Tag - manners

 
 

MANNERS

The Japanese word "hanami," literally means “flower viewing.” But, a hanami gathering is more than that: It can be a picnic, a drinking party or an occasion to read poetry.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 15, 2024
We invite you to get ready for this year’s cherry blossom parties
Asking people to a party is made easy in Japanese with a few basic sentence structures. Taking your leave from a party is just as simple.
The “dogeza” position is used for the sincerest of apologies and it was deployed by the man who mistakenly ruined an attempt at a Guinness world record on live television.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 9, 2024
The year so far has been marked by some good and bad apologies
A social norm seems to persist in Japan that one should apologize first and explain later. That goes for companies as well.
While harsh comments from older generations can sometimes be seen as rude, consider instead that they’re often trying to teach us something they hold on to.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 26, 2023
A survival guide for your first Japanese-style at-home New Year’s
Meeting your partner’s Japanese family for the New Year’s holidays? Here are some do’s and don’ts for an ‘oshōgatsu’ success story.
The typical priority seat section on a Japanese train will be well marked in numerous languages.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 8, 2023
The priority seats: Are they fair game on an empty train?
Japan is a society with many unspoken rules. Are you aware of the norms that govern your place of business?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 2, 2023
Sorry to say, apologizing in Japanese isn't always such a big deal
From bumping into a stranger to making amends for a past wrong, it's important to know how to apologize in Japanese.
Japan Times
Cartoons / ZERO GRAVITY
Mar 4, 2023
Roger Dahl on the art of bowing
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 5, 2023
The etiquette guru who broke up with a boyfriend over text
Shanghai etiquette teacher Sara Jane Ho offers practical advice for a new, global world on Netflix's 'Mind Your Manners.'
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2022
Return to a maskless world still fantasy for Japan
Some feel that much of the motivation for wearing face coverings now simply comes from wanting to fit in with the crowd with 'appropriate behavior.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 25, 2022
How to put your best foot forward when stepping into a Japanese tatami room
You get an invite to your landlord's place, which is great. However, now you have to navigate the etiquette rules of the tatami room they will entertain you in.
Japan Times
Cartoons / ZERO GRAVITY
Sep 17, 2022
Roger Dahl on basic train manners
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2020
How COVID-19 is killing good manners
With social distancing now part of everyday life, simple actions like shaking hands may be consigned to history.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2020
School for Takarazuka Revue trainees abolishes harassment-like rules
School officials said although they still plan to maintain discipline, they have decided to scrap the rules in consideration of growing awareness over harassment issues.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2020
'Everyone else is doing it': Social conformity a top motive for Japanese to wear masks
A team of psychologists surveyed 1,000 people and found that the top reason for wearing masks was because everyone else was doing so.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2020
Japanese customs: A go-to guide in this brave new coronavirus world?
Some experts say the country's customs and social habits, such as wearing face masks during seasonal flu outbreaks, might play some role in hindering transmission of the virus.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2020
'Coronavirus harassment' surge suggests growing panic in Japan
In the age of the COVID-19 outbreak, the sight of someone coughing in public has become a frequent cause for suspicious stares, altercations and even maltreatment at work, leading to the emergence of what has been dubbed by Japanese media as "corohara," or coronavirus harassment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2020
Japanese dad tackles train etiquette with a badge to show he's willing to give up his seat
Scenario: You are congratulating yourself on having snagged a seat on a crowded, early morning Tokyo train, when out of the corner of your eye you spot a woman standing nearby who appears to be pregnant.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Dec 7, 2019
The sound of silence
'That guy's eating a bowl of soba without making any sound whatsoever.'
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Nov 9, 2019
You shall not pass (without first needing to disturb me)
'And then there's those people who crowd around the barriers at the entrance to a park and scowl at you for asking them to let you pass as if you're disturbing them.'
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2019
Toilet manners and traffic jams are top concerns amid Japan tourism boom, say local governments
Traffic jams and tourists' manners are recognized by many of Japan's tourist destinations as major issues that need to be addressed amid the sharp increase in foreign visitors in recent years, a government survey showed Wednesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 12, 2019
The crush is coming: Make peace with the train
One false move on the Tokyo transit system can lead to a nasty lesson in survival of the slickest.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores