Japan's "Cultural Banana Skins"

Above, a group shot with Godzilla at Toho Studios in 2014. 

City-Cost.com has posted an interesting article on what they call "cultural banana skins" when in Japan. These are things that foreigners who are living in or just visiting Japan ought to avoid so not to make a fool of themselves in the eyes of the locals.

Fortunately for me, during my eight trips to Japan, I have not made any cultural errors (that I know of) while there. Nevertheless, it is always good to refresh yourself on what things to avoid so that you won't step in a cultural minefield.

They start with:

So you’ve made the decision to move to Japan.  Or, perhaps you’re contemplating moving to Japan.  Either way, congratulations.  Japan is fantastic; beautiful people, beautiful country, mad nights out and a complex culture await. The country isn’t without its quirks though, and even the Japanese themselves occasionally have a hard time getting to grips with their nation's cultural peccadillos. Whilst overseas visitors/residents will be forgiven most faux pas, a bit of awareness will certainly make your transition to Japanese life smoother.

A lot has been documented in this field, and we’ll include a list of the most common ‘rules’ later.  What we want to focus on initially are some potential ‘cultural’ banana skins that may not be so well known, as well as those that need to be stressed again, based on this writer’s personal experience.  Also note that we’ve treated this topic with a certain amount of irreverence.  If there’s anything you disagree with or you have suggestions of your own for people moving to Japan, we welcome your comments.

It is also good to have Japanese friends available to ask about proper etiquette if one is unsure of a situation.

To read more, go here.