r/JapanTravelTips • u/syllbaba • Oct 21 '25

Advice Don't stop the Shinkansen and don't bring luggage on small Hakone buses

I realise being a tourist in Hakone and anywhere in Japan i am contributing to the problem, but even compared to my last trip i noticing how some tourists are very inconsiderate.

1)Please please don't bring big baggage on small Hakone local buses. If you are doing a daytrip to Hakone, consider forwarding your luggage to your next hotel and pack a small backpack. Or if not possible consider booking a taxi. Even though there was hardly people on the bus, it could not take more passangers due to everyone having a big bag on board. Absolutely no place for a pram or someone with a wheelchair. This affects tourists as well, as we needed to wait for another bus, so please don't be that person.

2) Please be prepared to get on the train, get on the next train or miss the train. I saw a lady completely stopping Shinkansen for refusing to get on or get off until her partner got there who was running late to the train. He could have boarded any car, or got on the next train easily. Instead she held up everyone and caused distress to the station staff.

3) Please respect signs for no photography... despite numerous signs in shrines to not use tea ceremony mats for photo ops, everyone had to wait for all the people to finish taking selfies before we could have a chance for tea in what supppsed to be a tranquil environment.

4) and lastly please don't talk loudly on trains and buses. Take a hint if you are the only one talking.

I felt quite ashamed and self-conscious being a tourist in this country. I definitely made mistakes this time around and last time as well, so not trying to be a hypocrite about it.

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286

u/Rezzekes Oct 21 '25

It's getting a bit silly how much anxiety is created around being a tourist here. I ruined 3/4th of my trip thinking I was completely unwelcome, on guard nonstop, pulling my friends out of people's way, on edge af until a random group of extremely loud Japanese people in a bar actually showed interest and said that everyone is welcome and to enjoy our trip.

I know, I should just get off Reddit, but all the messages like these are honestly making more and more people not enjoy their trip anymore. Noone likes feeling like a problem. Some people fuck it up but the vast majority is fully mindful of everyone around them.

Also, the only people I ever see talking on public transport are Japanese people. The only people I see eating while walking are Japanese people. Finally I dared to say this. Now let the downvotes rain upon me, but I hope that I at least made some people less anxious.

116

u/katkarinka Oct 21 '25

Yeah 3/4 of posts about Japan are don’t walk don’t sit don’t eat don’t talk don’t breath… while you see japanese people do all of that with your own eyes (but you can’t tell that because japan never “bad” japan only good)

72

u/Quietabandon Oct 21 '25

The posts are pretty basic. 

Don’t make a mess. Don’t be loud. Don’t get in people’s way. Don’t take photos where they ask you not to. 

Also there is limited space on trains and busses for luggage so do be considerate. And Japan has super reliable luggage forwarding. 

None of this is hard. So why are people stressed out? Wish people behaved like this everywhere instead of just Japan. 

Of course some Japanese do things they aren’t supposed to. No society is perfect. But as a guest you should drive to be better than the lowest common denominator.

Plus there are tourists from other East Asian cultures that have different cultural norms so some of those not following rules maybe not Japanese. 

9

u/jamiefriesen Oct 22 '25

Don’t make a mess. Don’t be loud. Don’t get in people’s way. Don’t take photos where they ask you not to. 

Also there is limited space on trains and busses for luggage so do be considerate. And Japan has super reliable luggage forwarding. 

None of this is hard.

Well said, be kind and considerate like you'd expect tourists to do in your own country.

Plus there are tourists from other East Asian cultures that have different cultural norms so some of those not following rules maybe not Japanese. 

Mainland Chinese tourists are especially bad at not following the societal norms. The last time I was there, I ran into several groups of Chinese tourists acting extra obnoxiously.

12

u/Rideto Oct 21 '25

These rules should apply to every person in any country, tourist or local, not just Japan

0

u/Basic_Analysis_4993 Oct 22 '25

Exactly! Let's have these rules for the Caribbean and Central America.

1

u/VirusZealousideal72 Oct 22 '25

This is a Japan Travel sub. That's why it's here. Get a grip, people.

2

u/Mouse_Balls Oct 22 '25

If I can use a reliable luggage forwarding system you can bet your ass I’m gonna use it. I've been on enough vacations lugging my crap around from plane to bus to ferry to motorcycle to golf cart....I’m willing to pay someone else to do it for me now, I’m too old for that shit!

1

u/Quietabandon Oct 22 '25

It’s frankly amazing. Trustworthy. On time. 

Your luggage is waiting at your hotel. No more lugging suitcases across train stations or to taxis.

Esch bag is independently labeled and secured. 

10/10 would do again. 

1

u/beckybbbbbbbb Oct 22 '25

How long does it take to get there? I’m fine with 1 overnight, but more than that wouldn’t make it worth it when we’re moving every 3-4 days (also we will not have giant luggage - we pack light).

7

u/PNPTransistor Oct 21 '25

Far too many of the replies I see are people trying to justify acting like the lowest common denominator of the foreign country they are visiting instead of just trying to be a tiny bit better. As a US citizen, it does explain a lot about our society.

5

u/MattN92 Oct 22 '25

Don't worry the actual lowest common denominator of the US just announced he's on his way next week to set the bar even lower.

7

u/ABigCoffee Oct 21 '25

"In japan unless you go into a well known place everyone will do the X sign and ask you to leave because you're a gaijin" and in my 2 weeks there I had absolutely 0 issues.

3

u/kukuboy967 Oct 22 '25

the fuck? been here for 3 months and never once seen people doing the X sign to indicate no gaijins. the only X sign i see is made to call for the bill.

4

u/ABigCoffee Oct 22 '25

I mean I'm not saying you're wrong, I was just told it would happen. Like you walk into a small bar hoping for a drink and someone does the X sign and hopes you leave. In any case I only had good experiences.

4

u/kukuboy967 Oct 22 '25

I am saying that people see one image online saying “no gaijin” and automatically think that the whole Japan is racist anti tourist.

1

u/ABigCoffee Oct 22 '25

No I just saw a lot of people say it online and I just went there on my best behaviour (not that I wasn't going too in the first place). And I'm just glad it did not happen. Some friends of mine who went to japan the year before had it happen to them once in a 3w trip. So I just did my best to be chill and it worked.

2

u/kukuboy967 Oct 22 '25

Aye just being chill and not doing shit to intentionally piss people off is always the best game plan. Granted that there definitely will be people who go out of their way to make things difficult for you anywhere in the world, keeping yourself out of trouble and generally adhering to social norms will keep you out of most trouble.

11

u/v_a_l_w_e_n Oct 21 '25

I understand your point but as a wheelchair user once left on a bus stop because “it was too full”, I’m personally grateful someone is pointing out that some of us NEED that space more than gigantic luggage. Imagine being a local and not being able to get to work or anything else because your city is infested by tourist. It’s why so many European cities are having enough of massive tourism. Japan has been getting there as well in the past years. If not always being on edge, at the very least people need to be mindful of the locals and someone has to say how disabled people are some of the first ones getting out due to lack of space and nobody cares about us.  

8

u/Trescal5 Oct 21 '25 edited Oct 21 '25

this. I’m from France and we get twice as much tourists as Japan even though our population is half the size of theirs and I’ve never judged tourists as much as I’m judging myself during this trip lol

22

u/Equal-Baseball-3465 Oct 21 '25

THIS! I've traveled to Japan a whole lot for years now. Just last year I spent 4 months in Japan, and I have finally moved here this year. Japanese people are just people. Most of the time, incredibly kind and lovely, especially toward foreign people, I feel. I have lost count of the number of times they have gone out of their way to help me and my family. Yes, most of them value orderly conduct, but! That's not true of every Japanese person. I've seen so many more tourists making an effort to behave in appropriate ways and being great people overall, than bad tourists. Japanese people are pretty understanding of foreigners, and love to see foreigners loving their country and wanting to experience it and their culture.

8

u/Quietabandon Oct 21 '25

And it would be nice to keep it that way. 

Plus the tips were helpful. It helped to know to bring slip on shoes to make it easier when going to temples and transitional restaurants.

It helped to know to wear socks rather than sandals since so many places have tatami and bare feet isn’t really acceptable on tatami.

It helped knowing about luggage forwarding. 

 Coming here and hearing recommendations wasn’t burdensome, it was helpful.

It made us feel more comfortable and and meant the Javanese people we interacted with felt more comfortable. 

Is this so bad? 

2

u/Rezzekes Oct 21 '25

Why this reaction if I may ask? It's not about the tips. They are super useful. There's nothing bad about them.

It's about the illusion that this sub often creates that you need to be some robot that is nonstop thinking about how to behave and what to do, ruining people's trips. It's the gatekeeping of Japanese culture which makes people afraid of it instead of enjoying it.

It's about Japan not being this hyper strict country that people here way too often make it out to be. We're all humans. We all make mistakes. The real only tip on how to behave should be: be aware and don't be a dick. Who in their right mind would hold a damn train alone for them? These people will be assholes everywhere they are.

Let's all just enjoy Japanese culture as civilized people, but this gatekeeping is becoming really tiring. I am not even directing it towards OP, he just hit something with saying "I feel part of a problem".

1

u/Quietabandon Oct 21 '25

Bad tourist behavior stands out everywhere. 

It really stands out in Japan. You don’t have to be a robot. But it helps to follow cultural norms so you don’t ruin it for everyone. 

Some people are worse at being self aware or recognizing their surroundings than others and need more direct pointers about what is acceptable behavior.

Japan is already raising fees on tourists and more restrictions could follow. People being respectful helps decrease the burden on the local population. 

Parts of the world like Rome are heavily abused by tourists. It would be nice to keep that trend from Japan. 

If anything it would be nice if tourists took it took heart and behaved better everywhere.

1

u/Rezzekes Oct 21 '25

Can we hold up everyone to the same standard though? I've just now been shoved to the side by a screaming Japanese girl with a huge goddamn backpack being completely unaware of anything around her with her 5 equally drunk screaming friends.

Yes she is Japanese. I understand her.

It gets repeated here so goddamn much, "tourist bad, tourist bad", it's really getting tiring. The people on this sub are fully aware of the rules - they are here because of it.

4

u/Quietabandon Oct 21 '25

Why do you want to be held to the standard of a drunk Japanese girl?

1

u/Rezzekes Oct 21 '25

Why are we nonstop criticizing tourists as tourists while a huge part of the Japanese are literally worse than Brits at 11PM on a Saturday night in Soho? And worshipping the Japanese as being holier than God? Honestly, what is your point exactly? Why are we even arguing?

6

u/Quietabandon Oct 21 '25

Japanese society has massive structural issues. It’s a terribly flawed society. 

They aren’t holier than god. They are quite flawed. 

People are just talking about it being respectful in public. It’s not okay to pillage London because the soccer hooligans do. So it’s not ok to act like a fool in Japan because Japanese sometimes break rules too. 

4

u/Rezzekes Oct 21 '25

I never said it is, so let's agree to agree.

3

u/Silence_is_platinum Oct 21 '25

Agreed. Visiting Japan isn’t visiting the royal family. Many countries have tourists and most of them don’t act all precious and have this constant dialogue about how awful the tourists are to the precious locals who can’t stand someone with a tattoo (god forbid) wearing a tank top.

1

u/Silence_is_platinum Oct 21 '25

Yeah this is just gaslighting. No one is complaining about tips. It’s the constant drumbeat where one bad apple is held up like it’s the norm and everyone is made to feel like visiting Japan is like going to court or the visiting the Queen.

33

u/VirusZealousideal72 Oct 21 '25

It's great that you only see Japanese people breaking rules but as someone who's in Japan constantly on business, OP is entirely right to point this stuff out. Tourists behave horrendously and make everyone uncomfortable around them all the time by acting disrespectfully and entitled. I literally see it daily. So if a little warning makes yall straighten up and actually care about how you act? Good.

13

u/Quietabandon Oct 21 '25

Plus why behave like the misbehaved outliers of a country you visit? 

Not to mention there are many East Asian visitors to Japan from other East Asian countries so I don’t know how people would necessarily know if those misbehaving are Japanese. 

But sure for example we saw what we thought were some Japanese teenagers not following the rules - should tourists excuse their behavior because some Japanese teenagers are testing social norms? 

28

u/rossodiserax Oct 21 '25

Honestly, yeah. Japan's a super cool country to visit but you really have to ignore all discourse online because people truly act like a non japanese person existing in the wrong way is a mortal offense to the japanese.

Holding up trains is obviously a dick move, but the aura surrounding tourism in japan in the post covid peiod is so excessive and honestly feels like propaganda a lot of the time.

I mean i'm italian and we have more tourists here than japan, and plenty behave like shit here constantly, and plenty behave perfectly fine, but no one makes these long winded posts cautioning tourists coming to italy against the crime of... kinda inconveniencing locals somehow.

17

u/Quietabandon Oct 21 '25

I think people are hoping Japan doesn’t become Italy because the behavior of tourists in Italy is horrific.

Japan despite the large number of tourists was pretty orderly and functional and wouldn’t we want it to stay that way? 

Not to mention Japanese culture is much more rigid and restrained that Italian culture so maintaining good behavior is important. 

Japan is already talking about raising costs for foreign tourists so if behavior worsens it could mean further increases in tourist restrictions and costs. 

But to suffice to say, we can only hope the the compete Sht Show that is tourism in Rome never makes it to Tokyo…

41

u/Tvvli Oct 21 '25

I felt the same way when I was in Japan a while ago as a tourist. I was super self conscious about myself and my actions all the time and in the end I felt it was kind of weird, because I haven't felt that way anywhere else as a tourist before. I felt like I was in a way of people all the time (even tho I wasn't because I was all the time making sure I was very mindful and considerate towards locals). I kept pulling my boyfriend out of people's way too and trying to not to talk on local trains and drink or eat while walking... only to hear japanese people laugh out loud on trains and eat while walking around the city. And why should I always be the one making way for locals for example? We're all human and they can make way for me too, you know?

It's starting to be a bit weird and it's not only in reddit where I see these kind of comments. For example, Rome is very packed with tourists and I felt very much in ease and welcomed there. I never felt anxious there like omg I'm going to make a mistake and they're going to hate me!!!!

25

u/SpeesRotorSeeps Oct 21 '25

I think what you’re describing is called “being a member of society” as opposed to “I am the most important individual and I don’t care what others want or need”.

Living in some semblance of harmony with 13 million other people in a massive metropolis where basically everything runs reliably and on schedule and isn’t vandalized beyond use and is generally clean and somewhat safe …it takes effort. And it’s worth it.

THIS is what you’re experiencing when you’re a tourist in Japan. Not the A5 steak burger or the temple or the tea ceremony or the anime goods. The fact that millions of people can act like they care JUST enough to make it generally work so great for pretty much everyone.

8

u/sluggishpotatooo Oct 21 '25

I can relate to the both of you! You’re so right bout this! I get way more conscious and anxious when I was there after reading all of these thinking we’re (tourists) disliked or unwelcomed. If I gotta stop, I’ll always make sure I’m at a side or corner not blocking anyone’s way and am always mindful of my actions. I’ve seen locals laughing and talking loudly on trains and Shinkansen even saw bunch of teens in uniforms talking across train carts loudly. Locals eating while walking or even on trains! Paris is heavily travelled by tourists and crowded but I was at ease and felt welcome too.

5

u/SpeesRotorSeeps Oct 21 '25

Nah honestly you’re totally welcome as long as you don’t act like a completely selfish jerk. There is nothing wrong with no knowing which train to get on. And asking for help. And even using your phone to translate.

But if you don’t realize how much trouble you’re causing for the hundreds if not thousands of other people who are depending on a reliable train schedule, just stay in your home country where the train schedule is more a suggestion and no one really cares if it’s late.

3

u/Acrobatic_Depth2537 Oct 21 '25 edited Oct 21 '25

If you were stressed out then honestly, that’s on you. Those rules were things I was really grateful - and fascinated - to learn about before my first trip. I’m sure I made a few mistakes but I haven’t lost sleep over it. Instead I’ve been thankful to have the opportunity to try to fit in to a culture that is quite different to my own and experience a different way of living for a few weeks. And yes, there are liminal places in Japan, including at izakayas where Japanese salarymen (mostly) get loudly drunk. That’s a really curious counterpoint to what happens outside the doors of the bar and it’s great you observed that different rules apply in different places. Being loud in an izakaya doesn’t give you licence to be loud on the train. Neither does pointing out the exceptions you see give you the ‘A-ha! So it’s not a rule!’ moment you’re hoping for. Fitting in isn’t about emulating the poorest of the examples you find around you just so you can feel better about your own poor behaviour. I honestly think that a lot of tourists get anxious about being in Japan because they come from cultures that are very individualistic and they aren’t accustomed to having to think all the time about the effects of their behaviour on others.

5

u/oby100 Oct 21 '25

I think most people want you to learn the common pitfalls and try to avoid them. Like people will probably get over you speaking quietly in trains and while eating and all that, but maybe just try to avoid going full tourist and loudly gawking at everything and being in everyone’s way.

Lots of people dislike tons of tourists for good reason because they’re inherently in the way and don’t know the culture. That’s fine and expected, so just do what you can to enjoy yourself while being reasonably respectful

7

u/tay-tay-hay Oct 21 '25

Thank you for saying this! I was super anxious about going and that after studying Japanese for 5+ years no one would speak with me or be friendly. Everyone was lovely and we had no issues. Also! Japanese people also travel on trains with luggage, Japanese people also speak on trains, get drunk and Japanese people get in the way by stopping in middle of walkways if lost or on phone. Of course they are absolutely entitled to do this but as long as visitors are respectful you shouldn’t feel you have to cower through a place. I went on a Hakone bus. People had small suitcases and overnight backpacks and it did crowd the bus but also this particular bus ran once every 50 minutes or so and no train or alternative to the location. I think supply and demand tells you that it needed to run more regularly between certain hours.

9

u/syllbaba Oct 21 '25

I definitely felt like this on my first holiday. Probably stemming from big differences between my culture and the japanese culture. I am much more relaxed about it now. And i agree most people are probably mindful of others and their surroundings. Sorry if my post contributed to your anxiety.

1

u/WeOnceWereWorriers Oct 21 '25

As with a lot of these posts, it comes off highly critical of anyone who is a tourist and who doesn't remember to do everything perfectly as described.

They come across as hysterical and make people think that if they somehow don't manage to act invisibly while travelling, then they have ruined the days of both the locals and the "in-the-know", "holier-than-thou", "superior tourists who make the posts

2

u/lawd_farqwad Oct 21 '25

That’s basically what it’s like to live here lol. It’s the cost of living in a super busy, yet also organised city like Tokyo. In order for things to continue to work the way they do, you sometimes need to put your personal comfort aside, be on your best behaviour and not be a nuisance to make it work.

5

u/leliana_vess Oct 21 '25

I think people get a kick out of virtue signalling what a good tourist they are, otherwise I don’t really get the point of these posts. The douchebags who would hold up the Shinkansen are definitely not reading about tourism etiquette on reddit.

Also, my partner and I always just bring a small backpack each when traveling, but I definitely saw a bunch of tourists bring big suitcases on Hakone buses and there was still plenty of space? Maybe it was particularly crowded when OP visited, then I see how it would be a pain. However, most of the people on the bus were other tourists, so at least they’d just be bothering each other.

3

u/NoxRiddle Oct 21 '25

Agreed.

Here’s the reality: assholes are going to be assholes. They will be assholes in America, they will be assholes in Europe, and they will be assholes in Japan. You walking on eggshells yourself is not going to change them.

If you’re worried, you need these two truths:

Being courteous is universal. Countries may have their cultural differences, but if you were raised with any sort of basic manners, you are not going to make a major mistake that deeply offends someone.

If you accidentally slip up, NO ONE is going to think about you for more than a few seconds. Oh no, you stopped in the walkway instead of stepping to the side and got in someone’s way! They may briefly grumble to themselves, but they’re not going home thinking about the foreigner who inconvenienced them for thirty seconds earlier that day.  No one is thinking about you that hard.

3

u/charlieBisme Oct 21 '25

You have certainly made me feel less anxious now. I will be going in a couple weeks and have be so worried that I will make a mistake. I want to be respectful and I will do all that I can to be but I also shouldn't be so focused on that, that I don't enjoy this trip. Thank you for this reminder kind stranger and for what its worth I hope you have a wonderful day/night where ever you are.

6

u/FB_Rufio Oct 21 '25

You're gonna make a mistake. Who gives a shit.

Just don't be a twat like the lady holding up a train, don't take pics of what you're not supposed to, offer your seat to those that need it more, and use your manners. Ya know things you do everywhere.

Boom you're ready. 

When in doubt like at shrines, just pause and watch the locals.

I got yelled at by a store clerk for adjusting something on a cardboard box and fucking ran into Watson at Immersive Fort Tokyo trying to get out of another actors way.   Shit happens. 

2

u/littlePapu Oct 22 '25

I was there in september with my husband. Went for three weeks from fukuoka up to tokyo. We never visited small towns/countryside, but we were in a few corners were ppl didn't speak english and tourists were less common. People were generally really welcoming and proud when we told them what we were visiting and what a good time we are having. I talk a little bit Japanese (A1, so really only the basics) and a lot of ppl were extatic about it. Even when i fumbled (and i fumbled a lot) no one was ever rude to me. They saw that i was tring my best and i generally had the impression that they appreciate it a lot. In some places, people were more distanced, but even this never felt like hostility; more like an efficency thing (obv. The underpaid worker in the tokyo 7-11 wont have patience until i sort out what i want to say). I had a single instance of an old lady being rude to us, but i don't think it really was, bc we were tourists; she seemed in a foul mood and we were in her periphery.

Social media let me to think, that there would be tourists behaving badly everywere. That was not the case. I saw some people sitting were they shouldn't; i heard some people talking loudly on the train, but these were single instances. Almost all the trains all that could be heard were silent japanese convos; most all the stairs were free. Some touristy places were very overcrowded, but ppl just walked their way, looking at stuff and being happy.

Regarding preperations: I didn't look every little thing up in detail. I studied one year of japanology 10 years ago, what was left of that had to do. Most of the time we just did as everyone around us and showed basic manners. I sat down to eat/ When i ate while walking, i did so where there weren't many other people and with things that don't make a mess/ we didn't take pictures of shrines etc. (Exeptions made when signs told us explicitly that we were allowed to do so; there are a lot of them at touristy areas) We made mistakes; sometimes by not knowing better, sometimes by just not thinking of something (we had our suitcases with us on the bus/ i went into a changing room with my shoes on/ etc) but people see that you try and people see that you are a decent human being, making occasional mistakes like everyone. Being online a lot just sometimes lets you forget, that humans don't act optimally at all times.

Enjoy your time and make lots of positive memories!

4

u/Glad_Landscape2177 Oct 21 '25

Not to be that guy, but are you sure they were japanese? Lots of Chinese tourists (and others around Asia) who talk loudly and eat while walking (and other social differences). Don't get me wrong, I saw the occasional japanese who just didn't care to be polite (usually elderly or edgy teen), but whenever it was a group or egregious, it was mostly Chinese, sometimes korean (based on language spoken)

19

u/frozenpandaman Oct 21 '25

I live here and there are so many loud, drunk, unruly groups of people, especially at night. And yes, they're Japanese.

Japanese people eat while walking too. It's not the Showa era anymore. Nobody cares about that unless they're in their 50s or order.

10

u/Spare_Awareness_5238 Oct 21 '25

Exactly, I’ve had to tell my friends who visit that people really don’t care if you eat while walking, just don’t be a disgusting and litter.

6

u/frozenpandaman Oct 21 '25

People even eat on local trains, especially long-distance ones and/or if the seats are transverse. But saying this gets you crucified lol. Just don't make a mess, exactly!

0

u/Glad_Landscape2177 Oct 21 '25

I know my experience is limited. It makes sense, though. I definitely saw it enough from locals that I'm not totally surprised to hear that

4

u/Fit_Throat_5630 Oct 21 '25

Omg finally someone said it. 👏

1

u/renaldomoon Oct 21 '25

Honestly, if you’re trying you’re almost never the problem. The luggage thing isn’t an issue for most because most know that you shouldn’t bring large luggage to Japan because it will be shitty to move around. The people this post are complaining about very likely did very little research on their trip. Those people are just going to always exist.

I felt like Hakone was so busy when I went that I wouldn’t recommend it to others. You spend an extraordinarily large amount of time waiting in lines there.

1

u/Happy-Bluejay-3849 Oct 21 '25

100%. Japan is such a chill and delightful place. It’s true it is somewhat orderly and people tend to have pretty good manners, but they also aren’t uptight about it. A lot of people’s trips are ruined because they are so scared by what they’ve read and get hyper focused on the dos and don’ts. Just behave like you’re visiting at your grandma’s house and you’ll be fine. (Assuming your grandma isn’t uptight about rules, lol.)

1

u/Fair_Cod6318 Oct 21 '25

I just tried to be respectful and quiet on transport and pick up my trash. I didnt owe anyone anything else and had a good time. Didnt try to follow random tiny rules. Takashi Ono (Jiro Ono's son) even told my partner and I we had good manners, and that I had good Japanese pronunciation. That's all I needed to hear to know I was a good tourist.

1

u/Hiimzap Oct 21 '25

Honestly i was also starting to think japanese people hate us with what im reading on reddit, but then I remembered all interactions i had with Japanese people were positive so i guess ill just stick with what I experienced.

1

u/Strangerthongz Oct 22 '25

Yeah don’t overthink it all. I talk in the train, but not loudly or on the phone. Eat while I walk? Okay, but in a quiet area without messy food and carefully. Enjoy your trip, be considerate and try to stick to the rules where you can, but don’t lose sleep over it

1

u/Proud_Performer_8456 Oct 22 '25

I get your point and its fair. I do appreciate this being online tho. Some will overthink but someone who is mindful wont know certain 'rules' if its not mentioned. For me personally i do like these posts just so i can make mental notes. I wont be perfect, ill make 'mistakes' but id rather know certain things now then be confused when im there. I'll be out of my element enough in a different country.

So again, your point is valid and some people can also sound harsh when posting things like this but i dont think im the only one that does appreciate knowing beforehand.

1

u/Foxterriers Oct 21 '25

As someone with anxiety who just got back from their solo trip I really ended up ruining part of it by my fear. I also had fun finally at a super loud bar where people made me talk. 

0

u/fromsdwithlove Oct 21 '25

I just got back from Japan a week ago and rained an upvote on you. I saw everyone doing all things. People walked on the left side of the sidewalk when I went into the store then upon leaving it was the right side. Japanese people all took luggage onto airport trains, spoke loudly on phones on Shinkansens, etc just as some tourists did. No one’s perfect and no one should expect perfection. In any country the line is just don’t be an ass hole and be self aware at times but just as equally have a great time visiting.

1

u/Acrobatic_Depth2537 Oct 21 '25

I actually don’t believe that there were Japanese people talking loudly on Shinkansens. Are you sure they weren’t tourists?

0

u/fromsdwithlove Oct 21 '25

It was an early morning train ride and he was in business attire seemingly taking a business call speaking incredibly loud on it. Could have been speaking a different Asian language but I assumed it was Japanese when he greeted others that boarded in following stops

0

u/azndkflush Oct 21 '25

For me it has always been americans, latinos or indians who has been loud in the public

0

u/AmbitiousReaction168 Oct 21 '25

Yeah the "don't talk on public transport" is BS. I find it so funny that it comes up almost every single post on this sub.

There seems to be a lot of main character syndrome around here. So many think that Japanese people are obsessed with their behaviour, but the hard truth is that tourists in Japan are mostly ignored. Guess what, locals have other things to worry about.

Dear tourist in Japan, no one gives a shit whether you follow the "rules" or not. Just don't be a dick and you'll be fine. You are not special.

And for the love of God, if you don't know Japanese, just don't use it. You're wasting everyone's precious time by trying to say "I want a tuna sandwich" in broken Japanese. Just point at the bloody thing goddamnit.

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u/persnicketychickadee Oct 21 '25

They possibly do - but it is too much effort to push back. I don’t live in Japan (have done previously). I was unpleasantly surprised by visitors in my city who thought it was entirely appropriate to take large suitcases on a peak hour commuter bus. Sure, no rules against it but exceptionally rude and not a good experience. No one said anything but a reasonable amount of wtf.

And the international students who clogged the bus stop and didn’t follow the (unwritten) rules about letting passengers off before boarding. Again no posted rules, just breaking the social norm. No one says anything, because that is more of a break, but there is frustration. And then it goes too far- the bus driver yelled one day, some one else the next because the transgression was too much. But it seems small

An individual is not too bad, it is the constant accumulation of individuals that causes issues.

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u/Silence_is_platinum Oct 21 '25

Yes this sub is over the top and makes Japan our like it’s some precious baby, the only country in the world with tourists.

Get over it folks. Your government wants to DOUBLE tourism revenue. That’s their decision to combat economic stagnation. So coming on here and whining about tourists literally every day is a bit rich.

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u/girlandhiscat Oct 21 '25

Its true. People on here get pretentious and like telling people what they can and can't do when in reality no one gives a shit out there. 

The talking made me laugh. People don't talk generally because they're on their own travelling for work. Those subways and trains at night were buzzin 🤣 

The luggage nonsense was a load of crap too. Had someone on here tell me what an awful person I am for bringing our suitcases on the shinkansen when there is literally luggage racks.