🎎 Even Japanese People Find It Hard to Navigate All the Rules

When people ask me how I feel about foreign tourists in Japan, my answer is simple.

I do not mind people coming here.

Japan has many interesting sides that I want to share, but at the same time there are also many cultural norms and rules of behaviour. Sometimes even I find it difficult to understand all of them, even though I am Japanese.

So before travelling, I would recommend learning a little about the country.

Not trying to memorise dozens of prohibitions, but at least understanding the situations you are actually likely to encounter during your trip.

🧩 The law and local rules are not the same thing

For me, it is important to separate two situations.

If someone breaks the law, not knowing the local culture can no longer be an explanation. It is a violation, and the person should be responsible for it.

But there are also many rules of behaviour that are not part of the law. They are more about what is considered respectful towards the people around you.

Breaking them may annoy local residents or simply make someone uncomfortable.

These are often the norms that are hardest for foreigners.

Something that feels completely normal and obvious to a Japanese person may simply be something a visitor from another country has never heard about.

That is why it is most useful to understand at least a few basic situations in advance.

🚆 On public transport, try not to disturb the people around you

• On buses and trains, people are often quite close to one another, so it is especially important to be mindful of other passengers’ space.

• It is better to listen to music with headphones. When boarding or getting off, people usually queue and wait their turn. If you are not sure where to stand, you can simply look at the people around you and do the same.

• Be mindful of your luggage too. Keep it close to you and make sure your bag or suitcase is not blocking the aisle.

• Japanese buses and trains have priority seats for pregnant women, elderly passengers, people with disabilities and people travelling with small children. If the transport is empty, other passengers may sit there too. But when it gets busy, it is better to give the seat to someone who needs it.

• Food is another small detail. On ordinary buses and trains, it is better not to have a full meal, especially if the food has a strong smell. Drinks are generally fine.

The Shinkansen, Japan’s high-speed train, is different.

Eating during the journey is completely normal, so bringing a bento, a ready-made meal served in a box, is perfectly fine.

🏨 In a ryokan, take your shoes off at the entrance

Different rules appear when you stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn.

Shoes are removed either at the entrance to the ryokan or when entering your room.

It is especially important to pay attention to rooms with tatami, traditional Japanese flooring made from woven mats.

You do not walk on tatami wearing shoes.

In your room or near reception, you may also be offered a yukata, a light traditional Japanese garment that is similar to a more informal kimono.

You can wear it as sleepwear and around the ryokan.

There is one small detail: a yukata is traditionally wrapped so that the left side is on top.

It is a good example of a rule that is very easy not to know if you are staying in a ryokan for the first time.

♨️ Before visiting an onsen, check the rules of that specific place

With onsen, Japanese hot springs and baths with thermal water, it is impossible to give one rule that applies everywhere.

In Japan, tattoos can still be a reason for some onsen to refuse entry.

At the same time, there are also places that accept visitors with tattoos, and the number of tattoo-friendly onsen is growing.

So if you have tattoos, it is better to check the rules of the specific place in advance rather than rely on one general rule for all of Japan.

👀 If you do not know what to do, look around first

I have one simple piece of advice that helps in many situations:

If you are not sure what to do, look at what the people around you are doing.

Where people form a queue, where they put their belongings, whether they take off their shoes, how quietly they behave on public transport.

That does not mean you need to spend your entire trip feeling tense and trying to copy Japanese people in everything.

But when you are in a shared space and your actions may affect others, observing the people around you often helps you understand local rules without a long instruction manual.

📱 Not knowing one rule does not make someone a bad tourist

There is another side of this topic that is important to me.

Sometimes a foreign tourist simply does not know a local norm.

Someone films the moment, the video spreads online, and the person is then heavily criticised for their behaviour in Japan.

I do not think that is right.

Not knowing a cultural rule and deliberately breaking the law are two different situations.

If someone did not know one local norm, that does not automatically mean they came to Japan with no respect for the country.

And this is something not only tourists, but Japanese people themselves should think about.

Someone who grew up in another culture cannot automatically know everything that feels obvious to us.

🇯🇵 What is actually worth doing before your trip

I would not want Japan to feel like a country where you constantly have to be afraid of doing something wrong.

Before travelling, it is enough to learn a few basic rules, check the conditions of the places you plan to visit, and then simply stay aware of the people around you once you arrive.

Start with the basics: do not disturb people on public transport, pay attention to shoes in traditional spaces, check the rules of specific places in advance and, if you are unsure, look at how the people around you behave.

I talk to foreigners about Japanese rules not because I want to create a huge list of restrictions.

I want to make it a little easier for people to understand the country they are visiting and simply enjoy the trip.

I invite you to join my Telegram channel @TheHiddenCharmsofJapan