Asa taisou is a morning stretch exercise that is conducted to the sound of an étude and a rigorous leader’s counting. This is the morning routine in Japanese companies and classrooms.
Showering while sitting conserves energy. Ritual bathing for health is common in Japan, where there are dozens of seated showers and fresh hot spring pools of varying temperatures and mineral compositions.
As their flooring are covered in woven straw mats known as tatami, the Japanese remove their shoes before entering a room. These carpets would rip from the scuffing of shoes. The Japanese frequently dine on the tatami and sleep on futons on the mats, thus the floor must be clean.
The Japanese diet without dieting. A bowl of rice and fermented soybeans (natto) with grated long potato (tororo) is more than any doctor could ask for, yet natto has been enjoyed by the Japanese for years and is a key to the island’s residents’ long lives.
An ordinary Japanese person appears to give and receive at least one gift every week. These gifts are frequently elegantly wrapped, with intricate cord ties.
Bowing is an expression of humility and respect for another person, an opponent, animals, and holy deities.
Yes/No questions in Japan are rarely answered with a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’. They are typically responded with a throaty grunt, which obscures the affirmation or negation and perplexes the inexperienced questioner. In reality, the straight ‘No’ is best avoided in Japanese. The lesson is that everything is conceivable, and no one can predict what will happen.