I thought it would be fun to incorporate some "extra" tidbits about etiquette on Fridays. So today, our Fancy Friday tip is:
Shoes are not worn inside Japanese houses or temples. There will be an assortment of slippers for guests to choose from. Leave your shoes (toes pointing towards the exit) at the designated spot and enter the main room. (picture for artistic value only) Don’t get confused by what Japanese mean by “yes”. “Yes” (hai) does not translate to “Yes, I agree with you,” or “Yes that is what I am going to do.” More often it means, “Yes, I hear what you are saying.” This can lead to confusion.
29 comments:
That's a very good tip. A lot of miscommunication can result from the fact that different words mean different things to different cultures. Thanks!
See I learned something about another culture! Is this sort of post a regular thing thing cause I really like it?
I knew about the shoes, but not about "Yes". That could lead to big confusion. Thanks!
Visiting via SITS!
What a cool and fun idea for a blog! Congratz on being today's SITs girl!!
Regarding the shoes, doesn't the same hold true for Middle Eastern Indian culture?
I'm from the Philippines originally, and we have a similar tradition of nodding our head not so much in agreement, but encouraging the speaker to "go on, I'm listening." Drives my husband (who is from US) crazy sometimes because he thinks I'm agreeing...but I'm not :-)
That is a great little tidbit of information.
I would be interested to know what your take on requesting your guests take of their shoes here in the US. Is it rude or appropriate?
I did not know this! Thanks for sharing.
I knew about the shoes, but not about saying YES. Very interesting...
Great tips! I'm going to Japan next summer! I would love to hear about your travels in Japan!
Thanks for the tips.
That's very interesting. Thank you for the new information.
I feel smarter today having visited your blog :)
Good tips. Thank you!
I really enjoyed your blog and learned some new things. Thank you for sharing ways to make the world a little better.
Happy SITS Day!!
I love it. I think my children speak Japanese!
OK, so I have an etiquette question, challenge, whatever. We recently bought a house and moved into a new neighborhood. Been here for a couple of months. It's a big 2 story house. The house behind me is a little 1 story house. We see EVERYTHING if we look out our bedroom windows. They like to entertain, and have kept us up more than a few times, my 8 year old daughter as well, and recently, I was up with my baby girl at 2AM because their entertaining woke her (I run fans for white noise, and it still woke her). But the worst, is that the husband walks around NAKED - not in his boxers, but TRULY NAKED in his backyard - my 8 year old daughter has witnessed this 3 times! That's NOT OKAY!
What should I say? I have been putting this off because I don't know what to say and don't want to initiate a poor relationship.
Anyone who reads this is welcome to comment on my blog - your suggestions are appreciated!
Thanks! Happy SITS day!
Wow, I learned something new. I did not know any of this. Thanks for the tip.
Cheryl
Wow, thank you so much. What good info! Cute blog too.
living in Hawaii for a while, I grew quite accustomed to removing my shoes when entering someone's home. I still do it...unless I am told "don't worry - no need to take off your shoes here!" I think it is only respectful to do so...thanks for the tip! My Japanese friend and I love to compare our differences...fun times.
(More often it means, “Yes, I hear what you are saying.” This can lead to confusion.)
Funny, this is usually what I mean when I say yes to my 6 or 2-year-old. Confusion abounds!
Wonderful site. Congrats on being Featured Blogger.
Em
Neat site and what a helpful tip! I often say "Yes" in that same manner.
Happy SITS day!
very interesting and good to know!
Thanks!
Wow! You learn something new everyday! Thanks for dharing!
I've really enjoyed your blog and will visit often. Your playlist is fantastic as well!
"Yes, I hear what you are saying."
Congrats on being the FB on SITS today.
I'd love to be able to use that advice. ;-)
Happy SITS day.
I love random tidbits of info like that. Thanks for posting! Happy SITS day!
Hmm...maybe my husband has some Asian ancestery. He always takes his shoes off as soon as he gets home :)
Interesting on the shoes facing toward the exit. That I did not know.
As a side note, I saw a shoin house at the botanic gardens on Wednesday, and it is absolutely beautiful and so simple the way they lived.
I'm originally from New Zealand and even though we speak english there, I've had some quite funny misunderstandings with people here in the US.
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