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Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan: Do It Right and Be Polite! by [Amy Chavez, Jun Hazuki]

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Amy Chavez

Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan: Do It Right and Be Polite! Kindle Edition

by Amy Chavez (Author), Jun Hazuki (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition

28 ratings

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This guide to common courtesy, acceptable behavior, and manners is essential for any visitor to Japan. Japanese are unfailingly polite and will never tell you if you've crossed the line. But by knowing how to act in every situation you'll gain the respect of your hosts and in the end get even better service and enjoyment during your travels. Covered here are all the essentials—like travel, greetings, dining—plus subtle niceties like tone of voice, body language, cell phone usage, city vs. country styles, and attire (and what to do about your tattoos!).

The author, a 25-year resident of Japan and tourist adviser who lives on the fabled Inland Sea, knows just what foreign visitors need and delivers it in a smart, compact, and delightfully illustrated package for quick use and reference.

Print length

146 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Stone Bridge Press
Publication date

June 19, 2018
File size

7656 KB
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From the Publisher

Image from illustrated version of behavior in Japan and Japanese etiquette


When visiting shrines and temples	When eating at a restaurant	When entering a home


When exchanging cards	When bowing to say thank you	When paying your bill

Review

Foreword Indie Awards Gold Winner in Travel

"You are headed to Japan for the first time and you've heard Japanese are very courteous and that good manners are very important in their country... Chavez covers about every situation where manners are important in Japan, from transportation and accommodation to food and drink consumption to business meetings, dating, weddings, cell phones, etc. It is 140 pages of how to be on your best behavior."

—Japan Visitor

"For many American and international fans of anime and manga, visiting Japan is a dream come true. But because Japan has a very unique culture, how can tourists make sure they’re not accidentally saying or doing the wrong things? Amy’s Guide to Best Behavior in Japan is here to help."

—OtakuUSA Magazine

"Want to delve into the nitty-gritty of Japanese manners? Amy’s Guide to Best Behavior in Japan: Do it Right and Be Polite! might be the guide for you."

—Kotaku

"Both humorous and remains informative for anyone needing a little guidance on avoiding the pitfalls that sometimes await travelers in the land of the rising sun."

—Gaijin Pot

"A quick, easy-to-read overview of how to fully enjoy your experience in Japan and best incorporate the complexities of Japanese customs and etiquette into your homestay, study abroad, or quick jaunt to Japan."

—JQ Magazine

"A comprehensive overview of Japanese etiquette for visitors to Japan. Topics are well organized and easy-to-read with personal anecdotes and cute illustrations that present very practical ‘do’s and don’ts’ as well as some of their underlying cultural perceptions. I highly recommend Amy’s Guide, not just to avoid making mistakes while in Japan but also to enjoy this intriguing side of its culture and people.”

—Cathy Hirano, translator of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Nahoko Uehashi's The Beast Player

"A long-needed succinct, comprehensive, and easily understood guide to the mores of Japan.”

—Paul Christie, CEO, Walk Japan

"A thoroughly 'user friendly' guide for businessmen and vacationers to the common courtesy, acceptable behaviors, and expected manners that are essential for any visitor to Japan. You'll gain the respect of your hosts and in the end get even better service and enjoyment during your travels."

—Midwest Book Review

"Sixteen years of writing on the country have honed her take on the subject, and it is in her experience as a writer and an observer that her strengths lie."

—Kyoto Journal

"In my 60-plus years of attempting to describe what it means to be Japanese and how to interact effectively with them, I found Amy Chavez's book . . . the most novel, the most fascinating, and one of the most insightful descriptions of the Japanese character”

—Boye Lafayette De Mente, author of 30+ pioneer books on Japan

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Amy Chavez has lived in Japan for 25 years, and is proprietor of the Moooo! Bar & Calfe on Shiraishi Island in the Seto Inland Sea, where she helps tourists with reservations, language support, and cultural guidance. She is a columnist for the Japan Times and blogs for Huffpo. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07BZHDH9H
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press (June 19, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 19, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7656 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 146 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,268,352 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #290 in Japanese Travel
- #400 in Etiquette
- #919 in General Japan Travel Guides

Customer Reviews:
28 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		12%
3 star		12%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Morgan Sivy

Good information, poorly presented

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book was generally pretty good. It was definitely loaded with important information, and I can see myself flipping through it over and over between now and my trip in six months. However, this guide is not without its faults. Here are some pros and cons.

Pros:
The information is incredibly valuable and (seems to be) accurate
The rules/guidelines included are new material that cannot be found elsewhere
Chapters/delineations are generally pretty useful and accurate

Cons:
A lot of information is duplicated word-for-word at least once within the book, making it confusing or tedious at times
There is a lot of snarky rudeness on the part of the author - in a book about politeness and good manners - to the point of being distracting

While I was extremely impressed with the depth and breadth of the information presented, I was continuously put off by the rudeness of the author. Some comments were simply off-color, but others were downright accusatory. It seemed that these may have been included for humor's sake, but they did not read to me as funny and instead seemed arrogant or mean. Word to the wise: if you write a book about minding your manners and being respectful, a good rule of thumb is to make sure your wording responds in kind.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kendra

Feeling ready to visit Japan...thanks to Amy!

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2019

Verified Purchase

There's nothing worse than feeling like a stranger in a strange land...except perhaps unintentionally acting like a jerk and insulting the locals! We're currently planning our first visit to Japan. Amy's book is making us feel much more prepared, and polite. The book is well organized and clearly written. The book has answered all the questions we had, plus quite a few we never thought to ask. As a bonus, it offers a dash of good humor. I'll have to report back when we return from our trip, but we feel like this book is doing a great job of preparing us to be happy travelers and considerate visitors.

Helpful

Viki

Amy at her best as always

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

I love Amy’s books. I was a loyal reader of her newspaper columns for so many years. I ended up making friends with her and even went to visit her island. She is a great writer and is spot on about life and things in Japan. I’ve been here over 30 years myself and I can always relate well to what she writes no matter what it is.

Helpful

Erik Wood

Fun and informative way to learn what to do and not to do in Japan

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

Simultaneously entertaining and informative. The book is an easy, fun read full of the essential things you should know for visiting Japan.

Helpful

Scs84

Great advice, succinctly and graciously given

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

The straightforward advice in this book is enough to help you seem genuinely polite when visiting Japan. I have lived in Japan in the past, and used this book to remind me of the basics.

Helpful

J. Dellinger

Helpful cultural info....

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

Even if you can't speak the language, tips on how to be polite and welcome in Japan. Worth a read.

Helpful

Yuzu

It's OK, Not Great

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2020

I ordered this book because I liked Jun Hazuki's cat illustrations. Also, I had some Kindle credits I needed to use before they expired. While this book does contain some good and useful information about the customs and manners of Japan, I found the presentation to be somewhat condescending and a little impolite at times. In teaching what is considered good and bad behavior, the author makes assumptions about the reader, who she expects will be rude and disrespectful. While some tourists do act less than favorably when traveling abroad, I think anyone who even makes the effort to pick up a book about good behavior already has enough respect to try and act properly when visiting Japan. Overall, this was a decent read, but some of the author's personal comments could've been excluded.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Diane E. Johnson

Not for the casual tourist

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2019

Amy Chavez is a good writer and has the knowledge of what she tells us. That being said, I had a hard time with this book as soon as I opened it and was stopped immediately by a quotation. My first thoughts were “What is this, where was this taken, who is the author, and is this quote supposed to be taken seriously when accompanied by a kitten illustration?” So a confusing tone had been set. I continued to read and arrived at this conclusion: I don’t think this is a book for the average visitor to Japan. Most travel guides already inform travelers of the major do’s and dont’s in Japan and that is sufficient. I think most people are taught how to be polite. There is also the idea of giving people the benefit of a doubt.

For the business person, the long-term visitor, the expat, the English teacher - it’s all inside the book and this will provide a good resource for your many interactions in Japan.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

cip

Politesse oblige

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

Whilst author Chavez does an admirable job, channelling her inner Ben Kenobi, teaching young apprentices how to effortlessly manover around perils of Jàpanese culture, it is impossible to forget that the knowledge is a two edged sword and inside every foreign tourist there is a constant battle between the light and dark side. Inside every teaching how to be good, there is also the illustration of how to be bad, effectively. If you're a believer in the maxim that the best defence is a good offence, this book will tell you how. No more blundering around in the hope that a particular action, gesture, phrase will have the desired effect; having read this book, you will *know*. I worry that it isn't just nice people that will read this book, but rude people too, and it will make them worse, maybe even totally insufferable!

Admirable use of cat illustrations.

One person found this helpful

Sandro

Nice

Reviewed in Italy on August 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

I truly enjoyed reading this book, it's so nicely written and easy to understand. It you travel to this marvelous place, you need Amy book.

AsRealAsItGets

The book is very biased, and filled with a lot of useless information.

Reviewed in Japan on December 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

After moving to Japan and adjusting to life here, I wanted to delve deeper into the minds and culture of the people around me. This book provides little content or insight to why things are the way they are in Japan. It is read as being told from the perspective of a naive foreigner who is being overly cautious to his/her surrounds while in Japan.

I would recommend this book to children who are visiting Japan for the first time. This book is only helpful to adults with no common-sense or who have no idea how to be polite when entering someones home. Although in that case I'm sure those people wouldn't want to read this book anyways.

There are a few interesting observations that could increase quality of life in Japan as a traveler, but the help they provide are so minuscule they may as well be negligible. No one in Japan is going to pat you on the back because you decided to "eat your food slowly".

Amazon カスタマー

You could learn customs/how to act when you come to Japan

Reviewed in Japan on June 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

初めて外国から来る方に贈りたい一冊。
A good gift/must read for people who are coming to japan for tourism or to live.