things that you shouldn’t do in Public?

So what's appropriate with water bottles? I usually always have a water bottle with me and sip from it throughout the day - I'd plan on carrying a water bottle on trains and while sightseeing so I don't get dehydrated. What is the suggested solution? I could keep it in my bag and take it out and put it away each time. Is it OK to go and sit on a seat in public and drink from a water bottle? Is it just the 'walking/standing' thing that's not OK?

SM,

No problem at all.
It is just drinking/eating while walking in the street that is not seen as good manners.

"Acting Very Strange"

How Randomly Generic lol

This is a warning to some Japanese foolish fellows rather than Gaijin.
Recently, I talked to Okami(landlady?) of a time-honored ryokan(Japanese style hotel). Then, she had regretted that there are many people who lack in common sense these days. The formal washitsu(Japanese-style room) has elegant wood decors called nageshi. Of all things, it seems that some people hang up clothes hangers to nageshi. I was struck speechless to hear it. Kamoi and nageshi are the important portion of Japan architecture, aren't the place that hang up clothes hangers. We shouldn't undermine real craftsmen's efforts.
http://www.iris.dti.ne.jp/~smeiboku/wasitu.html
#5 is kamoi. #6 is nageshi.
http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/pref/s11545/tekizaitekisyo/column14/image14.gif
http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/pref/s11545/tekizaitekisyo/column14/image14_4.gif

The nageshi in our private home is full of hangers, although I would not do the same in a ryokan.

Some rules of proper behaviour naturally change over the generations or drop out of the set of rules that can be called "common sense". Just look at the usage of the words "zenzen" and "totemo", which, I believe, were both originally only meant to be used in combination with negatives (zenzen/totemo yokunai), but are now popularly also used in combination with positive (zenzen/totemo ii).

Rules get forgotten and change from generation to generation. To a certain degree, I think it can't be helped. For example, many Japanese people do not have Japanese style rooms anymore in their households. Therefore, I think it can't be helped that some of the rules of proper behaviour regarding Japanses style rooms are getting forgotten.

But then there are other rules, like not eating while walking, which are still an integral, widely followed part of good behaviour in Japan. I think we should differentiate between them.

I is relieved to hear that you don't in ryokan.
In case of the individual house, that may well be for sure as you say. However, I think it's fearful mistake that people take it for granted even if that is their house. If pepole reaffirm kamoi and nageshi's original purpose, that's self-evident. The wood has a very higher allowable compression pressure as a physical property, but especially the thin plate like nageshi is very weak agaist a local pressure, furthermore nageshi uses the soft and fine grain of wood. If hanging up is common sense, the material needs the higher admissible stress like SS41(steel for general structure by JIS) or the stainless steel.

I am...

The ketchup thing could be a family thing. They are extremely old fashioned like telling my mom she couldn't wear red or pink because that is a young person's color, even though my mom did it anyway. Southern Kyushu islanders. Very "shima".

It seems like some can't hear the wood's silent shriek.
Also, Okami mentioned stepping on shikii(sliding door sill?) and zabuton(Japanese cushion?). And she put her feeling about them into words "kanasii hitotachi(sad persons?)". I feel the meaning was that they don't know manners because of the parental lack of discipline.

that is probably noticed at ryokans is pouring too much hot water in the teapot. You are only supposed to pour enough to fill the cup it will be poured into (sometimes this is difficult to judge depending on the cup).

If Japanese people understanding Japanese, it will make them think anew about a word "kanasii" which okami used. When we talk in story like that, usually we don't use a word "kanasii", but "kawaisouna" or "awarena" is used. It's not clear why she used that word. But, it's the wording that give a variety of image to people. Perhaps, no one will be able to mimic her decorous manners. I think that was a key asset of her she received from oookami who was hard on her.

you shouldn't pick your teeth in public without covering your mouth.

I also believe you are not supposed to dip your head under water in the onsen (maybe this is common sense from a sanitation standpoint). And towels are usually placed on top your head.

ayumi; i love that you mentioned the "if you have to move something don't move it with your feet" thing.

my best friends mother lived in japan for about 5 years and was married to a japanese man back in the seventies, so she learned a lot about the culture, and when i was younger i was really fascinated by her and would always ask her questions about life in japan.

i have always sworn that i remembered her saying something to me about how inapropriate and wrong it is in japan to move/touch/point at things with your feet. but since it was years ago, i couldn't remember anymore if she had actually told me that or if i had made it up in my head. i was always too embarrased to ask about it because i thought if i was wrong i'd look like a moron.

but seeing you mention it reassured me.

thank you!

^.^

Since I'm going to Japan this summer, I've been talking to friend of mine more about her experiences growing up as an American child in Tokyo.

Basically this is what she said:

"The Japanese people are very welcoming and kind to tourists, but if you live there, you might get annoyed because no matter how long you've lived there, no matter how well you observe their customs, you'll always look like a foreigner and will always be treated like one."

This shocked me, having never heard anything about Japan's vices.

Not to bad-mouth Japan, but like EVERY OTHER country in this world, it has social problems and the touristy facade shouldn't be the only thing you see there.

My friend recommends traveling to a remote fishing village or small town to see what it's like out there. IE: get out of the big city and go to the northern beaches and see the cliffs.