Essential Japanese Manners And Etiquette

The art of sitting properly

To sit by folding one’s legs underneath one’s thighs is called "seiza," and the Japanese sit on the floor only in this way. They feel comfortable sitting seiza-style, as if in an armchair. But since Europeans are not accustomed to it, their feet become numb within a couple of minutes. If you are a tourist or a senior and spread out your legs, you’ll certainly get away with it, and no one will say anything. But it would be unimaginably inappropriate for a Japanese person to sit so.