This is the third and last installment of a series of articles, brought to you in collaboration with Jetpac eSIM, regarding first-time Japan travel mistakes. So far, we’ve covered some common blunders that can happen upon arrival, while exploring and during interaction with locals. In this last part, we will be focusing on culture shock moments that can arise in fairly common situations. Specifically, we’re referring to eating out and public transport, locations whose etiquette is completely different from that of the West.
All of the following stories are based on real travellers’ anecdotes, which we’ve compiled and adapted to storytelling form. By doing this, we hope you’ll get an engaging and entertaining learning experience.
Without any further ado, let’s jump right in.
First-Time Mistakes While Eating in Japan
As Juzo Itami masterfully showed in his classic film Tampopo, food is surrounded by cultural layers. This is not only true of Japan, but the whole world. The act of eating is universal, but everything else that accompanies it is an important display of culture worth celebrating. What we eat, when we eat it and how we eat it, are all important questions that help us define our own identity.
For these first-time Japan travel mistakes, we’ll encounter characters that share and celebrate the universality of food. However, they don’t stop to consider the cultural layers that surround them, making assumptions that ultimately lead to misunderstandings.
Attempting to Tip in Restaurants
Image credit: The Table Less Traveled
Let us now examine the story of Harmony. Harmony is a United States citizen, and has worked her fair share of waitress jobs. Currently, she is doing great, with a new job as a maths teacher, earning way more than she thought teachers could earn. After a couple of months of saving, she is finally free to relax, which is why she bought plane tickets to Japan.
The first day she eats at the hotel. The second day, however, she felt captivated by the scent of curry, and ended up in a restaurant. The waiter that attended her was really nice, always on the lookout and carrying a welcoming smile. Remembering her days as a service worker, she notices how hard-working the guy attending her is, and becomes keen on tipping him. After a fantastic curry, Harmony tries to tip her server, only to have the money politely returned.
In a brief and concise manner, the waiter explained to Harmony that tipping can be considered rude, as it can imply he is not being paid enough. Surprised, Harmony asked if she could congratulate him in a different way, maybe with a keychain or a souvenir. He laughs, then asks if she would do that in her home country. Upon reflection, Harmony laughs as well. By the end, the meal is paid, and Harmony discovered a simple “thank you for your service” was sufficient.
Takeaway: Tippin can be considered rude in Japan; a polite “thank you” is pretty much always sufficient.
Eating While Walking
Image credit: Cultural Foodies
We now get to know the story of Flynn. As a self-proclaimed foodie, Flynn is somewhat aware of the cultural importance of food. He does know that what we eat says something about us. This is why, everywhere he travels, his goal is to eat whatever the locals are having. Japan was no exception.
After a couple of days, Flynn was surprised to discover how much Japan loved strawberries. There was strawberry flavour in everything, and this quickly captured his appetite. Flynn’s mistake would come after trying one of these sweets, to be specific, a strawberry taiyaki. He went to the store, bought two, and proceeded to eat them as he walked to his next destination. And then it happened. The glares of strangers. The sensation was that he was doing something wrong. He stopped and started looking for a way to escape the eyes of judgement. Eventually, Flynn found himself in a comfortable park bench. There, he sighed in relief, and started enjoying the sweet. Somehow, they tasted even better.
As Flynn would later discover, eating while walking is considered impolite in Japan, as people see it as a precursor to littering. There are a few exceptions, like street food areas and festivals, but generally people don’t eat while walking. Additionally, it is considered a sign you’re not giving the food the time and space it deserves. After learning about this, Flynn finally started thinking deeper about the cultural nuances of food. Now, he takes his time, and finds himself enjoying the food a lot more.
Takeaway: Avoid eating or drinking while walking in Japan; find a convenient spot by looking at your surroundings and enjoy your meal.
Understanding Sake Etiquette
From a foodie to a food expert, we go from Flynn to Anita. Anita is a professional restaurant reviewer, and works at a leisure magazine back in Miami, Florida. She is in Japan on vacation, and has no desire to write about Japanese food. Nevertheless, every time she enters a restaurant, she is quick to mention her line of work to the staff. Maybe, if she is lucky, she might get a free meal. After her fifth attempt, she succeeded.
She ordered Miso Ramen, as she was told it was the chef’s speciality. It was delicious, and now Anita is seriously considering writing about Japanese cuisine. As she is visualising the article she might write, the chef approaches her with a bottle of sake in hand. This wouldn’t be the first time Anita was offered a complimentary drink, so she doesn’t think much of it.
When the chef finally sits next to her, he pours Sake on his glass and overflows the cup. Anita panics, and tries to reach for the bottle, but the chef looks at her with a calm demeanour. The “overflowing” Sake remained perfectly still in the plate that’s holding the cup, proving to Anita this was all planned. The chef then invites Anita to pour a cup herself.
With the two glasses now filled, Anita attempts to grab the one she poured. However, the chef’s subtly disapproving expression quickly told her not to. After she takes the other one, he explains it’s a sign of respect to pour one another’s Sake. He then proposed a toast, and with it, Anita suddenly feels she has a lot to write about.
Takeaway: Always pour other’s sake, and allow others to pour yours; it’s a sign of respect. Overflowing sake is a sign of generosity, embrace it.
Waiting for the Waiter to Take Your Order
For our next story, we follow a traveller named Jordan. Jordan owns a small bar in Chicago, and one of his best employees is a Japanese-American man named Kenji. A long time ago, he playfully asked Kenji if the service workers in Japan were as good as him. Kenji insisted that, although he is Japanese, he is also American, hinting at the fact the services were very different. Jordan, however, didn’t pay much attention. Now, he finds himself in Japan thinking of Kenji, looking forward to a service similar to his.
Jordan eventually found what he thought to be a great testing ground: a traditional Japanese izakaya. After finding a nice spot close to a window, Jordan sits and waits for the waitress. And waits. And waits. After almost eight minutes without anyone coming by, he is shocked. Angrily, he raises his hand and immediately finds himself surrounded by service staff, all prepared to attend his every need. After he orders, he asks one of the waitresses why they didn’t come by, and she kindly points at the button next to the table. If Jordan had pressed it or raised his hand sooner, he would’ve been served in no-time.
Now Jordan feels embarrassed, as he has no one to blame but himself. Thinking back to Kenji, he finally remembers what he said about the Japanese service: neither better nor worse, just different. Jordan isn’t sure if he will ever get used to it, but one thing is for certain in his mind: the button is a genius idea, and his restaurant should have one too.
Takeaway: Don’t wait to be served in Japan, you might be there all day. Japanese establishments often use call buttons or expect you to raise your hand.
Underestimating Vending Machines
Image credit: Juzzepo, via Unsplash
Now, let’s meet Logan. Logan knew before travelling that eating out in Japan was going to be cheap. His brother travelled a year prior, and among the stories he told, he mentioned that he ate out every single day. Considering they both have comparable salaries, Logan believes he will be capable of following in his brother’s footsteps.
However, unlike his brother, Logan is a huge Japanese video game fan, especially when it comes to Nintendo franchises. By the third day, he had spent almost as much as his brother did on food, on merchandising. He wasn’t running out of money by any means, but the thought that he should be saving more became more obvious. As it often happens in this situation, the first thing he thought to cut was the food. The next day, he told himself, rather defeated, he would eat whatever he finds.
But then, in looking for copper, Logan found gold: a Japanese vending machine. This one in particular was selling noodles, and at first Logan thought they would taste badly, but still gave it a go. When he tried them, he was surprised by how good they were. Not quite restaurant level, of course, but incredible for the cost.
He has no plans of stopping buying merchandising, but is sure to return to vending machines for a quick and effective meal.
Takeaway: Don’t underestimate Japanese vending machines; they are an affordable and surprisingly good meal option.
Don’t Add Anything Extra To Your Food
Image credit: Recipes for Tom
For the final story of this section, let us introduce you to Mitch. Mitch likes things spicy, very spicy, and always carries with him a small bottle of hot sauce for good measure. Now that he is in Japan, he wants to try their spiciest food, which he’s heard is the Karashi Renkon. And, if it is not spicy enough for his liking, he will do what he always does.
When he sits down and eats his food, having made sure to order the spiciest variant, he is surprised to find it quite mild. Without hesitation, he adds a little of his hot sauce to the mix. The sauce ended up taking away much of the flavour of the Karashi Renkon, so Mitch finds himself a bit disappointed. Turns out, he is not the only one. The chef saw him add the sauce, and now has come up to him to ask if the food was okay. Mitch is surprised, he didn’t mean to offend the chef, but, in Japan, his gesture read as if he thought the food wasn’t sufficient. Embarrassed, he asks for another Karashi Renkon and promises to eat it as it is.
When the food arrives, he eats it calmly, refusing the urge to add anything. When he finished it, he discovered a spicy mustard after-taste that he had never experienced before. Needless to say, he loved it, and the next time he promised himself to trust the process.
Takeaway: Adding condiments to Japanese food can be considered rude, especially to the chef. Trust the original flavours; they might surprise you.
Transportation
For our final set of first-time Japan travel mistakes, we’ll be looking at transportation. Japan has one of the best transportation systems in the world, something true in both the public and private sectors. And while it may be easy to grasp, that hasn’t stopped people from making mistakes around it.
Some of these mistakes, the most notable ones, could be considered rude even outside Japan: listening to music without headphones, taking more than one seat, etc. We won’t be listing those kinds of errors. Rather, the characters in this section find themselves being challenged by Japanese transportation etiquette. They have grown accustomed to a specific way of seeing public transportation, and now, for the first time, they have the chance to see it differently.
Talking Loudly on Public Transport
Image credit: Francesco Ungaro, via Unsplash
Our first set of characters don’t like to be referred to by their names. They’re a group of five, three girls and two boys, who like to call themselves “the gang.” The members of the gang have lived in New York City their entire life, becoming accustomed to the chaos that entails. They’ve learned, in one sentence, to fight chaos with chaos, which is why they’re often the loudest in the room.
The reason they are visiting Japan is simple: they have the theory that every big city is alike. Counter-intuitively, they don’t consider New York City to be as special as people think, and to prove it, they wanted to travel to Tokyo, the largest city there is.
As the gang makes their way through Tokyo, they hop on the subways as if it were New York and start talking. Right then and there, on their first day, their theory is proven false. Tokyo, as big as it is, is completely different from New York. How can they tell? Because of the silence. The subway is completely quiet, and what little sound they hear is but a faint whisper. The gang soon realises there is no chaos to fight, quite the contrary, they’re making a scene. Consequently, they stay quiet, finding the ride simultaneously awkward and relaxing.
Soon enough, the gang would experience the youthful chaos of the big city, as they reach the neon lights of the Kabukicho district. But, once there, they already knew Tokyo was different. Japan was different. And the public transport was all they needed to see to figure it out.
Takeaway: Public transport in Japan is typically quiet; keep your conversations to a low volume.
Understanding Bullet Trains
Image credit: Dubhe Zhang, via Unsplash
We now follow a character named Francis. Francis is somewhat of a history nerd and finds Japanese history particularly fascinating. For him, the trip schedule was obvious: Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, Japan’s three historical capitals.
Just after landing in Japan, Francis bought a JR pass. In his case, this was a great choice, as the pass covered Shinkansen (bullet trains) for long distances. However, confident now that he’s got the tickets, Francis forgets to research how bullet trains work.
After exploring Tokyo, getting fully invested in the history of the Edo period, he hops on a train with destination Kyoto. He looks for a seat and eventually settles by the window, eager for scenic views. After a couple of minutes, he was asked to move. The seat was reserved. Francis didn’t know the seats were numbered, so he tries to find his on the JR pass. There isn’t any. He sat somewhere else, but was quickly asked to move again. Confused, he finally asked a staff member what to do.
That’s how Francis discovered that Japanese bullet trains have designated non-reserved seating cars, and these are the ones included on the JR pass. He, looking for a good window seat, walked past one. Additionally, the staff member mentioned Francis was lucky for travelling on a low season, as, otherwise, he would’ve lost a good spot for not making a reservation.
After that exchange, while admiring what little of the Japanese landscape he could see from the aisle, he makes a promise: on his way to Osaka, he will reserve a seat.
Takeaway: When taking a bullet train, especially during peak season, it’s better to reserve to guarantee a spot. JR passes only include non-reserved cars, meaning you could lose the ride if not prepared.
Eating or Drinking on Public Transport
Image credit: New Scientist
We’ve reached the last story of this article, so let us meet our final character: Ximena. For reasons she doesn’t fully understand, Ximena is always in a hurry. Even on days when she planned her schedule perfectly, she still found herself rushing somewhere. So far, her trip to Japan has followed a calm pace, but she knows it’s only a matter of time.
It happened on the third day. Her alarm clock didn’t go off, and she woke fifteen minutes before the breakfast buffet of her hotel closed. She had booked a guided tour of Tokyo in less than an hour, so there was no time to eat calmly. She grabbed a bag, rushed to the dining room, and sneakily took as much of the buffet food as she could.
On the subways, bag in hand, Ximena realised she could save time by eating. She started with pastries, and immediately received some awkward looks. Nevertheless, she is used to that, as many people have judged her urgency before. She then eats the fruits. The stares continue, and now she suspects something might be wrong. By the time she grabbed the cheese, a man approached her. Ximena, he said in perfect English, is impolite to eat on public transport. When she turned, she saw her tour guide, who was on his way to meet her.
Embarrassed, Ximena lifts the cheese to her nose, noticing it is smelly, and immediately puts it back. Now together, the tour guide enthusiastically tells her there are plenty of places to eat that are way more appropriate. The key to enjoying Japan, he says, is taking your time.
Takeaway: Eating on public transport is considered impolite in Japan. Finish your meals before boarding, or wait until you arrive.
Last Words
As all the characters make their back way to the airport, they’re left to wonder about the journey they embarked on. They all agree, it was enriching, full of memories to treasure for years to come. Even though they made some embarrassing mistakes, they recognised these were part of their journey. Now, knowing what they did wrong, they’re ready to approach Japanese culture with a new and more layered perspective. Their next trip to Japan is guaranteed to be even more special.
We would like to end this article with a thank-you note. Firstly, thank you to Jetpac eSIM for making it possible. Their amazing service is something we’re sure every character on this list would’ve loved to have, with great travel data and reliable internet access. Additionally, we would like to thank the people that shared their first-time Japan travel mistakes. These include the lovely people over at the r/JapanTravelTips Subreddit; as well as our beloved followers, who shared some anecdotes with us. Without you guys, this article wouldn’t exist.
As for the people ready to embark on their first trip to Japan, travel safely, don’t forget to get an eSIM and make sure to avoid the mistakes listed above. We’re sure you’re gonna have a wonderful time.
