How to live in Japan

1, Japanese language habits

Go along and nod.

It is said that the Japanese have a habit of echoing and nodding when they speak. "Yes" and "Well, really?" Including this kind of speech, as well as nodding and bending posture and so on. According to investigation and observation, it happens every few seconds in daily conversation. But it is worth noting that all this does not mean the affirmative meaning of "right" and "understanding", but only "Oh, really?" "Is that so?" Wait, think of it as a reaction after listening to each other. Contact with a Japanese who has this habit, if you think that "he really said it at that time", then it is unexpected for the Japanese. On the other hand, the Japanese, who are used to echoing voices, are uneasy about foreigners who don't show any reaction in conversation. They will feel like, "Is this person listening to me?"

Euphemistic expression

Even if the Japanese hold a clear opinion, they will avoid direct expressions such as "I think so" and "My opinion is like this" and adopt "I'm afraid so?" "I think so. What do you think? " This euphemistic wording obviously thinks that this expression is appropriate and polite. In language expression, it is clear that there is room for consideration and judgment for the other party, showing a gesture of expressing one's opinions after listening to the other party's reaction.

Greet each other

Japanese people often greet each other. From getting up in the morning to going to bed at night, in various occasions of daily life, the same greetings are very rich. However, greeting each other is limited to people who are regarded as friends in a sense. For example, people you don't know when walking in the park, or people sitting in the same seat in a traffic vehicle, generally don't talk to each other unless there are special circumstances. Because on this occasion, the other party is an irrelevant outsider.

2. Japanese manners and gestures

In Japanese gestures, some places are unique to the Japanese, or different from other cultures in meaning and usage.

Bow: Japanese people bow to greet each other. When standing, put your feet together, stand up straight and bow your head. From general salute to upper body to 90-degree bow. According to the degree of etiquette, the angle of bow is varied. In a room with a couch, you must sit and salute. Bend your upper body in a "front seat" posture, put your hands on the ground in front and then bow your head.

Japanese salute generally does not touch each other's bodies, and traditionally there is no habit of shaking hands. Japanese sometimes shake hands, but mostly on special occasions such as Japanese and foreigners, candidates and voters, stars and fans.

Sitting posture: In schools and companies, people usually sit in chairs. But at home, the Japanese still maintain the traditional life of sitting on the sofa. Recently, in ordinary families, the number of western-style bedrooms and restaurants has increased, so the younger generation who don't sit on the sofa has gradually increased.

The correct way to sit on the sofa is called "sit up straight". Knees together, feet bent, heels sitting. Generally speaking, people who are not used to "sitting in the front seat" in life are very uncomfortable and their feet will be numb. Simple sitting postures include "sitting cross-legged" and "sitting sideways". Sitting cross-legged, that is, your feet are crossed in front and your ass is on the ground. Women who wear trousers occasionally sit cross-legged, but sitting cross-legged is mainly a sitting posture for men. "Sitting sideways" means that the legs of the seat are slightly sideways, which is mainly seen in women.

O and X: In Japan, the meanings of symbols O and X are very clear.

O stands for positive images such as correctness, qualification and victory, and X stands for negative images such as error, disqualification, loss and failure. So all shapes of O and X can be understood to contain this meaning. As a gesture, you use your thumb and forefinger or raise your arm over your head in a circle to represent O, and cross your forefinger or arm to represent X. ..

Numerical method: 1- 10 can be counted with one hand. 1-5 means that you can bend your fingers from your thumb, forefinger and middle finger in turn. The numbering method of 6- 10 is to stretch out the bent fingers one by one from the little finger. This counting method is widely used, and there are no restrictions such as gender and age.

When showing the number to the other party, put your palm toward the other party, gently close your fingers, and then stand up one by one in the order of index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger and thumb. When representing a number of 6- 10, do the same with your other hand.

Wave: Let go of your palm gently and swing your wrist back and forth several times from front to side. This method can be used regardless of gender and age. But it is impolite to wave to people with high status and deep qualifications, and we should try our best to avoid it.

Self: it means "that's me" and "me?" When waiting for meaning, the index finger points to the nose.

Long live: this is a gesture of raising your hand to show your happiness when you win a game or encounter good luck. In most cases, everyone cheers "Long live" at the same time to express their feelings of celebrating luck and wishing happiness.

Japanese don't invite guests from work to their home.

Japanese people are not used to receiving business guests in their own homes, nor are they used to socializing with the whole family. Since ancient times, they don't like to take their work home, which is called virtue. Except for self-employment, the wife does not participate in her husband's work. When it is necessary to socialize with business customers, it will be held in a place where banquets are specially provided. It is difficult to serve your own food to important business guests. Besides, without the help of servants, it is undoubtedly difficult for housewives to serve decent dishes, and there is no nanny to look after the children.

Cadres sometimes entertain their subordinates, people with the same status or superiors at home, generally only when building new houses. Throughout history, the same is true. The emperor and the generals in the shogunate almost never visit the courtiers and courtiers' homes, and occasionally some of them go down in history as major events.

Japanese who are entertained by foreign friends at home when they go abroad also hope that foreign friends will be entertained at home when they come to Japan. But they all feel that their home is too simple and narrow compared with their friends, and they can't entertain guests anyway. Especially about entertaining foreign friends, housewives and children who don't know foreign languages, are not used to interacting with foreigners and have different eating habits, which will increase their mental burden.

Japanese people's habits are different from those of foreign countries.

Bathing: Japanese people take a bath not only to wash their bodies, but also to soak their bodies in the bathtub to warm them up slowly. So washing the body and removing dirt are all done outside the bath. The hot water for bathing can be heated, and when the hot water is reduced, water can be added to heat it. Several people go into the same bath, which shows that everyone is a very close and trusted friend. After the last person takes a shower, let the water out of the bathtub.

Unlucky numbers: Japanese people are afraid of "4" and "9". Because the pronunciation of "4" is the same as "death"; The pronunciation of "9" and "bitter" is the same, and "9" means bitter. Some hotel room numbers don't have the numbers13,4,9.

There is no tipping system: before World War II, some hotels and transportation agencies had the habit of tipping, but recently it basically disappeared.

5. Not suitable for Japanese habits

Kissing in front of people: Japanese people think kissing in front of people is embarrassing.

Hug: In Japan, touching other people's bodies is considered impolite. Men and women generally don't shake hands except for the two sides of a love relationship.

Chew gum in front of people: Smoking is allowed, but chewing gum is not allowed. It is also considered impolite to eat alone when others are not eating.

Wear shoes into the house: you must take off your shoes when entering a Japanese house.

Peeking at other people's kitchens: In Japan, it is impolite to peek at other people's kitchens when going to their homes.

Civil disputes are easy to go to court: Japanese people value trust relationship more than contract relationship in their personal life. Therefore, most problems are solved through negotiations between the parties or through intermediaries. Only when the relationship between the two sides deteriorates obviously will they go to court. The number of lawyers is only 1/30 in the United States.

6. Japanese business cards

In Japan, business cards are widely used, especially for businessmen. When they first met, they had the habit of exchanging business cards with each other. In addition to their names, business cards are also printed with their work units, institutions, departments, positions, addresses and telephone numbers. Most women use business cards smaller than men.

It is considered polite to exchange business cards with the junior or younger party first. When submitting your business card, you should face the other party. It is considered impolite to fold a business card or write something on it.

7. Japanese kimono

Nowadays, almost all Japanese wear suits in their daily lives, but kimono is still loved by people as a kind of clothing or indoor clothing. The kimono worn by women is very beautiful. Among them, the most gorgeous is the bride's wedding dress. Its fabric is silk, embroidered with gold and silver thread into gold and silver foil, and the embroidered patterns are mostly flowers and birds.

In addition, unmarried women and married women have different kimono styles. Whether going out, visiting or playing, the quality, pattern, color and style of the kimono are different. Usually, women wear kimonos on New Year's Day, Adult Day and when attending university graduation ceremonies, weddings, wedding banquets and funerals. Suits are made to fit the body, while kimonos have little to do with the body. Wearing kimono requires skill to match your figure, and it is not easy to wear. Modern women who are used to wearing suits at ordinary times find it difficult to wear kimonos alone. The unique elegance and nobility of kimono produce beauty, not so much from beautiful dyeing and weaving, but from the atmosphere set off by wearing kimono. Men wear kimonos, and now they mainly rest indoors. But at times like the New Year, it is also common to wear kimono when entertaining guests at home. A formal kimono should be covered with a jacket and skirt. The lightest indoor kimono is a cotton bathrobe. Especially in summer, put on this bathrobe after taking a shower and enjoy the cool in a well-ventilated place indoors, which is most suitable for rest.

8. Giving gifts in Japan

People often say that Japanese people like to give gifts. It has become a Japanese habit not only to give some gifts at weddings and birthdays, but also to bring some gifts when visiting at ordinary times to show respect and goodwill.

R Arey, who worked as an assistant in the National Security Agency of the Reagan administration, had to resign because he forgot to declare after receiving a cash check and watch of $65,438+0,000 from the Japanese publishing house as an interview reward. In Japan, it is common to give some money and things during an interview, but in the United States, it is forbidden for senior government officials and assistants to accept any gifts quietly. It can be said that the Alei incident reflects the differences in gift-giving habits between Japan and the United States.

Among all kinds of gift-giving activities, the Central Plains and the Lunar New Year are the most representative. China's yuan is June and July, which means greetings from summer days; The end of the year is at the end of the year, indicating gratitude for the past year. Zhongyuan and New Year's Eve dinner are seasonal gifts for people who usually care about and take care of themselves. Recently, many department stores have added new services to compete, such as "on-demand service" that can place orders directly from home or company, and "regular mailing gifts" that can be delivered at a specified time.

Eat noodles when you move, and introduce yourself when you distribute noodles near your new home, saying "Please walk slowly". Sometimes towels or snacks are distributed instead of noodles. In addition, children's "July 53" festival, enrollment, further studies, adult festival, company colleagues' promotion congratulations, and friends' recovery are indeed various. For housewives who are in charge of the family economy, raising the communication fee is quite nerve-racking. Seeing the troubles of housewives, the "gift buying industry" came into being. Because some families receive repeated gifts, and they are idle for a long time, the industry buys gifts at low prices and sells them at low prices, so they are very popular with housewives.

9, Japan's flower path

In Japan with four distinct seasons, there are flowers in different seasons. People are not simply picking flowers for decoration, but trying to express an artistic concept, which produces the art of flower arrangement. This kind of art reproduces the natural scenery, or combines the material structure of flowers with the forms of heaven, earth and people. There are many schools that hold the concept of this flower pattern.

According to the needs of the times, the art of flower arrangement has produced various forms, and today, it still maintains a strong vitality: vertical flower, raw flower, flower arrangement and flowering. There are 2,000-3,000 schools, the largest of which is Chifang. It is said that there are 65,438+0,000 disciples. Followed by small original flow, grass flow and so on.

The decorative flowers in the niche of Ewha Academy were created by Chifang in Muromachi era. Pine, peach, bamboo, willow, red leaves, cypress, etc. They are all used, and the form of directly inserting water into the bottle mouth is called vertical flower.

In the middle of the Edo period, flowers for entertaining guests were born, mainly in niches. Different from the investment method and the flower holding method, the instruments of flower arrangement symbolize the earth, mainly not expressing the beauty of grass and flowers, but the vitality of vegetation extension.

The method of keeping the natural shape of flowers in a deep flowerpot is like throwing flowers at will, hence the name. There are three forms: hanging on a niche, hanging on a column, and placed under a niche.

A water tray or basket for holding flowers and filling these containers with flowers, hence the name. At the end of Meiji, due to the planting of western flowers and the increase of western architecture, this flower arrangement method was not limited to niche decoration. There are schools in Liu Xiaoyuan and Anda. Blooming flowers can be said to be the mainstream of modern flower arrangement art.

10, Tea Ceremony in Japan

Tea was first brought to Japan by the envoys of the Tang Dynasty in Nara era. Tea, which once declined, rose widely again in Kamakura era. In the Muromachi era, under the leadership of General Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Zhuguang Murata began to make tea on a couch with four and a half beds, which became a tea ceremony. In gardens or temples, temporary teahouses can be set up, and of course there can be outdoor tea ceremony, but for tea ceremony, tea room is essential. Ordering tea is called "before ordering". Its order is to put tea powder in a tea bowl, pour boiling water, and then stir it with a small round bamboo brush to make it foam. When drinking, pick up the tea bowl in your right hand, put it in the palm of your left hand, and then turn the tea bowl from the opposite side to the front. Wipe it with your fingers after drinking. You wipe your fingers with the white paper at hand. However, the tea ceremony is more than just drinking tea. Its fundamental significance lies in appreciating tea ceremony utensils, tea room decoration, chayuan and the spiritual communication between the host and the guest.

Tea ceremony rules are interpreted as "four rules and seven rules". The so-called "four rules", that is, peace and respect are the rules between the host and the guest at the tea party; Quiet refers to the clean and leisurely atmosphere of teahouse and chayuan. The "Seven Laws" are used to prepare for receiving guests. "Make tea taste good; Charcoal fire is suitable, and it should be burned until the water boils; Tea is warm in winter and cool in summer; Flowers should be placed as in the wild; Early is the best time; Even if it doesn't rain, prepare rain gear; All for the guests "7 secrets.

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