doing those two things. Yep, in Japan everybody bows at almost every occasion. Saying hello, goodbye, thank you, your welcome, excuse me, congratulations...everything!
Then you have to think about how low to bow and for how long. When I am saying thank you to a cashier in a store, for example, it can be just a quick nod. But when we visited the temple in Tokyo and you greet the people there, it is a `bend-at-the-waist-for-five-seconds` kind of bow. The easiest way for me to remember is if the person seems of a higher class or level than me, I bow lower and longer.

2.　Baths and Showers
The Japanese think of bathing as a time of relaxation. A small but deep tub (you can`t stretch, only sit) is filled with boiling hot water that you let cool for about 15 minutes. There is a sink, stool, and bucket in the same room (the toilet is in a completely different room) and you use these to give yourself a sponge bath. Afterwards you sit in the tub for as long as you want (except that since my family always lets me go first, I try to be quick) to relax.
Many western style hotels have a real shower, and even my family has a sort of spray nozzle on the wall that I use to wash my hair. Most people, though, have just remained using the sponge bath routine.

3. Shoes
Most houses in Japan do not have carpets. Either you have a hard wooden/linoleum floor, or a tatami mat (like straw) floor. Due to the whole lack-of-carpet thing, when you enter a house you take off your outside shoes and put on slippers. My host mother told me they help keep your feet warm and socks clean. On tatami mat floors, though, you only wear socks because even slippers can damage the flooring.
The toilet room has its own private slippers, which you must NEVER wear outside of the room (a rule I learned on the first day).

4. Sitting
In most restaurants and western hotels, you sit at a regular table with chairs. In your home, though, you will almost ALWAYS sit on the floor to eat, using flat pillows and a low table. Men may sit however is comfortable for them, but women must sit with their legs tucked under or to the side. In Japan, sitting cross legged is very rude (except if you are in a casual place like sitting in the grass at the park). At first my legs were always getting numb from sitting so awkwardly, but now I have become used to sitting.

I hope this gives you a little bit of an idea of how many things are different here. Another thing: Mom, you were wrong about Japanese roads. People DO drive on the left, not on the right (big shock for me!). Please check out the link (click on the title) for info about Japanese food.