Culture Spark

During this trip, I had several noteworthy experiences regarding Japanese culture:

Train etiquette:
This involves priority seating for the elderly, pregnant women, women with babies, individuals who are injured or have disabilities, and... those with broken hearts.

Also, there are railway or subway cars that have a designated time where only women can ride on them. This was implemented to prevent women from getting sexually harassed/molested on the trains and subways. During the busy time of day, if you were to get harassed or molested, you would not be able to identify the culprit when there is a large volume of people surrounding you trying to get to their respective destinations. Good job, Japan!

Restaurants and Service:
In restaurants in Japan, after you are seated, you order, get your food, eat... or should I say, indulge in your food, pay, and go off on your merry way. Did I leave something out in that process? Yes! TIPPING! There is NO tipping for service in Japan! The service is beyond excellent... EVERYWHERE!!!

Compared to my experience eating at restaurants in the U.S., after I am seated, I order, get my food, eat my food (sometimes indulge), get asked "How is everything tasting?" (generally), to which I usually respond, "aosdnfnfoenv" because I have food in my mouth.

The waiter/waitress refills my drink (usually water), we wait for the check, pay, and tip. Culture dictates that we tip more for good service and less for bad service. Things would be a lot easier if there was just good service everywhere!


Something especially noteworthy would be the display cases of fake food outside most restaurants that shows you, in beautiful detail, what the restaurant serves. Yes, fake food! It is an art form, really. It makes the experience much easier to know what you can expect from a restaurant before you even step foot into it. This way, there are no tricks or surprises, everything is on the table, literally. Itadakimasu!

In terms of drinking culture, when drinking in a group, I remember that someone is supposed to pour you a drink. Usually, if your cup or glass is empty, someone will pour you more sake (or whatever you are drinking). If you are a light weight like me, make sure your glass is at least half full when you do not want to drink anymore... or else you will welcome the next morning with a hangover! Careful Senseis!


Eco-Friendly Nation:
While walking the streets of Sannomiya, Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Akashi, and Kyoto, I noticed that the streets were incredibly clean, save for a few fallen leaves serving more-so as decoration of a beautiful landscape. Truly spectacular!

 

Again, truly noteworthy!

-Hoang