JAPANESE tourists visiting Scotland have been warned to avoid people wearing football shirts and not to eat “weird” Lorne sausages.
The first official Japanese tour guide to Scotland also suggests visitors avoid council estates, drink Irn-Bru, and never call kilts “skirts”.
Written in Japanese and published by Edinburgh-based Luath Press, The Insider’s Guide to Scotland is the only Scottish guidebook in Japanese compiled official guides.
tourists have been warned to avoid people wearing football shirts.
In the book, potential visitors are told never to approach men wearing green or blue football tops, but to make sure to go on a pub crawl and get “merrily drunk” on Scottish whisky.
The book also recommends tourists try Mackie’s honeycomb ice-cream and ginger marmalade, but give Lorne sausages a miss.
One of the books authors, Akiko Elliot, said: “I believe more Japanese will find the nature and culture of Scotland interesting and fascinating.
“Until now the emphasis of Scottish tourism to Japanese was on visiting famous historical sites or playing golf, but younger people are showing a keen interest.”
The tourist guide advises Japanese tourists on how to buy drinks at a local pub, including instructions on buying a round, and also suggests visitors should have a kitty when going out as a group.
The book slates the Scottish service industry, stating: “Please do not expect to have the same quick, polite and accurate service here to compare with Japanese service at shops, restaurants and hotels. Be patient anywhere in Scotland, it is not Japan.”
Potential tourists to Scotland are warned to mind their table manners by the tourist guide.
“If you make noise having a bowl of soup at a restaurant, please do not have it,” the book reads.
The guide also warns Japanese visitors “never” to call a Scottish person English.
One section of the book is dedicated to explaining why many Scottish people do not carry umbrellas with them at all times – something that puzzles the Japanese.
The book explains: “When it rains, it seems only a handful of people use umbrellas in Scotland. That puzzles Japanese quite a lot because in Japan people would carry umbrellas all the time or leave the spare ones at the office for sudden showers.”
Visitors to Scotland are encouraged to get “merrily drink,” to visit whiskey distilleries, sample Scottish-staple Irn-Bru and use the word “aye” – which translates as “love” in Japanese.
Another book author, Misako Judo, said: “I think many Japanese want to visit Scotland, but not many Japanese tour companies offer Scottish tours.”
Mike Cantley, chairman of VisitScotland, who wrote a foreword to the book, said: “This book offers another chance for deepening out friendship and helping Japanese people understand our unique Scottish culture.”
