Konichiwa ! :D

Heeeeello there :)

Welcome to our blog!

There are a few reasons why we chose to name our blog FumiTsubasa. In Japanese, Fumi means writing and tsubasa means wings. It is our wings to fly you to Japan and get to know more about the culture of Japan. It will be a blog where we will be sharing a lot of good information about the culture of Japan to all of you ! we are sure you will like it~! enjoy ! =)

First of all , let's meet the crew members~!! 

Name: Kee Zheng Khai

Student ID: 13049861

(Leader) 

Name: Aina Nadia bt Abd Hamid

Student ID: 13052238 

Name: Muhammad Adli bin Halipah

Student ID: 13048467 

Name: Michelle Chin Shu Fern

Student ID: 13048855

Bathing in Japan

Bathing in Japan in different from Malaysia, as you can see...

Here is a video for a clearer image 

 

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Bowing in Japan

Most Japanese will normally shake hands when dealing with non-Japanese. This leads to a combination of bowing and shaking hands.

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Gift giving in Japan

Gift-giving is an accepted practice encountered every day, from taking a little something from a neighbour to receiving an extra meat from the fishmonger. If you give someone a gift, you are sure to receive one in return. In fact, if you want a gift, you must give one first. 

When planning to give a gift, wrap all gifts attractively. Wrap anything and everything with good-quality paper along with bows and ribbons. Japanese gift-giving is an art and it should be treated as such.

Oh ya, if you receive a gift, don’t open the it unless you are told to do so. Make sure don’t cut the ribbon and don’t forget to rewrap as if it has never been opened.

 Praise the gift that you received. Although praising may seem obvious, overpraising the gift is the key.

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Japanese communication

In Japan, business cards are called "meishi". Japanese give and receive "meishi" with both hands.

"Meishi" is printed in your home language on one side and Japanese on the other. The card is presented with the Japanese language side up and it should be given after bowing.

The card contains the name and title along with the company name, address and telephone number of the businessman. 

In Japan, businessmen are call "sarariman". When you receive the card, it is important to remember the name and title of the person. 

In a business situation, business cannot begin until the "meishi" exchange process is complete.

During the negotiation process, it is best not to use the word no as the Japanese prefer not to use it. If you ask a question, they may respond with a yes but actually mean no. 

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Japanese dressing

In Japan, there are 6 types of usual dressings: Furisode, Uchikake, Houmongi, Yukata, Tomesode and Mofuku.

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Japanese greetings

"Greetings in Japan are formal and ritualized. It is important to show the correct amount of respect to someone based on their status relative to your own." 

Japanese family names consist of two “kanji” (Chinese characters) related to geographical features, nature or locations. Japanese first names consist of two “kanji” which often mean positive characteristics such as intelligence, beauty and names for flowers.

In Japan, male first names end with -ro, -shi, -ya, or -o while female names end with -ko, -mi, -e and –yo.

In addition, Japanese people rarely address each other just by name but usually attach an appropriate title to the name.

               

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Japanese writing system

There are three types of characters which are used in written Japanese:

• "Kanji" - Imported from China around 600 A.D., these intricately ornate pictographs represent words or parts of words. There are over 2,000 different "kanji" characters commonly used in Japan.

• "Hiragana" - The complexity of the system led to the development of auxiliary phonetic symbols known as hiragana. Today, hiragana are used for grammatical word endings and for words of purely Japanese origin.

• "Katakana" - These phonetic symbols were developed by Buddhist priests in the ninth century. "Katakana" is primarily utilized for writing foreign loanwords, most of which are English. "Katakana" has become the standard character system used for foreign business cards that are translated or transliterated into Japanese.

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Visiting Japanese homes

"In Japanese culture, cleanliness is important as it is a form of politeness and respect towards others."

"Ryokan"

             

Slippers should not be worn when you need to step onto a “tatami” floor and can be stepped on with socks or in bare feet. Bathrooms and washrooms too have separate pairs of slippers for hygienic reasons.

It is a privilege to be invited to someone’s house in Japan as Japanese regard their homes as being too humble to entertain guests. When entering a Japanese house “ryokan”, it is a custom take off your shoes at the “genkan”, a small are at the entrance and change into slippers “uwabaki” provided by the host instead.

  

Japanese dining room with a “tatami” floor.

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What would you do if you are a Japanese?

1. Never pour a drink yourself but allow someone else to do it for you.

2. Let the host order the meal and pay.

3. Start dinner by saying "itadakimasu". 

4. Slurp noodles. REALLY. Don't get me wrong, it is alright because it exhibits enjoyment of food. 

5. Say "Gochisousama" after dinner.     

6. Be late on social events. Do not be shock. It is a custom to be "fashionably late" although Japanese tend to be punctual on business events. 

7. Avoid wrapping presents in white colour as it symbols death. Normally, you will hand a gift at the end of a visit. When receiving or giving a present, you would use both hands in showing respect and appreciation.

8. Have a great time having fun. When one is confused about what to do, Japanese just watch and try to mimic what everyone else is doing. It is a truly unique Japanese experience and sometimes the best way to learn is to imitate. It might be really fun, don't you think?