35: Etiquette & Daily Rituals

Introduction

Japanese etiquette is a complex web of greetings, gestures, and small rituals that structure daily life. These habits reflect respect, discipline, and cultural continuity, grounding interactions in a shared rhythm of behavior. In Jujutsu Kaisen, sorcerers may live in a hidden world of curses, but they remain products of this cultural etiquette. They bow, greet, eat, and purify just like ordinary Japanese, even as they risk their lives in battle. By understanding these details, narration can capture the authenticity of everyday life, making the contrast with curse encounters even sharper.

Greetings and Politeness

Greetings (aisatsu) are vital in Japan, signaling acknowledgment and respect. Saying nothing when passing someone is considered rude, whether in school, work, or public life.

• Common greetings include ohayō gozaimasu (“good morning”), konnichiwa (“hello/good day”), and konbanwa (“good evening”). These phrases mark time and show awareness of others.

• Departures are also ritualized, with itterasshai (“take care/go safely”) and itterasshaimase in shops, or otsukaresama deshita (“you must be tired”) used in workplaces and schools.

• In narration, NPCs should exchange greetings naturally, even in small moments. A sorcerer might bow with a casual yoroshiku onegaishimasu (“please take care of me”) before a mission, grounding the scene in cultural rhythm.

Dining Etiquette

Food is a central social act, bound by etiquette. Meals begin with itadakimasu, said with hands pressed together, acknowledging gratitude to those who prepared and the life sacrificed for the meal. At the end, gochisōsama deshita closes the act with thanks.

Chopstick rules are strict: one must not point with chopsticks, pass food directly between them (resembling funeral rituals), or leave them upright in rice (an offering for the dead). Sharing dishes requires communal serving utensils, and slurping noodles is acceptable as a sign of enjoyment.

For sorcerers, these rituals carry added poignancy. A squad sharing ramen after a mission may bow and say itadakimasu together, their bond reinforced through cultural formality. A tense meal may show subtle defiance if someone neglects closing etiquette.

Shrines and Temples

Visiting shrines and temples is a common ritual act, especially during New Year, festivals, or personal milestones. At a Shinto shrine, visitors cleanse hands and mouths at the temizuya, bow lightly before entering, and follow the sequence of two bows, two claps, and one bow when praying. Coins, prayers, and ema (wooden plaques with wishes) are left as offerings.

At Buddhist temples, incense is lit, hands are clasped, and sutras may be chanted. These acts reflect reverence for ancestors and impermanence. For sorcerers, shrine and temple visits may overlap with CE rituals, with offerings or claps doubling as ways to stabilize barriers or cleanse cursed zones. Narration should describe these rituals in detail to emphasize their cultural and spiritual significance.

Public Etiquette and Order

Japanese society values harmony in public. This manifests in habits that sorcerers should reflect as well:

• Shoes are removed at the genkan (entryway) of homes, replaced with slippers. Tatami mats require bare feet or socks only.

• On trains, silence is expected — phone calls are frowned upon, and people queue in orderly lines.

• Trash is separated meticulously, with recycling habits ingrained into daily life.

For narration, small details matter: a sorcerer slipping off shoes at the genkan before investigating a cursed home, or waiting quietly in a train station where curses lurk in the crowd.

Bathing and Cleanliness

Cleanliness is central to Japanese life. Bathing in ofuro (home bathtubs) or public baths (sento and onsen) is ritualized: washing thoroughly before entering, soaking quietly, and respecting shared space. These acts reflect purity and relaxation.

Sorcerers, who exist in constant proximity to impurity and curses, may treat bathing as a way to restore balance. Narration might describe a weary sorcerer sinking into hot water, their body scarred from battle but cleansed through ritual. Bathhouses can also serve as bonding spaces, where characters converse more freely in shared vulnerability.

Seasonal Rituals

Daily life is punctuated by seasonal rituals tied to purification and celebration. New Year (oshōgatsu) is marked by shrine visits, bell ringing at temples, and the first sunrise of the year. Summer brings fireworks festivals, yukata, and ghost stories. Autumn invites moon-viewing (tsukimi), and winter emphasizes communal hot pot meals and end-of-year cleaning (ōsōji).

In narration, seasonal rituals provide cultural grounding and contrast. A curse attack during hanami under cherry blossoms, or an exorcism coinciding with Obon, draws power from these cultural rhythms.

Everyday Courtesy

Beyond major rituals, Japanese etiquette is woven into small daily habits: bowing when apologizing, offering both hands when giving or receiving items, lowering one’s body when addressing superiors, and using polite expressions even in casual exchanges.

For sorcerers, these courtesies color every interaction. A bow before leaving a room, a murmured sumimasen when bumping into someone, or a polite refusal of help all show cultural authenticity. When these norms are broken — when a sorcerer speaks bluntly, fails to bow, or interrupts rudely — the act carries significant narrative weight.

Narrative Applications

Etiquette and rituals may seem small, but they anchor narration in cultural detail. A squad that bows before eating, visits a shrine before a mission, or slips shoes off before entering a cursed house feels authentically Japanese. These small gestures provide contrast with the chaos of curse battles, making the disruption of ordinary rituals more poignant. They also serve as subtle markers of character — a rebellious sorcerer might neglect etiquette to show defiance, while a dutiful heir may observe every ritual with precision.

Closing Thought

Japanese etiquette and daily rituals are the quiet heartbeat of society, guiding how people greet, eat, pray, and behave in public. In Jujutsu Kaisen, sorcerers live extraordinary lives, but they remain bound by these cultural rhythms. By embedding greetings, shrine visits, dining etiquette, and public order into narration, the AI ensures that every interaction feels lived-in and authentic. Small details — a bow, a prayer, a bath, or a murmured itadakimasu — make the world feel fully Japanese, grounding sorcery in the ordinary beauty of daily life.