Now not all of these are necessarily rude, but if you want to fit in and cause the

least amount of trouble then they're things you should take into consideration.

It's also possible that you might see Japanese people doing these from time to

time,

but if that happens keep in mind that they are in fact probably causing

trouble themselves.

Many of these rules are the result of collectivism in Asian culture.

Whereas the West focuses primarily on individualism, Japanese people in

particular, though there are always exceptions, almost exclusively put

others before themselves.

Before you speak, before you act in Japan

it's important to consider how that will affect the others around you.

To some extent as a foreigner you will always have the magic power to

get away with things since you can't be expected to know the culture

but there are times when doing something that would've been normal in your home

country may surprise, offend or even turn Japanese people away from you.

I'll start off with some of the more well-known rules.

Don't use your cellphone on buses or trains.

This isn't just a courtesy thing--it's actually written on signs.

They'll ask you to switch your phone to manner mode,

which is a mode that disables all sounds so as not to disturb other people.

In general buses and trains are very quiet (except for school buses).

Some people suggest that you not talk at all, although many Japanese people up

through their college years will still laugh and talk somewhat loudly.

You can do it, but you will almost certainly annoy the other passengers.

In addition to being loud, you're also not supposed to eat or drink on trains or buses

although you probably see people breaking this rule from time to time as well.

Somewhat related to this,

don't be loud in general no matter where you are.

Again you will probably see younger Japanese people being loud at times,

but they themselves are being rude.

One thing as a foreigner you may have to consciously make yourself aware of is how

loudly you're speaking.

Even a normal conversational tone for Westerners,

and not just Americans, is very loud for Japanese people.

If you're not with a Japanese person who is willing to scold you, and you probably

won't be unless you're dating someone, no one may ever tell you.

But there are times that I have been consciously trying to lower my voice and

I've still been too loud.

Going along with not causing trouble: don't complain around Japanese people.

In fact you should do your best not to get emotional at all.

When something bad happens to a Japanese person they tend not to blame something

else or feel sorry for themselves.

Instead they usually blame themselves even if it's not their fault.

This isn't even just a way of being polite; it's how they actually think.

Therefore you will find that a lot of Japanese people don't complain hardly at

all.

A common phrase you likely hear in Japan is "shouganai"

which means, "It can't be helped."

Is there a long waiting line? Shouganai.

Are they sold out? Shouganai.

Did someone cut you off? Shouganai.

It can't be helped; you just have to accept it.

Of course we're all humans so it's acceptable to have a bad day every now and

then. But even then you shouldn't raise your voice or get upset about it when talking

with a Japanese person.

In the West if you're passionately explaining situation that made you upset,

we understand that the anger is directed at the situation and not at us.

But in Japan Japanese people feel like you're taking your anger out on them.

Even when you're upset you should think about how your actions affect others.

By getting emotional about it with someone here, you're making them uncomfortable.

If something bad happens to you, it's best to just laugh and brush it off.

A few specific things you should try not to do:

Taking pictures of strangers in Japan. Japanese people greatly value their privacy.

Oftentimes if they catch others in their pictures they will blur out their faces

before using the pictures for anything.

With this in mind that doesn't mean you can't ever take pictures, though!

Of course as a tourist you can take pictures of busy areas and the people around there.

Just try to find a balance where you're not bothering anyone.

Also you can't really customize your food orders here. You can try asking for them to

remove just one thing, but you can't ask for them to take off this, add

something else, substitute these things or cook it this way; that's not really done

here and it would be really confusing for your waitress and cook.

Once your food arrives you can pick off something if you don't like it,

although it's a bit childish and Japanese people will wonder why you ordered

something if you didn't like it in the first place.

Again if you're a woman don't show off your cleavage.

You can show off as much leg as you want, but not only should you not show off your

cleavage,

but you shouldn't show off that area at all, even if you can't see anything.

Even above your chest, anything that's below your armpit is probably too low cut.

You may see Japanese women from time to time who have low cut shirts,

but they're not giving off a very good image of themselves and you probably don't

want that image associated with yourself.

It's a highly sexualized area, even if you can't see anything.

Also do not carry pocket knives!

It's actually illegal to carry a knife with a blade longer than 5.5cm,

or 2.25in, so anything that's this long.

And you can get in a lot of trouble for it. If you have a pocket knife I recommend just

leaving it at home. I don't think it's worth it to bring it.

But in general in Japan just try not to be too noticeable.

As a foreigner you're going to be noticeable anyway,

but do your best not to stand out beyond that.

As always we all make mistakes and many of these things are done by younger

Japanese people anyway so don't worry about it too much!

Especially if you're in a tourist area or a large city,

people will be more used to foreigners so feel free to be yourself for the most part.

Just try to consider how your actions are going to affect the others around you.

If you have any questions or comments on this video leave it in the comment

section below.

Next video I'm going to talk about what over-the-counter drugs you can get in

Japan, how much they are, what drugs you should consider bringing,

and what drugs are illegal to bring to Japan.