10 No-nos in Japan

I'm half-Japanese and I've lived in Japan basically my whole life so I think I'm qualified to tell you some no-nos in Japan. These aren't in any particular order.

1. Trying your Japanese on a Japanese person and they might try their English on you.

Japanese want to please. They want to please you English-speaking foreigners. They might try to speak to you in English even if you insist that you want to speak Japanese. Just suck it up, is all I can say.



2. Can't get
Pumpkin Spice Latte

The biggest disappointment in Japan. I hear about it on YouTube but I can never ever have it unless I go to the states or something at the right time.



3. YouTubers are celebrities that belong to a production company

So whatever they do, they have to do it in the realm that the production company operates even though they film on their own. I'm pretty sure content is heavily reviewed and there's not much freedom in content as long as it makes the money.

YouTubers in Japan do not do a meet-and-greet and you certainly cannot send them stuff to celebrate their birthdays.

They are basically celebrities and the only difference is they make and edit their own videos. But it doesn't seem like they can stray from their video style.

YouTubers in Japan audition, I think, to get called in by the production company which they are then represented by.

Essentially, there's not too much freedom for these guys and it's not like in the States or UK or other parts of the world where YouTubers decide content and do everything on their own. Which is both good and sometimes inconvenient but it still works, doing everything on their own. Yes, bad English.

Also Japanese YouTube is super strict about content, more so than the US so don't YouTube in Japan if you have plans for it.



4. Cornflakes are basically considered as something to put in a parfait or other desert.

Eating cornflakes with milk is absurd. So, we only have plain cornflakes, frosted cornflakes, chocolate cornflakes, and granola cereal. No Mini Wheats, no Fruit Loops, no Lucky Charms, etc.



5. No trashcans on the streets.

In Japan, if you have trash and you want to throw it away, you better carry it with you wherever you go because there is not ONE trashcan on the streets. That candy wrapper? That hot dog stick? Keep it with you, you're stuck with it, until you get to the station and maybe you'll be lucky to find a trashcan that accepts "burnable" items and not just cans, plastic bottles, or glass bottles.




6. Silence is golden.

People don't talk loudly in the train. So don't talk loudly in the train.



7. Sometimes you might have to push doors and sometimes you might have to pull them.

We don't have those pushable doors that open on their own.



8. If you're humble and sorry then you are probably a good person.

is what people seem to think here. It's weird but you can pretend. There's a lot of pretending you're sorry and pretending you mean it and pretending you're happy to see someone and pretending you enjoy something when you don't but you have to pretend because it's only polite.



9. Don't smile at passing strangers.

They will think you are weird and maybe even mentally unstable.



10. Waiting in line.

We wait in line for everything. Even the bathroom. Actually, especially the bathroom, ladies.


So that was 10 No-nos in Japan. If you have decided not to come after all, well, that's your choice. If you still want to try it out, Japanese will welcome you with open arms and humble minds.

See ya later, alligators! :D