@davidl9781
I'm an American. I used to visit Japan ever summer back in the 1990s. Once, I was on my own and got terribly lost on the train. I asked a businessman who was commuting home at the end of his day for directions. He didn't "give me directions." Rather, he interrupted his journey home and kindly showed me the way... meaning, he went out of his way to make sure I reached my destination. He actually accompanied me so I wouldn't get lost. Then, he resumed his trip home in the other direction. That blew me away. What courtesy and kindness. Says a lot about a people. I've never forgotten that.
@teddybear3225
I went for the first time to Japan before this coronavirus thing started. I am not a fan of big cities so i went down south of Osaka in the Wakayama-shi prefecture for its architecture and access to the beach. Long story short i got lost trying to find a toy store. I asked a few girls i saw in the bus for directions to head back to the train station and then later on i heard them running behind me towards me. They were worried that i won't find the way back so they walked with me half way there. I then came to an intersection and got a bit worried if i understood which way was right so i asked the only grandma i saw on the street in front of her house for directions. My japanese is not great but i made sure to learn the most politest forms when addressing people. This grandma smiled at me while i was making train sounds (chu chuuu) in hopes she understands me. She started walking with me with the same smile on her face for about 10 to 15 minutes until we got the train station. I was about to pay for the ticket but the train was already there so the grandma told the ticket booth guy something and both of them smiled at me and politely told me to hurry up and get in the train. I didn't forget to respectfully bow to both of them and thank them. That memory will forever stay with me and it is my reason to visit Japan at least once every few years. The kindness of people goes along way.
@Ze_Chevalier
Crazy, as an American I'm considered quiet, I couldn't imagine going to Japan and suddenly being considered too friendly.
@dblev2019
The first time I visited Japan we got a goodwill guide on the first day and he really set us on the right track for a wonderful trip. My Japanese was limited to numbers and a few very basic phrases. The goodwill guide taught me a few basic conversational phrases to start a conversation. He also told me to talk to the younger people because it gives them an opportunity to practice their English. Every Japanese person I met was kind and if they didn’t understand English they would politely wave me off. Every young person I talked with would carefully listen as I stumbled through my limited Japanese, and after listening to me attempt to speak in Japanese they opened right up. After all their English was much better than my Japanese.
@parkb5320
It’s funny as a foreigner that has been living in Japan for about a decade, I find that on the trains in Tokyo, many young Japanese people wear strong perfume and cologne. I wear scent less deodorant and as an American, I’m surprised at how strong their scent is lol. Also when I wear my Pokémon tie to work and I go out for lunch, I often get comments from the Japanese cashier or waitress. They’ll say things like “your tie is very cute.” So maybe things are changing in Japan or maybe Japanese people know that they can act differently when interacting with foreigners.
@RalphinaLy
I have opposite experience in Japan where elders were the ones often initiate small talk regardless where I was (big city or countryside) or what I did. Their constant curiosity and kindness always made my day!
@Limrasson
It's funny how "rest of the world" usually just means "United States" for the japanese. It's neat because the rest of us can have a look at two weird wacky places at once.
@jaybee8486
Visited Japan a while back. I had people accompany me to show me where to go when I was looking for a place and could not find it. Had a gentleman see me looking at books in a bookshop and when he saw I was interested in a certain kind of subject (haiku poetry,) he came back to me a while later, and gifted me a book and told me "This is the best Haiku poet in Japan." Love Japan, Japanese culture and Japanese people! Such good taste, politeness and kindness. Even by the end of the day, drunk business men who accidentally would bump into me on the streets, would apologize non-stop -- never aggressive. Beautiful country, beautiful people, such an amazing sense of aesthetics... and the food is the best in the world (unless you have something against raw fish, that is. 😁 ) Great cinema, art, traditional fashion, pottery, architecture, wood working... a little corner of heaven on earth indeed! Oh, and I literally hate strong scents, especially perfumes and colones, they give me headaches, so that was another nice thing in Japan... no offensive odors!
@WrenBird449
America is interesting regarding smells because there's definitely STRONG feelings around them, but rather than wanting to not smell at all, Americans want to smell GOOD. Body odors are offensive, so products are made to provide strong, pleasing scents instead. Scents communicate femininity or masculinity, even wealth at times. Interesting cultural differences.
@firemedicpgh
"It's actually easier to move away from someone that's making you uncomfortable than it is to tell them directly." I felt that in my soul.
@thomasmckenney3518
Yes when I was in Osaka I was on the train and my ticket was all in Japanese. A man next to me saw me trying to figure out where to get off he spoke great English and helped me out. He translated my ticket and showed me my next train. Amazingly great guy.
@ElleL912
Your reaction to the cashier and your grocery store experience is so cute. I can see how that would have been strange for you! 🥰
@kirinrex
I've lived in Japan over 20 years. When I decided to grow a beard, I first asked my boss if it was okay with them, and told them that if it looked bad, they could tell me and I would shave, but my boss just laughed said her father had had a long beard, so she had no problem with beards. In fact, after I grew my beard, I had a lot of compliments from Japanese people, many of whom said I looked better with a beard.
@MassRez1
the first time I visited Japan, I expected everyone to be kind, but I also understood that they may not be super talkative to a foreigner. I was very surprised when I had a ton of people asking me where I was from, and trying to talk to me all the time. When I told people I was from Texas, my most common response was, "oh, danger!". Everyone was very kind and my first meal in Japan was payed for by a man who saw me struggling with a japanese menu and helped me order. They are especially talkative when you join them for drinks. So much fun!
@gniccolai
About shopkeepers talking to strangers, there are exceptions. I bought a suzuri (ink stone) and some other calligraphy material in Kyoto, and the shop owner, an adorable old lady, was so surprised she asked me where I am from and what I was doing (she then confessed she thought I might have been a foreign Buddhist monk visiting some local monastery, as I do have le physique du role 😀), but then we went on talking for about half an hour, and she sort of told me all about her family and her life! Of course, fluent Japanese, with also some grasp of the Kandai dialect, is a must to unlock this kind of experience.
@mongoosecandice7402
About the smell, my experiences were pretty odd when I lived in Japan. Yes I was told not to use hand sanitizer when I was sick because it had a smell - I was surprised because it was plain hand sanitizer, and the unavoidable medicinal smell should be welcome if you know your coworker has to come in to work sick. BUT most people in public transportation or out and about had a strong smell in Japan. This was usually cigarette smoke smell, or "sake sweat" (as I called the salary men smell after noon). I find alcohol sweat and cigarette smoke more offensive than hand sanitizer or perfume!
@GuitarGod666
I find the scent discussion interesting. When I moved back to Japan about seven years ago, I was overwhelmed by all the artificial smells. The first time I lived in Japan, the overwhelming smell every where was usually things like incense, cedar chips, and tatami. But my second time living in Japan, everything smells like artificial grape, melon, apple, strawberries (department stores, women's shampoo, lotion, soap, laundry detergent, etc.) The smell formulas are different than those in the US, but I find them to be just as obnoxiously strong. I imagine that Japanese people might find an artifical yuzu smell to be more relaxing than an artifical apple pie smell, so I understand why smells from the US might be annoying. There are also really strong deoderant smells in Japan, too. Like those body and face wipes lots of people use in the summer, I find those smells hard to handle. Not saying that Westerners (or people from other parts of the world) don't overuse scents, but I think Japan is doing a pretty good job of catching up to everyone else.
@geraldtrudeau3223
I've only been to Japan once in my life. It was when I was in the service and I was on leave. A Japanese man just came up to me to ask for something and started chatting with me. Before the evening was done he took me on a walking tour of Yokota, by night, and introduced me to some of the nightlife. It was delightful and that was 55 years ago, but I still remember it fondly. We had octopus from a food cart, and had drinks in several different clubs. Granted, I paid for it, but I was just delighted with how outgoing and friendly this man was. Okay, he was a little drunk when I first met him, but before the evening was over, so was I. He must have been the an unusual example of a Japanese man to be so outgoing. All in all it's one of my better life memories.
@kanedakun
During my visit to Japan a few years ago I was abiding to all these rules, and it was ok. I was able to not annoy anyone (at least to my perception) until I went to a music venue to listen one of my favorite composers of all time... and the show organizer (a japanese dude around his 30s) received me with hugs and cheers. He broke every single of these rules, invited me beer, talked to me about random things, laughed and introduced me to his friends... it was... surreal. I think the shock was so big that I kinda got glassy eyes. That interaction was so unexpected and "out of place" that it became the highlight of my visit there. Hope one day I can go back...
@MrsEats