Surprising Japanese Cultures

Posted on June 26, 2007 by Nene

I have learned some things about Japanese culture that really surprised me because they are completely different from my culture.

Food

Unlike in my country, slurping while eating is considered good table manners in Japan. In fact, it signifies that you have a strong personality. But if you don’t do the slurping they will consider you weak and shy. The slurping is also their way of telling that the food is delicious.

Bathing

There are many ‘onsenA hot spring, often used for bathing. Bathing facilities are often, but not always, communal. May be outdoor or indoor. ’ or hot springs around Japan. Japanese like to soak in a hot spring all naked, without any piece of clothing. They put a small towel on top of their head which can be used to cover their genitals when getting out of the water. Commonly, public hot springs are gender separated but there are also mixed baths. If you are not comfortable being naked in front of other people, you can have "kashikiri" or private bath, which is available at some Japanese hotels. Private baths are sometimes also known as "kazokuburo" or family baths.

Bathing at home in Japan has some special procedures. They take a bath usually every evening. Before they enter the bath tub, they have to clean themselves while sitting on a low stool, they can shampoo and drench themselves with hot water. After they soak, they don’t drain the water on the tub because somebody will use it again.

Once, when I watched a Japanese movie, I was surprised because a father and his two young daughters were taking a bath at the same time. I have learned that young children usually bathe with their parents in Japan.

Language

Even though English schools in Japan are spreading like mushrooms, most of the Japanese people still don’t learn English language because of the fact that they don’t need English for their everyday living. They are using their own language in any field of endeavor.

Manga

Whenever I'm in a train or bus I usually observe Japanese people reading Manga, or comic books. Manga readers come in all ages from schoolboys to retired men. I learned that there are categories of manga, depending on the age of desired audience. The manga industry in Japan has such a great impact on Japan’s market. When I browsed some bookstores, I noticed there are many racks of manga. My husband told me that Manga is Japan’s culture.