Being a Considerate Tourist in Japan
As you research your trip to Japan you will very likely come across some forums and discussions about over-tourism and some of the frustrations voiced by locals when tourists are not respectful of Japanese culture.
So, how do you ensure you are not making headlines in the Japanese news for all the wrong reasons! Some of it is common sense and general respect: don’t do chin ups on the red Torii Gates, and some you might not pick up at first so here are our top tips!
Train travel
Be quiet on trains – quiet voices, don’t answer your phone, if you listen to music through your headphones, make sure that it cannot be heard by others.
Don’t eat on the trains, unless its the shinkansen – then that’s fine and in fact you should get an Ekiben for the full experience! But take your rubbish with you!
Return your seat the way you found it, if on a train you reclined the seat or if you moved chairs in the food court, move them back the way you found them and put away all your rubbish or take it with you.
Queue up for the trains in orderly lines – it’s easy to see what everyone is doing and just join the end of a queue. Be aware of your surroundings and try to not get in the way.
Keep your bag on your front in crowded places, especially trains. If you have a back pack and it’s on your back you cannot see who you are hitting so put it on your front to make sure you are not in other peoples way.
Exploring the streets
Take your rubbish with you, there are very few public bins in Japan so take a rubbish bag in your bag and take your rubbish back with you to your accommodation. Once there, make sure you follow the instructions to sort it properly.
Don’t walk and eat. Meals and snacks are a time to enjoy and appreciate the food and company. Eating is an intentional activity, not a time to grab a quick bite and eat as fast as you can on the go between activities. This means it is also important to plan for this time in your Japan planning. Plan where you can stop and enjoy lunch. Consider what food have you not tried yet on your trip or find out what the local dish is. Make this part of the experience of your travels, not just fuel to be scoffed down as quick as you can.
Don’t smoke or vape unless in designated areas. You will find smoking rooms and spaces at stations and outside of department stores and office buildings. Some restaurants have smoking areas or smoking rooms.
Move over on the escalator. The correct side to stand on changes in between cities, so just watch what others are doing, move to the side to let those walking fast go through. Put your bags on the step of the escalator that is above you (in front of you going up or behind you going down) so that if your luggage falls – it falls on you, not someone else.
Be considerate when taking photos. Be careful of not getting in the way, particularly in crowded streets and roads. Have common sense and watch out for traffic and other people. Obey the signs and show respect, enjoy the view rather than disturbing everyone to get ‘the shot’. Japanese news often shows tourists disturbing the peace to try and get a photo, for example in the middle of the street, in front of traffic to get a photo of Mount Fuji.
Ask before taking photos. In theme parks taking photos is expected, however, taking photos of someone dressed up in cosplay or your chef or bartender, or a geisha or maiko or someone in their kimono – please just check with them first and look out for subtle signs of a no – a shake of the head or a hand up to let you know they are not comfortable with their photo being taken. Selfie sticks often get in the way and you will see signs asking that they not be used. Drones are also banned in many populated areas. https://www.japan.travel/en/responsible-travel-guide/features/responsible-photography/
However, there are a lot of wonderful people in Japan that want to share their Japan with you and are very happy for their photo to be taken!
Eating Out
Don’t be offended if you are not allowed to modify your meal. You will very quickly note that in Japan a restaurant specialises in one dish or one type of meal. A Ramen restaurant makes ramen, a curry house does curry, a sushi restaurant serves sushi. Unlike in a lot of western countries where there is a bit of everything, here restaurants serve one type of food and in some places may only serve one or two dishes but they do this to perfection! Which is why ordering something different or modified is often met with confusion and a refusal.
Please keep your bookings! There has been a rise in foreigners booking restaurants and then not turning up. This understandably creates a lot of frustration for locals who often run small restaurants and rely on filling tables to earn their income. This has been cited as one of the reasons some places are not accepting bookings from tourists. Please keep your bookings or at least make the effort to contact to cancel if needed.
Be on time! This goes with the point above a little. If you have bookings for meals or experiences, then it is expected that you are on time. Actually, to be on time is late. So plan to be early. This goes for the shinkansen as well. The time of the train is the time it leaves so you will need to be there ready on the platform at least 10 mins if not 15 before the train time. It will not wait for you.
Out and about in Japan
Be ready to queue. In Japan, there is a great tolerance for queues, for restaurants and shops and to pay for goods. It is part of the experience and how you know that something is worth your effort and the time.
Learn some language. I know this is common sense for travel to any country, and most Japanese people can speak or at least understand English well. However, trying to speak some of the language shows respect for the very kind and generous people of Japan and will always be met with a smile!
End note of warning: You will sometimes see older Japanese people breaking all the rules and no one seems to care. This comes from respect for elders in Japan, they have the right to break the rules. So the warning is this! Don’t follow their lead as you will not be met with the same tolerance, particularly if you are younger and a foreigner and female. Yes I learnt that the hard way at a ryokan buffet!
