Hi there,
I’m leaving for Japan soon and I want to make sure I follow the local customs and don’t unintentionally disrespect anyone.
Background: My friend and I will get a local tour (for free), by a very nice person I met on eBay (I’ve ordered from him many times and talked to him – he heard we were visiting and offered to show us his home town). He asked us to tell us in case there are any things we would like to do specifically. I will give some ideas but one of the things I was going to offer was going to his favorite local restaurant for lunch. I feel like this would be an interesting experience and a great way to try local cuisine. My question is, is it acceptable to pay for his lunch? If so, how would I go about this? Do I tell him in advance, by suggesting some places and telling him we’d like to invite him to his favorite restaurant? Or is there any phrase that I should know or anything I should do before paying the bill. I’m sorry if this is a stupid question but I really want to make sure I don’t do any unintentional disrespect.
Another thing I wanted to ask, is it acceptable to bring a gift from my local country like small chocolates, as a thank You for him taking time out of his day to show us around?
Thank You in advance!
by IanTigger