#japanese self study
As with all different countries, Japan has etiquette that is different to that of Western countries. These are the most common things to remember for your visit to Japan. ^_^
- Always take your shoes off before entering a change room/someone’s home/dentist or doctor’s office.
Most people are aware that you should take your shoes off before entering someone’s house, but did you know that you are also meant to take your shoes off before entering change rooms, or when visiting the dentist or doctor? You should always slip your shoes off before entering the change rooms and not put your shoes back on until you have tried on everything or are going to look through the store more. Dentist and Doctor’s offices will have an area to slip off your shoes. They will provide you with a pair of slippers to wear during your visit.
- Never put both head/earphones in your ears when walking down the street.
It is considered very rude to walk down the street with both earphones in your ears while listening to music. If you are going to listen to music - always have only one earphone in. Some Japanese people do put both earphones in their ears, but it is something that many people in Japan consider rude, so we don’t recommend doing it.
- If you are sick, wear a mask when you go out.
This one is really important. When a person is sick in Japan, they will wear a mask to prevent spreading their sickness to others. Some also wear them to prevent catching someone else’s cold/flu. If you are coughing or sneezing while you are out and don’t have a mask on, people will avoid you, and be rather annoyed that someone is not covering themselves up.
- If you are riding a bike, never share it with another person.
Although this is seen frequently in romance anime, sharing a bike is not recommended, as some police officers will warn you to hop off your bike, or even fine you. Sorry anime lovers! Clare was sad when she learnt this one too!
One question that you will definitely be asked in nearly every store you visit in Japan will be ‘Do you have a T-point card?’(T-point ka-do arimasuka? / Tポイントカードありますか？).
AT-point card is a point card that you can use in many stores across Japan.
If you present this card at certain stores, they will give you points depending on the price you paid for your shopping. You can use these points to get a discount on future shopping (eg. one point is worth one yen).
There are a few ways to answer the question “T-point ka-do arimasuka? (Tポイントカードありますか？)”. If you are a brief visitor to Japan, you won’t have one, so simply answer with one of the following:
~Nai desu / ないです
~Mottemasen / もってません
~Arimasen / ありません
These phrases all mean ‘No, I don’t have one’.
What to listen out for: Questions in Japanese are generally not asked with an upward inflection like questions are asked in English. The question will be asked without an upward inflection, so it will not sound like a question. Make sure you listen carefully for ‘T-Point ka-do arimasuka? (Tポイントカードありますか？)’
If you are staying in Japan, they might even ask you to make a T-point card on the spot. In this case, they will say “T-point ka-do wo otsukuri itashimasuka? (T-ポイントカードをおつくりいたしますか?)” which means “Would you like to make a T-point card?”.
If you would like to set up your own T-point card, they will give you a form to fill out. If you don’t want one, simply reply with “Kekkou desu (けっこうです)” or “Irimasen (いりません)”, which means “no thank you”.
T-point card forms are usually in English, so they are easy to understand and fill out with no confusing kanji.
Let us know if you have any more questions about the T-point card! We’ll be more than happy to help! ^_^
Hi everyone!
Our names are Yu and Clare, and we are a Japanese/Australian engaged couple. This is the first ever post on our brand new blog!
This blog will be all about learning the Japanese language as well as culture, history and etiquette. We’ll try our very best to teach you things that your text books won’t teach you, so you’ll be 100% prepared for your trip to Japan or your studies!
Please bear with us whilst we start up our blog (it’s a little plain at the moment)! We’ll update this blog 1 - 2 times a week with language tips, tricks and tidbits as well as facts about Japanese etiquette, history and culture!
Our mascots, Yu-keshi and Ku-keshi will guide you through our posts, and assist you with your language studies!
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Feel free to ask us anything about Japanese study tips or things about Japan!
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