Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange
Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [japan]

Questions that have a specific focus on people in Japan or Japanese culture.

Some questions require answers that may be specific to a certain region and so this is when this tag (and also other location tags such as or ) should be used. When using this tag it is presumed that the culture/situation reflects that of the average Japanese person.

This tag should be used along with other tags that describe the situation which you find yourself in (such as )

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How do I deal with people who can't deal with local payment customs?

I live in Japan. Japan still has a very cash oriented society especially when it comes to restaurants. Often someone will visit from out of town and will expect to be able to (1) pay with a credit card and (2) pay only their portion on their card.…
gman
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How to share a flat with people who don't speak any language I know?

I am doing an internship in Tokyo and share my flat with two Chinese women. They speak only Chinese and Japanese, I speak only English and some other European languages, and my Japanese is not sufficient for everyday conversation yet. We did some…
WatermelonLemon
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Is it appropriate for a non-Japanese person to wear a yukata when going to fireworks?

During the summer, many Japanese people go to fireworks or bonodori festivals wearing a "yukata": source As a non-Japanese person going to such events, should I refrain from using a yukata? I'm worried it might be seen as insensitive.
nic
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What to do if I find a woman already waiting for an elevator?

When I try to get on an elevator, sometimes a woman is already waiting for the elevator. There is no other person around there. Then, after the woman recognizes I'm also going to get on, she suddenly walks away and starts to wait for the next one.…
Blaszard
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How to deal with a runny nose in Japan?

It seems like people in Japan never blow their nose, even though they rather often catch a cold. People still use tissues to touch their nose or press it a bit, but never while blowing it. I remember a friend who came to Japan, who then blew his…
nic
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Dutch dating etiquette

Since I am Japanese, English may be strange. Please ask if you do not understand the meaning. A while ago (in Japan), I met a very nice woman at a bar, for the first time in my life, I took courage and challenged myself to speak to this woman who…
roger
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Love Confession by Personally Handing Over Handwritten Letter

There is a person I've met at the workplace who I've become interested in since I was introduced to on my first day at work. The development of our relationship was slow due to being in a different department but we eventually got close enough to…
josephting
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Foreign Friend wants me to go to the hospital with him in order to translate

We are in Japan, and one of my British friends got neck pain and needs to go to the hospital. The injury occurred a few month ago and recently he asked me to go to the hospital with him. First he went alone but he got refused because his Japanese…
Mimi
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How to establish boundaries with a neighbour who breaches basic privacy?

We have a neighbour about a minute walk from our place. Our kids go to the same school/kindergarten, so we are looking forward to a very long relationship. The problem is that she is extremely nosy and honestly I'm not sure how to deal with that.…
vivasra
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Would it be unseemly or worse to ask a Japanese acquaintance if I could name my cat after him?

This question is now moot, because the cat died several years ago at an advanced age, but I have always been curious as to whether it would have been OK or horribly rude or somewhere in between. Years ago, I attended a conference in Japan, and a…
user1760
9
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3 answers

Intervene in private conversation where a person seems to be manipulated

I am at a café, and I can't help myself from hearing strangers conversation at the next table. Two well-dressed persons (A and B) are doing their best to make C (older, unshaved and awkwardly dressed) sign a shady (yet legal) pyramid-like contract.…
nic
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How do I greet someone when bowing is a common greeting among the people without being disrespectful?

Muslims are only allowed to bow and prostrate to God because we consider such things acts of worship, and Islam is a very monotheistic religion. This is a problem in Japan, where bowing is considered a common greeting. How do I handle greetings…
Salmaan Al-Faaris
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Should I speak in Japanese or English to the "foreign-looking" kombini employee?

I am not Japanese but I usually speak in Japanese with everyone, because it is the language I use all day long at work (I live in Japan). At the register of a convenience store in Tokyo downtown, I usually say a few words like カードでお願いします (by card…
nic
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How can I convince my girlfriend that relationship and her doctorate is possible?

Background I have been dating a Japanese woman in Japan for two months now. Until now we've regularly met each other on weekends and were talking during the week, mostly with instant messaging. I never said explicitly "I love you" to her but I told…
schaedelkeks
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How to deal with situations where Asian girls don't like me (Asian male) but want to talk with White guy I'm with?

I'm an East Asian guy living in East Asia (multiple countries), and sometimes when I'm with a white guy, lets' call him Bob, for example in a cafe, canteen, or even on the street, a few girls approach us. In most cases the girls are friends or…
Blaszard
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