On Etiquette

It is very well known that Japan is a very formal place, with lots of rules of etiquette. We were not surprised to find this was true, but perhaps a little surprised to find how much we liked it! People don’t seem to mind if we get things wrong – in fact they probably expect it – but they seem to very much appreciate it when we try to get things right, and when we try to speak even a little Japanese. We expected the bowing and the formal hellos, but here are some of the niceties that we weren’t expecting...

On trains, the conductors walk down the trains to check tickets and make announcements. However, when they enter a carriage they stop and bow. When they leave a carriage they stop, turn and bow again. They bow before making an announcement, and after. We have no idea what the announcements are, but we appreciate the formality in which they are given!

In shops, you are always greeted when you enter. And when you leave. And when you approach the cashier. And when you pay. And when you’ve finished paying. And, whilst paying, there are lots of nods, bows and ‘hai’ (‘yes’) which seems to be used as a general form of acknowledgement. I’m finding myself saying ‘hai, hai...... hai' when making a transaction too, despite having no clue as to what I am saying yes to. Despite all this formality, it never seems to be hassle or an imposition. They often don’t even expect an acknowledgement, though a nod in their direction does seem to be appreciated.

At traffic lights, while walking, people almost always (well, we haven’t reached Tokyo yet, so we’ll see if this only applies elsewhere!) wait at the pedestrian crossings for the lights to indicate they can cross. Even at the smaller crossings and even when there is no traffic at all. People wait patiently until the green man appears. When there is no pedestrian crossing light, people still always cross at the marked crossing, and it seems to be pedestrian right of way – cars just stop for you and wait.

Again, we haven’t got to Tokyo yet, but road rage, or even road ‘mild discomfort' doesn’t seem to exist. We have rarely heard a car horn, never heard a raised voice and the only gestures we’ve seen has been bowing.

Littering just doesn’t seem to happen. There are very few bins anywhere – you may find one at the train station and maybe one next to the odd bank of vending machines  (which are everywhere, and a great source of cheap bottles of water and iced coffee) but there are relatively few, especially compared with the UK. However, there is no litter. People just keep it with them and dispose of it properly. There are no empty cans, no crisp wrappers and no old chewing gum stuck to the pavements and train platforms. Whatever the kids are being drugged with here, it works. Where there are bins, there are always separate bins for different recycling items, and people seem to used them correctly too. They do go a bit overboard on their packaging, but at least they recycle it properly.

Not really an etiquette thing, but worth mentioning, the lack of birdsong is more than compensated for by the constant chirping and beeping of, well, just about anything really. Traffic crossings beep when they are red, chirp when they are green, and have different sounds from each other where there are more than one in any location. Trams whistle and ring when they are moving off, stopping, or just passing through. And as for being at a train station, it’s like being at the aviary at London Zoo. Beeping escalators, singing lifts, chirps when a train is slowing, whistles when it is leaving and various tunes played before and after any announcement. It’s like being in a Final Fantasy computer game. Especially with the anime characters on every poster.