Job Discussion Forums

[Eric]

I recently went to an eatery where you buy a ticket, and then wait for a dinner that you have chosen from the ticket. I was surprised to find out that if I ate my dinner at the resteraunt I could have everything in the picture including the Miso soup, but if I took the dinner to go I wasn:t allowed to have the soup.

I attempted to explain that the picture of the dinner which cost 680 yen showed the soup, and I was willing to eat the soup in the resteraunt while I waited for the rest of my to go dinner. I was given the infamous dammeh sign of crossed arms and told that if you get the meal to go, no soup. It:s rule!!!! I was wondering how come. They have containers that a soup could fit in. It seemed a little strange to me that you must sacrifice soup if you want to take this meal to go for the same price.

Is it only me or has anyone else encountered some rather strange rules in this country.

[canuck]

When you ask for no ice in your drink and it comes to you half full. It often takes a call to the manager and some arguing before you get a free drink. Once at Mos Burger they refused to fill the glass, leaving it half full. I got my money back and walked out.

[Nismo]

If you get food to go from dinner you have to pay extra for the containers.

[spidey]

Yeh. People can sure be ANAL at times. Even hear in Japan.


How about these "so called" traffic rules:

You are allowed to stop or park along the street at any given time.

The street is only an extension of someone's driveway.

Only look straight ahead while driving.

At all times you must creep into uncoming traffic...rearend first.

Respond to emails while operating your motor vehicle.

And so on...and so on...

I wonder if these rules are written down somewhere?

S

[JimDunlop2]

Doesn't really surprise me one bit. As far as I can tell, the Japanese aren't really too keen on take-out food (that's "take-away" for you Brits).

Back home, I had the local pizza place, Chinese food place, Italian place, all on speed-dial, not to mention the "order by fax" lunchtime sheets we could send to the nearest joint while at work.

I think people here are generally sit-down and eat type of people. Sure, there are equally long line-ups (that's "queues" for you Brits) at the McDonalds drive-through, but maybe that's different.

I notice that here, NO ONE, and I do mean NO ONE would every be caught dead asking for a "doggy-bag" at a restaurant. In fact, nothing amuses me more than a table of Japanese people at the local pub that order a HUGE plate of nachos, and each eat maybe 1 or 2 chips and get up to leave hardly having touched it (presumably out of politeness)...


Also, when ordering draft beer, they serve it half-head, and get pissed off when you ask them to pour it like they mean it. I even had one jerk swear at me for being a "baka gaijin" to which I swore right back: "Just pour the g*damned beer you a**hole and don't act like you don't know what I mean."

Boy I was mad! No one, and I mean NO ONE gets between me and a full mug of beer that's not supposed to have more than 1" of head at the top. Now, if I'm ever faced with a Japanese bartender whom I haven't seen pour a beer before, I will usually order a can or bottle.

Anyhow, enough about my problems.... That was last year and is water under the bridge. To contribute to the discussion here, let me say that the endless lists of "rules" could go on forever, but it seems to me that Japan doesn't actually have any bona-fide LAWS as such -- just strongly worded suggestions. (As it may be witnessed whenever you go to the immigration office regarding a visa).

My favorite strange rule is the one that prohibits foreigners from entering certain establishments like onsens.

The next on my list of favorites is:

- having to put your address on the trash bags you throw out
- separating your trash into no less than 6 or 8 categories (depending on where you live)
- not allowing people to talk on cellphones on trains -- it's not like they aren't already chatting (usually LOUDLY) with their neighbours
- asking for bribe money to rent an apartment in the middle of an economy where many accomodations lie empty for months, even years.
- refusing to discount items even though they have been sitting in a store for so long, the local fauna have taken up permanent residence there.
- having quotas on how many convenience stores can sell liquor in an area
- the NHK guy demanding money "because it's the rule you gotta pay" even though I get rid of him every time using some excuse or other

I could go on and on... But I won't. I like it here. Believe it or not.

[denise]

Spidey--

Funny you should ask about traffic laws being written down. My friend and I are working on a "driving bingo" game that will document some of the wackiness that we see on the roads. It'll sure make the long drives to ski resorts more fun this winter!

Another thing that I find odd: not getting discounts when buying a larger quantity. I wish I could remember the exact case, but I recall seeing an item in a store that was cheaper when purchased individually. Buy in bulk, and the price is more than it would be if you bought a dozen of them separately.

d

[Willy_In_Japan]

Speaking of buying in Bulk......in Canada a dozen doughnuts cost about 5 dollars Canadian last time I checked, and in Japan a dozen doughnuts will cost you an arm and a leg.

[Celeste]

My husband and I bought a TV a few months ago. The people at the store wanted to deliver it. THey told us that they could deliver it sometime the next week. We said "No thank you, we'll take it with us in a taxi". Apparently this is not done. THey had to get a group of 6 people to discuss whether or not we would be allowed to take the tv (which we'd already paid for!!!!) in a taxi with us. We took it with us in the end after about 20 minutes of them trying to talk us out of it. I think it had never been done before, and they weren't sure how to write up a sale of a lrge item without a delivery slip.

[saloc]

A guy I know is completely bald but still has to wear a swimming cap at the local pool.

[Gordon]

Speaking of pools: In Japan everyone has to clear out of the pool periodically so the lifeguards can walk around and look for dead bodies. Not very proactive is it?

[ntropy]

I was attending a large conference at a hotel in Kyoto once and got back to the hotel a few minutes before midnight after some refreshing beverages. My friend and I were puzzled to find the entire front end of the hotel empty: no doorman, no concierge, no front desk staff. No one. We couldn't leave that alone and went searching to find why. Eventually, the staff started to show up. Inquiries told us that the reason the hotel seemed temporarily abandoned was that it was June 21st. The staff had different Spring and Summer uniforms. THey waited til the stroke of midnight and then changed en masse. Apparently it wasn't permitted to simply put on the summer uniform before the start of the shift since it wasn't officially summer yet.

[bshabu]

A crazy rule that worked in my favor was getting money back for using a "2 free cans of beer" coupon.

I was given this coupon for 2 free beers by my boss. I took it the local super and got change back with the 2 two beers.

Stores are required do give back the difference of the beers between the stores price and the suggested retail price.

[Eric]

That one amazed me d. It is really more expensive to buy in bulk yet people will do it. Does anybody asked why. Is it possible to talk Japaneese people out of their rules when they don:t make sense.

I can picture the group of six wondering what to do about someone who didn:t want their t.v. delivered.

Anyway thanks for the posts.

[Nismo]

Wearing suits in the peak heat and humidity of summer, even if they are made of a more breathable material. ick.

[Sweetsee]

Not wearing a shirt is against Japanese law.