2009年11月26日木曜日

Bad Manners in Japan


I introduce bad manners in Japan. First I introduce them about greeting. I think there are customs to greet in most countries, but how to greet is different. In Japan, if you meet seniors, teachers or boss, you need to bow and say “konnichiwa”, “ohayogozaimasu”, and etc. If you wear a hat or a cap, you have to take off it. When you leave, you should say “sayonara”. You also need to be respectful and use good grammar when you talk to them. We call the grammar “keigo” in Japanese. For example, when you say “go” in Japanese, we usually say “iku”, but in case you say that to them, you should say “mairu”, or “ukagau”. Then, I introduce table manners. In most countries, people mustn’t hold a plate, but in Japan, we prefer to hold it and hate not to do and to eat approaching our face to foods because it’s like dogs. You need to say “itadakimasu” before eating, and you need to say “gochisousama” after that. They are thankful words to foods and people who made them. When you use toothpicks in Japan, you should cover your mouths with your hands. If not, you may be thought rude. In addition, there are a lot of manners in Japan. For examples, we mustn’t yawn and rest our chin on our hands in public, and we mustn’t wash our bodies in a bathtub.