Navigating Asian Cultures and Customs
Like Duolingo, but for Navigating Asian Cultures and Customs. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Navigating Asian Cultures and Customs
- Bowing depth is proportional to the level of respect or status difference
- Shoes are removed in the 'genkan' or entryway to keep outdoor dirt from the living space
- Casual greetings require only a slight incline
- The home is considered a pure space where people sit and sleep near the floor
- Deep bows are reserved for elders, superiors, or formal apologies
- Pointing shoes toward the door is a courtesy for an easy departure
- The protocol for entering a home to maintain its cleanliness and sanctity
- The left hand is traditionally associated with personal hygiene and is considered 'unclean'
- Bowing depth is proportional to status
- The right hand (or both hands) must be used for eating, giving, and receiving items
- Lowering the head reduces physical presence
- Shoes are removed in the genkan
- The cultural significance of using the right hand
- How to move through a room without being intrusive
- Silence indicates that the person is giving your words serious thought
- The cultural significance of using the right hand for transactions and eating
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Navigating Asian Cultures and Customs the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
What is the primary purpose of the 'genkan' in a traditional home?
Get it right to open this lesson and 82 more in the app.
Where Navigating Asian Cultures and Customs takes you
A comprehensive guide to the diverse traditions, social norms, and travel essentials across the Asian continent, from the bustling streets of Tokyo to the historic landscapes of Iraq.
- 1
The First Step: Universal Etiquette
- The Art of the First Impression
- Dining with Respect
- 2
East Asian Social Rules
- China: Harmony and Hierarchy
- Japan: The Spirit of Omotenashi
- Korea: Respect and Speed
- 3
Southeast Asian Hospitality
- Thailand: The Land of Smiles
- Vietnam: Resilience and Ancestors
- Island Nations: Indonesia and Philippines
- 4
South Asian Traditions
- India: A Tapestry of Diversity
- Pakistan and Bangladesh: Shared Heritage
- 5
Middle Eastern Customs
- Iraq: The Cradle of Civilization
- The Gulf States: Tradition and Modernity
- The Levant: Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria
- 6
Central Asian Crossroads
- The Silk Road: Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
- Mongolia: Life on the Steppe
- 7
Navigating the Streets: Safety and Logistics
- Safety and Common Scams
- Logistics and Local Transport
- 8
The Spiritual Heart
- Understanding Islam in Asia
- The Path of the Buddha
- Hinduism and Shinto Rituals
- 9
Festivals and Connection
- The Lunar New Year and Beyond
9 sections · 21 units · 83 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Navigating Asian Cultures and Customs is taught in the The Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Navigating Asian Cultures and Customs today.
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