Diet etiquette and customs in Japan
The food culture of all countries is based on their own traditional culture, so their food culture also contains many customs and taboos of traditional culture. When we want to eat Japanese food with the Japanese, we must know some simple Japanese food etiquette, customs and taboos in advance.
Don't talk about people's physical defects, such as big, short, fat, bald, pockmarked, blind, deaf and dumb. Call the disabled blind with physical disabilities and deaf with poor eyes and ears. When Japanese people give gifts, it is very popular to give gifts in pairs, such as a pair of pens and two bottles of wine. However, when giving red envelopes to newlyweds, it is forbidden to give 20 thousand yen and multiples of 2. Japanese folks believe that the number "2" is likely to lead to the breakdown of couples' feelings, generally giving 30,000 to 70,000 yen. The color of gift wrapping paper is also very particular, black and white represents funeral, green represents ominous, and red wrapping paper is not suitable. It's best to wrap the gift in colored paper.
Japanese people are very particular about sitting posture. In the company, Japanese people sit in chairs, but at home, Japanese people keep the traditional habit of sitting on tatami. The correct sitting posture of tatami is called "front seat", which means kneeling on the ground with your knees together and your hips pressed on your heels. Easy sitting postures are: "sitting cross-legged" and "sitting sideways": "sitting cross-legged" is a male sitting posture with feet crossed in front and hips on the ground; "Sitting sideways" means that the legs are slightly sideways and the body does not press the feet. This is often a sitting posture of women. Nowadays, the younger generation who don't sit on tatami is gradually increasing.
Japanese people pay special attention to the New Year, and every year 65438+February 29th-65438+1October 3rd is a national holiday. The Japanese call 65438+February 3 1 "Great Dark Day", that is, New Year's Eve. On New Year's Eve, the Japanese call it "New Year's Eve". At night, they pray for the gods to send away the troubled old year and usher in a beautiful new year. This is the so-called "first day". At midnight on New Year's Eve, temples in urban and rural areas rang bells 108 to exorcise evil spirits, while the Japanese sat quietly listening to the "Night Bell". When the bell stops, it means the arrival of a new year. People leave their seats and go to bed, hoping to have a good dream. On New Year's morning, families sit around and tell each other about their dreams on New Year's Eve to test good luck or bad luck. The Japanese call the first day of New Year's Day "Zhengri". 1-3 is "Three Congratulations Day": On Sunday, the younger generation must go to their parents' home to pay New Year greetings, and then go to relatives and friends' homes to pay New Year greetings. The New Year is still a "eating" festival, and people all over the world pray for good luck by eating their own food. On "Zhengri" day, the Japanese will have a big breakfast, including sugar, soba noodles and Tu Su wine. After that, they went vegetarian for three days in a row to show their piety and pray for good luck in the coming year. At present, most urban people in Japan give up vegetarian food and eat hollow noodles in the New Year to wish them health and longevity in the new year.
Usually, after family members wish each other good health this year, they will drink Tu Su in order of age.
Eight taboos in using chopsticks. Japanese also eat with chopsticks, but there are eight taboos when using chopsticks: licking chopsticks; Obsessed with chopsticks: holding chopsticks, not sure what to eat, swimming around the table; Move chopsticks: after moving a dish, eat it, but don't eat it, and then move another dish; Twist chopsticks: twist chopsticks and lick the rice grains stuck to chopsticks with your mouth; Chopsticks: eat vegetables with them; Chopsticks: use chopsticks to pick up from the middle of the dish to eat; Cross chopsticks: put chopsticks horizontally on bowls and plates; Toothpick chopsticks: Use chopsticks instead of toothpicks to pick teeth. The Japanese are very afraid of the numbers "4" and "9". The reason is that the pronunciation of Japanese "4" is similar to that of "death", while the pronunciation of "9" is similar to that of "bitterness". Therefore, just as westerners taboo "13", Japanese people will avoid these two numbers in their daily life, especially when entertaining guests or giving gifts. It is said that hospitals in Japan generally don't have ward 4 on the fourth floor, and some theaters don't have rows 4 or 4.
Japanese people are forbidden to use the words "go", "return", "break" and "finish" in wedding ceremonies, especially when they get married, they can't use the words "leave", "repeat" and "many times". At the same time, Japanese people dare not say things like "one after another", "one after another", "return" and "again" when doing funerals.
When the Japanese send a letter, the stamps can't be posted backwards. Posting stamps upside down in Japan is a sign of breaking up. When loading a letter, be careful not to let the recipient see his name facing down at the back of the letter.
In terms of color and pattern, the Japanese are afraid of green and lotus. The reason is that green is unlucky, and the lotus represents the memorial service. At the same time, the Japanese are more disgusted with items decorated with foxes and badgers. Because they are symbols of greed and cunning. Japan is a country that values politeness and etiquette. Honorable words, modest words, respectful sentences and simple sentences in Japanese are quite complicated, and different people have to use different expressions and words. Therefore, in dealing with the Japanese, we should not only keep our clothes neat and dignified, but also pay attention to whether our language is appropriate. In addition, the Japanese also pay great attention to some details in their daily life, giving some strokes in the fire and cutting the fruit with the edge inward, which means not to cause trouble to others.
Perhaps influenced by the west, the Japanese are very afraid of being asked about his salary. Young women are also afraid of being asked her name, age and whether she is married. Therefore, when I am together that day, don't pry into other people's private affairs. In Japan, acquaintances rarely shake hands when they meet, but mostly bow to greet them. Especially men and women generally don't shake hands. Because it is impolite for Japanese to touch other people's bodies. They think it is shameful for men and women to kiss in public, and hugs are not allowed. This is similar to our country, but of course it is very different from the west. Japan is known as "the country of etiquette", and it is a Japanese custom to pay attention to etiquette. When people meet, they usually bow to each other and say "hello", "goodbye" and "please take care of me".
Japanese people attach great importance to exchanging business cards when they meet for the first time. Not only is it impolite to meet for the first time without a business card, but the other party will think you are unsociable. When handing business cards to each other, you should bow first and hand them in both hands. After receiving the other party's business card, read it carefully to see the identity, position and company of the other party, and nod your head to show that you know the other party's identity. Japanese people think that business cards represent a person, and treat them as if they were themselves. If you take a business card and put it in your pocket without reading it, it is considered rude. If you want to participate in business negotiations, you must send business cards to everyone in the room and accept their business cards. You can't leave out anyone. Although it takes a lot of time, it is a way to express mutual friendship and respect.
When visiting a Japanese home, you should make an appointment with the host in advance and ring the doorbell to announce your name before entering the door. If there is no doorbell in this house, don't knock, but open the sliding door on the door and ask, "Excuse me, is there anyone inside?" After entering the door, you should take the initiative to take off your clothes and hat, take off your scarf (but be careful not to wear vest or barefoot even in hot weather, otherwise it will be impolite), put on spare slippers and give your own gifts to your host. When you sit in a room, it is polite to sit with your back to the door. Only under the persuasion of the owner can we move to a distinguished position (referring to the seat with various works of art and decorations in front of the niche, which is specially prepared for VIPs). Japanese people are not used to letting guests visit their houses, so don't ask to look around. Japan is particularly taboo for men to break into the kitchen. You have to ask the owner's permission to go to the toilet. When eating, if you don't know how to eat a certain meal, you should ask the owner's advice and turn your chopsticks around when you are holding vegetables. When saying goodbye, let the guests ask first and thank the host. When you return to your residence, you should call the other party and tell them that you have returned safely. Thank you again. Don't forget to express your gratitude when you see your host again after a while.
Customs:
Japan's unique geographical conditions and long history have given birth to a unique Japanese culture. Cherry blossoms, kimonos, haiku and samurai, sake and Shintoism constitute two aspects of traditional Japan-chrysanthemum and sword. Japan has a famous "three paths", namely, Japanese folk tea ceremony, flower path and book path. Tea ceremony, also known as tea soup (tea tasting), has been loved by the upper class as an aesthetic ceremony since ancient times. Tea ceremony is a unique tea ceremony and social etiquette. Nowadays, tea ceremony is widely accepted by the general public to train concentration or cultivate manners. Many schools in Japan teach the techniques of various schools of tea ceremony, and many hotels also have tea rooms, where you can easily enjoy the performances of tea ceremony. However, the Japanese tea ceremony was finally introduced to Japan from China during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. In ancient times, Japan had contacts with China. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, a large number of Japanese envoys came to China and were deeply influenced by China. The Japanese call "China is the hometown of Japanese tea ceremony".
The flower path was born as a technology to replicate the flowers in the wild in the teahouse. Because of the different rules and methods of exhibition, pattern science can be divided into more than 20 schools, and there are also many schools in Japan that teach various schools of pattern science techniques. In addition, in hotels, department stores, public facilities halls and other places, you can enjoy the beautifully decorated art of flower arrangement. Taboo lotus, think lotus is a funeral flower. Avoid camellia, chrysanthemum is a symbol of the royal family.