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Introduction of Japanese culture

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FACE MASK

Many people are wearing masks in Japan. Some people wear masks to prevent catching a cold, or because of pollen allergy, and some people wear masks to cover their faces without makeup.

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ADVERTISEMENT FLAG

There are millions of advertisement flags in Japan. These advertisement flags are called "nobori" in Japanese and have been around since the Heian period(794 CE-1185). The Nobori were raised to symbolize units within an army especially in the Edo period(1603-1867). However, these flags are used mainly by shops to advertise products.

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DRUNKARD BUSINESS PERSON 

When you go out at night in Japan, sometimes you come across a drunkard business person who is sleeping at the station. This is not a strange scene in Japan, thing happens a lot.

日本で夜道を歩いていると、たまに酔いつぶれているサラリーマンに出会うことがあります。これも治安の良い日本ならではなんだとか。日本ではそんなにおかしなことのない光景ですが、海外の人からは唖然とされてしまうでしょう。

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HOW TO SECURE YOUR SEAT

Because Japan is a safe country, Japanese people leave their baggage on the table to secure a seat in a restaurant or cafe.

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CLEAN CITIES

Japanese people are always worried about how they appear to others. This is the reason why Japanese streets are clean. They could not throw away garbage to keep public space clean.

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OVERPACKAGE

When you buy something in Japan, the goods will be packaged in layers to show kindness for customers. However, overpackage has become an ecological problem in Japan. 

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CUSTOMERS ARE WORSHIPED LIKE GOD

Shop clarks say, “The customer is always right.” Japanese clarks worship customers like God, and they say “The customer is the God” in Japanese. 

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BLOOD TYPE FORTUNE TELLING 

Almost every Japanese knows their own blood type. Because of this, “blood type fortune telling” is popular in Japan. 

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TRAIN

The Japanese trains are running on time everyday. That is why Japanese people get irritated at a train delay even if the delay is just 5 minutes. 

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100 YEN SHOP

Every daily use items are available in 100 yen shops. Of course, you could buy everything costs 100 yen in the 100 yen shops. But sometimes some items are more expensive than 100 yen, so be careful about it!

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VENDING MACHINE

In Japan, you could get drinks in a minute. Also you could buy snacks, bread, cigarettes or ice creams.

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OSHYAKU

In a party with coworkers, the Japanese have to be polite to elderly people because of the strict hierarchical relationship in their company. If their boss’s glass likely to be empty, they have to pour the liquor for him/her, and this manner is called “Oshyaku” in Japanese. In Japan, there is common that women pour the liquor for men. To do oshyaku, there has many unspoken rules. You will find some rules in this animation.

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24/7 CONVENIENCE STORE

Almost every convenience store is open 24/7 in Japan. Because of a great selection and varieties of services, there are many customers in the stores. You could buy rice balls which are called onigiri in Japanese, ready-to-eat foods, bread, snacks, sweets and any kinds of drinks. Also you could receive delivery services and use multi-functional copy machine and ATM in there.

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TOKYO TAXI

You could see the colorful taxis in Tokyo. How many kinds of taxi did you see through your journey? Incidentally, you could encounter the new type of taxi which painted in “Japan Blue” in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

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HIGH SCHOOL GIRL

When you walk in the street, you could find some high school girls who are in school uniforms. Japanese high school girls always follow the trends of how to wear their uniforms. Nowadays, we could find the latest their trend is to wear the hoody over the shirt.

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OSYOUGATSU

The New Year season is called “Osyogatsu” in Japanese. A major item of the New Year is “Kagamimochi” which is formed by round rice cakes of different sizes and topped with a small orange. Rice cakes are considered as a sacred thing in Japan, so Kagamimochi is offered to God. And it is said that Japanese people considered they had their age from God on New Year’s Day by to had the Kagamimochi’s rice cakes, in the old time.

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IZAKAYA

"Izakaya" is a casual Japanese pub. You can see many office workers who drink for after work there. If they finish their work, they go directory to an izakaya with their suits on. Additionally, most people usually drink beer more than Japanese sake in Japan.

居酒屋でよく見かける仕事帰りのサラリーマンたち。海外では、一旦家に帰ってラフな服装で飲みに行くこともあり、スーツ姿のまま飲んでいることを珍しいと感じる外国人も少なくありません。