[wilsontheterrible]

They're annoying, they're important, and every culture has them. Taboo's, things that you just don't do in polite company for one reason or another. I'm curious about some Japanese specific ones as well as other forms of etiquete than a world travler should know.

I may as well explain why this came to my attention. You see, my family has a habit of uncovering these social landmines, and we don't just trip them we flop down right on top.

Case in point: I was invited the family home of a friend, they happened to be Indian immigrants. Thinking myself rather cleaver I got a gift for her father a gift to show respect, forgetting the sacred nature of cows and later violating nearly a dozen lesser known customs...long story short. Father is mad, family is laughing, friend is embarrased, and wilson is terrible. Something similar happened with my dad and some Ukrainians.

I'm hoping to avoid this when I hit Asia so it would be much appreciated if you could give me some customs and maybe reasons why they exist.