Dos and Don'ts. 10 Etiquettes When Visiting a Japanese Home

Japanese culture is known for being stricter on time matter than some others. But, arriving too early is also rude to the people you're visiting as they may be still cooking, or finishing preparations for your visit. Arriving too late is of course the rudest thing, so just let them know if you are late more than 10 minutes.

If you want to bring along a friend, it would be considerate to ask ahead of time. Showing up with someone without asking is considered disrespectful. The host won’t refuse the company, but it causes problems with seating, or a food and drink shortage, which the hosts hate most.

“Ojyama shimasu” is a phrase often used by the guests to the host by pointing out that you are now entering their space. The literal translation is “I will be bothering you.” Of course, the phrase is not intended to be used for those who is actually going to be bothering the host on purpose. Instead, the phrase shows appreciation of you being invited into their home, and acknowledging that your presence can possibly be bothersome. Show respect to your host by saying this phrase right when you enter their home.

In almost all Japanese homes, there is a genkan, or entrance hall, right after you enter the door. It’s where you will greet the host and take off your shoes before proceeding further inside the home. For good mannerism, flip over the shoes so that the toe end is facing the door. This will make putting back on the shoes easier and smoother when you leave the home.

It depends on how much you are close to the hosts but basically, you should not visit them with barefoot and sandals. You cannot enter the Japanese home with barefoot, which brings your dirt to another people’s home. You should wear stockings or socks. . Also, boots should be avoided. It is hard or taking time for anyone to take off or wear boots Women also should not wear tight skirt because it is hard to sit on the floor or to sit on the fluffy sofa with it.

In Japanese culture, it’s common for the guests to bring a small gift called temiyage or omiyage to the host. Temiyage can be literally translated into “hand gift.” Frequently, these gifts consist of small goodies such as snackable sweets, for instance. There are no strict rules to these gifts, instead, it is a great idea to have it neatly wrapped in gift paper. Most stores provide the wrapping service in Japan in complement to this custom.

In most cases, the host will offer you a beverage. It’s a part of the Japanese culture to give a warm welcome to guests. Politely accept the beverage and appreciate the accompany of your host. You may be offered some snacks as well. It’s also common to have your temiyage, if it happened to be food, shared with you with the beverage.

After being shown into the living room, it is the best to stay standing till you are told where to sit. Each home has a family member with their own "special" seat, so you cannot sit wherever you want. You should ask where you should sit, or simply wait to be seated.

Although each home is different, some homes prefer to have separate slippers for toilets. If you see a pair of slippers in the toilet room, don’t assume that someone has left a pair in there by accident. It’s most likely that the slippers are intended to be used inside the toilet room. Simply switch over to the toilet slippers when going to the toilet.

Japan is a high-context country. Being able to read the “air” is generally expected. Nonverbal communication should be respected more so in Japan. Although it’s quite universal in all cultures that a host will not directly tell a guest in their face to leave their home, people in Japan will be less likely to directly tell you a piece of information that may move you towards ending your visit.