Interested in diving deeper into the intricacies of Japanese culture? Amy Chavez, author of Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan is beginning a "Politeness Marathon" over on her facebook page. The series will dive deeper into the culture of Japanese manners.
She's already on day 5 of her marathon so check out the back log of tips here: https://www.facebook.com/amyonasia/
Day one of her marathon started with the importance of gift giving:
"Welcome to Day 1 of the Politeness Marathon, where we look deeper into the culture of Japanese manners. This morning at 9:06, the first polite gesture has already happened to me. Last night my husband and I held a BBQ and invited neighbors, all who brought some kind of food with them (even though we told them not to). This morning, one of the neighbors came by and gave me three bell peppers from her garden. She didn't mention the BBQ but I knew it was a thank you gift for our efforts last night. Small thank you gifts are part of every-day Japanese manners."
Get a copy of Amy's book with illustrations by Jun Hazuki here: https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog/amys-guide-to-best-behavior-in-japan