Common/annoying mistakes foreigners make?

I would like to know mistakes that are annoying or commonly made by foreigners so I will know not to make them when I get there :D things such as language, law, work, neighbors, education, banking, nightlife, shopping, et cetera :)

1) They stand in the way of others (at railway stations, for example)
2) They speak too loudly on trains
3) They don't dispose of household garbage properly (in case of residents)
4) They play with their chopsticks

To Uji: thank u for the info, i am a foreigner as well, if i go to Japan (and i plan to) i know what not to do :-).

Also:
5)They put their feet on the seats in trains.
6)They use their phones on the train
7)They play their music too loud in public
6)They eat & drink while walking around


Btw I'm English & get really annoyed by these too. I did once try to explain to some American travellers why what they were doing was rude, but got told off by them for it.

9) blow nose in public
10) fail to observe the correct side of escalators on which to stand
11) travel in rush hour with large luggage
12) not understand the etiquette surrounding the exchange of Business Cards

No one mentioned, "they party at places where walls are thin."

But most mistakes are tolerated. Bottom line, be social and chat with your neighbors or at least your landlord. It will make it easier for your neighbors to warn you and for you to listen to them and to let your neighbors know you mean no harm.

I think that most of the things mentioned above will not be tolerated not just in japan but any other country. These are generally accepted norms of behavior in a civilized society. I would suggest to respect people around and do not do anything what would harm/ disturb the others. That's it.

Okay, I'm going to apologize right now. I've done ONE of those things (and I'm a bit of a repeat offender).
I've been here for 8 months, and I've been both a disaster zone volunteer in Iwate, and an employee in Yokohama.
Oh, on a side note, there were a LOT of bad people in the volunteer community. Thankfully though, i knew enough to behave myself in front of the locals.

But yeah, one thing I keep doing is that "eating in public" thing. It's a minor offence I guess, a lot of cultures have this rule, but late at night when I've barely eaten anything and I've just finished a 10 hour shift at work, I pick up a few snacks from Lawsons or FamilyMart and I chomp away on a curry bun or a piece of chicken while I walk home. :P
I don't do it while people are walking around me, nor when they're walking towards me, so I don't think i'm seen. But just in case, SORRY! :)

One thing I'll add that foreigners do that is a big nono, is sticking their chopsticks directly into food and leaving it there. I've seen this a million times and I'm always telling people off about it.

"Nnnnnno! Bad! Wrong!"

what? whats wrong with sticking my food with the chopstick? I typically use the chopstick to stab my food and then cut it with the spoon. I thought this was okay. but recently i got a dirty look because i was eating with my mouth open on the subway. so i smiled and kept eating. I would've offered them some but they made ugly looks.

To Tater

People were not giving you dirty nor ugly looks. They saw them in you. Please use better manners next time.

I did number 6(eating in public) all the time. I knew it was considered rude manners but really what are you supposed to do? Go inside a public restroom and eat your meals in there? If you dont like it look away(however everyone makes sure to stare at you when the walk by, which doesnt bother me, but hey i thought it is rude to stare?)

number 6(eating in public)
No.6 is to eat & drink while walking around.
So you can eat in the park or square.
Perhaps polite people worry about throwing garbage such as packagings or cans,
unless you are in the crowd.

13. overt displays of affection, eg kissing in public.

And my understanding of the problem with chopsticks is that if you stick them in your rice and leave them there it makes the character for death, or something like that, so it is a no no

14) to take photos of rituals/statues indoors at shrines/temples.

I just saw such rudeness tourists without respect in the pilgrimage of new year for Seven Lucky Gods and so on.
I'm Shinto with no expression of religious faith, but I wonder how they behave at thier sanctuary.
To tell the truth, although that tourists include certainly some Japanese...

Just to clarify, what I meant by "tolerated" is this;

Say you are from a foreign country and you accidentally stood in the way of others.

People would think, "What is this person getting in my way? Oh? Looks like she's a foreigner. Oh well, I suppose she's not used to the city. I'll let it be. Or I guess I will gentally tell her to stand over there so that she won't annoy others."

On the other hand, say you didn't dispose your garbage properly for 2 weeks. Crows and cats will mess the place, neighbors will be fed up, and they'd start thinking "Gosh! Why can't they do as the Romans do?"

But if you always say hello to your neighbors or even chat about the weather, your neighbors will be more open to you and it will be easier for them to say, "Yes, it's cold today, isn't it. By the way, do you know that burnable garbage is Wednesday, sweetheart?"

"Say you are from a foreign country and you accidentally stood in the way of others.
People would think, "What is this person getting in my way? Oh? Looks like she's a foreigner"

You are right Uco..yet....
..one day, I was watching a bride and groom in Nara, wearing beautiful traditional clothes. I showed my camera to a Japanese lady near me that was taking photos of them, like other Japanese nearby, and she understood that I, a foreigner, wanted to take a photo...and, by her gestures, said yes.

The bride and groom then moved to stand with their families on the steps of a temple..

We all followed and all a sudden an older man, walking backward, placed himself in front of the couple!
His wife gestured to him to move, he refused and kept waving at her to take a photo...

He finally turned around and saw the whole wedding party behind him, all laughing!!!
He looked so embarrassed!
Guess what...he was Japanese!

As for eating while walking..this must be a US custom. I live in North America but have never ever done that.. I don't even drink while walking! It doesn't matter if I am hungry or in a hurry, I take the time to sit down...

redfrog, the problem with sitting down and eating is that there are almost no benches in all of tokyo.

Re:chop stick use.
Do not pass food on chopsticks to other. This is what the family members do picking bones to the urn after cremation. Always put the food down first and have other pick it, not in the air.
Do not stand chopsticks on rice in bowel. You do that as an offering on the altar after funeral.
Sticking food with a chopstic(s) is ok.

Add to the list.
Do not fart in public.
Do not eat noodles, i.e.udon, soba, ramen, etc. quietly. Make as much sound slurping, lol.
I am sure you will come up with list of things annoying Japanese do once you visit Japan.

Chopsticks are quite tricky as manners differ greatly depending on the Asian country. For example, in Chinese countries it is better to pass on food from chopstick to another while in Japan it's the other way around.

By the way, Red Frog, to tell you the truth, I never thought that standing in the way of others is an act unique to foreigners :)