Making Japanese friends is not that difficult On the contrary, they may even treat you better than the Japanese themselves, and they will treat you better than your Western friends do. Remember that the Japanese are extremely educated people and that they take care to maintain peace and harmony in their social circle.
Friendships in Japan are completely different and are not based on need in the same way we Westerners view things. Japanese people will not neglect their relationship with their core group of friends to make a new friend and will almost always choose to hang out with them over hanging out with you.
One of the first things you'll notice during your Japan travel trip is how incredibly welcoming Japanese are towards foreigners (thank you Japan!). They are well known for their politeness and deep rooted traditions, so they definitely don't expect travellers to know all the social faux pas right off the bat.
Social Activities in Japan
Japanese are not great minglers. They tend to hang out with people they know. Conversations at parties often involve detailed analysis of a certain topic. It is much more common for couple to go their separate ways at social events, including important ones like weddings.
Translated as "the disorder of fear," taijin kyofusho, or TKS, is a specific, culturally bound, Japanese form of social phobia anxiety disorder. 1 Japanese culture stresses the good of the group over the desires of the individual.
People nearly always bring a gift when visiting another person's home (see Gift Giving below for appropriate gifts). Hosts usually indicate to guests where to sit when they enter a room. The most important guest is offered the most honoured seat (kamiza), which is the seat furthest from the entrance.
Cross-national public opinion surveys have shown that many Japanese people are relatively positive about having immigrants in the country, compared with respondents in other countries, saying that it would increase cultural diversity and revitalize society.
There are many pros and cons to living in Japan and expats can feel overwhelmed with the list of dos and don'ts. Luckily, Japanese society is very welcoming of foreigners and forgiving should you commit a faux pas.
Do you need to speak any Japanese to travel around Japan? Absolutely not. You can travel to Japan without learning any of these words and have a great time. People ask us about the Japanese language barrier all the time, with common questions such as, Do Japanese people speak English?
Never hugging or kissing
In Japan, touching another person's body is considered rude, even with friends or family. Hugging and kissing are mostly for couples.
In Japan, some of the core values are thinking of others, doing your best, not giving up, respecting your elders, knowing your role, and working in a group.
Guys like girls with a good scent. Sometimes they even fall in love with a girl just because she smells nice. The scent is as important as appearance. Japanese guys especially like floral, soap, and soft citrus fragrance. Many say shampoo flavor floating out from a girl is quite nice.
A form of severe social withdrawal, called hikikomori, has been frequently described in Japan and is characterized by adolescents and young adults who become recluses in their parents' homes, unable to work or go to school for months or years.
First thing's first: are the Japanese shy? A bit. But you're usually mistaking their reservation for shyness. Japanese people won't just talk to a stranger on the train or smile when walking past someone. It's just not in the culture; Japanese tend to be more reserved and avoid imposing themselves on others.
In Japan, being quiet or calm is considered as a virtue which comes from Samurai period, so in the place, Japanese people tend not to be fond of being too friendly, especially when they talk with strangers.
Also, most importantly, Tokyo is more welcoming to foreigners than other cities in Japan. You'll find English-speaking people in low numbers wherever you go in Japan, but there are definitely more in Tokyo.
There are many great aspects of Japanese culture that introverts love, making it one of the greatest countries to live in as an introvert. Japanese culture emphasizes not inconveniencing others. Strangers rarely approach you, and you're unlikely to get trapped in conversation—even with a coworker.
The Japanese are known to be the most polite and courteous people in the world, and put great value into societal manners and etiquette in the way they live their lives.
No doubt the Japanese people set the standards of respect and politeness at a very high level. To us respect and politeness go a long way when discovering a new culture. For this reason, our trip to Japan was one of the best experiences we have ever had.
In general, Japanese people are taught to be thoughtful and respectful to others. They put emphasis on harmony and peaceful relationships, and try to avoid conflicts as much as possible. In addition, there is a famous Japanese word “Giri and Ninjo ” which refers to sympathy and compassion to others.
In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. A bow can ranges from a small nod of the head to a deep bend at the waist. A deeper, longer bow indicates respect and conversely a small nod with the head is casual and informal. If the greeting takes place on tatami floor, people get on their knees to bow.
In many countries, when entering someone's home we ring the doorbell, say hello, and thank the host for inviting us. Similarly in Japan, when entering someone's home we greet them and say “Ojama shimasu,” which means 'sorry for intruding or disturbing you.