Commonly Misunderstood (527) — page 6

Life EventsStandard uchiiwai内祝いthe thank-you gift after a celebration

Life EventsStandard fufu no sei夫婦の姓why couples must share one name

Life EventsStandard namae no tsukekata名前のつけ方what you may and may not call a baby

Life EventsStandard rikon離婚how divorce works in Japan

MannersStandard esukareta no katagawa akeエスカレーターの片側空けstanding on one side, and why that is changing

MannersStandard meru no kakidashi to musubiメールの書き出しと結びthe fixed opening and closing lines

MannersStandard keigo敬語the honorific levels of Japanese

MannersStandard yubisashi to temaneki指さしと手招きgestures that mean something different in Japan

MannersStandard ayamaru謝るwhy Japanese people apologize first

MannersStandard okurimono o ichido kotowaru贈り物を一度断るthe polite custom of refusing a gift once before accepting it

MannersStandard dogeza土下座kneeling with your forehead on the floor

MannersStandard hana o kamu鼻をかむwhy blowing your nose in public is avoided

Modern JapanStandard kuru bizuクールビズthe summer campaign to work without a jacket and tie

Modern JapanStandard biniru gasaビニール傘the clear plastic umbrella

Modern JapanStandard furusato nozeiふるさと納税donating to another town and having it deducted from your own tax

Modern JapanStandard mai nanba kadoマイナンバーカードthe national ID card that now also works as a health insurance card

Modern JapanStandard mamachariママチャリthe everyday shopping bicycle

Modern JapanStandard yakuzaヤクザorganized crime in Japan, and why the offices have nameplates

Modern JapanStandard hikikomori引きこもりlong-term withdrawal from society

Modern JapanStandard gaikokujin rodosha外国人労働者how Japan brings in workers from abroad

Modern JapanStandard kampo漢方traditional herbal medicine as practiced in Japan

Modern JapanStandard akiya空き家empty houses left standing across Japan

Modern JapanStandard genkin shakai現金社会why Japan still runs on cash

Modern JapanStandard kokumin kaihoken国民皆保険the public health insurance everyone in Japan is required to join

Modern JapanStandard jidohanbaiki自動販売機vending machines

Modern JapanStandard shuwa手話Japanese Sign Language

Modern JapanStandard josei no shugyo女性の就業where women's employment in Japan stands

Modern JapanStandard seishun juhachi kippu青春18きっぷa budget ticket for unlimited local and rapid JR trains over several consecutive days

Modern JapanStandard churinjo駐輪場bicycle parking and removal

Modern JapanStandard denchu to densen電柱と電線why so many overhead wires

Modern JapanStandard dendo kikku bodo電動キックボードthe electric scooter now allowed without a driver's license

Modern JapanStandard bun'en分煙where you can and cannot smoke in Japan

Modern JapanStandard hogei捕鯨why Japan resumed commercial whaling, and how little whale is actually eaten

Modern JapanStandard majan麻雀the four-player tile game, and where it sits legally

Modern JapanStandard otoshimono落とし物why lost things come back in Japan

Seasons & NatureStandard Okinawa and Hokkaido沖縄と北海道の気候the two ends of Japan's climate

Seasons & NatureStandard umi to gyogyo海と漁業how Japan eats from the ocean

Seasons & NatureStandard kiku菊chrysanthemum

Seasons & NatureStandard shochikubai松竹梅pine, bamboo and plum

Seasons & NatureStandard shinrin no kuni森林の国how much of Japan is forest

Seasons & NatureStandard mushi no koe o kiku虫の声を聴くenjoying the sound of autumn insects

Seasons & NatureStandard nihon retto no chikei日本列島の地形a long mountainous chain of islands

Onsen & BathStandard sauna to mizuburoサウナと水風呂sauna culture in Japan

Onsen & BathStandard ichiban-buro一番風呂being the very first person into freshly drawn bathwater

Onsen & BathStandard onsen to tatu温泉とタトゥーwhy tattoos can get you refused at a bath

Onsen & BathStandard onsen maku温泉マークthe three-steam symbol used on maps and signs for hot springs

Onsen & BathStandard onsengai no shateki to takkyu温泉街の射的と卓球shooting galleries and table tennis at hot-spring resorts

Onsen & BathStandard kazoku buro家族風呂a private bath you can book

Onsen & BathStandard ganbanyoku岩盤浴lying on heated stone to sweat, a dry alternative to soaking in a bath

Onsen & BathStandard gensen kakenagashi源泉かけ流しhot spring water used once and let overflow, with nothing recirculated

Onsen & BathStandard nakai仲居the ryokan staff member who attends to your room and meals

Onsen & BathStandard yuzame湯冷めcatching a chill after a hot bath, as your body cools down too fast

Onsen & BathStandard nyutozei入湯税a small local tax that bathers pay at hot spring facilities

Onsen & BathStandard bandai番台the raised attendant's seat at the entrance of a public bath

Onsen & BathStandard bijin no yu美人の湯a nickname for hot springs said to leave your skin smooth

PlacesStandard Ginzan Onsen銀山温泉a hot spring town of old wooden inns in Yamagata

PlacesStandard Kenrokuen兼六園the Kanazawa garden named for the six qualities a perfect garden should have

PlacesStandard Sanjusangendo三十三間堂the 120-meter hall in Kyoto holding 1,001 statues of Kannon

PlacesStandard Shurijo首里城と沖縄the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa

PlacesStandard Adachi Bijutsukan足立美術館the Shimane museum whose garden is viewed like a painting, not walked in