Zōri
Zōri are flat Japanese thong sandals whose materials and form range from woven-straw workwear to formal footwear for kimono ensembles.
Social customs
Kimono
Kimono are straight-seamed wrap garments whose materials, decoration, layering, and accessories communicate season, occasion, age, taste, and formality.
Omotenashi
Omotenashi is a Japanese term for receiving and caring for guests through preparation and attention, shaped by domestic, ceremonial, commercial, and tourism settings.
Honne and tatemae
Honne and tatemae contrast inner feeling or intention with a publicly appropriate position, but their relationship varies and should not be equated automatically with deception.
Genkan
A genkan is the entry zone of a Japanese home or building where outside and raised interior spaces meet and shoes are commonly removed.
Bowing in Japan
Bowing in Japan is a flexible bodily practice used for greetings, thanks, apologies, respect, ceremony, work, worship, and performance, with formality varying by context.