tokomasho asked: I don't think their politeness is a bad thing at all! I think what the first anon was trying to say was just that there are quite a few things that aren't considered to be rude in most western cultures. Traits like humility are taken to a further level than most gaijin are used to and visitors can easily offend accidentally. Granted, many Japanese will give us the benefit of the doubt in certain cases, but are less likely to openly correct you, so it's best to learn beforehand.