Don't break these serious taboos in Japan!!!!

[Samurai_Jerk]

8 Taboos You Should Never Break In Japan

Any visitor to Japan will have an easier time if they're aware of expected behaviors. Below are eight you should never break.

1. Walk on the wrong side
2. Call a sexual organ by its actual name
3. Be tactile
4. Leave a tip
5. Blow your nose in public
6. Pour soy sauce on white rice
7. Cross your legs
8. Eat in the street/subway

[Russell]

I have to add some...

1. Do not vomit on train platforms
2. Do not cycle on the wrong side of the road
3. Do not smoke in the dressing room of Onsens
4. Do not drive through yellow lights
5. Do not leave work before 22:00 PM

Any more?

[J.A.F.O]

1. Refuse to wear community slippers in public building like hospitals or public restrooms. (Because if one of us has to have athletes foot then we must all have it)
2. Whistle at night. (Maybe only an okinawan superstition)
3. Talk in a normal tone at a book store (It's not a library people)
4. Say what you're really thinking even if asked if that's what you're really thinking.
5. Neglect to mention how good someone's English is even if they know only a few words.

[J.A.F.O]

Seriously didn't know you shouldn't actually call sexual organs by their name. Well I've been fucking up that one for a decade now.

I learned the tip thing when a bartender came running out after me with my money.

[yanpa]

1. Do not drive through yellow lights

What about lights which have just turned red?

[J.A.F.O]

1. Do not drive through yellow lights

What about lights which have just turned red?

Just from my observations if they have an ojisan sticker or one of those temple tassels (for safe driving) I don't even think they start moveing until the light turns red.

[Grumpy Gramps]

The first eight seconds of red are fine. After that, you'd better hurry.

[matsuki]

The first eight seconds of red are fine. After that, you'd better hurry.

I saw my first car on truck crash last week in Tama....car in front of me ran the red, truck on the left side of the intersection jumped the light, splat. Driving a friend's car so no video but I'm pretty sure whoever was in the car is dead.

[Wage Slave]

I arrived shortly after a kei car/truck smash the other day. The truck had shunted the car into a concrete traffic light pole - a horrible mess and fatal for the 26 year old woman in the Kei. It looked to me that the woman was turning right and had made the mistake of just going when she got a green arrow. The truck coming the other way saw no reason to stop just because he had a red.

So, one more taboo in Japan

1. Never just drive off when the lights change to green. Wait patiently for all the red light runners to finish their business first or else.

[matsuki]

As bad as the truck drivers are, it doesn't help when there are 3 sets of signals in less than 100M...

[Coligny]

I arrived shortly after a kei car/truck smash the other day. The truck had shunted the car into a concrete traffic light pole - a horrible mess and fatal for the 26 year old woman in the Kei. It looked to me that the woman was turning right and had made the mistake of just going when she got a green arrow. The truck coming the other way saw no reason to stop just because he had a red.

So, one more taboo in Japan

1. Never just drive off when the lights change to green. Wait patiently for all the red light runners to finish their business first or else.

I got a turn like that every morning.

the red light jumper's stop line is way back from the center of the intersection. meaning they jump the red and have to drive quite some more to just reach the middle and even more if they want to cross.

funnilly by the way this crossing is setup, when the traffic is light, they never go full speed, but tend to drive at moderate pace like if they were hoping nobody would notice them (mostly to cover their asses because they have little to no visibility of the center)... being not just half of an asshole I really enjoy blocking them to a dead stop in the middle when the weight ratio is in my favor... More than once key had to back up...
I know, i should be thankful and honoured to be even allowed to breath japanese air... but hey... it's their rules, not mines... (yes, even if you include the 'proceed when clear' rule, told you, it's a weird interception with even weirder peoples...)

[Grumpy Gramps]

Maybe roundabouts are the real taboo in Japan then? No red lights to jump, no kei cars to pancake, outright boring?

[Yokohammer]

Maybe roundabouts are the real taboo in Japan then? No red lights to jump, no kei cars to pancake, outright boring?

Last I heard, a few roundabouts have already started operation in Japan (just checked: yep, 19 locations).

Wrong side of the road example ...

NonUK_Roundabout_8_Cars.gif

[Russell]

I know one roundabout in Osaka prefecture.

Where are the other 18?

[Wage Slave]

That roundabout is the evil British style. Far too boring. Look to the good old French to inject a little joie de vivre by giving cars wishing to enter the thing the right of way, which they proceed to do without even slowing slightly. Genius.

[Yokohammer]

I know one roundabout in Osaka prefecture.

Where are the other 18?

Dunno. Grabbed the number from Wikipedia while simultaneously doing multiple other tasks.

They're called "環状交差点" in the land of circulating wa.

[matsuki]

I got a turn like that every morning.

My kryptonite is the circular road in front of my station. There is a street that intersects it and vehicles entering from it have a stop sign...and for some reason about 90% of the people coming from that street seem to think that vehicles on the circle have a stop sign as well. There isn't one....I've almost rammed more than a few cars there and they always scream at me as if I ran a stop sign...I have to go that way to get home every night.

[Coligny]

That roundabout is the evil British style. Far too boring. Look to the good old French to inject a little joie de vivre by giving cars wishing to enter the thing the right of way, which they proceed to do without even slowing slightly. Genius.

Nah, there is a panel stating that vehicle entering do not have the right of the way...

image.jpg

Now the french road and traffic administration (DDE for direction departementale de l'equipement) is as close to an insane asylum as an administration can be. Some of their road markings are a crossover between Dali, Picasso in his cubism period and HR Giger.

[Wage Slave]

That roundabout is the evil British style. Far too boring. Look to the good old French to inject a little joie de vivre by giving cars wishing to enter the thing the right of way, which they proceed to do without even slowing slightly. Genius.

Nah, there is a panel stating that vehicle entering do not have the right of the way...

image.jpg

Now the french road and traffic administration (DDE for direction departementale de l'equipement) is as close to an insane asylum as an administration can be. Some of their road markings are a crossover between Dali, Picasso in his cubism period and HR Giger.

Yeah, I had a peek on Google and it seems they have done a volte face on that one. Although apparently there are still a few around - helps to keep everyone on their toes I suppose. I can well remember dealing with them in the 70's - Very rarely in the noughties.

And yes, the signage veers off into art over function. Something in contrast, the UK seems to do well for some odd reason. Boring and predictable perhaps but logical, easy to read and effective.

[kurogane]

Just from my observations if they have an ojisan sticker or one of those temple tassels (for safe driving) I don't even think they start moveing until the light turns red.

My impression is that the rules are different in Okinawa: if you are driving you're at fault for being there and if the other driver knows the cop personally or by kinship and neighbourhood you're fecked. I suppose we could call it Driving While Not an Islander. Nice people but they drive like chimps on heroin.

[Coligny]

Just from my observations if they have an ojisan sticker or one of those temple tassels (for safe driving) I don't even think they start moveing until the light turns red.

My impression is that the rules are different in Okinawa: if you are driving you're at fault for being there and if the other driver knows the cop personally or by kinship and neighbourhood you're fecked. I suppose we could call it Driving While Not an Islander. Nice people but they drive like chimps on heroin.

It's the absolute opposite of french driving tradition...

Unless you run several times (*) over someone it seems that nobody is never at fault and the insurance have to give money to everyone even remotely involved or witness of the accident. Even better if you crash on a bus or a city dump truck. They don't even try to know what happened and just tell the insurance companies to send the bill. Was like this at least until the late 90'

(*) because if it's only once the pedestrian can be totally at fault for reckless crossing/jaywalking. Wonder how many japs get killed like this every year in Paris. Their usual 'me first' crossing attitude being a recipe for disaster in first world countries.

[Grumpy Gramps]

With seven billion pieces of overpopulation on this planet, every fatality is eco unless sorted into the wrong type of gomi

[Coligny]

With seven billion pieces of overpopulation on this planet, every fatality is eco unless sorted into the wrong type of gomi

Teh 12 kitteh's army is growing...

[matsuki]

With seven billion pieces of overpopulation on this planet, every fatality is eco unless sorted into the wrong type of gomi

[J.A.F.O]

My impression is that the rules are different in Okinawa: if you are driving you're at fault for being there and if the other driver knows the cop personally or by kinship and neighbourhood you're fecked. I suppose we could call it Driving While Not an Islander. Nice people but they drive like chimps on heroin.

I'm pretty lucky with it so far. Well mostly anyways, I drive at odd hours and usually know back roads fairly well. I have yet to have an legal infraction on island as far as the law is concerned. I just wonder how these heroine induced daydreaming monkey's get anywhere at all. It seems as though they are either drift racers with precision skills or just totally out to lunch.

[J.A.F.O]

Just from my observations if they have an ojisan sticker or one of those temple tassels (for safe driving) I don't even think they start moveing until the light turns red.

My impression is that the rules are different in Okinawa: if you are driving you're at fault for being there and if the other driver knows the cop personally or by kinship and neighbourhood you're fecked. I suppose we could call it Driving While Not an Islander. Nice people but they drive like chimps on heroin.

It's the absolute opposite of french driving tradition...

Unless you run several times (*) over someone it seems that nobody is never at fault and the insurance have to give money to everyone even remotely involved or witness of the accident. Even better if you crash on a bus or a city dump truck. They don't even try to know what happened and just tell the insurance companies to send the bill. Was like this at least until the late 90'

(*) because if it's only once the pedestrian can be totally at fault for reckless crossing/jaywalking. Wonder how many japs get killed like this every year in Paris. Their usual 'me first' crossing attitude being a recipe for disaster in first world countries.

Might have to move. Are there any strict liability countries left? Where you have to 100% responsible for any damages or infraction you cause?

[Mike Oxlong]

My impression is that the rules are different in Okinawa: if you are driving you're at fault for being there and if the other driver knows the cop personally or by kinship and neighbourhood you're fecked. I suppose we could call it Driving While Not an Islander. Nice people but they drive like chimps on heroin.

I'm pretty lucky with it so far. Well mostly anyways, I drive at odd hours and usually know back roads fairly well. I have yet to have an legal infraction on island as far as the law is concerned. I just wonder how these heroine induced daydreaming monkey's get anywhere at all. It seems as though they are either drift racers with precision skills or just totally out to lunch.

An insult to chimps and monkeys everywhere! More like shih tzu's on meth.

Naha rush hour traffic slowest in Japan

The truth of what many are complaining about has finally been confirmed. Traffic in Naha during morning and evening rush hours moves the slowest in Japan.
According to data collected by Okinawa Prefecture General Bureau the traffic on streets in Naha City during rush hours on weekdays between 7 and 8 a.m. and 6 and 7 p.m. crawls ahead only at 16.9 km/h according to data from 2012. For the survey the Okinawa General Bureau collected a large amount of data on 30,000 cars’ navigation information including location and time each day for one year.
The second worst place is in the 23 wards of Tokyo where the traffic moves 19.3 kph followed by Osaka at 19.5 kph. The number of vehicles on Okinawa was about 1,026,000 as of the end of the fiscal 2012. The number has increased by about 150,000 cars in a decade. The number of rental cars on the island has tripled to 25,464 compared to the fiscal 2000.

http://www.japanupdate.com/2014/12/naha ... -in-japan/

[kurogane]

Hadn't even thought of the rental car multiplier effect. Vancouver is getting like that too. Add in That Ethnic Driving Thing and you have special times. Watching the emotionally incontinent white men rage and spit is good value.

Loved the Shittsu simile. Down south here it's more of a deadpan apathy magnified by spastic distraction. I do enjoy the mothers and grannies laughing at the kids riding up on the dashboard. Reminds me of when we wuz kidz, riding up on the back window ledge on the way to summer camp. Good thing they all drive so bloody slow.

[Mike Oxlong]

I suspect the country-leading impaired driving rate is at least in part due to the boredom of such a small place having such slow traffic.

[kurogane]

Well, that and the Donan you mentioned the other day. Not to mention a remarkable inability to link cause and effect. Which touches on the nation leading educational achievements we mentioned elsewhere.

Friday night in the drinking district in Ishigaki is like the grubby part of Vancouver on Welfare Wednesday. And a bit like a bar near a native reservation. There's a couple of bars in Ishigaki that seem to bar islanders after midnight; I thought that a touch harsh, but they do like to start a rumble before they stumble home.