22 Things That Offend Japanese The Most

3 years ago by Nicola Spendlove • 11 min read

This list is by no means exhaustive, and largely based on my own experiences and those of my personal friends – if your experience is different, I’d love to hear about it!

Let me start this piece with the understatement of the century -- there are huge differences between Japanese culture and Western culture.

Because of this, even when we Western tourists believe ourselves to be on our best behavior when traveling in Japan, we can still make numerous social faux-pas and unintentionally annoy or offend the locals. While the habits of a lifetime can be difficult to break, having a bit of insight into the type of behaviors that Japanese people tend to find jarring will go a long way towards finding favor on your trip.