mate, none of those things pose any particular problems, unless its obvious to the japanese person you are talking to that you are just trying to offend, annoy or that you're simply unaware of how devoid of any manners you are... take your pick thats only if you don't pay attention / you're not subtle enough to understand the messages etc zero problem whatsoever, even when my japanese was still crap... no problem, you'll be faced with total denial, thats all... what d'u want to tell us about the extermination of the aborigines in australia, equal rights etc?... am not comparing but just asking, out of curiosity like? the kyoto protocol? the non-proliferation treaty? the geneva conventions? be specific... you mean, with a big wink etc, ask a japanese businessman you've just met whether he likes to have paid sex with underage girls??? why don't u try asking an aussie businessman that, and then report back to the board, how many teeth you've got left
Heh... Sounds like a drunk Japanese Guy from Shinjuku and Gaijin in Roppongi fighting in a train... LOL
hmmm ... when I was there I found the Japanese culture to be very accepting and friendly. Not exactly warm mind you, but certainly very open. Much more so than anything found in American culture ... but then again, most places are. Edit: After thinking about it, there are "pockets" in American culture where everything can be pretty cool. But by that same token, there are also areas which are downright scary.
It is true that there is a lot more communicated through non-verbal means than in the West. This is true of Asia in general.