Introduction

When you go to Japan, you need to be very mindful of how you behave in public. Japanese culture emphasizes a concept called wa, or social harmony, which shapes how people conduct themselves in shared spaces. People in Japan are far more aware of how their behavior affects others, whereas in the West (especially the Northeast U.S.), people tend to focus more on themselves.

This shift can feel overwhelming or even anxiety-inducing at first. For many travelers, it may also be the first time you’re in a place where you are clearly in the minority—Japan is overwhelmingly ethnically homogeneous, and as a visitor, you stand out just by existing. Understanding and respecting local etiquette goes a long way in navigating that experience.

Some Basic Rules Worth Following

• Keep your voice down: Trains are quiet. No loud conversations, no phone calls, even when the train is packed like a tin of sardines–more often than not, you can hear a pin drop despite feeling claustrophobic. Oddly peaceful if you ask me.
  • You will see signs on trains to put your phone in silent mode. If you fail to do this, and your phone goes off, be prepared for a million eyes to be silently death glaring at you.
• Don’t be spatially oblivious: Backpacks are an accessory of any commuter in a major city. When people board a subway or commuter train, they will flip the backpack to the front of their body. Follow suit. If the items are bulky, sandwiching them between your feet is also a good idea.
• Don’t block walkways: Don’t stop in the middle of foot traffic. Cities like Tokyo move fast—keep it moving.
  • There are moments where freezing and letting people move around you may be preferred. That is a judgment call.
  • Escalator use: This takes quite an adjustment (at least it did for me). In Tokyo, you stand on the left side and walk on the right side of the escalator. In the Kansai region (i.e., Kyoto, Kobe, and Osaka), this is flipped. Don’t ask me why.
• Follow the line: People queue for everything, and they do it properly. Don’t cut, don’t drift out of the line either.
• Use the tray when paying: Put your cash or card in it. Don’t hand it directly to the cashier.
• Don’t eat while walking: Eat where you buy food (either at a Konbini or food stall), off to the side. Walking and eating isn’t really a thing.
  • This also applies to commuter trains or subways. Eating isn’t appropriate here, but drinking small sips of a non alcoholic drink is fine.
  • The one exception where eating on a train is fine (and often encouraged) is on a Shinkansen. Alcohol is fine here, and you will see salarymen have a cold one with their ekiben (a type of bento lunch).
• Hold onto your trash: There are barely any garbage cans. Your trash is your problem until you find one.
  • Typically you will find trash cans in Konbini and some vending machines (especially at train stations) provide recycling binds for bottles. Shinkansen also have garbage receptacles at the ends of the train cars. Use these to your advantage.
• Be normal with your camera: Don’t shove it in people’s faces. If it feels intrusive, it probably is.
  • At some attractions there will be designated areas to take pictures. Don’t be that tourist and deviate from these areas. If areas are set up as designated photo spots, there is usually a good reason for it.
• Take your shoes off when you’re supposed to: If there’s a step-down entry or a pile of shoes, that’s your cue.
• Learn to do a quick bow: This is one of the few things that will help you when getting around. Often times, especially if you defer to locals (whether its giving up your seat on a train, or space into an elevator), they will do a quick bow to you as a means of acknowledging your kindness. Do the same in return.
• Learn a couple of phrases in Japanese before you get there: This is a criminally underrated thing to do. Most locals and members of the service industry in Japan will appreciate if you make an attempt to speak Japanese.
  • In my case, I had two years of collegiate Japanese under my belt, and whenever I could, I spoke in Japanese first–even if the person asked me questions or instructions in English, I stuck to Japanese. Its one of the few actions that will go a long way to making your interactions more meaningful even if the first couple of attempts are awkward.
  • If all else fails, you can use translate on your phone–at least on iPhones, translate has gotten much better, and for more complex questions you can provide a question in Japanese and the person you are speaking with will be able to follow along.

Now with the hard stuff out of the way, you’re ready to go to Japan! So what do you do once you get there? Look out for the next section!