Japanese culture

    

When people visit each other in Japan, they usually take a present. This might be chocolates, or a box of cakes or rice biscuits. They do not often take flowers as these are usually given to people in hospital.

   When the guests arrive, they take their shoes off before stepping inside the house. The host will provide slippers for them to wear. Slippers are worn everywhere in the house except on ‘tatami mats’. In most modern Japanese houses only one room has tatami on the floor and houses only one room for entertaining guests.

  The meal is served on a low table and everyone sits on the floor. The host will sit facing the door. If the husband of the family has invited a business colleague to dinner, the wife will serve them but will not eat with them. She will join them at the end of the meal and ask the guest a few polite questions. The meal will last quite a long time, perhaps two or three hours. Men drink sake, a national drink with their meal, sometimes quite a lot. Women only drink a little. It is impolite to always look and see if anyone else’s glass is empty and fill that first.

   Traditionally the Japanese do not eat desserts, but they may serve cakes made of sweet red beans or western cakes. When the host serves green tea or coffee, it is a sign that the meal is nearly over, so that the guests know when to leave.