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today we're going to go over commonhousehold manners and expectations in japan. now unfortunately we weren't able to getpermission to use an actual japanese home, so i'll have to do my bestto explain it from here. to start out with, many traditionaljapanese homes have walls with a gate surrounding their entire property. at the front of the gate should be adoorbell, and if you go to visit you should use that doorbell instead ofgoing through to the front door, even if that front door has a doorbell as well. the doorbell at the gate might have aspeaker phone on it, so don't be
surprised if someone starts talking to you! immediately inside is the genkan,which is where you take off your shoes. it's polite to move your shoes offto the side, heels to the wall so that they're out of the way. one step up is the regular floorand there should be a rug there. that's where you puton your slippers. you don't have to wear slippers, andyou don't have to wear socks, either, although if everyone else is wearingthem it's kind of strange if you're not. typically japanese people will wearsocks and slippers in the winter because
it's cold, although in thesummer many people go barefoot. if you choose just towear socks, be careful because many traditional japanesehomes have polished hardwood floors, which are really slippery. when you enter a japanese home, if you'revisiting you should greet your hosts with the proper verbage for the time of the day. so: "ohayou gozaimasu" if it'sbefore noon, "konnichiwa" during the day, and"konbanwa" during the evening. and then say "ojamashimasu" whichis an acknowledgement of
your being in the way or causingtrouble. if you are already in the home andanother family member who is older than you or is the host returns, you should greet them with the time ofthe day and then say "ojamashiteimasu". when you leave you should say"ojamashimashita" and if it's in the evening,"oyasumi nasai". if you're homestaying, when you returnhome simply say "tadaima" and when you leave "ittekimasu". when another family member returns home
reply to their "tadaima"with "okaeri nasai" and their "ittekimasu" with"itterashai". almost all japanese homes have one or morerooms where the flooring is tatami mats. tatami mats can be very expensive andthey're difficult to take care of and clean, so in some families they're notoften used or are used only a storage or entertaining guests. traditional rules say to take off yourslippers before entering a tatami room, but this depends on thefamily and the house. if you're visitingsomeone, you can
either follow their exampleor ask them what you should do. if you're homestaying in japan, your familyshould go over their house rules with you when you arrive. a japanese living room is similarto a living room anywhere, and may have couches, chairs, a tv,a family computer, etc. in addition they will probably also havea coffee table, which may be a kotatsu, sitting atop one or several layersof rugs, one of which may be electric. there rugs are for sitting, and somefamilies may request or expect that you take off your slippers beforestepping onto them.
unless you're in a small dorm orapartment, japanese bathrooms are usually compartmentalized. the toilet will be in its own room. on the back of the toilet may be afaucet that turns on when you flush. this is for washing deodorizers andcleaners into the bowl but you can also use it torinse your hands. to wash your hands with soap you'll haveto find a washroom that has a sink and a mirror in it. in some homes this is immediatelyattached to the toilet room,
but in others you may have to pass throughseveral rooms to get to it, especially if the toilet is on the second floor. the bathing room is usually connectedthrough one of the washrooms. inside you will find a tub with a lid anda shower head outside of the tub. bathing rituals differ from family tofamily, but in many families all family members will bathe at least once a day, usually at night before bed,sharing the same water. if you're staying overnight in a japanesehome, or of course if you're homestaying, they'll probably insist that you usethe tub first since that's when it's
at its cleanest. for japanese people who do take dailybaths, this is an important time of relaxation for them. if you choose not to take a bath andshower instead, it's not offensive, but they may be confused as to why youdon't want to take the opportunity to relax. there should be a trash can in the washroomfor you to throw away your hair. if not, most japanese homes usually keeptheir trash area somewhere in the kitchen.
most trash in japan is either recycledor burned, so they have quite a few bags for you to sort your trash into,from plastics to pet bottles, glass, cans, burnables and sometimes more. ladies, your feminine hygiene productsare going to go in the burnables-- you can't flush any of it downthe toilets here. the home you stay in should talk to youabout it, but they'll either have newspapers for you to wrap it in, or they'll askyou to use tissues or toilet paper. in general, common sense about beingpolite applies here as well. if you're homestaying your familyshould go over their rules with you,
but for example don't invite people overwithout asking them, ask permission to use their phone andreturn by curfew if you have one. and it would also be nice to offer tohelp out with chores every now and then. in japanese culture it's often expectedthat you help out, even if no one asks. and since you're homestaying you're now afamily member, which means that some people may expect that of you, too. but if you make a mistake don't worry! no one's expecting you to be perfect andwe all have our really embarrassing moments in japan.
i have a lot to say about table mannersso i'll go over that in the next video. but for now if you have any questions orcomments about what to expect in a japanese home, or if something is politeor rude, leave it in the comments below!