Travel Etiquette in Japan | On Trains, Eating While Walking, Trash, Smoking and Drinking, Escalators, Shops and Restaurants, Shrines and Temples, Photos, and What Local Ordinances Require

Overview

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) explains that much of Japanese etiquette centers on “not causing trouble for other people.” It also says that when you are unsure, it is a good idea to watch what the people around you are doing, or to ask the people at that place.

This article sums up etiquette by place, based on the guides that JNTO and the Japan Tourism Agency publish for travelers.

• On trains and buses, people do not talk loudly and do not make phone calls.
• Where there is no trash can, take your trash with you. In Japanese towns, some places have few trash cans.
• In Japan, people do not usually eat or drink while walking along the street. It is not prohibited everywhere in the country by national law. However, some areas ask people not to do it, through signs or ordinances.
• In many places you cannot smoke outside designated areas, and the rules differ from one city or prefecture to another.
• Around Shibuya Station, there are zones where drinking alcohol on the street or in parks is prohibited from evening until the next morning (an ordinance of Shibuya City).

Most etiquette is presented as guidance or requests. Separately, some things are set by ordinances or laws. This article keeps the two apart. What ordinances require is summed up in the Conditions section.

Areas

Trains, buses and stations

• Talking: On trains and buses, keep your voice low when you talk. Listen to music and videos with earphones or headphones (JNTO guidance).
• Mobile phones: Since October 1, 2015, the railway companies and public transportation bureaus of Kanto, Tohoku and Koshin'etsu, 37 operators in total, have asked passengers to “turn off mobile phones near the priority seats when the train is crowded.” They also ask passengers not to make phone calls on the train, whether or not it is crowded.
• Giving up your seat: Offer your seat to older people, pregnant people, people with small children, and people with disabilities. They may decline (JNTO guidance).
• Eating: On trains that have tables on the seat in front of you (such as the Shinkansen), it is fine to eat on board. On ordinary trains used by commuters, eating on board is seen as bad manners (JNTO guidance).
• Large luggage: On a crowded train, put large luggage where it will not get in other people's way. On some Shinkansen trains, you may have to reserve a space for large luggage. The Japan Tourism Agency recommends avoiding trains during the morning and evening commuting hours, and leaving your luggage in coin lockers or with luggage forwarding services.
• Lining up: At station platforms, store registers, in front of restaurants and in similar places, join the end of the line. If there are markings on the floor showing where to line up, or other directions, follow them (JNTO guidance).
• Escalators: JNTO asks people to stand still on escalators, because walking on them can lead to accidents. In Saitama Prefecture and Nagoya City, standing still is required by ordinance (see the Conditions section).

How to store and send luggage is explained in How to Use Coin Lockers at Train Stations in Japan | Typical Prices, Payment and the 3-Day Limit and Send Your Suitcase by Courier | Airport to Accommodation, Accommodation to Airport (Yamato Transport), and large luggage on the Shinkansen in How to Bring a Large Suitcase on the Shinkansen | Reserving a Seat with an Oversized Baggage Area and Where to Put Your Luggage.

Streets and towns

• Eating while walking: JNTO explains that in Japan, people do not usually eat or drink while walking. Eat at a place where you can stop, such as a bench in front of a shop. The picture signs (pictograms) that the Japan Tourism Agency made for tourist areas also include a sign saying “No eating while walking.”
• Trash: The Japan Tourism Agency asks people to put trash in trash cans, and to take it with them when there is no trash can. Separate empty cans and plastic bottles, and put them in the recycling bins. How trash is sorted differs from one city or town to another (JNTO guidance).
• Smoking: According to JNTO, the rules differ by city and prefecture, but in general, smoking is prohibited outside designated smoking areas, both inside and outside buildings. Smoking while walking along the street is also included in this prohibition. Put cigarette butts in ashtrays.
• Drinking alcohol on the street: JNTO asks people not to drink alcohol on the street or in front of convenience stores, but to drink at bars, izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) and restaurants. The rules of Shibuya City are described in the Conditions section.
• Looking at your smartphone while walking: The Japan Tourism Agency's pictograms also include a sign saying “Do not look at your smartphone while walking.”
• Masks: When you are coughing or sneezing, it is good manners to wear a mask (JNTO guidance).

Shops and restaurants

• Do not bring food into shops: When you enter a shop, do not bring in food or drinks bought elsewhere. Open or eat what you bought at a shop after you leave the shop (JNTO guidance).
• Shopping bags: At many shops, plastic bags cost money. Some shops also charge for paper bags. It is handy to bring a foldable bag (JNTO guidance).
• Trying on clothes: If you want to try something on, ask a staff member. You may be asked to take off your shoes before entering the fitting room (JNTO guidance).
• Oshibori: The small towel (oshibori) given at restaurants is for wiping your hands before you eat. Wiping your face with it is seen as bad manners (JNTO guidance).
• Table charge and otoshi: At an izakaya, a small dish (otoshi) may be served even if you did not order it. It is not free; it is included in the bill as a table charge (JNTO guidance).
• Reservations: If you will be late for your reserved time, contact the restaurant. If you can no longer go, cancel early (JNTO guidance).
• Tipping: In Japan, there is no custom of tipping (JNTO guidance).
• Scents: At places such as sushi restaurants, avoid wearing strong perfume. Some restaurants have rules about perfume (JNTO guidance).
• Taking off your shoes: At some tourist facilities, restaurants and ryokan, you take off your shoes before entering. There may be shelves for shoes, and you may use slippers instead (JNTO guidance).

Tipping and table charges are explained in Do You Tip in Japan? | Restaurants, Taxis, Hotels, Ryokan and Guides, plus Service Charges, Otoshi and Consumption Tax, and how to use an onsen in Onsen Etiquette and How to Bathe | Checking Tattoo Policies and Bathing Precautions.

Shrines, temples and gardens

• Do not damage cultural properties: The Japan Tourism Agency explains that writing graffiti on or scratching cultural properties such as temples and shrines causes damage that cannot be undone, and in some cases may be subject to penalties or fines.
• Places you must not enter: JNTO explains that low bamboo fences in gardens and temples, and closed gates, mean “do not enter.” Stay on the set paths, and do not step on the moss in temple gardens.
• Taking photos: At shrines and temples, some places prohibit photography, and some prohibit only flash or video. Follow the signs and the directions of the staff (JNTO guidance).
• Selfie sticks and drones: JNTO explains that selfie sticks are prohibited at many temples, shrines and station platforms. At some places, drones can be flown only with permission obtained in advance; at others, they cannot be flown at all.

The steps for praying at a shrine are explained with photos in Meiji Jingu (Meiji Shrine) Guide | Access, Hours, Etiquette & Highlights and Hanazono Shrine Guide | Getting There from Shinjuku Station, Tori-no-Ichi 2026 Dates, Aozora Kotto-ichi Antique Market, and Shrine Etiquette.

When taking photos

• Ask before photographing people: JNTO asks people to ask for permission first when photographing someone, even in public places. Photographing strangers on trains or in cafés without permission is seen as rude. If they say no, do not take the photo.
• Keep other people out of your photos: According to JNTO, taking photos in which people can be clearly identified, without their permission, can lead to legal problems. When photographing food, too, make sure other customers and staff are not in the picture.
• Do not enter private property: The Japan Tourism Agency asks people not to enter private property without permission.
• Do not step into the road or block walkways: JNTO asks people not to step into the road where cars drive, or stop on paths where people walk and block the way, in order to take photos. Tripods get in other people's way on narrow streets and in crowded places.

Conditions

The following are set by ordinances. An ordinance is in effect only within that prefecture, city or ward.

Shibuya City: drinking alcohol on the street or in parks

Since October 1, 2024, Shibuya City has prohibited drinking alcohol in public places such as streets and parks, all year round, in designated zones around Shibuya Station. It is prohibited every day from 18:00 until 5:00 the next morning. A map of the zones is on the Shibuya City website. The city's page does not mention any penalties.

Kamakura City: eating while walking

The ordinance of Kamakura City (in effect since April 1, 2019) lists, as one of the “nuisance acts” on streets, squares, beaches and other places in the city, acts in narrow or crowded places that might soil other people's clothes, such as eating or drinking while walking, and asks people to make efforts not to do them. Besides this, it also lists things such as ways of taking photos in dangerous places as nuisance acts.

This ordinance takes the form of “make efforts not to do,” and it does not include a prohibition or penalties. Unless the place is narrow or crowded, it does not treat eating while walking as a nuisance act.

Saitama Prefecture and Nagoya City: escalators

Under the ordinances of Saitama Prefecture (since October 1, 2021) and Nagoya City (since October 1, 2023), people riding escalators must stand still. The Nagoya City guidance says this applies whether you stand on the right side or the left side. The guidance of the prefecture and the city does not mention any penalties.

What is prohibited by law

The Japan Tourism Agency and JNTO explain that writing graffiti on cultural properties is a crime.

Good to know

The Japan Tourism Agency's 7 guidelines

The Japan Tourism Agency publishes the following 7 guidelines for travelers (“Travel Etiquette for the Future”).

1. Learn about the history, culture and nature of the place you visit beforehand, and follow its etiquette.
2. Avoid the days and times when many people gather. As examples, the Japan Tourism Agency mentions sightseeing on weekdays, and sightseeing early in the morning or at night.
3. Be considerate of the fact that trains and buses are crowded in the morning and evening with people going to work or school. Store or ship your large luggage, and travel light.
4. Treat cultural properties such as temples and shrines with care.
5. Put trash in trash cans, and take it with you when there is no trash can.
6. Choose the crafts and food of the local area.
7. Take your time and travel slowly.

Pictograms for tourist areas

The Japan Tourism Agency made 28 kinds of picture signs (pictograms) for use in tourist areas. 20 kinds show “things you must not do,” and 8 kinds show “things we would like you to do.” The “things you must not do” signs include using selfie sticks, entering railway tracks, private property or farmland, graffiti, eating while walking, looking at your smartphone while walking, cutting in line, and leaving trash behind. Feeding animals is also shown as something you must not do, except in places where feeding is allowed. If you see these signs where you travel, follow them as the rules of that place.

• The ordinance information in this article was checked on the websites of each prefecture, city and ward on November 1, 2026. Ordinances may change.