Customs and manners are so important to Japanese culture that many travel sites have sections dedicated to the subject.
Japan is currently closed to international travelers, but the country is exploring ways to reopen safely before the start of the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled for the end of July. Tourists are not expected to understand all of Japan’s complex social rules, but they can avoid the blunders made more often.
Here is a guide on what to do – and what to avoid – based on the advice of tourism organizations affiliated with the Japanese government.
Do not touch the geisha
What many travelers call “geisha”, are known as “maiko” or “geiko” in Kyoto, which is considered one of the best places in Japan to see decorated animators.
If any are found, the Kyoto City Tourism Association (KCTA) travel website advises travelers not to stop or ask maiko to pose for pictures.
“Don’t bother them or grab them by the kimono sleeve,” says the website.
A maiko, or appentice geisha, walks in the snow in the Gion district of Kyoto, Japan.
Koichi Kamoshida | Getty Images News | Getty Images
This is one of Kyoto’s Akimahen Manners, a list of 18 tips, recommendations and warnings for anyone traveling through Japan’s cultural capital.
The list of “akimahen” (which means “no” in the local dialect) ranges from tips on automatic taxi doors (“make sure you stay far enough away that the door can open without bumping into you”) to trash, which can lead to a fine of 30,000 Japanese yen (US $ 280).
The emoticon ratings indicate the severity of each offense. Tipping, which is frowned upon throughout Japan, instead of thanking in the local dialect (“okini”), looks sad. Cycling while intoxicated yields three angry faces – the worst assessment – not to mention a possible prison sentence of up to five years.
Expect to push, but not to mention the trains
Travelers should expect push and pull on crowded trains, says Go Tokyo, the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau travel guide website.
“But remember that this is not an aggressive behavior, just the result of the daily life of a metropolis”, says the website.
Japanese people rarely speak or eat on trains, especially when they are full.
Junko Kimura | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Videos of white-gloved train stewards hitting people on Japanese trains have been enthralling travelers for years. They also make it easier to understand one of the main rules of Japanese public transport: no talking on cell phones. In fact, travelers are advised not to even let them touch.
“If you carry a phone, keep it in silent mode,” says the Go Tokyo website.
“Etiquette in public places is serious business in Japan,” says the travel website of the National Tourism Organization of Japan (JNTO), affiliated with the government. “Public respect for these rules is probably the main reason why a megalopolis like Tokyo can work so well.”
Eat sushi with your hands
Travelers who are not proficient with chopsticks can order cutlery, reports the JNTO travel website, although “they may not be available, especially in more traditional locations”.
Instead of fighting with chopsticks, the tourism organization recommends that travelers follow another local custom.
It is common to eat sushi with your hands in Japan, especially sushi nigiri, which means “two fingers”.
Makiko Tanigawa | DigitalVision | Getty Images
“If you came to Japan to eat sushi, remember, you can eat it with your hands,” says the website.
Shrines and temples
A tourist attraction for one person is a sacred place of worship for another. Travelers must “be silent and respectful in shrines and temples”, according to the KCTA website.
The Kyoto tourism association also asks visitors to take hats and sunglasses off at religious temples.
Dai Miyamoto, founder of the Tokyo Localized tour company, said he frequently sees tourists “sitting everywhere inside … shrines and temples”, even in places “where there is not a bank or a place to rest”. He also sees tourists taking pictures of Buddha statues and in places where pictures are prohibited.
Go Tokyo recommends that travelers adopt the “complete cultural experience” at Shinto shrines, walking along the side of the path that leads to the shrine, because the center is “technically reserved for the consecrated deity”.
At the entrance to the complex, travelers can wash their hands and mouth with “purifying water” before approaching the main hall. There they can “bow slightly, ring the bells, put a small money offering in the box, bow two times, clap twice and bow once more to complete the ritual,” according to the website.
The rules of the ryokan
Staying in a traditional inn, or ryokan, is a popular way to experience Japanese hospitality, but it involves more social rules than a hotel stay.
Ryokans are generally not cheap or exceptionally luxurious, which may surprise travelers who associate higher prices with large suites and luxurious beds. Ryokans are typically one-room accommodations furnished in a spartan style and lined with straw mats.
Ryokan prices are generally quoted per person, not per night.
recep-bg | E + | Getty Images
The KCTA has a list of guidelines for ryokan guests, including changing slippers (provided) before entering. The luggage wheels must not touch the inner floor. And bags should never be kept on the parapet, or tokonoma, where flowers and scrolls are displayed.
Meals are usually served in the rooms, and visitors wear casual kimonos, called yukata, to eat. After dinner, the dishes are removed and futon mattresses are laid out on the floor for sleeping.
Onsen Tag
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “How to Enjoy Tokyo: Manners & Custom Handbook” advises travelers to remove all clothes to wear onsens, which are bath areas connected to Japan’s natural hot springs.
As a country with volcanic activity, Japan has thousands of onsens, many of which are part of a hotel or ryokan and are separated by gender.
John S Lander | LightRocket | Getty Images
According to the government manual, bathers must rinse themselves before entering and must not swim, jump or dive into the water. Hair and towels must not touch the water.
People with tattoos may be banned from entering more traditional onsens because tattoos are associated with Japan’s “yakuza” or organized crime groups, Miyamoto said. This is decreasing, he said, due to the popularity of tattoos among younger generations and foreign travelers.
Sightseeing and shopping
Cutting lines is prohibited in most countries, but in Japan, maintaining a space for friends or family is also considered inappropriate, according to the Tokyo Manners Manual.
He also advises travelers to avoid going up or down escalators; those in a hurry should use the stairs.
When shopping, bargaining for better prices is not common. And clothing sizes differ from those of Western nations. An oversized men’s shirt in Japan is similar to an American men’s shirt.
Miyamoto, who is 1.52 m tall and weighs 185 pounds, wears a Japanese XL size because “big is very small”. He said that Americans who need bigger sizes are not out of luck.
“Uniqlo, which is the most famous casual brand in Japan, sells more than XXL size … in online stores,” he said.