Customs (Japan)

Advantages: A great adventure
Disadvantages: Leave that handkerchief at home!

...of Japanese gift culture and customs but it's still as well to be aware of their existence. As a visitor, you're quite likely to receive small gifts from people you are introduced to and you are not necessarily expected to give anything in return in those circumstances. Once when I went in to a bank in a small town to change some money I was served personally by the manager (probably because I was one of the few foreigners they had ever encountered ...
...presented with a gift-wrapped wind chime at the end of the transaction. Don't expect to receive that sort of treatment in Tokyo or any other big city though! If you visit people at their home or if you are taken out somewhere as a guest you should certainly go armed with some gifts. I would advise against giving anything too extravagant as it may embarrass the other person but the Japanese do appreciate designer goods and famous brands. When Japanese ... Read review

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: None

Further to Kame401's opinion on Weddings in Japan, there are a few more important bits of information you should remember when attending a Japanese wedding. 1. The "reception" in Japan is called a "hi-ro-en". This is the occasion where you should present your money. Japanese men traditionally wear black suits with white ties to these occasions (NEVER EVER wear a black tie as this is only worn for funerals) but it is highly unlikely your hosts will ...
...If you are not immediately related to the family and are simply a work colleague or casual friend, the absolute maximum you should give is 20,000 yen. Any more would be seen as an embarrasment. If a number of you from the same company are attending a friends wedding, one easy way of doing it to throw all the money in together and say it is from all of you. 3. The giving of crisp bank notes is correct but you should never give two notes as this defies ... Read review

Advantages: understand about hostess bars
Disadvantages: For the broad minded

An evening out in Japan In Japan there is the custom of entertaining its male and occasionally female customers in a hostess bar. A hostess bar, is a bar and lounge where the customers pay per hour and can drink as much as they like for that hour. A pretty and elegantly dressed lady will sit beside you. She will laugh at your stupid jokes or comments and fawn all over you. When your time is up business cards maybe exchanged between customers ...
...the hostess and try to secure a date outside working hours. It is not uncommon for these ladies to become mistresses of rich and powerful businessmen. Payment for the evening is often on a company's expense account, but with the bursting of the bubble economy these are declining. After the bill has been settled then the customer is escorted to the door, into a waiting cab and home to the loyal wife. Prices start from 5,000 yen. I have been ... Read review

Advantages: become knowledgeable about this topic
Disadvantages: there is a darker side to Japan

The other Japan .....after dark I am sure that you have all heard about how hard working the Japanese people are, family orientated, honorable, kind, company oriented, crowded lands, high school hell etc. Well, when the sun goes down there is another side of Japan that wakes up, the sleazy male dominated entertainment industry, such as a strip club. Strip clubs are all the same around the world you may think, but not in Japan from my own personal ...
...the best of their ability and throw themselves, body and soul into it, the strip club industry is much the same. In Tokyo you can pay 6000 yen to enter such establishments and 3000 yen in the countryside. Most of them are quite small and dirty - which is quite unusual in Japan, where cleanliness is next to the Budda or yen. The Japanese lady will be on stage for a twenty to thirty minute routine and a smile will only be matched by her enthusiasm. ... Read review

Advantages: Understanding Pachinko
Disadvantages: Gambling

Pachinko - a recreational game If you were ever asked to list the most popular recreational activities in Japan, what would it be? Probably sports such as baseball and soccer, karaoke, video games, movies, bowling etc. well with 18,000 halls in the country and one quarter of the population said to enjoy the odd game (30 million) pachinko is at the top of the list. Neon lights, smoke filled rooms, loud music and a row of customers seated with ...
...comes from the word "pachi-pachi" meaning the clicking of small balls. The origin is not clear but it would seem that the game was modeled after the American game called Corinthian, which was first imported into Japan in the 1920s. Pachinko was first played commercially in Nagoya in 1948 and its popularity spread across the country. Pachinko is best described as a mixture between pinball and slot machine. The game machine looks like miniature ... Read review