I just traveled to Hong Kong and back for work. On both legs of the journey, I was sitting next to Japanese men, in their 30s or 40s.

In both cases, shortly after the seat-belt sign went off, and then intermittently throughout the flight, the guys engaged in nose-picking.

Not the quiet, I-know-I-really-shouldn't, kind of nose-picking. Not the kind where you try to make it look as though you aren't picking your nose, but just touching or scratching it. No, a proper finger-rooting with the nostril stretched and finger twisting inside. Followed by inspection and rubbing of thumb and forefinger to drop any snot onto the floor in front of us.

Filthy. I noticed there were no women near us, just guys. Was that a factor? If there was a hot girl nearby, would they have done this?

I know this has been discussed before, in relation to nose-picking on trains. But I genuinely want to know if this is a behaviour that is tolerated in Japan. Perhaps part of the "Don't blow, sniff" thing.

Or are these just individually rude people, unaware of the feelings or even presence of people around them?

Finally, what's the best thing to do in this situation if it's a full plane? 4 hours I could tolerate but if this had been a long-haul, it might have ended up in some serious air-rage!

Sorry for the trivial topic but your thoughts would be welcome.

i've seen this a few times on the train. I'm pretty sure girls were around I mean, it's the F'n train. I guess it's just a socially acceptable thing. or maybe it's a right reserved for salary men...

For some reason, Google thinks I am the world's authority on Japanese nosepicking.

All I can say is that, Even the Buddha has to pick his nose.

Taro Toporific wrote:For some reason, Google thinks I am the world's authority on Japanese nosepicking.

All I can say is that, Even the Buddha has to pick his nose.

Quite an honor, Taro! I can't say with certitude that I've ever seen a booger make its way into a mouth so that the picker can savor that booger-y flavor.

A lot of ear-wax excavation goes on, and that's pretty distasteful, but what really makes my skin crawl are the guys who compulsively pinch and pull at their faces. Of course all of those things you can close your eyes to, but when you've got two oyaji having a sewage-breath-emitting conversation next to you, it's like being assaulted by that smoke-monster thing on Lost.

chan wrote:I just traveled to Hong Kong and back for work. On both legs of the journey, I was sitting next to Japanese men, in their 30s or 40s.

In both cases, shortly after the seat-belt sign went off, and then intermittently throughout the flight, the guys engaged in nose-picking.

Not the quiet, I-know-I-really-shouldn't, kind of nose-picking. Not the kind where you try to make it look as though you aren't picking your nose, but just touching or scratching it. No, a proper finger-rooting with the nostril stretched and finger twisting inside. Followed by inspection and rubbing of thumb and forefinger to drop any snot onto the floor in front of us.

Filthy. I noticed there were no women near us, just guys. Was that a factor? If there was a hot girl nearby, would they have done this?

I know this has been discussed before, in relation to nose-picking on trains. But I genuinely want to know if this is a behaviour that is tolerated in Japan. Perhaps part of the "Don't blow, sniff" thing.

Or are these just individually rude people, unaware of the feelings or even presence of people around them?

Finally, what's the best thing to do in this situation if it's a full plane? 4 hours I could tolerate but if this had been a long-haul, it might have ended up in some serious air-rage!

Sorry for the trivial topic but your thoughts would be welcome.

When you are driving around check out the salary men driving alone. 90% of the time they are either smoking or picking their nose. As a parent here it seems like the other parents don't give a shit when the kid goes mining for green, after all the school should be teaching those things.

holy double post ....

I assume you are Chinese or Korean according to your account name.
This sort of things are prosperous in your mother country rather than in Japan, as you do know. There is not a concept of shame inside C and K brain circuit, as you also know.
dude

Takechanpoo wrote:I assume you are Chinese or Korean according to your account name.
This sort of things are prosperous in your mother country rather than in Japan, as you do know. There is not a concept of shame inside C and K brain circuit, as you also know.
dude

nope i'm a cracker. now take your douchery and

It's fucking disgusting....on a train you can just get up and move to another carriage..on an aircraft...fuck me. I think I would accidentally elbow him in the nose right in the middle of a mining expedition.

This is where the free tissue packs come in handy.. just take one out and offer them around to the nose pickers. Gives them a message.

GomiGirl wrote:This is where the free tissue packs come in handy.. just take one out and offer them around to the nose pickers. Gives them a message.

I thought the free tissue was used primarily for

The most repulsive thing to see is those salarymen with the long pinky nail. I never realized what that was for until I saw one in action up the nose ally.

You need to remember that, all male Japanese motorists are instructed to pick their noses at red lights. All Japanese cars here have magically tinted windows so others cannot see each other picking and eating their boogers.

IkemenTommy wrote:I thought the free tissue was used primarily for

Seriously they are awesome for using as toilet paper during hanami season in Yoyogi park - either in the usual dunnies that have a one hour waiting queue that NEVER have any paper in them or when you go "Harry-Butler-in-the-wild" behind the hedge when you have drunk too much chu-hi.[0]

IkemenTommy wrote:The most repulsive thing to see is those salarymen with the long pinky nail. I never realized what that was for until I saw one in action up the nose ally.

Ewww - just ewwww I have seen the nail too but haven't thought about it until you just mentioned it.. ewww OMG I am going to have that image in my head all weekend now.






[font="Arial Narrow"][SIZE="3"][color="Gray"][0]Not that _I_ have ever done this of course[1] - I have just heard from other people that this is what they sometimes do.

[1]Certainly won't be happening this year as I can't drink[2] but I still can't help collecting the tissue packets at this time of year in preparation for Hanami season.

[2] as I am pregnant[/color][/SIZE][/font]

GomiGirl wrote:Ewww - just ewwww I have seen the nail too but haven't thought about it until you just mentioned it.. ewww OMG I am going to have that image in my head all weekend now.

I am glad I made a difference in someone's life.

I see the gold hunting on the train daily....this is not an isolated thing. Japanese men, as a whole, need serious hygiene and manner lessons.

I just thank the make that people here don't shake hands. I think this is part of the reason I hate using other people's keyboards at the office.

dont worry
most japanese men take a bath every day UNLIKE gaijin counterparts.
dude

Takechanpoo wrote:dont worry
most japanese men take a bath every day UNLIKE gaijin counterparts.
dude

Then why do a decent amount of J-men still reek, especially during summertime? And I'm not talking about the ones who live in mangakisa, who by law have to have some foul vinegar & old milk funk about them.
I'm talking Mr. Salariman, and not just the old kareishuu. Their delusions punish my olfactory senses.

Oh, I just noticed that you said "most Japanese men", meaning 50% +1....now that's a mandate from the people.

Takechanpoo wrote:dont worry
most japanese men take a bath every day UNLIKE gaijin counterparts.
dude

If you think that excuses the rampant nose-picking, then you've got another thing coming. Fucking idiot.

Iraira wrote:Then why do a decent amount of J-men still reek, especially during summertime? And I'm not talking about the ones who live in mangakisa, who by law have to have some foul vinegar & old milk funk about them.
I'm talking Mr. Salariman, and not just the old kareishuu. Their delusions punish my olfactory senses.

In the last 2 weeks, I have had to change train cars due to other passengers' odor 3 times.
1) Horrible body odor (no bath, Take)
2) Bad breath
3) Cigarette odor (and I don't mind cigarettes normally.. I hang out with people who smoke all the time).

I was also lucky enough to be getting off the train 1 stop after a middle-aged lady, who obviously had bladder problems and a diaper full of urine, got on and was packed in right next to me.

Personally, I think odor is a bit worse on public transportation here than in New York.

Whatever, gaijin men and women have wakiga in initial status. But pathetically you never can notice the smell of your wakiga by yourselves while all Japanese know it(but we Japanese never tell about it right to your face because we are tender.). This is the same as cow or horse cannot detect its own smell while human can. And this is also the reason why english have no concept equal to wakiga.

omae mona wrote:In the last 2 weeks, I have had to change train cars due to other passengers' odor 3 times.
1) Horrible body odor (no bath, Take)
2) Bad breath
3) Cigarette odor (and I don't mind cigarettes normally.. I hang out with people who smoke all the time).

Lately I have noticed lots of taxi drivers with foul breath. I guess this is for a few reasons:

Firstly, I am pregnant and my sense of smell is 10X normal - super sensitive to bad smells too.
Also now that there is no smoking in cabs, you can smell the cabbie and his odours easily - especially if he has been smoking or he hasn't had a break for 16 hours.

Takechanpoo wrote:...And this is also the reason why english have no concept equal to wakiga...

B.O.

Body odor depends on ethnicity and personal DNA to a point, but the smell of any healthy guy, no matter what race, is not bad (at least to me) and healthy J-guys can smell pretty good, even without deodorant.

But when they get dead drunk, throw up, pass out, and have a geri attack the next morning,the smell is on their breath, sweat, hair, everywhere, for a day or two. Even if they take a quick shower, it doesn't help much. On top of that, there's futsuka-yoi pain which causes REAL stress (and smelly sweat), which adds to the bouquet.

Since some salary men go through this cycle a lot, it's probably common, but since they smell like all the other office-serfs that went to the same bar-meet, they don't seem to care.

Re public nose-picking: I wonder if in some twisted way, it's not related to the taboo on public nose-blowing?

GomiGirl wrote:Firstly, I am pregnant and my sense of smell is 10X normal - super sensitive to bad smells too.

Yeah, that's amazing, isn't it? When I was pregnant, had that, too... the bad smell were awful, but the good ones were great - too bad we lose that post-partum.

Takechanpoo wrote:Whatever, gaijin men and women have wakiga in initial status. But pathetically you never can notice the smell of your wakiga by yourselves while all Japanese know it(but we Japanese never tell about it right to your face because we are tender.). This is the same as cow or horse cannot detect its own smell while human can. And this is also the reason why english have no concept equal to wakiga.

When you're so short that your nose is always stuck in the fg's armpit, you always gonna get more of the fragrance.....

Remember the old Meiji era addage: "An elevator always smells different to a midget."

Takechanpoo wrote:Whatever, gaijin men and women have wakiga in initial status. But pathetically you never can notice the smell of your wakiga by yourselves while all Japanese know it(but we Japanese never tell about it right to your face because we are tender.). This is the same as cow or horse cannot detect its own smell while human can. And this is also the reason why english have no concept equal to wakiga.

Ah, arrogance and stupidity all in the same package. How efficient of you!