Learn About Japan's Customs Before Visiting

What makes the Japanese Japanese? It’s a complex and layered question, one that a new book from Tuttle Publishing attempts to tackle.

Japan–A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette, by Boyé Lafayette De Mente ($12.99; 224 pages) looks at the history of this fascinating Asian country, as well as the dramatic changes that have happened over the last few generations. De Mente has written more than 30 books on the country, dating back to his first in 1959.

Japan has a distinct culture that can be very different—and even alien-seeming, at times—to many Americans. Visiting the country is a great way to better understand the customs and way of life of the Japanese people, but learning some of the basics ahead of time can really help enhance the journey.

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De Mente deep dives into Kata, a Japanese word roughly translated as "form." It's a concept that refers to the way that things are supposed to be done.

Kata brings together the inner order of the individual and the natural order of the cosmos. This way of thinking has manifested itself in numerous ways, such as a sensitivity to any deviation from the “normal way” of doing things, the ritual of the tea ceremony and the art of bowing.

Even the manner of apologies and ritual suicide are discussed.

The book explores many important aspects of Japanese society, including:

—martial arts

—the importance of numbers

—baseball

—sincerity

—politics

—business

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Public behavior in Japan is generally designed to maintain harmony, something it is easy for even the casual foreign visitor to see. And although many Japanese have embraced a more international way of thinking, the book notes that the older generation often holds fast to the old ideas.

What’s more, even many young Japanese are declining to study abroad and focus on their own country.

De Mente says that foreigners today aren’t simply visiting Japan’s large cities, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama. They are increasingly discovering rural retreats, such as the many hot springs and ski resorts amongst the country’s mountainous region.

And with help from his book, those visitors will certainly better understand the people and their culture.