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Culture Tips for Travelers

© Lance Lindley

A "culture" is a set of beliefs that a group of people accepts as true. Empirical facts are generally not a part of culture, but are cross-cultural; e.g. two rocks plus one rock equal three rocks, no matter where you live or what you're calling the rocks. But whether rocks should be juggled, worshipped or used as money may differ from place to place based on culture. Culture, then, is based almost solely on beliefs and habits, which can not be objectively judged as either right or wrong, simply different.

Two of the primary elements of culture are religion and etiquette. These are handed down from parents to children, taught in schools, learned from friends and other members of society and so on. Little do we realize how ingrained in us these learned behaviors are until we venture out into a part of the world where people have grown up with a different set of values and beliefs.

The die-hard belief that one's own culture is right and other cultures are wrong is called ethnocentricity; i.e. "my culture is the center of the universe," and can set up insurmountable barriers to understanding other cultures, so it is imperative to keep an open mind, especially when dealing with a culture as "foreign" to Westerners as that of Japan.

Japan has long been notorious for the infathomable intricacies of its culture and etiquette. This feature is so daunting that it has driven many would-be tourists away, and has even led some to speculate that it is an intentional act on the part of the Japanese to keep Westerners off balance (I kid you not, everything from military to business texts have featured that idea).

Well, if you are planning a trip to Japan, print this handy guide that I've compiled and take it along. Remember that I'm a foreigner, too, and I've only been over here a little over 5 years, so this guide may not be perfect. But if you stick to these basics, you are unlikely to go very far wrong.

SHOES

Do take your shoes off before entering anywhere that has a genkan. A genkan is a sunken area just inside the front door -- similar to a Western foyer -- where shoes are removed and slippers put on.
Don't wear any footwear, including slippers, on tatami. Tatami is straw matting.
Don't step down into the genkan wearing slippers, this gets the soles dirty and defeats the point.

EATING

Don't pass food directly from your chopsticks to someone else's. This is too similar to a part of the

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