Holy Socks, NO!

Don't leave home without first checking that your socks have no holes in them as you must remove your shoes in Buddhist temples, shrines and traditional restaurants.

Tip of the Day

How can we do without a tip about chopsticks?


Chopstick taboo #1: Do not pass food from person to person by chopstick.

Chopstick taboo #2: Do not leave chopsticks in rice bowls vertically in the rice.

Both of these are associated with rituals for the dead in Japan.


Chopstick rule #1: Don't lick the tips too much.

Chopstick rule #2: When sharing food with acquaintances, flip your chopsticks and use the other ends to get the food.

Chopstick rule #3: Don't talk or point with your chopsticks.

Chopstick rule #4: If you want to be eco-friendly, carry around your own chopsticks in a case.

Chopstick rule #5: Try not to stab the food with your chopsticks.

Chopstick rule #6: If you don't think you can pick up the food, cut it into smaller pieces. Keep holding the chopsticks the same way, but push down into the food to cut.

Tip of the Day

Don't underestimate (or perhaps overestimate, in this case) how low the ceilings can be in Japan. Castles... houses... trains... they're all hazards. The older the building, the higher the chances of you ending up with a bump.

Tips of the Day So Far

• Japanese vowel pronunciation = Spanish vowel pronunciation
  
  
• stand on one side of the escalator to let people walk by if you don't want people making tongue twittering sounds behind you to let you know they're annoyed
• Osaka - right side
• Tokyo - left side
  
  
• your normal speaking voice = Japanese yelling
• --> speak in a hushed voice when in public
• --> exception: if everyone is yelling around you, yell along
  
  
• ATM's are not free/functional 24 hours a day. plan your cash ahead.
  
  
• when you're drinking Japanese tea or eating udon/soba/ramen, it is totally acceptable to slurp