Post Tagged with "Japan"

Tipping etiquette around the world

A girl from America, a girl from France, a boy from England and a boy from Australia are sitting around a restaurant table in Poland. How much will they tip?

The boy from England: “Ok, we’ve got enough pooled to cover the bill. How much should we tip? I think it’s customarily 10% in Poland, right?”

The girl from France: “No way, I’m not leaving 10%, the service was terrible.”

The girl from America: “Whoa, I was planning to leave 20%!”

Photo by Cathleen Shattuck

Our monthly collaborative post is back, and this time we’re talking about tipping etiquette. Here’s what PocketCultures contributors around the world said about when to tip in their countries.

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Picture Postcards: Okinawan Easter Lily

This beautiful Easter Lily photo is by Mike, aka Ryukyu Mike, who lives in Okinawa, Japan. He says that although this lily is now found all over the world, it originated in Okinawa.

See more:
Flowers from India
A Costa Rican Wedding (with bouquet)
Markets in the Netherlands and China

An Okinawan Wedding

Okinawa is a chain of islands forming Japan’s southernmost Prefecture. The islands were once an independent nation known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. Some traditions and cultural events seen in Okinawa would seem foreign, even to other citizens of Japan. The Okinawan Wedding is one of them.

This Photo Essay shows some of the events that take place during the typical Ryukyu Wedding. Not shown are the 300-500 guests filling the Wedding Hall. They are seated at tables drinking and dining.

The Typical Ryukyu Wedding

Imagine a formal marriage ceremony, in any western country, being conducted at the wedding reception. Then, add a dinner theater with floor shows, dancers and live bands and keep it lively for a few hours.

The performers, on stage, have rehearsed for months. They are all friends, family, classmates, neighbors or coworkers of the bride and groom. They are good. They could be part of a Las Vegas production.

Each photo in this essay includes the time it was taken. This should give you a sense of timing and what takes place, as the bride and groom go through more than a few changes of attire during the conduct of an Okinawan Wedding Ceremony.

Okinawan Wedding Attire

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Armenia: to tip or not to tip?

Test your cultural expertise with our weekly quiz question.

Today’s question is from Armenia.

You should be careful not to engage in tipping behavior when visiting Armenia. Both recent Soviet attitudes and the existence of service taxes make it unnecessary and in some cases insulting.

True or False?

Let us know what you think in the comments and check next week’s post for the answer. What about where you live? Is tipping necessary?

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What brings good (or bad) luck in Japan?

Test your cultural expertise with our weekly quiz question.

Last week we asked about Weltverbesserungswahn in Germany. Here’s the correct answer:

C. Both are likely to come from the desire that the world could be a better place, the meaning of Weltverbesserungswahn.

This week’s question is about Japan:

Which of the following are seen as good or bad luck in traditional Japanese superstition?

A. The first person you meet on a particular day is a woman
B. The first person you meet on a particular day is a Buddhist priest
C. You get a bird dropping on your head
D. You are overtaken by a funeral procession on the street

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Breakfast around the world

What’s for breakfast where you are? In some countries, sweet foods are the norm. In others, breakfast is always savoury. Sometimes it’s a light meal, other times it’s a filling dish that will keep you going for many hours.

Selected from our previous posts and photos posted in our Picture Postcards photo group, here’s what PocketCultures readers and contributors around the world are eating for breakfast.

Italy

Photo by Marcello

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