Please tell us what you think is strange about Japan or anything similar in your country? Thank you for watching😄

Most British people say - sorry - all the time.  Even if you are not in the wrong you say sorry, and usually the other person says sorry, and you both smile a bit and move on.  Makes you feel better.

I can never have enough of politeness, good manners and kindness.
Sincere humility is a good quality.

Japanese are expected to stay in movie theaters until the ending credits finish.  Today, I saw about 25% of the audience leave the sumo grand tournament before the award ceremony started.

Japan: We have an apologising culture.
Canada: Sorry, hold my Tim Horton's.

salaryman work culture - in Poland we have the opposite, we have to take our holidays, if we don't we get compensated with money, after 8 hours we just leave and forget about the work. Work-life balance is highly regulated by the labor law - if someone wouldn't get paid for overtime there is a lawsuit on the horizon

6:18 Canadians do this, too. We apologize if someone bumps into us…😄

The "boring and small" is like an English speaking person saying "I hope you like it".

Many of the buildings in the US do not have a 13th floor. It is considered unlucky and so the number is skipped.

What I like about Japan is, that they keep their culture intact even though they have been exposed by many other cultures.
What makes a country interesting is its culture, its customs and its people. Japan has succeeded in maintaining their identity. That is what makes Japan a wonderful place to visit.

The most confusing thing to me about Japan is the prevalence of "fitting in" as an undercurrent for so much of culture from school to work. It seems to discourage people acknowledging their differences and problems and being able to address those before they become too bad to fix. The whole "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" thing also seems to inevitably lead to massive issues with self worth, artistic expression, and the pursuit of unpopular hobbies, which also seems like something that inevitably has a negative effect on mental health and the preservation and development of culture.

It's natural to expect some souvenir (less important than a gift) when someone travels abroad. But if the person doesn't bring anything, its also fine. Normaly the person itself is so keen into talking about the trip that brings photos and small souvenirs such as a fridge magnet of the place for a few friends and family. But souvenirs have become VERY expensive  and of very low quality. Therefore that habit of buying them to give it's disapearing.

Gift giving Another guy in Japan I watch said he had a co-worker who never revealed when she was taking a trip, business or otherwise, because she didn’t want to be bothered getting gifts for everyone. (She confided in him because he was not Japanese so he was “safe” to tell.)

Some things kind of make sense: pushing people onto the train is a “service” of sorts because, obviously, people want to get on the train. The “keeping your distance” thing goes out the window because no one can do that on a crowded train. (And, really, not sitting next to people is a US thing, too—it might be universal—at least, it’s avoided. I had a friend who never bought full-size sofas because no one really wants to sit on the middle cushion—she only bought pairs of loveseats when decorating her place.)

And I’d guess that saying “sumimasen” to the other person who is really at fault is probably like “I’m sorry to have placed you in the position where you have to say ‘sumimasen’ to me.”

And two things that I’m not keen about:
(1) Downplaying your kid’s accomplishments—I really think the better thing to say is “Thank you—yes, I’m proud of him (or her)” or, if that’s too much, “Thanks. I feel very fortunate.” It’s honest but, more importantly, it doesn’t push what the other person said away. (In other words, it’s more considerate to the other person.)
(2) Being at work when you’re sick. Stay home. (Again, what happened to being considerate to others?) I worked in a place where the head person would order people to leave if they were at work sick. (They did have sick leave.)

I'm English, and most of these things were traditional behaviours here until the last few decades. I'm surprised your tutor told you not to keep apologising, because that's a very British habit. Showing off your child's achievements is still considered bad form. My generation (I'm in my 60s) had the attitude of struggling to school or work even if we felt unwell, because you were letting down your colleagues; if you're not there, someone else has extra work. We do talk to strangers, though...a lot!

I love boring small gifts.

@6:42 As an autistic woman who tends to be highly socially anxious and probably has some level of CPTSD the constant over apology is probably one of those rare  ways I would actually fit in, in Japan and is probably why sumimasen and gomen are some of the first and easiest words I burned into my brain. 😅😆🤷‍♀🙈💀

Love your videos. They are educating us on the quirks in Japan.  But there are so many good things to admire too.  Thanks!

Americans used to give gifts called a “hostess gift” to people who invited them to their holiday party or dinner etc. usually just a bottle of wine or something like that.  A food item like a cheese ball with crackers.  That one makes sense to me and it’s The only one I participate in.  I think everything else is silly and not necessary.

I live in Midwest America. We tend to be very polite, and friendly. We help people and don’t think much of it. We tend to be polite and say I’m sorry a lot. However these customs are fading as people are more transient. We lose our young to cities and they get lost there, lose their manners and their kindness. Even here in the Midwest I’m offended by the rudeness of many city drivers. I live in the country at least 60 miles from large towns/cities. I live just outside of a town of about 600 people. Up until the beginning of 2000, I knew just about every person for miles around. Now I just know a few of the older people, that still live here. Politeness and manners are always appreciated.

That was a nice, low-key way to state that Japanese people spend WAY too much time working late at the office. I sincerely love the respect and consideration shown to each other, even if it can feel formulaic. In my country, we could use much more kindness and modesty--even if it's only a custom.