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politeness

Mr. Sato is sorry for not taking your compliment well

Our reporter’s done a lot of work on his outside. Now, it’s time for the inside.

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How do you say ‘Google it, you trash’ in British English? Answer surprises many in Japan

People in Kyoto and England have more in common than previously thought. 

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Japanese politeness is a myth: One person’s tale strikes a chord with people around the country

There’s one place in particular where Japanese people aren’t just not polite, they’re downright rude.

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Japanese restaurant puts up sign that every waiter and waitress has always wanted

Being rude here is going to cost you.

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25 ways Japanese politeness can get on the nerves of Japanese people

There is such a thing as being too courteous, and an online survey ranked the 25 most common examples of just that in Japan.

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Just when you thought you knew it all – 17 life-changing lessons learned in Japan

When you first set foot in Japan, it’s hard not to be impressed by the efficiency and social order. The streets are clean, trains run on time, and the people are quiet and polite, yet possess enough of the bizarre to be intriguing (cosplay, line-ups for chicken ramen-flavored ice cream or Lotteria 5-pattied tower burger anyone?).

Living in Japan, or even just visiting, can be a life-changing experience. No one returns to their country the same person as when they left. Here are some of the things that make such an impression on foreigners, they cause us to think a second time, and alter the way we think, act, or view the world. In short, they prompt us to make life changes. Just when you thought you knew it all…

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Who has better manners? Blogger lists three things foreigners do that impress even the Japanese

One of the first things you notice when you visit Japan is how nice and polite everyone seems to be. Shop staff bow to you, people greet you in the hotel lobby, even the guy at the combini sprints across the store to open up the second register when there’s more than one person waiting to be served.

But spend any prolonged amount of time here and you’ll realise that there are plenty of rude people here too (just like in the rest of the world…). And there are even a few niceties we in the west generally perform as a matter of habit that just aren’t part of the Japanese way of doing things.

So just how are Westerners unintentionally schooling the Japanese in manners?

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