It seems as though Japanese love to make sure that everyone is reminded how much they like white people. We are on everything - posters, subway signs, wedding programs, etc...They think that people will buy into what ever they are selling as long as there are white people included somewhere - I'm surprised they haven't tried to this at a car dealership - buy a toyota, get a white passenger...
Oh, don't try to be polite and say "bless you" or "Gazeundehite" if someone sneezes - because they kinda just stare at you like you are condemning them for sneezing in the first place.
Japanese don't really say "no" either - instead of an outright, I'm from New York so don't mess around, yes that's my final answer, are you listening?! kinda "NO" that we are used to back home in the states - they really just try to go around the problem all together with different suggestions. Its cute that if you ask to have a party on a certain day and work has already decided what day it is to be on - instead of saying "no, we already have the date set" you get something like "we like your suggestion and we would move the date, but as a company we value the date we have chosen and would like to look into it further..." omg, shoot me in the face - just be blunt and tell em to buck up or shut up! Teaching english will be funny cause you know I'm gonna be using that little 2 letter word alot!
In every culture that I have ever been immersed in - I have learned that they each have their own ways of doing things. I have learned a few new things about one dish in particular in Japan - the elusive rice bowl. Never never put your chopsticks straight into you rice and let them stick up and down - that is a big no-no because that's a sign that it's an offering for someone who has passed away. Also, never put anything onto your rice - sorry mom, no butter allowed - they just give you strange looks...Don't share anything by passing them to someone with your chopsticks - you will be rejected....and never stab you food with them either - no matter how horrible you are with chopsticks. It's better to go hungry then to make a fool out of yourself in public....:P
An lastly, on that note of being a fool - I saw someone on the train that I just had to pity - for they had fallen to a new drunken low....Last night on the train - a younger guy was being held up by his girlfriend as he waited for the next train - after he got on and managed to prop himself against the door, he swayed back and forth between stops. It was raining out and pretty windy - so thank god the his girlfriend had an umbrella with her, not only to keep herself dry - but to allow her boyfriend to throw up in....aww young love...blah :P
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