Falling foul of local Japanese culture: Raw fish and faux pas in the land of the rising sun

It’s customary in travel articles about Japan to talk about how weird it is, and it is weird. This got me thinking: what do the Japanese find weird when they come to the UK? I asked my tour guide as she led me through the bamboo gardens of Kodaiji temple on the outskirts of Kyoto. “Many things,” she replied, beaming (tour guides in Japan are always beaming). “One of the main things is when we see men in suits drinking outside pubs at lunchtime. For us that is very strange.”

A geiko from the ancient city of Kyoto

The Andaz Tokyo

Alex about to tackle Japan’s deadly delicacy – fugu, the poisonous blowfish

Shibuya crossing in Tokyo

The Intercontinental hotel in Osaka