That awkward moment I laughed at a funeral in Japan

I was in Kyoto last year for a friend's grandmother's funeral. Real traditional Buddhist ceremony, everyone dead serious. I had this terrible cough from the dry air, and during a quiet prayer part, I sneezed so loud it echoed. Then I tried to stifle another sneeze and this weird snorting laugh came out instead. About 20 relatives turned and stared at me like I'd cursed the whole family. My buddy just whispered 'you're done' under his breath. I ended up bowing low to the altar for like 30 seconds straight to play it off. Has anyone else had a total cultural blunder at a ceremony that just snowballed out of control?

2 comments

2 Comments

blake30216d ago

Bro tip, next time turn the sneeze into a fake cough and bow at the same time. Works every time in Japan, people just assume you're being respectful and sick. I did something similar at a tea ceremony where I knocked over a tiny cup and just kept bowing while muttering "sumimasen" like 50 times. The key is to commit to the bow and don't look up until someone taps you or the priest moves on. Also pro move, always carry a handkerchief in Japan for moments like this, you can fake a crying wipe or a sneeze cover and nobody questions it. Your buddy whispering "you're done" is brutal though, that's the real universal language of embarrassment.

alices1616d ago

Did you hear about the guy who accidentally called the priest "mom" at a Japanese wedding?