There are many custom and social etiquette to appreciate in Japan.Here are some generral advice which may be helpful when you first arrive.

Never address individuals by their given name.The word “san” is added to thelast name to show proper respect.Dress is relatively formal and the word “no” is neveer heard in public.Eye contact is to be advoided and the Japanese don’t like casual body contact. Shoes are never worn inside the home. They are removed at the entrance,which is a small room called a genkan,inside the front door. Slippers may be worn in the housse although they are never worn on a tatami,the straw mats traditionally used in sleeping and dining areas.Inside the room or office slippers are offen changed when entering a restroom to “toilet slippers”. Generally feet are kept out of sight.Do not put them on a desk or a office table.
The most senior person or the guest of honor sits furthest from the door. The seniority may be social statue, so alwayls just abserve and wait to be told whereto be seated.It is polite to pour drinks such as beer, sake or tea for others, not for yourself. Avoid groups of four in gifts or fruits,as the Japanese character for “four” is associated with death.Greeting in Japan take the form of a long,low bow. Bowing is complex in Japan,and the angle of the bow is determined by the relatinship with the other person, to company rank,age and circumstances.Foreigners are not expected to understand the subtleties of the custom.When meeting a person for the first time,you should slightly and say hajimameshite(pleased to meet you),and if a business situation,proceed to exchange business card,or meishi.Using both hands,give the card with either the English or Japanese right side upto the recipient.

InJapan tiping is not expected anywhere,In fact,the rule is “no tipping”.However,gift giving in Japan is a ritual.Gift are given to express gratitude for past or continuing favors, to show respect for a superior or in return for gifts previously received.…………………………

The Yomiuri Shinbun has reported that Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has recently declared three of Japan’s pretty young things to be Pop Culture Ambassadors of the country…at least for their respective niche fashion groups.

Models Misako Aoki, Yu Kimura, and Shizuka Fujioka have been drafted to represent the lolitas, gyaru, and high school girls of the Nation of Cute, and travel the world promoting Japanese pop culture.

First stop: The upcoming Japan Fest in Bangkok, followed by a summertime stint at the Japan Expo in Paris.

Besides being a clear opportunity for bureaucrats to hang out with young girls, MOFA’s move is one of many in a government movement to promote Cool Japan, the idea that modern Japanese culture can be boxed up, branded, and exported for consumption. In many ways this is true, in the form of manga, anime, video games, and fashion, but these have been highly organic trends that came from the bottom up. Is government truly able to push Japanese trends onto the world to become global trends?

When I start making a song, for one second I see an amazing view—and in that instant, it cracks and falls to pieces. Then the rest of the process is trying to put the pieces back together. So when it feels familiar, when I see what I saw in that moment the song was conceived, then I know it’s done.—Utada

Hikaru Utada is one of the biggest pop stars in the universe. Over the last ten years, her accomplishments in Japan are simply staggering. Her 1999 debut First Love is the country’s biggest-selling album of all time, and three of her albums rank among the Top Ten best-sellers. She has had 12 Number One hits, including four songs in Japan’s all-time Top 100. 2001’s Distance had the largest first-week sales for any album in Japanese music history, selling an astonishing three million copies. In total, the young singer has sold more than 52 million albums.

But unlike most pop starlets around the world, Utada is also a songwriter and producer; indeed, she says that she thinks of herself as a composer more than as a performer. And on This Is The One, her new Island Def Jam album [featuring ten self-penned songs produced by the powerhouse producers Stargate (Ne-Yo, Rihanna, Beyonce) and Tricky (Britney Spears, Madonna, Mariah Carey)] 26-year-old Utada reveals the unique sense of songcraft that is poised to make her a force in the US and European music communities.
“I wanted to make something that’s accessible but not cheap-not low-class or stupid, but still appealing to a wide audience,” says Utada. “I like to make music that’s multi-layered. You might like a song and want to dance, but not really dive into the lyrics and analyze them. And then if you’re more bookish and you like words, you might notice the references I make, to Captain Picard or Freddie Mercury or Winona Ryder. (more…)

So excited to see the same face for two different people. It would the most attractive thing to me, and I like twins for my double love. He is a man from North America and attends to be a teacher in many countries. I saw the trace of Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. He has traveled to Macau and Hongkong. That’s what I saw from pics, maybe not all. He can survive just depends on his teaching work. I’m so confused. Why not us? Many of us are rushing in and out for food, house and some living things. It seems to be a dream to be abroad to see what we want. Most people said they wanted to travel around the world, but only few can make it come ture. We see we have too many responsibilites. We should take care of parents and can not leave in our own life, a house to live when we are old, enough money to protect sudden illness and so many undones. I want to go to release, but can not. Where to get the money? Where to find a work to live on? It’s even hard to hunt for an ideal job. I’m not for complaint, but just thinking about how to plan me a wonderful life. I feel embarrassed sitting alone in the house, and take everything as boring, while it appears to be different as soon as I go out to have a look.. So many interesting things and people make me feel prosperous. Every time, when I go to see the various people on the street, I will promise myself a colourful choice. Hoho, now, I will stive to move on to my Japan trip and the MBA years in my dreaming school. Maybe they will come ture in many many years, maybe not. Who knows but just wait!

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) — Beset by economic worries and
loneliness, elderly Japanese are turning to petty crime in increasing numbers,
the nation’s Justice Ministry reports.
An elderly man walks away from a Tokyo grocery store after being
observed stealing medicine for an upset stomach.

In 2007, 48,605 persons age 65 and older were arrested in crimes
other than traffic violations, more than double the number five years earlier,
according to a ministry report.

Thefts such as
shoplifting and pick-pocketing were the main offenses, the ministry report said.

“The main reasons they shoplift are poverty and
loneliness,” said Kazuo Kawakami, a former federal prosecutor. “The traditional
Japanese family is gone, and now our elderly live alone.”

Morio Mochizuki, who heads SPUJ, one of Japan’s largest security firms, said the stories of shoplifting suspects at the thousands of stores his company oversees across Japan bear that out.
And the problem becomes more acute during New Year holidays, traditionally a time for family gatherings in Japan, Mochizuki said.
(more…)