Japanese Manners and Mannerisms

Similarly, jaywalking is uncommon in Japan, especially at busier intersections when there are others waiting for a light to change (even at the world's busiest intersection outside the Hachiko exit of Shibuya Station in Tokyo!). Try to follow suit while in Japan.

 Similarly, when beckoning a person to come toward us, in the West we normally point our hand toward the sky at head level and wave toward us. The Japanese way of beckoning is to extend their hand in front of the body with the hand pointing downward, so that to the uninformed it almost looks as if that person is shooing the other person away.

Japanese people tend to be far less animated than Westerners in terms of using hand and arm gestures when speaking. In fact, at some point when telling a story or trying to explain something to a Japanese person using gestures along with words, you may find your conversation partner completely distracted by your gesturing, and probably wondering why you're flapping your arms all over the place!

Another Japanese conversation mannerism is the tendency to be fully engaged in a conversation as an active listener and frequently interject listening affirmations. Conversely, if a Japanese person is telling you a story and you just listen silently without occasionally interjecting an "I see" or a "really?" or at least give an approving head nod, the speaker might actually stop talking and ask if you're listening.

 Staring
In keeping with their socially reserved nature, staring at others is not considered good Japanese etiquette. Not only do Japanese people tend not to stare, but whereas in the West it is not uncommon to meet the eyes of strangers and nod or smile in greeting, Japanese tend to avoid doing this very thing. So don't be put off if you feel like everyone is ignoring you. That's not the case; they are just politely minding their own business.

 Holding Doors Open for Others
Japanese normally do not hold doors open for the people who follow behind as those of us in Western countries might do, so don't be surprised if you're walking through a crowded doorway only to find the door closing in your face. In Japan, this is not discourteous; holding doors open for other is just simply not an aspect of Japanese manners.

 Japanese Manners on Trains
When waiting for a train (or bus), line up and wait in an orderly fashion. Once the train arrives, first wait for those getting off the train, and then board without pushing past those in front of you.

On crowded trains, while there is usually a mad scramble for any open seats, it is common courtesy to offer your own seat to a standing elderly passenger. Most train lines also provide priority elderly seating, so if you're sitting in one of these seats (which are usually found in the corner of the train and indicated with either different colored seats or a sign above the seat) and an elderly person is standing nearby, you definitely should offer him or her your seat.

Hopefully this quick guide to manners and mannerisms will help you to blend in to the culture of Japan (as much as a gaijin can!) and help you present yourself as a visitor who has impressively done a bit of homework before coming to Japan!