Japanese Culture Site
	Ching Kin Min BellaOnline's Japanese Culture Editor

Baffling Japanese Politeness - At The Movies
Being polite is a good thing. But too much of anything is never good. And because this is Japan we're talking about, it can be plain weird. You can't even escape from it at a Japanese movie theatre.

Baffling Japanese Politeness – In A Train
Ah… Japan. The Land of (Baffling) Politeness. Even while you’re on a train in this country, you can’t escape from the air of politeness going all around… which, by the way, may or may not seem logical to a non-Japanese. Read this article, and make your own judgement on this.

Baffling Japanese Politeness – Queuing
You’ve read about the eerily unnatural silence you’d experience inside a Japanese movie theatre (if not, go check out Baffling Japanese Politeness – At The Movies). Now, read about the Japanese queuing custom, which will make you wonder if they actually are an inherently polite race or not…

Bizarre Japanese Children Facts
Want to know about bizarre facts on Japanese kids that news reports will never feature? Then check out this article!

Dumping Garbage In Japan
You might wonder why there’s a need for an entire topic on this, but yes, there is... Find out why in this article.

Face Masks
As you step onto Japanese soil, you see hordes of people wearing a face mask, with eyes that could kill. Are they terrorists out to take over the world? Or is it the plague??

Healthcare In Japan
In Japan, how many times do you need to visit a dentist for a teeth polishing and scaling session? Make a guess before reading this week’s article to find out!

Japanese Convenience Store Features
Japanese convenience stores, or “Konbini” in Japanese, take the word “convenience” to a whole new level.

Japanese School Life
You might have an idea of what Japanese school life is like from Japanese TV dramas, anime and manga. Unfortunately, more often than not, such media are not accurate portrayals of reality. Here’s a brief intro to what life in Japanese schools are really like.

Japanese School Lunches
Japanese school lunches are so unique from the school lunch system in other countries that they deserve an entire article about them. Find out what’s so special about Japanese school lunches right here.

Japanese Vending Machines
Vending machines are not unique to Japan. There are so many vending machines around the world. So what makes Japanese vending machines special?

Omiyage - Japanese Souvenirs
Most countries in the world sell souvenirs, mainly to tourists - domestic or otherwise. But perhaps none can compare to Japan in terms of variety and volume when it comes to souvenirs. In addition, the Japanese are masters of souvenir marketing strategy.

Problems Caused By Japanese Politeness
Politeness is not necessarily a good thing, and Japanese politeness, as famous as it is, can cause headaches for non-Japanese who don’t truly understand it.

The Price Of Providing Excellent Customer Service
The Japanese are renowned for their high quality of customer service. From airports to supermarkets, employees are well-trained in giving customers the best they've got. But what exactly do they have to go through?