Unspoken Rules You Should Know Prior to Going to Japan

Japan is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Their culture is unique and unlike any other. Prior to going there, there are some unspoken rules you need to be aware of. According to MSN.com writer Eul Basa, here are some unspoken rules to be aware of

Respect

-Japan prides itself on humility, proper manners and respect. The top rule here is to be respectful and kind. When you show respect for the local customs, that puts you in the good graces of the locals and shows you take their culture seriously. It will make you look good and show you respect the local laws and customs

Take off your shoes prior to entering a building

-When entering a temple or shrine or visiting a house, hotel or other building, remove your shoes. Slippers to wear inside are provided

Bow to show respect

-In Japan, you bow to show respect. The deeper you bow, the higher amount of respect you show. A small bow of the head indicates a greeting or showing of gratitude

Offer / Receive with two hands

-It might sound strange, but if you offer and receive something with both hands, it's considered respectful. It shows you are being considerate of the person and also showing concern for the person that you're speaking with

No tipping at restaurants

-This is definitely a no no. You do not tip at restaurants. It's not customary and it could even be considered rude. The reason tipping is not customary is because customer service in Japan is of the highest quality and and it's simply an every day thing to be expected

Respect the lines

-In Japan, it's considered good manners to wait your turn in line, whether it be for a taxi, to board a train or elsewhere. It's bad manners to jump ahead of someone. Respecting the lines reduces chaos and ensures that things run smooth as ever

Be quiet on public transport

-The reason that you must be quiet on public transport is because there is an unspoken rule about serenity and harmony. Some people choose to sleep on the train or bus. Speak quietly to someone. Do not shout or make loud noise. These are looked down on as bad manners

No pointing with your fingers

-It's considered impolite to point with your fingers. If you need to gesture to something or someone, use your whole hand

Don't blow your nose in public

-This might not seem like a big deal elsewhere, but in Japan, it's frowned upon to blow your nose in public. It's considered rude. If you do need to blow your nose, excuse yourself and find a nearby bathroom to do so

Wear the designated slippers when visiting the bathroom

-It might sound strange or even gross to wear slippers to the bathroom, but fear not. In Japan, cleanliness is top notch. When visiting the bathroom, you must wear a specific type of slipper. It all comes down to the high level of hygiene and cleanliness

Don't walk and eat

-If you must eat, do so at a table with chairs or seating. Do not walk and eat. This is considered poor manners. This helps also keep the streets clean

Respect personal space

-Most people are respectful of personal space. Some aren't. You must respect a person's personal space in Japan. The culture places high value on personal space

Using chopsticks

-Japan is a nation that uses chopsticks to eat. When using chopsticks, NEVER insert them vertically into food. This seems rude and impolite. Not only that, but it looks like something done at funerals. Also, do not use your chopsticks to hand food to others; they will get their own food

Slurp your noodles loudly

-In most countries, this would be considered impolite or poor manners. In Japan, it's commonplace and even acceptable to slurp your noodles loudly.. This, strangely, shows the owner of the restaurant you are really enjoying their food

Always carry cash with you in addition to cards

-Not all businesses in Japan do cashless payment. Some are still old school enough to do cash only. That's when you want to ensure you have both. To make sure you are able to successfully pay

Sort out trash

-This is a part of the recycling process. You sort out your trash based on what it is. Japan is known for being an incredibly clean country. Here, you sort out your trash because there are so few public bins. Put the correct trash into the correct bin to keep in tune with the strict waste regulation

Etiquette on escalator

-This is something most have never heard of. Japan is a country that prides itself on etiquette for everything. Including escalators. When using one, it's customary to stand on the left side in Tokyo while in Osaka, you stand on the right. This allows those in a hurry to get by

Visiting an onsen (hot spring) or public bath

-When you visit an onsen (hot spring) or public bathhouse, you must clean yourself thoroughly prior to entry. It's in relation to the high level of hygiene and cleanliness in Japan.

-WARNING: If you have tattoos, there's a pretty good chance you may be restricted from entering unless you cover them up. In Japan, tattoos have a strong cultural connection with the Yakuza, or Japanese Mafia. These underworld figures are known for heavy body tattooing, which they often cover up. If you have tattoos, cover them up. Ask the owner of the public bathhouse or onsen what the policy is on tattoos and what you can do to cover them up. This will show that you respect their wishes and also put you in their good graces. Covering your tattoos also reduces the risk of offending the locals who frequent these places, as they may be uncomfortable seeing tattoos because of the cultural connection to the Yakuza

Dress modestly

-Japan is a conservative country. Dressing modestly is what everyone does. Wear conservative clothing when visiting shrines or temples or rural areas. This will show respect for the customs and local culture

No tattoos at the gym

-This goes back to the cultural connection between tattoos and the Yakuza. If you plan on going to a gym and you have tattoos, cover them up. Covering them up is considered a sign of respect

No PDA

-Public displays of affection, such as hugging or kissing, can make others feel uncomfortable and is frowned upon in Japan. Refrain from doing this

Follow the proper rules when visiting shrines / temples

-The thing to keep in mind is that shrines and temples are holy places, just like churches, mosques or synagogues. Dress respectfully. Just as you would dress when attending services at church, a mosque or synagogue, do that there. People come to shrines and temples to pay their respects to lost loved ones. If you plan to partake in the purification and rituals here, follow the proper etiquette, which includes bowing, clapping, offering coins and burning incense

Punctuality is important

-Japan considers tardiness to be of the utmost disrespect. Being on time shows your consideration for other people's time. Guarantee that you get to your destination on time

Etiquette at the dinner table

-First and foremost, speak softly. Loud speaking is considered poor manners. Dinners are meant to enjoy the company of others. Getting loud and rowdy puts a dent in that

Never open a gift in front of the giver

-It might sound strange, but in Japan it's customary to open a gift in private. Never open a gift in front of the giver. If you do this, it might cause anxiety over your reaction to what that person has gifted you. Wait until you are away from that person to open it. Then do something to show your appreciation, such as a little card expressing gratitude or something else

Prior to taking photos, always ask permission

-It might sound strange, but in Japan, it's always good to ask for permission prior to taking photos, especially in sacred places. Asking for permission prior to snapping that picture shows that you respect the privacy of that place

Respect for the elderly is a must

-Japan is a nation that places high value on respecting the elderly. You can show your respect to the elderly by offering them your seat on public transportation. This is deeply ingrained into traditional Japanese values

Don't haggle

-Haggling the price down to something specific might work in some countries, but in Japan it doesn't work. Prices are at set rates at Japanese markets. Bargaining is not common, so don't bother trying to haggle the price down on an item you would like to buy

Don't block the way

-There is a flow and rhythm to the way people move in Japan. Move in the right directions and avoid just standing in one spot. You might block someone who is on their way somewhere

Keep your phone on silent

-It might be tempting to keep your phone on vibrate or have the ringtone turned up to hear it, should you risk missing an important call. But in Japan, it's customary to keep phones on silent, especially on public transportation to maintain a peaceful environment

Black Rain (1989)

This movie takes place in Japan and involves the Japanese Yakuza, better and simply known as the Japanese Mafia

Summary

-When a Yakuza hitman and member is arrested and extradited back to Japan, two New York police officers must escort him back

Cast

-Michael Douglas: Nick Conklin

-Andy Garcia: Charlie Vincent

-Ken Takakura: Masahiro

-Kate Capshaw: Joyce

-Yusaku Matsuda: Sato

-Shigeru Koyama: Ohashi

-Guts Ishimatsu: Katayama

-Yuya Uchida: Nashida

-Tomisaburo Wakayama: Sugai

Did You Know?

-This was the last film for actor Yusaku Matsuda, who played Sato. He discovered he had cancer of the bladder and it would be further aggravated by acting in the movie. He chose to ignore his doctor's warning and do the film anyway, without the knowledge of director Ridley Scott. He was even reported as saying "This way, I will live forever." He died on November 6, 1989, less than seven weeks after the movie made its American debut. This film is a dedication to his memory

-In most Japanese films Ken Takakura was known for playing Yakuza gangster roles while Yusaku Matsuda was known for playing police-related roles. In this movie, however, the roles are switched. Takakura plays a police officer while Matsuda plays a Yakuza gangster

-The winery that the final scenes take place at are not located in Japan, but in Napa Valley, California. The visa for the filmmakers had run out and filming had to be transferred to the United States

-When filming ran even a few minutes over the allotted time at any point in Japan, not only were people told to leave, but a man physically walked in front of the camera and forbade them to continue

-The plot of this movie was originally designed for one of the Beverly Hills Cop movies

-When the Yakuza oyabun (leader) Sugai is talking to Nick at his home, he mentions "black rain". This is a reference to the soot and radioactive fallout lingering in the air after the dual bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When the soot and radiation mixed with the clouds, it resulted in rain that was black in color and highly dangerous

-The building used for the Osaka Police Office is actually the Osaka Office of Prevention of Natural Disasters. The real Osaka Police Headquarters is only right next door

-The futuristic-looking exterior shots of Sugai's home were not in Japan, but California. The home is in Los Angeles. This house was also used as Rick Deckard's house in 1982's Blade Runner

-Chinese film legend Jackie Chan was offered the role of Sato. He turned it down for fear of his fans seeing him as a "bad" character

-This movie was the final film of veteran Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama, who played the Yakuza oyabun (leader) Sugai. He died of heart failure on April 2, 1992 at the age of 62

-The motorcycle gang that taunts Nick and Charlie are based on a real motorcycle gang that exists in Osaka, Japan. Known to locals as "Bosozoku", they do taunt and disturb locals with their loud motorcycles and acting as both vigilantes and troublemakers

-The steel mill Nick goes to is the former Mitsubishi Steel works in Osaka. It's now home to Universal Studios Japan

-In the local area of Osaka, Nick Conklin was made a laughingstock for having signed over his prisoner to the Yakuza, disguised as police, using insurance forms. If, hypothetically, the events had actually occurred, it would have been small time in comparison to the lapse of judgement from the Japanese police for not securing the plane at the airport prior to the Yakuza boarding. Conklin could have gone in an International Court to sue and would have had no obligation to track down the suspect

-Rutger Hauer and Harrison Ford were considered for the role of Nick Conklin

-The song "Laserman" for the soundtrack was composed by Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto

-This film shows Kate Capshaw in her second role as an American involved with underworld crime syndicates. The first one was Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, where she played an American singer named Willie in a Shanghai, China nightclub. In this film, she plays Joyce, a hostess running a nightclub in Osaka, Japan

-Jeff Bridges, Willem Dafoe, Kurt Russell, Michael Keaton, Michael Nouri, Peter Weller, Ron Perlman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Nouri, Kevin Costner, Richard Dreyfuss, Bruce Willis, Patrick Swayze were all considered for the role of Nick Conklin. But Michael Douglas won the role because Paramount favored him because of his relationship with producers Sherry Lansing and Stanley R. Jaffe

-In the scene where Koji Sato meets his former boss Sugai is an old Yakuza ritual called Otoshimae (finger shortening). It can also be referred to as yubitsume, since in Japanese "yubi" refers to fingers, specifically the pinky finger. In the world of the Yakuza, finger shortening is a way for a member to make amends to a leader for a transgression or offense. The ritual is suspected of originating with the Bakuto, who were stubborn gamblers who became the predecessors of what is known as the Yakuza. If someone were unable to pay off a gambling debt, that person would have to commit yubitsume for an alternative to repayment

-While on the plane to Japan, Nick and Charlie talk about a cop named Ronin who was suspected of taking money from a drug bust. In Japan, "ronin" is a masterless Samurai, a lone renegade who is viewed by other Samurai as being of a lower rank

-Originally, this film was due to premier in theaters in August 1989. But it was pushed back to September 1992 to avoid the crowded summer season for films

Cute Guy Friday: Brian Tee

If you've seen Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, he played DK. Some people think it's strange to think that men of Asian descent can't be good looking. I disagree otherwise; I don't judge :D If I think a man is cute and he just so happens to be Asian, sweet!!!!!! There are some really good looking guys of Asian descent, like this one below ;)

DOB: 3/15/1977
Where: Okinawa, Japan

Trivia
-His last name, "Tee" is a stage name
-Was born to a Japanese father and Korean mother
-His film career started with a short made for TV movie called Remember Pearl Harbor
-His best known role to date was that of DK, the bad guy in Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. His character had ties to the Japanese Yakuza
-Earned a B.A. in Dramatic Arts from the University of California at Berkeley

Corey Yuen

Corey Yuen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey_Yuen

Birth name: Ying Gang-ming
DOB: 2/15/1951
Where: Hong Kong, China
Height:

Trivia
-Mainly speaks Cantonese; does not speak English very well
-Attended the China Drama Academy along with Jackie Chan. While there, had the name Yuen Kwai and was a member of the Seven Little Fortunes theatre troupe. And like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung Kam-bo and Yuen Biao, they spent days training in a harshly disciplined school run by Master Yu Jim-yuen


Jackie Chan

Yuen Biao



Sammo Hung Kam-bo

-He is an action choreographer, director.
-In both Hong Kong and the US, Corey Yuen is one of the top names in action directing. In 1981, he made his directorial debut with Ninja in the Dragon's Den, starring Hiroyuki Sanada. His American directorial debut came in June 1985, when he directed No Retreat, No Surrender, which also marked the debut of Belgian-born martial arts actor Jean-Claude Van Damme
-In 1993, he started becoming good friends with Jet Li. He directed most of Li's films, including Fong Sai-yuk I & Fong Sai-yuk II, The Bodyguard from Beijing, My Father is a Hero, The New Legend of Shaolin. He also provided choreography on two of Li's films: High Risk and The New Legend of Shaolin
-When Li gained worldly attention starring as Triad snakehead Wah Sing Ku in Lethal Weapon 4, Yuen also gained attention in the West. He provided work on the 2000 movie X-Men. And he also provided martial arts and action choreography on 6 of Li's other American movies: Romeo Must Die, Cradle 2 the Grave, The One, War, The Expendables


The Expendables

The One



Cradle 2 the Grave



Romeo Must Die



War

-One of his trademarks for action choreography is the ability to mix hand-to-hand combat with gun fighting, two things not normally used in Hong Kong cinema. But in the US, mixing martial arts and gun fighting in movies can sometimes be referred to as 'Gun-fu", something Chow Yun-fat is best known for

Day 10: 10 Random Things About You

Day 10, here are 10 random things about me

I love cows and ducks
-IDK why, I just think they're so cute!

I hate spiders
-They scare me!




One band I really like the music of is Rush
-I happen to think that Geddy Lee is a very attractive guy for his age

 

 

I will soon have my license

-Yup, I've been practicing and I will soon be a licensed driver!

I'm planning on going to a concert this summer
-If I can swing it, hopefully I'll have a good paying job, a car and some money. I really want to see Rush when they come to Cincinnati as part of their 2013 Clockwork Angels tour

Some say that I'm a reincarnated hippie
-Who's to say they're wrong? For all I know, I might be...

I want to travel
-This is already painfully obvious

I want to learn some foreign languages
-I'm a nerd; what can I say?

I think Kelly Hansen of Foreigner and Tommy Thayer of Kiss are cute
-What can I say? They're both very attractive men

I'm thinking about getting a tattoo
-Possibly Japanese symbols, maybe something Irish, who knows?

Yoshi's Island for Gameboy Advance

My fave handheld game ever!!!!

Yoshi's Island

Gameplay
-The game is 1 dimensional, u know, 1 view. It was the late 1990s and early 2000, technology of today was not here yet. The details retain their cute, adorable handdrawn appearance throughout the entire game. This would be perfect for little kids because there is no violence in it, just cute lil animals

-The basic premise of the game was to escort Baby Mario through the various worlds of Yoshi's Island and pass him off to the next Yoshi as a sort of relay system

Get the 1UP to get an extra life

-If Yoshi is hit by an enemy, Mario will fall of Yoshi's back, and any stars you've collected on the way will disappear as it will be used in a countdown clock until Baby Bowser's minions snatch up Mario

The floating cloud balloons often hold special items, such as coins, stars, etc

-The only way to safely get Mario back is to pop his bubble
-Along the way, the player will collect stars to increase the timer to 30
-And there are circumstances in each level that will cause Yoshi to lose life no matter what, such as touching spikes, falling into lava, falling into a bottomless pit, etc
-In this game, Yoshi can perform a flutter jump that allows him to reach higher levels. He can also perform a butt stomp to break crates and break through weak floors. Another ability he has is to snatch enemies with his tongue and turn them into eggs to be used like a weapon. He can collect up to 6 eggs at once. And in certain levels, he can collect eggs that have special powers. A flashing purple egg will give him a mystery gift, while a red egg will give him coins. A large egg will shatter the earth, destroying nearby enemies

This is the Flutter Jump. It allows Yoshi to reach new areas

Plot
-It starts out with a stork carrying two babies, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, identified by their red and green hats. Suddenly, the evil Magikoopa Kamek swoops out of the sky and stuns the bird and tries to steal the babies. He steals Baby Luigi, while Baby Mario falls to safety on a tropical island in the middle of the sea, known as Yoshi's Island, home to all the cute little colored Yoshis. He falls onto the back of the main green Yoshi, who was out for a walk. The Yoshi crew then decide to do a relay system fo using each Yoshi to navigate the various environments of the 6 worlds to rescue the stork and Baby Luigi from Baby Bowser and Kamek. When Yoshi finally reaches Bowser's Castle, he demands that he hand over Baby Luigi. Baby Bowser wakes up and tries to ride Yoshi as Mario is doing. Kamek then uses magic to enlarg Bowser and a fight ensues, with the castle being destroyed. Baby Bowser is then returned to normal size and is whisked off by Kamek, flying towards the moon, vowing to return. The stork takes off, with both babies in tow, towards the Mushroom Kingdom, where their parents live. At dawn, the parents wake up to find 2 infants on their doorstep

The "Y" flags mark the worlds you've conquered

Go here with a key to get extras



This is how you upload your file

Level: Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy

Down the pipe to a new area



The guys shooting water will knock you off

This floating box will often hold stars to extend your timer

Yoshi: My Favorite Video Game Character

He's just so darn cute!!!!

Awww, a baby Yoshi. Too cute.

Awww, look at all the cute lil' Yoshis!!