Displaying good manners and conducting oneself correctly are very important in Japan. Of course, as with every other culture, the "rules of etiquette" are relaxed when one is with family or close friends, but with more casual acquaintances, business colleagues and strangers, there are certain standards of behaviour that are regarded as proper personal etiquette.

General

Punctuality is very important to the Japanese. In common with many other cultures, lateness is considered rude unless absolutely unavoidable. Excessive physical contact, such as back slapping, arm touching or shoulder hugging, is considered undesirable and overly familiar. The same is true with excessive eye contact which is considered intrusive.

Shouting loudly to get someone's attention is frowned upon. Waving or approaching them first is considered more polite. It's also generally considered polite to initially refuse someone's offer of help, so note that if you offer assistance to a Japanese person they may refuse it several times even when they actually do require help!

Biting your fingernails, chewing pens or pencils, or licking your fingers in front of others is considered rude, and if you need to sneeze or blow your nose you should ideally leave the room to do so. If that isn't possible then you should turn away from others in the room.

At Home

Removing outdoor footwear on entering a Japanese home is essential. Slippers can be worn indoors but specific rules apply to the wearing of them. Most Japanese homes have a straw (tatami) mat room where it is customary to sit on the floor, slippers should not be worn in there. Slippers should also not be worn outside, or in the entrance to a home where the shoes are kept. Special slippers are worn in the toilet room and these should not be worn anywhere else in the home.

When visiting someone else's home it's polite to take a gift of food or drink with you. If it's a formal occasion then this should be gift wrapped.

At Work

The Japanese generally have a strong work ethic. This means that if you start work at 8am you should actually BE working at 8am. At the end of the working day most white-collar, Japanese workers tend not to leave their workplace until their supervisors or managers have left, so a 5pm finish does not necessarily mean that should be your leaving time.

Wearing colourful, flamboyant clothing or a lot of jewellery is not considered appropriate in most Japanese workplaces.

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