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Below are things I learned in the Cultural Notes of my Japanese I class. These should give you some insight to the culture in Japan and show you what is common knowledge!

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"Bowing etiquette." Cartoon. Nippon Concierge. 10 April 2020. 8 December 2020. <https://nipponconcierge.com/history-and-origins-of-bowing-in-japan/>

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In Japan, to Bow is a sign of greeting as well as respect. Think of it as a different type of handshake! You can bow when you say hello/goodbye, thank/apologize, and when someone bows to you first! It's easy! Just refer to the etiquette info photo below and you can do it!

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This one may be quite obvious but Sushi is a Japanese delicacy! It is the most well known dish outside of Japan and likely you have tried it before! Indulge yourself into the many different kinds of sushi such as Nigiri, Sashimi, and Funazushi!

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"Sushi." Japan-Guide. 26 April 2020. 8 December 2020. <https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2038.html>

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“Prepared Sushi.” Photo. ShoreExcursions.Asia 8 December 2020. <https://www.shoreexcursions.asia/get-to-know-about-sushi-japanese-traditional-dish/>

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Washoku is a lesser known dish of Japanese culture by tourists. Washoku uses local, fresh ingredients to create an aesthetically pleasing, beautiful meal. This meal will consist of uncooked ingredients, rice, soup, and one main and two side dishes. Each piece of the meal is color coordinated and appealing to the eye!

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Take two. "Washoku, traditional Japanese cuisine." SCPR News. 20 December 2013. 8 December 2020. <https://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/12/20/35219/washoku-japan-s-traditional-cuisine-wins-cultural/>

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Dearsley Bryan. "11 Top Rated Tourist Attractions in Japan." Planetware. 17 November 2020. 8 December 2020. <https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions/japan-jpn.htm>

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The gorgeous Mount Fuji is the #1 must see on many different travel sites. It's up to you if you want to make the 3,776 meter trek to the top, but most people just visit the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and call it a day!

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Sapporo is the largest city located on the top-most island of Hokkaido. If you are lucky enough to visit in the Winter, Sapporo hosts a Snow Festival where you can do a multitude of winter activities including seeing a snow sculpture gallery, as seen in the photo below.

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Dearsley Bryan. "Mt. Fuji." Photo. Planetware. 17 November 2020. 8 December 2020. <https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions/japan-jpn.htm>

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Shigeo Takahashi. "Sapporo Snow Gallery." Photo. Spoon & Tamago. 6 February 2017. 8 December 2020. <https://www.spoon-tamago.com/2017/02/06/highlights-from-the-2017-sapporo-snow-festival/>

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Coming of Age Day is a national holiday celebrated every 2nd Monday in January. Those that celebrate are young women and men turning 20 years old that year participate. For example, if you were born in 2001, this upcoming coming of age day would be yours to celebrate! It was created to celebrate 20 year olds being able to vote, drink, and smoke. Now they just party and celebrate being young!

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In Japan, the school year spans from April to March. Education is highly valued so it takes up most student's whole calendar year. The students in Japan have vacations like us but they are still given homework during that time off!

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Students in Japan come to school in shoes from home only to change into slippers when they get to school. This helps keeps the floors far cleaner because no one is tracking in dirt, mud, or outside grime.

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In Japan, education is a huge deal. Generations of children in Japan have felt immense pressure to be the best of the best and be very successful in order to represent their family name. Kids in Japan forfeit fun and opportunity to study for college entrance exams and work to have near perfect grades so that they can get into the best schools.

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Just like a lot of cultures in the world, Japan surnames represent a long history spanning many generations of family members. Family names are valued a lot more than first names, so much so that in Japan you are referred to as your last name FIRST. For example, if your American name is Jessica Miller, in Japan it will be Miller Jessica.

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Culture School is a phenomenon in Japan in which anyone can attend these private classes to learn how to master a task or new hobby. There are classes in culture schools for learning new languages, new dance styles, and even cooking! These schools are great because you can learn a new thing after just a short amount of time spent in these classes.

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In Japan, there are a ton of sports that were created there! The three key sports to know are sumo, kendo, and karate. Sumo is a type of wrestling, kendo is sword fencing but, you probably are most familiar with karate, a type of martial arts where you can practice to earn different colored belts that represent your skill level!

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Naho Jishikyu. "Maid server at Maid Cafe." Photo. Live Japan. 29 June 2019. 8 December 2020. <https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-akihabara/article-a0003247/>

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In Japan, the common activity among teens and young adults has been to go to karaoke. In Japan, karaoke places don't just provide a place for people to sing their favorite songs but they can also order food, drinks, and use props to make the moment fun! You can rent a karaoke room for an hour or more with plentiful karaoke equipment at your fingertips.

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Teens in Japan have an affinity for going to a photo booth with friends because they have so many different features! At the photo booths, they have filters, options to send the photos directly to your smartphone, and you can even draw on the photos you take at the booth so when it prints out you have a new addition to the picture!

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はい　or Yes in Japanese is pronounced "hai".

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いいえ　or No is pronounced "e-a".

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Thank you in Japanese is ありがと　or arigato. Pronunciation is - ah-ri-gah-to.

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Good morning is おはよございます　or ohayo gozaimasu! Also when a word ends in -su, never pronounce the u! So gozaimasu is actually gozaimas!

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Good evening is こんばわ or konbawa！

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Good night is おやすみなさい or oyasumi nasai! Pronounce it: o-ya-su-mi nah-sai.

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To ask someone how they are, you must say ”お　げんき　ですか” or "O genki desu ka".

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You can respond to how are you in these 3 ways:
I'm good - げんき　です or genki desu.
I'm so-so - まあまあ　です　or maa maa desu.
I'm not feeling well - きぶん　が　わるい　です　or kibun ga warui desu.

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Finally, a bonus phrase you must use is please! Please is おねがいします or onegaishimasu!
People in Japan will surely appreciate it if you say please and will offer lots of gratitude and patience since you are a beginner!

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Now that you are familiar with some aspects of Japanese culture, to the right will be my suggestions on what do eat, do, and see while in Japan!

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Now that you know my opinion on the best food to eat, best activities to do, and places to visit, to the right will be phrases you MUST know to get around in Japan!

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I recommend attending a sumo match while in Japan! These are pretty hard to find in the United States and it is best to see it in it's most authentic form! Matches happen year round so it will be easy to find a match to attend!

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"Sumo." Japan-Guide. 31 May 2020. 8 December 2020. <https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2080.html>

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"Sumo match ritual." Photo. Japan-Guide. 31 May 2020. 8 December 2020. <https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2080.html>

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In Japan, restaurants have different themes and aesthetics. Two examples I have are the many maid cafe's found in Japan in which the performer or waitress is dressed as a cute anime character there to perform for you while you dine and shop. Another example is the robot restaurant where while you dine, robots and animatronics perform an outlandish set for you!

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Naho Jishikyu. "Everything to know before you go to a maid cafe in Japan" Live Japan. 29 June 2019. 8 December 2020. <https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-akihabara/article-a0003247/>

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Simon and Erin. "Robot Restaurant: The Most Insane Show in Tokyo." Never Ending Voyage. 6 October 2020. 9 December 2020. <https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/robot-restaurant-tokyo-review/>

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Matthew Hernon. Photo. "Robot Restaurant." Tokyo Weekender. 12 July 2013. 9 December 2020. <https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2013/07/robot-restaurant/>

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Image from inside the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo.