<\/span>The first spot was the discount store Daiso in Asakusa, where several signs clearly spell out what is not acceptable behavior in the store. <\/span>For example, a comfortable looking low counter was a place many foreigners had been resting their weary legs. <\/span>As this is not what Daiso intended the space for, it had to create a sign reading \u201cDon\u2019t sit on the counter.\u201d <\/span>Another problem the management encountered was people finishing their drinks while walking around the store and bringing the empty bottle to the register to then pay for that. <\/span>The manager said that while in other countries this might be natural in Japan it was not, leading to the necessity of a \u201cDon\u2019t drink before you pay\u201d sign. <\/span><\/p>\nAt a restaurant a stone\u2019s throw from Asakusa\u2019s famous Sensoji, the owner described how his majority Indian clientele were cutting into his bottom line. <\/span>He sells a cup of coffee for only 100 yen, and very often these customers add as many as 4-5 sugars and 3-4 milks to this purchase. <\/span>He complained, \u201cI understand that they have a tradition of chai and like things sweet, but if they use that much sugar and milk I lose money on the deal.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\nThese gaijin woes are not unique to Tokyo. <\/span>In Kyoto an employee at a souvenir shop near Kiyomizu Temple expressed her surprise at how Chinese tourists behave. <\/span>\u201cWe sell Buddhist statues which particularly appeal to them, and they want to check numerous times to make sure they are authentic.\u201d <\/span>This makes sense in a country such as China with extensive copyright and counterfeiting problems, but in Japan this doesn\u2019t tend to be an issue. <\/span>\u201cThey examine it before as well as after I wrap it, insisting that I show them the content of the box before closing it. <\/span>They want to make sure that there won\u2019t be any damage during transport or that I have not switched the item without them realizing.\u201d<\/p>\nMaiko are another source of cultural confusion for Kyoto visitors. <\/span>As these apprentice geisha walk the streets of Gion on their way to work, foreigners misinterpret this as some kind of show. <\/span>As a result, they are constantly snapping pictures, putting their arms around the maiko, and when inebriated sometimes even following or harassing them. <\/span>In order to avoid problems, the maiko are often escorted by a white jacket-wearing anti-crime patrol that began last year. <\/span>One member of this group explained that once foreigners understand what the situation and proper protocol are, they usually become respectful right away. <\/span>Clear communication between both parties is of the utmost importance. <\/span>Hearing these stories reminded me of my own unintentional guffaws while living in Japan, which I can laugh at now but were slightly traumatic at the time\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"******** WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter\/Translator\/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).\u00a0 Recently she\u2019s been watching Fujisankei\u2019s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations. Following up on the Tsukiji auction controversy I discussed here recently, one segment of the news took the pulse […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,30,18,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articlejournalism","category-japan-trends","category-translatinginterpreting","category-wit-life"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t
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