Tag - manners

 
Menu
Search
 
July 06, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

MANNERS

The “dogeza” position is used for the sincerest of apologies and it was deployed by the man who mistakenly ruined an attempt at a Guinness world record on live television.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 9, 2024
The year so far has been marked by some good and bad apologies
A social norm seems to persist in Japan that one should apologize first and explain later. That goes for companies as well.
While harsh comments from older generations can sometimes be seen as rude, consider instead that they’re often trying to teach us something they hold on to.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 26, 2023
A survival guide for your first Japanese-style at-home New Year’s
Meeting your partner’s Japanese family for the New Year’s holidays? Here are some do’s and don’ts for an ‘oshōgatsu’ success story.
The typical priority seat section on a Japanese train will be well marked in numerous languages.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 8, 2023
The priority seats: Are they fair game on an empty train?
Japan is a society with many unspoken rules. Are you aware of the norms that govern your place of business?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 2, 2023
Sorry to say, apologizing in Japanese isn’t always such a big deal
From bumping into a stranger to making amends for a past wrong, it’s important to know how to apologize in Japanese.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY
Mar 4, 2023
Roger Dahl on the art of bowing
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 5, 2023
The etiquette guru who broke up with a boyfriend over text
Shanghai etiquette teacher Sara Jane Ho offers practical advice for a new, global world on Netflix’s ‘Mind Your Manners.’
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 25, 2022
How to put your best foot forward when stepping into a Japanese tatami room
You get an invite to your landlord’s place, which is great. However, now you have to navigate the etiquette rules of the tatami room they will entertain you in.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY
Sep 17, 2022
Roger Dahl on basic train manners
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2020
How COVID-19 is killing good manners
With social distancing now part of everyday life, simple actions like shaking hands may be consigned to history.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2020
‘Coronavirus harassment’ surge suggests growing panic in Japan
In the age of the COVID-19 outbreak, the sight of someone coughing in public has become a frequent cause for suspicious stares, altercations and even maltreatment at work, leading to the emergence of what has been dubbed by Japanese media as “corohara,” or coronavirus harassment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2020
Japanese dad tackles train etiquette with a badge to show he’s willing to give up his seat
Scenario: You are congratulating yourself on having snagged a seat on a crowded, early morning Tokyo train, when out of the corner of your eye you spot a woman standing nearby who appears to be pregnant.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Dec 7, 2019
The sound of silence
‘That guy’s eating a bowl of soba without making any sound whatsoever.’
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Nov 9, 2019
You shall not pass (without first needing to disturb me)
‘And then there’s those people who crowd around the barriers at the entrance to a park and scowl at you for asking them to let you pass as if you’re disturbing them.’
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 12, 2019
The crush is coming: Make peace with the train
One false move on the Tokyo transit system can lead to a nasty lesson in survival of the slickest.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 5, 2019
Survey on commuting gripes in Japan spurs wider societal complaints
Nothing unites Tokyoites together quite like complaining about daily commuting by train. And it’s a worthy gripe — morning and evening rides practically dispose of the idea of personal space altogether. Being packed tightly with other people also exposes us to all sorts of oddball and annoying behavior,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2018
By design, for manners or security, backpacks increasingly being worn on the front in Japan
Backpacks, as the word suggests, are designed to be carried on people’s backs. But there are a growing number of people in Japan who hold these bags in front, especially on trains and buses.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
May 5, 2018
The dreaded single escalator
‘American man: You’ve gotta love those elderly folk who push past you in a hurry while getting off the train so that they’re first to the single escalator that’s operating only to stand still once they’re there, blocking everyone else behind them.’
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 10, 2018
Gift-giving etiquette in Japan is driving some recipients crazy
With spring looming, perhaps it’s time to re-think the national obsession with seasonal gifts and souvenirs.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse,Pulsations
Oct 28, 2017
Fork hides noodle-slurping sounds
Instant noodle producer Nissin Food Products has created a “noise-canceling” fork to mask the sound of someone exuberantly slurping down a mouthful of noodles.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Jun 3, 2017
Spoiled rotten
‘Excuse me. You need to push the button for the waiting staff to come.’
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Thailand gets serious about chasing high-spending tourists
Chinese tourists at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Rathawaramahawihan in Bangkok
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami's first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER