Different Customs in Japan

The Japanese do some strange things, at least from the viewpoint of this particular foreigner. In the U.S. you’d never open someone’s front door and walk in without being invited, but it’s quite common in Japan for someone to open the door and walk in to the genkan (the low area where you leave your shoes) and ask in a loud voice if anyone is home — no one thinks anything of it, since that part of the house is officially considered part of the outside. In the U.S. there are certain subjects you avoid out of politeness, such as religion, why a married couple doesn’t have kids, or how much an expensive car or home cost. In Japan, however, some of these topics seem quite neutral and might come up during small talk. Then there’s that odd custom of bringing up a person’s weight gain as a part of casual conversation, which you never do in the U.S. I can’t count the number of times I’ve met a business associate in Tokyo and have the conversation start out with, Peter-san, sukoshi futotta? (Peter, have you put on some weight?).