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. 2006/5/9 19:03
But weren't bodies laid down in graves that way before they started to cremate them?

Uji is right.
We NEVER cremate bodies in graves!!!!!

First the body is sent to crematorium, and the bones and ashes are collected in a small pot, and put in the grave.
by . rate this post as useful

Burakumin??? 2006/5/9 20:29
Ooo, on Wikipedia they compare the "Burakumin" to "Untouchables" in India!??!
I remember learning about that in School....

Thanks, Thats something new to me.....i like learning new things like that....
by Iza rate this post as useful

Generation Z in USA 2006/5/10 21:26
there USE TO BE a time that here in the States where the younger genereation were taught things like respsect your elders, take-care/respect things like books/our flag, and to not waste food. But now a days the younger generation (my generation -.-) has pretty much gone to hell in a handbasket....this really has to be the worst generation when it comes to respect and values....

On a broadly generalazed level, I agree. But on the other hand, there are still a lot of great kids in America despite pop cultural pressures.

Many families still live by strong moral standards, unfortunately they're few and far between. Then again, it also varies based on region. Take Utah for example; just look at church organizations like the LDS (mormons). I know a lot of mormons, and many children raised in LDS families become an asset to the ever-declining American society.
by Valerie rate this post as useful

Yup! 2006/5/11 09:10
Yea i know theres plently of great kids out there still, examples: most of my friends! lol, But i know what you mean by Region....

Personaly here in the South (South-east), theres still a level of segregation....like Black kids won't hang out with White kids alot (or vice-versa) and you tend to hear crap like "The White man this and blah blah blah" here in the south....blegh.
And i'm a bit off topic much?? hahaha =P

I wonder if people will shy away from burakumin......im interested in learning more about that "taboo".....if anyone cares to share something about the subject.........=)
by Iza rate this post as useful

potted plants, kimono 2006/5/12 07:43
I thought of some!

You're not supposed to give a potted plant or flower to someone who is in the hospital-it implies that they'll take a long time to get well.

I'm not sure, but I think you're also supposed to avoid giving (all?) yellow/white flowers to same, because it's funeral colors.

One kimono taboo that I often see in movies is people wearing kimono with the right side over the left. Kimono should ALWAYS be worn with the left side over the right. The only time it's worn the other way is in preparing a body for funeral.

And, with the obijime, the tie that holds the obi in place, you should not point both sides down when tucking the ends in except for a funeral. Of course, at a funeral you should never point both sides up then, either. Up means happiness, like a smile.

For tea, we wear the obijime with one side up and one side down to symbolize the balance of happy and sad/good and bad etc.

Not really taboo, but at funerals one should not wear much if any jewelry, usually for women a single strand of pearls is the standard. Wearing more than that seems to be flaunting things and not being serious about the funeral

by kyarinchan rate this post as useful

mhmm 2006/5/27 05:31
hmmm... Taboos in japan?? A couple I have heard is to always accept gifts with both hands, or you will be considered rude. Also, never stick someone's business card in the back pocket of your pants after you recieve it- that is also rude.
by Ling rate this post as useful

... 2006/5/27 10:02
Don't wear the yukata provided by a hotel outside your room except in case of a ryokan.

Don't take the yukata home. It is property of the hotel/ryokan.
by Uji rate this post as useful

hi Surfbeat 2006/5/29 11:41
Yes you would need to! and it's a must. The restroom belongs to her and it is so special & personal. Never forget to flush to eliminate the unpleasant urinating sound, too.

///Jokingly I asked her if I need to ask permission to use her restroom.


by toshi rate this post as useful

taboos I've broken 2006/8/21 11:55
1. Looking at people directly

2. Returning my J.BF's cone to him, after I (with his permission) ate the last of the sorbetto out of it. It's handing someone trash, which is a huge insult.

3. God only knows -- there seems to be no end to it.

PS The name he told me for the "untouchables" is Eta -- and he said never to use that word.

Also, he told me the words for personal parts (which of course sound like nothing to me) and went apoplectic when I would say them in an attempt to remember them correctly.

FYI My build is nothing like that of a Japanese woman. Get over it. Beauty is various.
by dvorah rate this post as useful

what are the food taboos? 2008/3/28 07:52
me and my friend would like to know what the food taboos in Japan are, we can't find them lol
by Shayla rate this post as useful

Question 2008/3/28 16:53
Hello. Could someone please tell me about some customs when dining with friends? I tried to grasp some, if any... but I was not very successful. Thank you.
BTW, I received a gift from a colleague and accidentally I was right in receiving it with both hands, but blew it, I guess, bu tearing appart the sheet, it was wrapped in... :D
by dooreel rate this post as useful

TABOOS 2008/4/21 22:01
Well I've been told that it's VERY rude to be eating two things at once.

E.g Having a cup of drink in one hand, and a bowl of rice or something in the other.

Also not finishing whats in your mouth before drinking.

But I'm unsure if thats correct.
by Elizabeth rate this post as useful

Bowing 2008/4/22 03:31
I learned the hard way by my own habit of always walking around with my hands in my pockets. I went to a prestigious onsen in Unzen with my now in-laws after we finished harvesting the rice fields. When we were greeted at the door of course everyone bowed and so did I. My mother in law stopped and came over and yanked my hands out of my pockets and slapped them and proceeded on how you properly bow with your hands at your side. Needless to say I never made that mistake again. Oh and never say "Ita dake masu" when starting dinner until the father of the house says it first.
by nohgoa322 rate this post as useful

rice 2008/4/22 15:26
Always have rice placed on the right side or behind other dishes of food. never have the rice in front of you like the main dish, I got corrected doing this.
Never just put the phone down, you should use your finger to lightly press the button on the cradle ofthe phone to disconnect the call after a lengthy pause to ensure the other person is also ringing off, indeed it is most polite to wait for the other person to diconnect before you do. Just putting the phone down abruptly creates a bad noise for the other person on the end and is most certainly a taboo in Japan, my boss told me off or that.

NEVER hand someone some scissors or a pointed object with the point end towards them, I suppose this is just common sense but it is a big taboo here. Oh and people aren't too keen on things being thrown at them either (you'd better hand them over properly)


by kurisu rate this post as useful

Four 2008/4/27 15:38
Never give a present that exists from 4 pieces (I've heard because the word for 'death' is almost the same?). When I buy presents for my friends it's sometimes difficult because many things here do exists from 4, because that is the average number of a family.
by Trudy rate this post as useful

knives and scissors- not cultural 2008/4/27 16:26
I am from New Zealand, and I was taught as a child to always hand scissors or a knife to someone with the sharp end pointing towards myself- that's universal common sense isn't it? I don't think it's a cultural thing at all. Many non-Japanese I know also do this.

As for books, I also cringe if I see a child destroying one and it would have been unacceptable in my family's home.

The girlfriend who wouldn't let the guy touch her books or magazines seems odd to me- more like a possible obsessive-compulsive disorder than a cultural thing.

One thing that has always stood out to me is here taking off your shoes if you step on a chair to reach something- I think that's a good idea and I now hate to see people in other countries step on a chair with their shoes on or out their feet up on a chair with shoes
on.
by Sira rate this post as useful

Speaking 2008/4/29 13:35
Speaking too loudly or using too much body language. It seems to be polite to speak softly and not communicate with your hands. I get funny looks when I speak too loud anywhere I go.
by Lander rate this post as useful

Tattoos 2008/5/1 22:10
Always keep them covered. Even when you go to an onsen (unless it's a yakuza run onsen, which one of my friends had to frequent for the giant dragon on his back). you can buy waterproof bandages anywhere for cheap, use those when there are times you need to have the area of your tattoo visible.

Tattoos and piercings are becoming slightly more acceptable (ie I had a girl notice my tattoo in a shop ((granted an adult shop)) in Akiba and she thought it was cool and showed me hers on her stomach as well) but they are still taboo, so if you have one on your arm, be prepared to always wear a long sleeve shirt if you want to seem respectful.
by Alita rate this post as useful

Eta and burakumin 2008/5/1 22:15
To clarify for some, eta and burakumin are the same thing. Burakumin is just the modern derivitive. Both are negative, but burakumin has a much more negative tone.

But they're not as extreme as the "untouchables" in India. There were separate hamlets, but now allcitizens are equal. However someone of an eta background will often try to hide that because it can lead to stigma at a job etc, although there is no valid reason for such stigma as the myths about eta groups being "foreigners" originally has been mostly disproven.

There are burakumin liberation groups, so it's not that it's rude to say it's that most people in general society do not want to talk about them, or even acknowledge there are still minority groups in Japan. It's the same case with the ethnic Koreans who have lived in Japan since before WW2 and yet are not considered Japanese citizens.
by Alita rate this post as useful

taboos 2008/5/2 12:26
some of the things i learned from my boyfriend who is from kumamoto... safe guidelines to go by:

- japanese people don't like to attract attention to themselves [ this would refer to the person who commented saying people looked at them weird when they talked too loud]

- in western society, if you go over to someone's house and they offer you something to drink, you might accept, but in japan, you should never accept their kind offer but do it with sincerity

- also if they say you can freely help yourself to whatever in their house, never accept either

- girls are always expected to be lady-like

- burping and farting in public are just bad, but burping is still a little better than farting
by jessica rate this post as useful

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