Required Manners in Japan

Foreign tourists visiting Japan are increasing.
You may be one of the tourists.

In Japan, many of them are surprised at unique Japanese customs or impressed the behavior of Japanese people.

On the other hand, some of foreign tourists do the actions of causing trouble to the Japanese people.

Probably, common sense of Japanese society may be different from your country.
But the social manners in Japan have been created by Japanese people with the passage of time.

Japanese people hate the behavior that is disturbing to surrounding people.
That is the base of social morality in Japan.
The roots may be a samurai spirit.

Before you visit Japan, it is important to know the manners in Japan.

Required manners in town
Trash No smoking Selfish behaviors Desecration of Japanese religions Eating while walking Drinking on the street
Required manners in train, bus
Line up Reserved seat Quiet Meal No smoking

Required manners in town

Don't throw away trash on any place.

Many foreign tourists say that the towns in Japan are clean.

Prohibition of littering and separating trash have been promoted as social manners by each municipality.
So, the actions are fixed in most Japanese people.

In the first place, separating the garbage should be done in your country.
I cannot understand why you feel admiration for the cleanliness in Japan.

There are a little trash boxes in any town.
Because trash boxes themselves in the town had become dirty garbage dump, these had been decreased for beautification of street environment.

So, we would like to ask to try not to create trash during your travel.

When you really want to throw your trash in a town, you should find a trash box and surely throw the trash away into it.
Of course, it is good to separate plastic bottles, cans of drinks and throw away in special boxes.

Or, you bring them to your accommodation and you should request to dispose them.

Smoking places are very limited.

The smoking rates in Japan are about 25 % for male and about 8 % for female in 2023, and they are decreasing year by year.

So, smoking places in any town are also decreasing.
In most cases, those are set up in one corner of public facilities, offices, parks, etc.

The objects are not only cigarettes but also heated tobacco products.

Additionally, in many downtowns, smoke while walking is also prohibited.
Of course, littering of cigarette butts is against good manners.

Selfish behaviors to take a photo and video makes the residents feel unpleasant and disgust.

Most tourists have a camera and phone.
But, some of them take selfish behavior by absorbing too much in photographing.
For example ...

• Walking about on the roadway that cars are running
• Occupying the sidewalk and blocking the pedestrians
• Dancing or performing on the road and train
• Entering the site of private house and farmland without permission
• Damaging public trees and plants
• Scribbling or carving on cultural properties
• Chasing Maiko girls like paparazzi in Kyoto

Even Japanese children know that above behaviors are what men should not do.
Some of the behaviors are against Japanese law.

We really want them to stop!

Selfish behaviors in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines make Japanese people angry.

There are many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan.
Major temples and shrines are also sightseeing spots and the places for prayer.

Like religious facilities in your country, these are the sacred places for Japanese people.

We will be punished by God if we do evil in the temple and shrine.
We were taught so from childhood.

There are many valuable cultural properties in the site.
And, there are various rare facilities and equipments for you in the site.

Unfortunately, it is reported that some foreign tourists had taken selfish and irreligious behaviors.
These are desecration of Japanese religions.

• Doing pull-up using Torii gate of Shinto shrine
• Continuing beating the bell of worship hall violently
• Taking photo of the sacred objects prohibited photography
• Breaking fence, entering moss field for taking a photo
• Leaving trash in the restroom
• Damaging wild deer as messenger of God in Nara

Most sites of the temples and shrines are opened to the public.
But those are not amusement parks!

Eating while walking is a bad manner.

In Japan, eating while walking on the road is a bad manner.
That is a common sense of Japanese people.

There are various stands of takeout foods along the streets around popular sightseeing spots.
Snack foods coated with sauce and ice creams are delicious during the walking.

But, you shouldn't eat them while walking.
You may stain the sauce on the cloths of the other walker, and may throw away the trash.

You should eat them in front of the stand and throw away the trash into the trash box by the stand.

Some sightseeing spots prohibit eating while walking by ordinance.

Drinking alcohol on the street is discourteous in Japanese society.

Shibuya area in Tokyo had become a popular place of Halloween recently.

The scene of drinking alcohol on the street had sent to the world, so the tourists to Japan had mistaken that drinking alcohol on the street was OK in Japan.

There had been no law prohibiting drinking alcohol on the street.
But, that has been the undoubted troublesome behavior in Japan.

Because of thoughtless foreign tourists, the residents are troubled a lot.

Regrettably, Shibuya Ward enacted the regulation of the prohibition, and refused the place for Halloween.
You must know this when you visit Japan.

Required manners in train, bus

When getting on a train, passengers off the train first, and get on in order of arrival.

In crowded railway station, Japanese passengers make a line in front of the position of train door naturally and wait for the train.

When the train door is opened, they wait for the passengers who get off the train and they get on the train in order of arrival.
There are few passengers who cut into the line.
The stream of passengers is smooth, and many passengers can get on the train soon.

Many foreign tourists are surprised at the scene.

But, Japanese passengers know that the way is the most efficient and safe, and each passenger observes the way as a social manner.
By doing that, the trains can run on schedule.

When you don't have a reserved seat ticket, you can't enter the reserved seat car in the train.

Many cars of limited express and Shinknsen trains are Reserved Seat Cars, and only a few cars are Non-reserved Seat Cars.

Even if you have Japan Rail Pass, you must get a "Reserved-seat Ticket" to get on the reserved seat car.

Because the ticket reserves a particular seat in a train, you can certainly sit on the seat.

But, sometimes, some foreign tourists without Reserved-seat Ticket enter the reserved seat car and sit on the empty seat.
To make matters worse, they often refuse to give up the seat when the real passenger having the Reserved-seat Ticket has come there.

That is against the law in Japan.
Even if the seat is empty, only the passenger having the Reserved-seat Ticket has the right to sit on the seat.

On the train and bus, the passengers shouldn't talk loudly.

In Japan, all Japanese passengers are silent in any train and bus.
Many foreign tourists are also surprised at such silence.

That has been the social manner in the public space in Japan.
Loud passengers are hated.

Of course, your conversation in a quiet voice is OK if that doesn't make trouble around you.

In addition, you should not make a phone call on the train and bus.

Eating and drinking on the train and bus are bad manners.
But, that is OK on Shinkansen and long-distance limited express.

Eating and drinking on the train, subway and bus are bad manners.

But that is OK on the long-distance trains.
They are Shinkansen and limited expresses of JR.

Dining cars of train had abolished in Japan.

So the passengers can buy a box lunch (It is called "Ekiben") and eat on the train.
Various Ekiben are sold in major stations in Japan.

Smoking is prohibited in all trains and buses.

In Japan, smoking has been prohibited in all trains and buses by 2024.
In addition, there are hardly smoking places in any railway station and bus terminal.

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