About JapanManners

Hi, and thanks for stopping by. I write under the pen name Meikyō Shisui (明鏡止水) — a phrase that means "a clear mirror, still water," the kind of calm, unclouded mind I like to aim for when I travel.

I grew up in Japan and have since lived, worked, and wandered through more than 40 countries. Right now I split my time between Japan and Thailand, where my partner is based.

Why this site exists

Over the years, a lot of friends from other countries told me they loved Japan but worried about "doing the wrong thing" — at a temple, on the train, at an izakaya, in someone's home. Most of those fears are about small, unwritten rules that locals absorb by osmosis and rarely explain out loud.

JapanManners is my attempt to put those things in plain, friendly English: what to do, what to skip, and — just as important — why. You won't find a drill sergeant here. The goal is to help you relax and enjoy Japan without stepping on invisible tripwires.

How it's made

Each article is researched against multiple Japanese-language sources, fact-checked, and written to be genuinely useful rather than encyclopedic. The illustrations are custom. The tone is intentionally casual — Japan is serious enough on its own.

Sister site

If you're curious about the language itself — the playful, weird, and untranslatable bits — come visit our sister site Nihongo Fun.