Interesting Tidbits: Minding Your Manners

I had a delightful evening yesterday with the lovely Fumi (man, she knows how to dress!) We went to a more traditional type of Japanese restaurant, where we were showed to a mostly closed room, atypical of western dining facilities.
 In a brief moment of forgetfulness, I almost poured my own sake, but corrected myself in time. I put down the bottle, and Fumi gently picked it up and poured for me.
 When in Rome, abide by Rome's rules!
 Let's talk about standard etiquette in Japan.

1: Don't Pour Your Own Glass
Self-explanatory, right? You may only pour for someone other than yourself. Though I guess people forget to fill others as the night goes on. But I think, if your glass is empty, the best way to get around is to just pour for the others in hopes that they notice you're empty. It's simple enough.
2: Don't Stick Your Chopsticks Into Your Food
...Unless you're using them, in which case you obviously have to put 'em in there to pick something up. What I'm referring to is if you want to put your chopsticks down for any reason (going to the washroom or whatnot.) The correct way is to lay them down horizontally across your bowl. And for that matter...
3: Unless You're Eating, Use the Other End of Your Chopsticks
Shit, I might have forgotten about this one yesterday evening. If you're gonna pick up food from a common plate at the center of the table, use the end of the chopsticks that haven't been in your mouth. I don't know how seriously this is applied. Yikes.
4: No Shoes on the Tatami
Hard to miss this, seeing as you'll often see everyone's shoes neatly put into a corner. The underside of your shoes is considered very dirty, and you should never walk into someone's house (or a bathhouse, or a traditional inn) with your shoes on.
5: Don't Blow Your Nose in Public
It's considered most distasteful. I needn't explain too much, I think.
6: Bowing
Though you'll often be forgiven if you're foreigner, it's usually a good idea to pay attention to the number of times someone bows to you, as well as the depth of the bow, and reciprocate. It's kind of the equivalent of shaking hands, here.

And that's about the gist of it. There are other smaller things to keep in mind, (try not to talk to someone with arms crossed or in your pockets, try not to eat or drink while walking, and probably a bunch of other things I don't even know about) but you'll generally be forgiven if you're clearly a Gaijin (outsider.) More on this in my upcoming article about Gaijin Privileges.