When you take a cruise to a country with a completely different culture, a little politeness can go a long way.
Take Japan, where one of my colleagues at Virgin is currently seeing the sights of Tokyo.
When you step off the ship in Japan for the first time, some of you may find the local customs a little daunting and worry about doing or saying something that may be considered rude.
In fact the Japanese are very considerate and have long accepted that most foreigners visiting their country are usually unaware of all the conventions that dictate how they behave in public.
But what they really don’t like is if you actually know more about Nipponese culture and traditions than the Japanese themselves. Keep this knowledge to yourself.
If in doubt, copy what every one else is doing – except the deep bowing. A slight nod (of acknowledgment) goes down as smoothly as a glass of Japan’s excellent Sapporo beer – and saves you scraping your head on the floor.
For all sorts of reasons (including the fact that space is limited in Japan’s cities), try to adopt a slightly inscrutable face that masks your emotions. Yelling and screaming at somebody – for whatever reason – in Japan is considered unseemly and you will lose face.
That said, they will note every little effort you make, for the small things of life are, to the Japanese, most important for they are what everything else depends upon.
The Japanese are also keen on punctuality and it’s always better to be five minutes early than one minute late. Saying that, I once made a a coachload of senior Japanese businessmen go round the block for they arrived too bloody early – a good half hour.
Take your shoes off when you visit homes and temples. Look for the clue: Japanese with unshod feet. Try to wear shoes that can easily be slipped on and off, for lacing and unlacing can get very boring.
An overnight stay at a Japanese inn is recommended. Note that you should remove your street shoes and put on the slippers they provide. You can wear them anywhere except the tatami mat in your room, and the toilet or bathroom (where you change into plastic slippers for hygiene purposes).
Before you get into a Japanese bath make sure you’ve already soaped and scrubbed the dirt away. Many bathrooms are communal but you don’t have to hold hands, unless it’s love at first sight (and not even then, at least that first time).
If you have a head cold, resist sneezing but sniff a lot – that will show how you are trying to overcome diversity.
Sit cross-legged on the floor, by all means, rather than in the usual style, i.e. on your knees sitting back a little. You’re not expected to be that heroic.
They will smile if you bring your soup bowl to your lips and slurp lustily as you gollop down its contents, and use your chopsticks to shovel food into your Western maw. Just don’t spear your food with your chopsticks or dig around with them.
Passing food between chopsticks or leaving the sticks upright like a ship’s mast in your plate of food will give your hosts the heebie-jeebies – for these are a sign of death.
Always pour alcohol into your neighbour’s or friend’s glass or cup. And then wait for them to do the same for you. Glugging booze or chomping on food in the street is very uncool in Japan and will confirm that you are indeed the Western barbarian they always thought you were.
If you visit a friend or business colleague in Japan the usual form is to bring them a little gift. Tip: most Japanese men love Scotch whisky, and the women like chocs or flowers.
As well as the usual Japanese experiences (tea ceremony, Noh theatre etc) I recommend a trip to a pachinko parlour where players sit in front of upright pinball machines which they feed with silver ball bearings. If you stay longer than ten minutes I suggest you go outside and scream until they take you away. There’s only so much Japanese pop culture a Westerner can take.
But actually Japan is a wonderful place for a stopover. If you can’t cope with Tokyo’s hectic city life, you can always take a fast train (about one hour) to Kamakura, a small relaxed town by the sea noted for its temples and shrines (especially the Great Buddha, the second largest in Japan).
And then maybe you could make a small offering and a little prayer that one day you will take another cruise to the Land of the Rising Sun for a longer look around.
Sayonara
Related posts:
- Cruising Japan This is the first in a series of posts...
10 Comments
Oct 16 2009
18:47
fascinating….love to experience japan -especially kyoto-and long to stay in a paper house on mt fuji-take the bullet train-and eat proper sushi.
can virgin do a good deal?!
Oct 19 2009
13:41
Hi Jim
The closest i ever got to The Land of the Rising Sun was when i got kicked around the dojo when i studied karate in London many years ago, but will add it to my bucket list.
Jacko
Oct 19 2009
16:26
What I’ve never understood is, if America is in the west, why do the Japanese have to go east to visit America? And if Japan is in the east, why do the Americans have to travel west to visit Japan?
Also why doesn’t my uncle have this problem? He lives in Northampton and if he wants to visit his son in Southampton he just heads south.
Basically he takes the A5123 to Market Harborough, scoots over to Oxford and then whizzes up the A43 to the M40 bailing out at junction 9 for the A34. Then it’s just a matter of zooming along the M3 and bombing down the A33 before wallop you’re in Southampton. You can’t miss it.
Oct 20 2009
11:08
Brings back happy memories of Japan’s idiosyncracies.
It’s sound advice never to leave the hotel by yourself – unless you speak/read Japanese. You can get lost for days.
What about the heated loo seats with control pad- each button delivering a new surprise?
Oct 20 2009
16:11
Hi Trudy, Forgive this belated reply. Yes, Virgin does some good deals to Japan and my friends here will get back to you on this shortly. And if it all works out and you decide to take that first trip, maybe you could tell us how you got on.
Oct 20 2009
16:13
Rob, You don’t need a black belt in karate to take a Virgin cruise to Japan…
Oct 20 2009
16:19
Milton, know what you mean. I grew up in South East London and moved to north London. When I lived near Mill Hill East station I used to drive west to the Oriental City shopping centre in the North Circular Road (which joins the South Circular Road, east and west), which was like travelling west to go east (they do great food in that shopping centre). Next time i’m in Southampton I may take those routes you mentioned…from south to north to north to west and east and west and…where the hell am I?! Everything gone west! I blame the sake.
Oct 20 2009
16:25
Ronnie, you’re right, Japan has a lot of futuristic toilets – but no bloody toilet paper. However some toilets have inbuilt bidets and you have to be very careful which button to choose…they’re great for anybody who enjoys colonic irrigation…just make sure it’s not the hot water flush…
Oct 23 2009
12:40
Although we do have some exclusives to the Far East with Costa http://www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk/cruise-destinations/far-east/costa-cruises/costa-allegra:costa-romantica/14,20/2009-11-01×2010-05-31/fly-cruise/ we don’t do any exclusives that have Japan in the itinerary
Azamara do stop at Nagasaki http://www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk/azamara-cruises-azamara-quest-china-14-nights-march-2010-0041931-holiday.php
and if you’ve got nothing better to do and plenty of cash then there are some round the world options http://www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk/cunard-line-queen-mary-2-hong-kong-103-nights-january-2011-0040745-holiday.php and http://www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk/p-o-cruises-aurora-world-cruise-104-nights-january-2010-0025785-holiday.php
The thing about Japan is that it’s a bit out of the way and most ships prefer to stay around Indonesia.
Oct 23 2009
17:28
thank -you sean -i shall look into the advice you’ve given me -many thanks -