Things you should avoid doing in Japan

The Japanese are very sensitive, especially middle-aged and older people. They will get upset if you ask them about their political life and religious perspectives. Questions should never be asked about which party you support or what religion you follow.

The Japanese king, the Mikado and the royal family are extremely respectable and sacred to the Japanese people. Therefore, the quickest way to be hated (or even beaten) in Japan is to do or say something that offends your Mikado and the Royal Family.

Also, you should never ask a Japanese about their income, which is considered very rude behavior. As in many other countries around the world, a woman should not be asked about her age and weight. You should also know that the Japanese are usually very private and do not want to talk about their private lives. Although you may come across some exceptions, most Japanese do not like to strike up conversations with strangers.

It’s really cool if you get invited to a Japanese family’s house for a meal. You should always remove your shoes before entering their house and when you are inside, avoid looking into their kitchen unless you are a very close friend of the family. You should also remember that the Japanese do not kiss or caress a child unless they are family members. Therefore, please do not kiss or touch any Japanese children you know, as it may upset Japanese adults.

The Japanese are very superstitious. They always avoid anything related to the numbers 4 and 9 because in Japanese, “4” is pronounced like “death” and “9” is the same as “pain.” In Japanese hotels, they don’t even have room numbers 4 and 9. When dealing with Japanese, avoid anything with those numbers.