No Tipping in Japan

No Tipping in Japan

In general, there is no tipping necessary in Japan as in many establishments, there is already a ten percent service charge added to the bill.  Some workers are offended to be offered a tip because they do their job well and do not feel that a reward is necessary for doing their job.  The only exceptions that I’ve noticed are taxi drivers and tour guides.   I assume these workers are often offered tips from Americans and their resistance has been worn down.  On my first trip to Japan, I wasn’t convinced of this countrywide custom and was not yet fluent in the language of Japanese currency so I opened my hand with some change and the driver took no time in choosing the largest denomination coin I had, a 500 yen coin!

Tour guides are always appreciated for their knowledge of the local history, explanations of the customs, and entertaining anecdotes.  I’ve had conversations with fellow Americans and sometimes get clues from passengers as they leave the tour bus.  Some guides accept tips and some do not.  A tour guide with a wife and son to support would probably accept a tip but a retired person probably would not.  In other words, you should never feel obligated to offer a tip in Japan unless there was an extraordinary service that goes above and beyond their ordinary exemplary service.  You may be offending someone.

Refuse Refreshments Three Times

Refuse Three Times

When you are offered tea, you are supposed to refuse at least three times before accepting.  I learned about this custom the hard way.  I am a third generation Japanese American and have lived in Los Angeles most of my life.   When this Japanese woman and her husband stopped by, I offered them tea and the woman said, “No, we have to run other errands.”  They did not seem to be in much of a hurry to leave so I offered tea again, as I was thirsty myself.  She again said, “No, it’s okay.”  They finally left but we each felt something was amiss.  They didn’t get their tea and I later learned that you offer tea three times, they say no, and you pour them tea after the fourth invitation.  How was I supposed to know that?!

I spoke with my friend in Kyoto who confirmed this etiquette.  She said that if you are visiting a close friend, you would accept tea when asked, but if you don’t know the person well, you would refuse three times.  In Japan, a homogenous society, mothers teach their children manners.  Everyone is on the same page, so the couple was offended by my lack of hospitality.

Exchanging Gifts in Japan

Exchanging Gifts

Exchanging gifts is a way of life in Japan and they’ve been doing it for centuries.  Evidence the many shops at tourist destinations and the department stores; there are even stores that specialize in gift wrapping.  When I was putting together a box to send to my relatives in Japan, I had consulted several acquaintances and one item, lipstick, appealed to me because it would be easy to pack and didn’t weigh much.  My relatives had sent me a photo of a special birthday celebration at a spa resort and the men and women were in yukatas and all the women wore lipstick.  I asked a salesclerk at a beauty supply store if she knew what colors the Japanese like and she said that they like bright colors.  I think I packed about 15 tubes of lipstick in reds, plum, and rouge, some kitchen towels, cookies, and chocolate candy in the box.  When I met them in Japan, I realized they must have had a good laugh because no one was wearing lipstick!  I did not choose an age appropriate gift as we are all in our late sixties and lipstick is probably used only for special occasions.

Someone recently suggested quality kitchen gadgets such as can openers and peelers.  Practical items that are not easy to find in Japan seem to please them.  Every summer, I send them American cherries, which are always a big hit.  In the end, any thoughtful gift is appreciated.  (Business gifts are a whole different category.)

Business Etiquette

Business Cards

Business cards (meishi めいし) are considered extensions of the person and are taken very seriously in Japan.  If you are given a business card after the introductions and bowing, accept it with both hands or if inconvenient, with your right hand using your thumb and forefinger.  Take time to read it as it will probably be a bilingual card.  You may want to ask a question such as the pronunciation of the name.  Place it on the table in front of you.  Do not write on the card.  When the meeting is over, do not put the card in your wallet and in your back pocket as this is interpreted as sitting on the person’s face!  Instead, put it in your wallet or better yet, a business card case, and in a pocket above the waist.  Your Japanese hosts will remember how you handle this ritual and will appreciate your understanding of a highly meaningful protocol.

Seating 

The Japanese have a specific seating hierarchy worked out from samurai times when they sat on floor cushions.  In a modern setting, the highest ranking person will be seated at the head of the table furthest away from the door. It is best to wait to  be seated by the host rather than go to an empty seat. The internet is a great resource and there are plenty of books written on the subject of Japanese business etiquette.

Saying No

About 30 years ago, when I knew little about Japanese culture, I must have read an article about Japanese business practices and emphasis on team effort rather than individual contributions.  The article said something about their reluctance to say no.  I think I mentioned it as a fact, “The Japanese never say no,” to a couple of lawyers who stood near my desk, and they laughed.  Since then I discovered that the Japanese are so eager to please, they really do try hard not to say no.  At a business meeting, a boss may say “I’ll think about it,” and that probably means no.

An acquaintance might suggest meeting for lunch next week but you say, “It’s a pity, but I have an appointment on that day.”  This could mean that you have an appointment, or you don’t want to meet him for lunch.

Ramen, a Favorite Comfort Food

Ramen has enjoyed growing popularity in Japan since the early 1900s, and the invention of instant ramen by Momofuku Ando in 1958 gave it even more momentum.   There are over 35,000 ramen restaurants in Japan and in order to survive, they have to offer exceptional broth usually flavored with salt, pork bone, soy sauce, or miso.  The toppings can include egg, fish or meat, and vegetables. Different regions in Japan have their own specialties.

You may like the 1985 movie Tampopo (with English subtitles) to see how a widow enlists the help of a milk truck driver and his friend to transform her noodle restaurant to the best in town.

Koji sends me ramen occasionally. The broth is always delicious
Koji sends me ramen occasionally. The broth is always delicious.

Stop Signs in Japan and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Stop Signs

Tomare, 止まれ

Stop signs in Japan
Stop signs in Japan

From July 24 through August 9, 2020, the Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan, and Japan is already making plans to make the country more tourist friendly. One of their plans is to change all the stop signs in Japan from the triangle sign to the more common octagonal sign to help foreign drivers, but Americans may want to think twice before planning to rent a car. The Japanese drive on the left side of the road which is also common in India, Australia, England and former British colonies and a few other countries. Japanese roads are narrow and often congested. The availability of roadside parking is rare. Driving in rural and less populated areas may make travelling in a rental car easy, but in and around Tokyo a driver will be subjecting himself to enormous stress. Americans have been known to be issued tickets because when the speed limit on the expressway was posted as 80 km., Americans thought they could drive 80 mph. Eighty kilometers is approximately 50 miles.

Japan has the best train system in the world; trains are invariably on time and are clean and comfortable. Travel guides and agents will usually mention this fact when discussing transportation options to a tourist destination, and they usually recommend trains or the subway. Taxis are great if you are sharing the ride and the cost, and will travel a short distance, but the price of the ride is prohibitive for longer distances. As an example, a cab ride from the Kansai Airport to your hotel in Osaka could cost the equivalent of $140 compared to a train ride to a station in Osaka that would cost less than $10. In addition, when there is a toll charge for the use of the expressway, the passenger has to pay, not to mention suffering through traffic delays due to accidents and construction. Trains are definitely a better way to travel.

Rush hour in Japan

If at all possible, avoid the morning and evening rush hours in Tokyo. Those who have seen the videos and the professional people pushers wonder why they can’t add more trains. As my friend Koji explained, trains in Tokyo run every three minutes; in Osaka they may run every seven minutes. Adding more trains would jeopardize public safety. Areas outside of metropolitan Tokyo are less congested.

The good news is that by the time of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Japan will be ready to welcome more than 20 million visitors and tourists will have researched all the aspects of travelling in Japan, including, perhaps, learning travelers’ Japanese.

 

 

Shōgun and Sushi

In the United States in the 1980s, the NBC miniseries called Shōgun that ran for five nights between September 15 and September 19, 1980 was extremely popular and gave viewers a glimpse into the culture and history of feudal Japan in the 17th century.  The series is credited with the increase in Japanese food establishments, especially sushi restaurants, in the United States.

Sushi is fresh raw fish, octopus, shrimp or other ingredients pressed onto shaped vinegared rice offered with soy sauce, wasabi and ginger.  Sashimi is raw fish artfully presented with soy sauce and wasabi.

The downside to the global popularity of sushi is the diminished availability of ingredients due to overfishing.  For an insight into the importance of sushi in Japanese cuisine as well as the story of the revered chef Jiro Ono, I recommend the 2011 US documentary, “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.”

Sashimi from a restaurant in Nishiki Market, Kyoto
Sashimi from a restaurant in Nishiki Market, Kyoto
Fortunately, Taka Restaurant in San Diego serves wonderful sashimi
Fortunately, Taka Restaurant in San Diego serves wonderful sashimi
Nigiri sushi from Taka Restaurant
Nigiri sushi from Taka Restaurant
April 8 San Diego 044
Taka Restaurant served a wonderful dessert with fresh fruit and azuki beans

 

Department Store Food Floor

Many department stores use their basements as the food floor and you can imagine how convenient it is for workers to be able to pick up an entrée or side dishes to go with the dinner meal.  Tourists too can pick up a reasonably priced meal to enjoy at the hotel.  I picked up a bento box one day from the Takashimaya Department Store, located next to the Namba Station in Osaka. The food was extremely fresh.  I purchased a salad from the conbini near my hotel to complete my meal.  You will begin to notice that the Japanese love corn.  They often use it as a garnish for salads and keep cans in their pantries, order corn chowder at restaurants, and I even noticed corn salad sushi that came around on the conveyor belt when I dined at a kaitensushi restaurant.

Japan 103I purchased this chirashi box from one of the eateries at Namba Walk, an underground shopping mall located between Nippombashi and Namba subway stations.

Japan 160

Sumimasen

Excuse me, I’m sorry, thank you

If you’re a first time traveler to Japan, you might be glad to know that one of the most useful words in the Japanese language is sumimasen (すみません).  It can mean excuse me, I’m sorry, or thank you.  I heard it many times and I’ve said it myself when asking “Sumimasen, where is the train station?”  My taxi driver drove me to my cruise ship and he asked the guard, “Sumimasen, where should I drop my passenger off?”  When you want to get the attention of the waitress, you would start your conversation by saying sumimasen.  When you accidentally bump into someone on the train or on the escalator, you would say sumimasen.  If someone returns your umbrella that you left on the bus, you would say sumimasen.  Go to Japan and you will hear it too!