Travel mode

Avoid sticking chopsticks upright in your rice. When you pause, rest them on a chopstick rest or across the edge of a dish.

Avoid passing food directly from your chopsticks to someone else’s. Put it on a plate first and let them take it.

"Itadakimasu" before eating and "gochisosama" afterwards are widespread customs, not laws or rules. Saying them is a nice way to show appreciation.

Phone calls on trains and buses are generally avoided. Keep your phone on silent ("manner mode").

Priority seats are for older people, people with disabilities, pregnant people, those with small children and others who need them. Give them up when someone needs one.

Eating ekiben (station bento) is common on the Shinkansen and limited express trains. On commuter, local and subway trains, people generally avoid eating.

Keep your towel out of the bathwater. Rest it on your head or put it outside the bath.

No. Taking photos in changing rooms and bathing areas is strictly prohibited to protect other people’s privacy. Keep your phone in the locker.

It depends on the facility. Some turn tattooed guests away and some welcome them, so check in advance.

It depends on the spot. Most grounds allow photos, but inside main halls and of Buddhist statues it is often prohibited.

No. At shrines the basic form is two bows, two claps and one bow; at temples you put your hands together quietly without clapping.

It is where you purify your hands and mouth before praying. Never touch the ladle with your lips; rinse your mouth with water poured into your palm.

Take off your slippers before entering a tatami room. Walk on tatami in socks or bare feet.

Toilet slippers are only for inside the toilet. Take them off when you leave and switch back to your own slippers.

At typical onsen and public baths you bathe naked, without a swimsuit. Some facilities, however, require a swimsuit or a special bathing garment.

Yes, when greeting or thanking someone. For visitors, a light nod or slight bow (eshaku) is almost always enough.

No. "Sumimasen" is also used to get someone’s attention, to ask people to let you pass and to say thank you.

Tipping is generally not customary in Japan at restaurants, in taxis, at hotels and so on. A word of thanks is enough.

Ask first before taking a clear photo of someone you do not know. In particular, avoid following children or people in kimono to photograph them.

Indoor places used by many people are generally non-smoking by law. Outdoors, local ordinances ban street smoking in many areas, sometimes with fines. Use designated smoking areas.

It is not banned nationwide by law, but in crowded places people are expected to stop and eat, out of consideration for others. Some tourist areas ask visitors to refrain.