BANGKOK (AP) – Thailand’s Embassy in Japan has some tips for Thai visitors: Don’t put your chopsticks in the serving bowl. If driving, stop for pedestrians at crosswalks. And just because you have kids doesn’t mean you can cut the queue.
The advice is part of a new online manners guide the embassy has posted on its Facebook page in response to criticism on social media about the behavior of Thai tourists in Japan. Most of the criticism came from Thai residents in Japan who reported sightings of “inappropriate” behavior on a popular Thai web forum, which inspired the embassy’s consular chief to pen the list of 10 do’s and don’ts.
“Japanese society is very unique. It is a society with strict rules that are not always obvious to visitors,” said Jessada Nanthachaiporn, the chief consul, who said he intended the list as an educational tool, not as criticism of either culture.
Written in Thai, the code of conduct begins with escalator etiquette: Stand on the left, or walk on the right. Except in the central Kansai region, where the opposite applies.
There is separate elevator advice: The first person in holds the open button for others and should be the last person to leave.