it's like saying 'sorry to bother you' or 'pardon me', - #97083617 added by anonymous at England

Reply+51

(07/10/2013)[-]

Brits think they got it bad? I think it's nothing compared to anime&manga fans going to Japan and making complete fools of themselves.

#203 to #46 - anon id: f70d7a74

Reply0

(07/10/2013)[-]

They don't even need to go to Japan to do that. They make fools of themselves, pretty much wherever they go

#132 to #46 - spankyy

Reply+2

(07/10/2013)[-]

I want to visit Japan because of how beautiful it looks in anime but I feel i'll be disappointed :S

I suppose I am a minority though? I have been actually looking into their culture and how to act in public so I don't make an ass of myself. I have to say it's gonna be hard. Seems things that make you stick out in public are kind of a no-no in Japan. Where as in America, making an ass of yourself is a natural pastime. Also, the no tipping thing will really feel unusual. I feel wrong if I don't leave a tip for a waiter/waitress here. Over there it's considered rude apparently :S

#159 to #132 - ruebezahl

Reply+4

(07/10/2013)[-]

It depends which anime you watch. I have been in areas of Japan where I felt that they looked exactly like something out of a Miyazaki movie. The nature in Japan IS extremely beautiful. And the "traditional" areas (e.g. the temples) look quite exactly like what most people would imagine. On the other hand, some anime doesn't look like Japan at all. And for example for "Howl's Moving Castle", Miyazaki copied the cityscape of Colmar in France.

From a cultural point of view, it can be quite difficult. Japan is a very ritualistic country with a lot of (unwritten) rules. And as there are not a lot of foreigners in Japan, many things that are normal to foreigners might seem exceedingly strange to Japanese. On the other hand, I have found the average Japanese to be immensely forgiving of foreigners' mistakes. I have been told for example that Japanese don't really expect foreigners to be experts with chopsticks (though you still shouldn't expect to get a fork or a spoon in a restaurant in Japan, unless it's for soup or curry).

Just don't expect anyone to speak English. Yes, most younger Japanese do speak English, but they feel it is less rude to pretend that they don't speak English than to try and fail at helping you. To most westerners, it would be the other way around. Japanese are inherently helpful (an old security guard once left his post in front of a department store for me to show me the way to the Sony Tower in Osaka, probably risking his job), but they prefer not helping at all over doing a half-assed job.

And yes, don't try to tip. It would be very insulting. People in Japan are generally proud of their jobs, even if it is a menial, stupid or pointless job. Tipping seems to invalidate this pride.

TL;DR: Go to Japan. You will not regret it. I still consider it a real adventure. And I would recommend Kyoto, as it is a very traditional city.

#161 to #159 - spankyy

Reply0

(07/10/2013)[-]

I was thinking Kyoto or the ever popular Tokyo.

Yeah I have been trying to learn Japanese so I don't need to rely on English when i'm over there. Also been practicing with chopsticks. I'm alright with them, but my ring/pinkie get really tired trying to maintain the stability of the bottom chopstick. I workout like 3-5 times a week (depending on how busy I am) and yet I can't hold a chopstick while I eat without taking a break every now and then.

#163 to #161 - ruebezahl

Reply+1

(07/10/2013)[-]

I know how that is. My wife's japanese, so aside from annual trips to Japan, we do eat Japanese food fairly often. I should be used to the chopsticks by now, but from time to time, my hands still cramp up.

Try both Tokyo and Kyoto then. They are fairly different from each other. And it will give you a chance to take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto. Take that train in the morning and ask for a "yamagawa" (mountain side) seat, i.e. a seat with a view of Mount Fuji. If you are lucky and the weather is right, then on the way, you will also see many small valleys where the morning mist is still hanging between the forested slopes. Quite breathtaking.

Oh, and if you learned some Japanese, then you already know the most important magic word: "Sumimasen". Like I said, Japanese might be a bit reluctant to help foreigners, but once you got their attention with a friendly "sumimasen", they are forced to help you out of sheer politeness.

#283 to #163 - spankyy

Reply0

(07/10/2013)[-]

I know I learned that word but can't quite remember what it means? (I've been using random videos concerning Japanese culture & Rosetta stone to learn Japanese, that word was mentioned in one of the videos regarding japanese culture).

#362 to #283 - anon id: 2e1fcf3e

Reply0

(07/10/2013)[-]

it's like saying 'sorry to bother you' or 'pardon me', that kind of thing, it's just to get a persons attention before you ask for something

#390 to #362 - spankyy

Reply0

(07/10/2013)[-]

ahh ok, thank you.

#121 to #46 - anon id: ff992fc1

Reply0

(07/10/2013)[-]

it fun to watch