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TOKYO:
upper left: cherry blossom and picnic in Ueno-park -- upper right: Yoyogi-Park
not far from my first accomodation - the Youth Hostel in the former Yoyogi-Olympic-Center is not far from the bustling Tokyo-district of Shinjuku |
typical japanese bicycles: - - - the right picture shows a motor assisted
bicycle with a mounted hand-warming-set As per my experience, I've learned that mountain bikes are not very popular in Japan and most bicycles look like the ones pictured above (with a shopping-basket). To use a bicycle as an item of sports equipment is perceived as very unusual to most Japanese people and the majority of them probably wonder about the strange foreign peculiarity of doing so. On my tour, I didn't see many mountain bikes at all and no designated cycle paths. Every time I queried local people about a destination more than 10 or 20 km away, they could not believe that I intended to get there by bicycle and recommended to me that I consider using a bus or train |
The most important rules of JAPANESE ETIQUETTE should be respected ... |
- Visiting a private home or Ryokan (JAPANESE hotel), always remove your shoes before entering the house and use the slippers
provided.Slippers should not be used on Tatami-mats but on the tiled or wooden floors only Special toilet-slippers are always provided for use in sanitary-rooms and must not be worn outside of them |
- For Greeting and welcoming friends, it is not usual to shake hands,
but it is tolerated with foreigners as an exotic behaviour. |
- When paying a bill in a restaurant one usually can do so at a separate cash-desk which is manned at all times. More simple restaurants or snack-bars provide slot-machines with photographs of all dishes on offer. You just buy a coupon, take ist to the desk and wait at a table to be served with your choice of meal |
- When eating with friends or business associates, it is not polite to top up your drink in your glass by yourself ! During a special "ceremony" to fill each other glasses, you should both hold your glass or bottle with both hands as a sign of respect |
- Never use chopsticks to jab into food ! Solid components of a
soup you can eat with chopsticks and the |
- Tips are also not usual in Japan at all! All bills are reckoned up exactly at all times. Japanese people refuse to accept pitty ! If you try anyway to tip anybody, it can cause surprising and even angry reactions |
- Showing personal emotions loudly
(except with close friends) is totally scorned and absolutely
taboo |
- Do not use a handkerchief loudly when suffering from a cold to clean your nose; it is considered more acceptabel to sniff your nose instead |
- Before you use a Japanese bathtub (O-Furo) you must have a shower and clean your body thoroughly with soap. Never contaminate the tub water itself with soap because it will be used by other people as well for soaking in and relaxing. Usually the water in the tub is very hot and you should enter it smoothly and slowly |
- Smoking in public is only done in special locations such as in front of railway-stations, department-stores etc. Special benches and ash-trays are provided there for this purpose. So never dispose of ash and cigarettes-ends on the street While walking, eating, drinking and smoking is not usual in Japan |
My first walk after a long flight ... in Tokyo-Shinjuku. I am glad that I´m not suffering from jetlag yet... |
If you cant read the menue, the models in the windows are very helpful (in Japan to be found in nearly every restaurant). Once you´ve found a place to sit, you´ll immeditaely be served with chilled water (O Hiya) and your glass will be refilled from time to time without charge (sometimes green Tea as well). In addition, a small moistened towel is very often part of the free service (Oshibori) (depending on weather conditions sometimes hot steamed!) On most occasions, all the restaurant staff will welcome you with a loud chorus: "Irrashaiimasu!" |
Youth of Japan ... very fashionable ! |
in this case ... video-games are more of interest ... |
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