Japan Culture

Every country has their own language and culture that makes them unique. In Japan, they have a unique etiquette that affects how people behave themselves, how they communicate, and how they associate with other people. They often called this “Omotenashi,” which means to provide an exquisite politeness and altruistic attitude with a desire to maintain or foster a good relationship with someone. According to Ishii Keiichi, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism Minister, “Visitors to Japan in 2017 jumped by 19% from the previous year to 28.69 million” (“Japan”). The numbers of foreign tourists who visit Japan continued to grow each year. Perhaps many people love Japanese culture for their traditional food, anime, or temples. Yet, among

People try their best not to make noises in public places, such as on the train or bus. Most people refrain from speaking on the phone or talking loudly with friends in the public places and keep their phones on silent. Even when they listen to music, they always listen through the headphones with low volume. Making noise is regarded as disrespectful and impolite. Japanese people are worried with bothering one another so they try to be considerate of others. Therefore, people often use their travel time to read, sleep, think, or just sit calmly. “You soon find yourself acting more kindly, gently and civic-mindedly, handing in lost wallets to the police and never ever raising your voice in public,” says Noriko Kobayashi, Head of Inbounded Tourism (Powell and Angeles).

When foreign tourists visit Japan, they might be surprised by the cleanness of streets and roads. Where does all that trash go? Actually, it is a habit for people to clean the street in front of their house or building. They want to clean their surroundings to provide a safe and favorable impression to strangers. Exposing the Omotenashi environment, many tourists are likely to contemplate their thoughts and deeply understand the Japanese

Additionally, in some train stations, there is a resting room for people to relax and finish the meal. From these examples, it could be seen that people in Japan tend to act in a way that did not cause trouble to others, which can be an indication of Omotenashi, because they respected other people’s private time and wanted to provide good vibes. As a result, their hospitality successfully became a part of Japanese culture.

Japan has successfully demonstrated the hospitality service, and their etiquette shapes the Japanese culture, such as hotel services, public spaces, and table manners. Omotenashi is something of which Japan should be proud, and it should be shared with other countries while still being respectful and courteous to them. The purpose of manners should not be to only follow rules. It should be the behavior to respect and care for others. Culture exists not only to show people’s identity, but also to cooperate with people of various background and to associate and deepen its feeling of