Do's and Don'ts

Do’s and Don’ts in Japan
Mobile phone manners in public.
Don’t speak on the mobile phone when using public transport. Talking on the mobile phone, and even just talking loudly to your friends on the train/bus is considered very rude.

First Come first serve.
Do que up and Don’t cut in line. This practice applies to most situations in Japan, especially public transportation. When you are at the station waiting for your train, there is a first come first serve policy and you should line up to board the train.

Automatic taxi door.
Don’t shut the taxi door yourself. The rear passenger doors of Japanese taxis have an automatic opening and closing function. However you will have to open the front passenger door by yourself.

Bikes without a helmet.
Don’t be surprised when you see that nobody wears helmets when riding bicycles. In Japan, the bicycle is a common mode of transport yet most do without the helmets required in other countries.

Counting Floors
Do remember that in Japan the “Ground Floor” will be labelled “Level 1”. The Japanese way of counting floors is that all buildings will start with “Level 1” so the first storey will be level 2 and so on.

Slurping Noodles
Do slurp when eating your noodles. Slurping when eating noodles is not considered rude, quite the opposite in fact. When eating your udon or soba noodles, one is generally encouraged to slurp them up and appreciate the flavour and the texture of the noodles as you eat them.

No Shoes indoors.
Do take your shoes off when entering someone’s home. It is considered rude to walk around the house in the shoes that you have been walking around the streets in. Leave your shoes at the front door, placing them neatly side by side, and either walk around the home in your socks, or in the slippers or sandals that your host may provide.

Smoke free area on the road
Don’t smoke and walk. Most of the districts in Japan prohibit smoking on the streets.
Before lighting up make sure you are standing in a smoking area. If you do smoke in an area where it is prohibited and the police catch you, you will be fined. Also don’t throw your cigarette butts in the street. Either carry a portable ashtray or dispose of them appropriately.

Chopstick Manners
Don’t wave your chopsticks around or point to someone or something with your chopsticks.
Don’t stick your chopsticks into your food even though some foods maybe tricky to pick up. Leaving your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice is the way in which food is offered to the dead in Japan.
Don’t pass food from your chopsticks to someone else’s chopsticks. This is considered unlucky.

Bowing
Do bow.Bowing is exceptionally important in Japan. It is a subtle affair and is usually made as a sign of respect to the person who has offered a service.

Recycling
Do recycle. Japan is very particular about where your throw your trash. In general make sure to familiarize yourself with the disposable bins and separate your trash into burnable, and non-combustible, which includes plastics and aluminium.