On being polite
It is interesting to see which of the things we’ve read or heard about Japan are actually true. Americans are really good at thinking we are experts on everything, including other cultures, so we travel expecting to already know how everything will be. The fun part is finding out the truth.
One of the things we had read and heard was that the Japanese are extremely polite, and I’m not sure I was prepared for just how much so. I literally feel bad at how well we are treated everywhere we go - at the restaurants I find myself searching our phrase book for “you can stop bowing, I’m not worth it.” Even the exchange of money when you purchase something is a ritual that makes you feel really special, even if we are only catching every third word! Don’t worry about getting bumped into while walking in a large crowd, either, even if you are heading the wrong way in a sea of people they’ll politely move out of your way.
A very interesting result of this politeness is the near total lack of eye contact. This one is hard to get used to, there is something unsettling about not meeting eyes with almost anyone - ever. This has been slightly different at Disney (much like at home I think manners take a backseat while at a themepark), but for the most part you just don’t make eye contact. I thought for sure that my moustache would be a sideshow here, but it appears that it would be rude for them to look and even ruder for them to say something. There have been some here and there, and I’ve learned to spot the ones that you can tell see it, want to say something, but won’t. It is surprising how much I miss people looking you in the eye.
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