Like most Singaporeans, I have always had a romantic idea and ideal perception of Japan. Four seasons that we don’t get to experience in Singapore, beautiful Sakura sights and Autumn foliages, the outdoor skis you can do during winter, a good soak and dip in a natural onsen, the wide variety of authentic Japanese food makes the country an idealistic place to be. If you are looking to travel, do business, or even live in Japan, you will expect cultural differences that you will have to learn to adapt. Here, we round up 8 cultural differences that can perhaps reduce the culture shock you may face if you weren’t aware.

Christmas Feast in Singapore vs Christmas KFC in Japan

Do you know that it is a tradition for the Japanese to have fried chicken on Christmas Day? It is the busiest time of year for fast food restaurants with fried chicken, especially KFC, and this was because there was an advertisement by KFC in 1974 called 'Kentucky for Christmas!' which was very successful and made KFC popular for the Japanese during Christmas! Read more about this tradition here!

Loud Slurping: Rude or Polite?

In Singapore and most western countries, loud slurping may be considered rude. But on the contrary, it is rude to NOT slurp loudly in Japan. Japanese believe that loud slurping is polite and is an indication to the staff that the food is delicious! Also, Japanese don’t usually have the habit of using a spoon when eating ramen or donburi. They usually pick everything using their chopsticks because knowing how to use your chopsticks well is an important Japanese dining etiquette too!

Hygiene is the Key and Service is Top-Notch

In Japan, customers’ needs and satisfaction are the most important. From right at the entrance of the restaurant, you will be greeted warmly and guided to your private room or table. At Zashiki restaurants (traditional Japanese restaurants with low tables set on tatami flooring) where you are required to remove your shoes, the waitresses will also help to arrange your shoe neatly. Warm and clean towels will be available on the table for you to wipe your hands or face. Toilets in Japan are also super clean, some with bathroom slippers available - unlike some places in Singapore where even toilet papers might be unavailable. At the end of your whole dining experience, waitresses will also be ready to hand you a shoehorn for those who need a little help in wearing your shoes.

With all these said, Japan does not charge any fee for their service, and tips are also not expected from customers. In some restaurants, giving tips will also portray as being rude.

Shoes placement and arrangement

In some Japanese homes, there will be an area between the indoors and outdoors of the home that is known as Genkan. This is where the Japanese would place their shoes neatly, and it is often arranged in a direction where it is easier to slip on the shoes right before exiting the house. Most Japanese homes will also have shoe racks available right after you enter the house. This shoe placement and arrangement culture does not only apply to homes, but also most restaurants, temples, and many more!

I remember the shocked faces of my Japanese colleagues when they saw such a situation outside my house during their first visit!

Face-to-Face Business Meetings Etiquettes

It is not a very common practice for the Japanese to do handshakes during business meetings. Instead, they greet each other with a sincere 45 degrees bow. If you offered your hands to shake during a Japanese business meeting, some might find it rude or extremely awkward!

Moreover, when exchanging your business name cards, it is important to take a few seconds and look through the details of the name card. Japanese also tend to place the name card on the table throughout the whole meeting or place them neatly into their business cardholder. Do not chuck them into your wallet, pockets, or bags immediately after you receive them because it will be deemed as disrespectful or that the person is of no importance to you!

Greetings in a Japanese workplace

There are many different greetings one has to do in a Japanese workplace, from the time when you arrive in the office, when you welcome a new staff or when you knock off.

Here are the 4 most important ones to bear in mind:

1. When you arrive in the office, you are expected to greet everyone loudly (if your office is small and everyone can easily hear you, or else you can personally greet each colleague one by one) - “Ohayo Gozaimasu” which means Good Morning!

2. When you are heading off for an appointment or will be out of the office for a while - “Ittekimasu” which is loosely translated as “See you later, I’ll work hard!”

3. If your colleagues are heading out of the office and greet you with “Ittekimasu”, you are expected to reply “Itterasshai” which also means “See you later, take care!”

4. If you are knocking off from work, you may say “Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu” which means “Excuse me for leaving before you.” Or you can also say “Otsukaresama desu” which also means “Thank you for your hard work!”

Job Hunting in Japan

Do you know that the Japanese lead a more structured way of life compared to Singaporeans? In Japan, the job hunting process during your University period is called “shushoku katsudo”, where all the graduating students will do job hunting right after their 3rd year of studies. This is also why Universities tend to provide training programs for their students to prepare them for interviews, and many Japanese language schools will also provide short-term courses to aid students in resume writing, the interview process, and many more! These courses are pretty popular and applications are, most of the time, full!

Hiring a Helper is not a usual practice

Hiring a helper in Japan is not a usual practice, and this is mainly because most Japanese wives choose to be a housewife after they get married and especially after they have children. Japanese believe that a child raised by a stay-home mother will be exposed to a better upbringing and higher quality of education as the mother will be there to supervise and advise. Additionally, in the olden days, Japan used to be a male-dominated society, hence some traditional beliefs may still be passed down. Now, most Japanese wives will raise and take care of their infant kids until the age of 2 or 3 before they send them to a preschool and commit to a job.

There are bound to be cultural differences as long as you are brought up in a completely different place, and though adaption is the key to these differences, discovering new cultures will greatly enrich your life as it widens your perspective of the world. So, always remain open to the idea of meeting new people and learning new things!

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Reversed Roles during Valentine’s Day in Japan