Культура Японии

  Japanese Table Manners

Itadakimasu and Gochisosama

In Japan, you say "itadakimasu" ("I gratefully receive") before eating, and "gochisosama (deshita)" ("Thank you for the meal") after finishing the meal.

Chopsticks

The proper usage of chopsticks is the most fundamental element of Japanese table manners, and therefore, we have assigned them a separate information page.

Chopsticks are used to eat most kinds of Japanese foods, with some exceptions. Some of the most important rules to remember when dining with chopsticks are as follows:

• Hold your chopsticks towards their end, not in the middle or the front third.
• When you are not using your chopsticks, or have finished eating, lay them down in front of you with the tips to left.
• Do not stick chopsticks into your food, especially not into rice. This is only done at funerals with rice that is put onto the altar.
• Do not pass food directly from your set of chopsticks to another's. Again, this is a funeral tradition that involves the bones of a cremated body.
• Do not spear food with your chopsticks.
• Do not point with your chopsticks.
• Do not wave your chopsticks around in the air or play with them.
• Do not move plates or bowls around with your chopsticks.
• To separate a piece of food in two, exert controlled pressure on the chopsticks while moving them apart from each other in order to tear the food. This takes some practice. With larger pieces of food such as tempura, it is also acceptable to pick up the entire piece with your chopsticks, and take a bite.
• If you have already eaten with your chopsticks, use the opposite end to take food from a shared plate.

Knives and forks are used for Western food only. Spoons however, may be used with certain Japanese dishes such as donburi or Japanese style curry rice. A Chinese style ceramic spoon is sometimes used to eat soups

Some Table Rules

• Blowing your nose in public, and especially at the table, is considered bad manners.
• It is considered good manners to empty your dishes to the last grain of rice.
• Talking about toilet related and similarly unappetizing topics during or before a meal is not appreciated by most people.
• Unlike in some other parts of East Asia, it is considered bad manner to burp.
• After eating, try to move all your dishes back to the same position they were at the start of the meal. This includes replacing the lids on dishes and putting your chopsticks on the chopstick holder or back into their paper slip.

Drinking rules

• When drinking alcoholic beverages, it is customary to serve each other, rather than pouring your own beverage. Periodically check your friends' cups and refill their drinks if their cups are getting empty. Likewise, if someone wants to serve you more alcohol, you should quickly empty your glass and hold it towards that person.
• While it is considered bad manners to become obviously drunk in some formal restaurants, for example in restaurants that serve kaiseki ryori (Japanese haute cuisine), the same is not true for other types of restaurants such as izakaya, as long as you do not bother other guests.
• Do not start drinking until everybody at the table is served and the glasses are raised for a drinking salute, which usually is "kampai". Avoid using "chin chin" when drinking a toast, since in Japanese this expression refers to the male genitals.

 

Japanese names

Name order:

In Japan, like in China and Korea, the first name follows the family name. A person with the first name "Ichiro" and the family name "Suzuki" is, therefore, called "Suzuki Ichiro" rather than "Ichiro Suzuki".

Family names:

Most Japanese family names consist of two kanji (Chinese characters). The meanings of many of the kanji used in family names are related to nature, geographical features or locations, for example, mountain (yama), tree (ki), rice field (ta), island (shima), village (mura), bridge (hashi), between (naka), below (shita) etc. Some of the most common Japanese family names are Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka and Watanabe.

First names:

Japanese first names also commonly consist of two kanji. The meanings of those kanji are often positive characteristics such as intelligence, beauty, love or light, names for flowers, the four seasons and other natural phenomena, or the order of birth (first son, second son, etc.).

Not seldomly, the gender of a person can be guessed by the ending of his/her first name. First names ending with -ro, -shi, -ya, or -o are typically male first names, while names ending in -ko, -mi, -e and -yo are typically female first names.

The names of foreigners are usually written in katakana.

Titles:

The Japanese commonly address each other by last name. Only close friends and children are usually addressed by first name. In addition, people rarely address each other just by name, but usually attach an appropriate title to the name. There is a large number of such titles depending on the gender and social position of the person you are addressing. Some of the most frequently used titles are:

• san: (for example Sato-san)  
  This is the most neutral and famous title, and can be used in most situations. Only in formal situations, san may not be polite enough.
• sama: (for example Sato-sama)  
  This is a more polite form of san, commonly used in formal situations and letters, but too polite in a casual context.
• kun: (for example Yusuke-kun)  
  This is an informal title used for boys and men that are younger than yourself.
• chan: (for example Megumi-chan)  
  This is an informal title used for young children and very close friends or family members.
• sensei: (for example Sato-sensei)  
  This is a title used for teachers, doctors and other people with a higher education and from whom you receive a service or instructions.

Giving Gifts

In Japan, gifts are given on many occasions:

Oseibo and Ochugen  
Twice a year, in December and in June, it is common for co-workers, friends and relatives to exchange gifts. The gifts are called Oseibo and Ochugen respectively. On average, they are worth about 5000 yen and may be food, alcohol, household items or something similar. The gift giving seasons coincide with company employees receiving a special bonus in addition to their monthly salaries.

Temiyage and Omiyage  
In order to thank somebody, one often presents a gift (temiyage), such as Japanese sweets or sake. Similarly, when a Japanese person returns from a trip, he or she bring home souvenirs (omiyage) to friends, co-workers and relatives. In Japan, tourist sites are generally surrounded by many omiyage shops specializing in souvenir gifts, often in the form of beautifully wrapped and packaged foods.

Birthday and Christmas  
Gift giving on birthdays and Christmas is not originally a Japanese tradition. Due to the strong influence from the West, however, some families and friends exchange gifts also on these occasions.

Gifts are given and received with both hands. There are a few rules about what not to give, since certain gifts in certain circumstances or a certain number of gifts are believed to cause bad luck.

Sitting techniques and rules

Sitting techniques

Most Westerners are not used to sitting on the floor, however, in Japan sitting upright on the floor is common in many situations. For example, meals are traditionally held on a tatami floor around a low table. Sitting on the floor is also customary during the tea ceremony and other traditional events.

The formal way of sitting for both genders is kneeling (seiza) as shown on the picture below. People who are not used to sit in seiza style may become uncomfortable after a few minutes. Foreigners are not usually expected to be able to sit in seiza style for a long time, and an increasing number of Japanese people themselves are not able to do so either.

In casual situations, men usually sit cross-legged, while women with both legs to one side. The former sitting style is considered exclusively male, while the latter is considered exclusively female.

Seating order

The most important guest sits on the honored seat (kamiza) which is located farthest from the entrance. If there is a tokonoma in the room, the guest should be seated in front of it. The host or least important person is supposed to sit next to the entrance (shimoza).

Doing Business in Japan

Business Meeting Etiquette

1. Casual American-style attire is still uncommon in the Japanese business place. You should dress appropriately for the occasion when meeting your counterparts on business.
2. When sitting down to a business meeting with your Asian counterparts, the seating arrangement will be determined by the status of the participants. Do not just sit anywhere; as the guest, you will be directed to the appropriate seat.
3. As a general rule, the highest ranking person from the host side will sit at the head of the table. Then, other people will take their seats starting from the seats closest to him and working to the other end of the table. Those of higher status sit closest to the "head honcho".
4. You should stand at your seat and wait for the top guy to tell you to be seated. Then, when the meeting is finished, wait until he has stood up before standing up yourself.
5. Non-alcoholic drinks will probably be served at the beginning of the meeting and they will be distributed in the order of descending importance of recipients. You may want to wait for the top guy to drink from his glass before starting on yours.
6. Gifts are always appreciated. Consider bringing a small souvenir that represents well your hometown to give to your host. Don't be surprised if your hosts give you something from their country too. If the gift is wrapped, don't open it until you leave. If the gift is not wrapped, make sure to express copious appreciation (whether you like it or not). Ask some questions about the gift to show interest.
7. You may want to take notes during the meeting. This will show that you are interested and will be appreciated by your hosts. However, you should make certain never to write anyone's name in red ink (even your own) and so carry a black or blue pen.

Social Interaction

1. Your hosts may bring up the idea of getting together socially later. This may be a sincere invitation to dinner; it may just be polite banter. Do not be offended if an invitation turns out to have been just talk and don't aggressively bug your counterpart about when you can get together. He may not say "no" directly so you might need to read from his body language what he really wants.
2. If you do go out for dinner, keep in mind that "going Dutch" is not normal in Japan. If you're the buyer, you'll likely be in for a free evening of entertainment. If you're the seller... well, if you were a local, you'd probably be picking up the tab. However, it's not quite this simple since your hosts may still insist on paying because you are a visitor in their country. Also, it is normal for the inviting party to pay.
3. In all cases, if your host is planning to bear the dinner expenses, make at least a meek attempt to pay. Don't worry... he won't let you. But even your insincere attempt to pick up the tab will have looked good. And, you can offer to pay for his dinner when he visits your home country.
4. Japanese are unlikely to invite you into their homes. It is normal for dinner meetings to be held in restaurants. Also, it is common to extend an evening's entertainment by going out to a coffee shop (or a second round of drinking) after the meal. If your host has paid for the meal, you might want to consider being even more pushy about paying for the coffee or drinks. But be careful! In some settings (especially where hostesses are involved), drinks can get very expensive.
5. Japanese are liable to ask you questions that make you uncomfortable, such as your age. You don't have to answer, but at least be gracious about it. They are certainly not trying to be offensive; it's just that some questions you would consider rude back home are not necessarily impolite in the country you are visiting.
6. Japanese love to drink alcohol with and after dinner. If you don't drink... well, that's a strike against you. You should try to drink. But if drinking is completely out of the question, make up an excuse and be ready to explain it several different ways and times. Your hosts may push you to drink and you should be careful not to get angry.
7. If alcohol is served, DO NOT drink from the bottle. You should pour the beverage into a cup or glass provided and then drink. Tipping is not customary in Japan and you don't have to do it.
8. When eating with your hosts, try to eat some of everything and look like you are enjoying the food. If there are certain kinds of food you don't like, it would be helpful to alert your hosts to this before they choose the restaurant or the meal. They'll appreciate hearing that you like their food

 

Социальное  взаимодействие

1. Ваши хозяева могут принести от идеи собираться социально позже. Это может быть искреннее приглашение на обед, это может быть просто вежливым стеб. Не обижайтесь, если приглашение оказывается были просто разговоры и не агрессивно ошибка вашего коллегу о том, когда можно собраться вместе. Он не может сказать "нет" прямо так что вам надо, чтобы читать из его язык тела, что он действительно хочет.
2. Если вы выходите на обед, имейте в виду, что "будет голландский" не является нормальной в Японии. Если вы покупатель, вы, скорее всего, ждет свободный вечер развлечений. Если Вы продавец ... хорошо, если бы вы были местными, вы, вероятно, быть собирание вкладки. Тем не менее, это не совсем так как эта простая хостов могут по-прежнему настаивать на оплате, потому что вы гость в их стране. Кроме того, это нормально для приглашающей стороны оплатить.
3. Во всех случаях, если ваша машина планирует нести обед расходы, сделать хотя бы попытку кроткие платить. Не волнуйтесь ... он не позволит. Но даже ваши неискренней попыткой забрать вкладка будет хорошо смотрятся. И, вы можете предложить, чтобы заплатить за обед, когда он посещает свою страну.
4. Японцы вряд ли пригласит вас в свои дома. Это нормально для ужина заседания, которое состоится в ресторанах . Кроме того, он является общим расширить развлекательные вечера, выходя в кафе (или второго тура питья) после еды. Если ваш хостинг заплатил за еду, вы можете рассмотреть вопрос об их еще более напористый об оплате кофе или напитков. Но будьте осторожны! В некоторых местах (особенно там, где хозяйки занимаются), напитки могут быть очень дорогими.
5. Японцы ответственность задавать вам вопросы, которые делают вас неудобно, типа вашего возраста. Вы не должны отвечать, но по крайней мере, не помилует об этом. Они, конечно, не пытаюсь быть наступательной, это просто, что некоторые вопросы Вы рассмотрели бы грубо домой не обязательно невежливо в стране, который вы посещаете.
6. Японцы любят употреблять алкоголь с и после обеда. Если вы не пьете ... ну, это удар против вас. Вы должны постараться, чтобы пить. Но если пить полностью может быть и речи, составляют оправдания и быть готовым объяснить это несколькими различными способами и времени. Ваши хозяева могут подтолкнуть вас пить, и вы должны быть осторожны, чтобы не сердиться.
7. Если алкоголь подается, НЕ пить из бутылки. Вы должны налить напиток в чашку или стакан при условии, а затем выпить. Чаевые не принято в Японии, и вам не придется это делать.
8. Во время еды вместе с семьей, попробуйте съесть немного обо всем и посмотреть, как вы наслаждаетесь пищей . Если Есть определенные виды пищи, которую Вы не любите, было бы полезно, чтобы предупредить хостов к этому, прежде чем они выбирают ресторан или еду. Они будут рады услышать, что вы, как и их пища