Unspoken RULES of Japan - What I wish I Knew Before Coming

IMPORTANT! In Oct 2023 The JR Rail Pass increased in Price! To Calculate if its still worth it go to click.jrpass.com/SH5O and check out their JR Pass Travel Calculator

There is the most important rule Japanese always keep in mind and have been taught from their childhood : Do not disturb others.

Having lived in Osaka for 4 years and travelled to all 47 prefectures, I've been exposed to way too many "things to know before traveling to Japan" videos. And yet, this is the ONLY video I've seen with legit, accurate advice. Well done

I am a Japanese living in Tokyo. Since you have come all the way from far away to Japan, I want you to enjoy yourself as much as possible. However, there are some things I would like you to understand about the Japanese way of thinking, so let me write just two things here. 1. Most Japanese people are part of a "project to make Japan a better place", and I would like you to know that we take a lot of pride in this. Whether it is paying taxes, being kind to others, thanking store clerks, not talking loudly on trains or in public, not throwing unwanted plastic bottles or wrapping paper on the street, or not talking on the phone inside a store, each of us is doing what we can to keep the value of Japan from going down. As children we are taught this by our parents, but as we grow older we realize that we are part of a collaborative team that is building Japan, and we find joy in the Minecraft-like collaborative effort to make Japan a better place, to the extent that it is within our abilities. For this reason, we feel more uncomfortable when someone does something in front of me that lowers the value of Japan as a country than when I am punched in the face. This is because I feel that I am not alone and that the efforts of my colleagues, who are working hard to make things better, are being ridiculed. For many Japanese people, the act of lowering the value of their own country or town has the same meaning as having their family members insulted by others. (However, there are some Japanese who are naturalized immigrants to Japan who are not members of the "Better Japan Project," and these people are relatively indifferent to such things.) 2. This is a bad thing about Japanese people, but Japanese people rarely point out other people's behavior even if they find it offensive. This is because Japanese people believe that to point out another person's behavior is to deny the other person's sense of values, which is not only offensive to the other person, but also to their own dignity. (This is because they realize that they are small people who cannot tolerate other people's behavior.) If a Japanese person points out something you have done, he or she may already be outraged by your action. By the time you are pointed out, it will be too late for anything else. With that being said, you may be wondering if there are any tips on how to avoid taboos, but it is very easy. Because "Japanese who may suddenly become enraged" themselves are always living in fear of such a crisis. Therefore, Japanese people always think of others around them first when they are in public places, so as not to offend others, lest someone suddenly point out their behavior." Why are the Japanese so well behaved?"The answer is that "you never know when the Japanese people around you will become enraged, just like you are, so you have to be careful how you behave, just like walking through a minefield with your bare feet." From my point of view as a Japanese, the information covered in this video that Japanese people really find offensive is "talking loudly" and "throwing garbage on the roadside or road." It may seem surprising, but "not carrying cash" and "not taking off your shoes" are not taken so seriously, as they are not about sincerity, but just lack of knowledge. It may be easier to understand if you think of Japan as someone else's home. You would be offended if a guest you invited to your home made loud phone calls in your home or threw food scraps in your living room. But if they don't know to take their shoes off and mistakenly enter your house with their shoes on, you may be annoyed, but you won't be angry. In other words, the important thing is whether the conduct stems from dishonesty. I hope that the above information is not meant to frighten you, but to help you enjoy Japan more. Come to Japan!

When traveling in Japan, keep a very large ziplock freezer bag in your backpack for storing your trash. You can empty it when you find a trash can (ie. At your hotel) to properly dispose. It is just an easy solution.

Something I learned 10 years ago - if you're going to Japan for sightseeing and photography, June is one of the worst times to do so. It's hot, it's humid, and the low hanging clouds will obscure many of the views you had hoped to capture with your camera. On top of this, many museums are closed for maintenance at this time.

The first unwritten rule I learned in Japan was about escalator usage. If you get on an escalator and just stand still and ride it, stand on the left side. The right side is for people that are walking up or down. It is rude to stand in the middle or right side.

Agree with your hints. Lived in Japan for about 8 years and loved it. The safest, cleanest and most friendly country I have visited.

Good tips.. One I might suggest is getting a business card (meishi) from the hotel you stay at. I have helped a few tourists that didn't know how to get back to their hotel, and it took a lot longer than it would have if they had a card from the hotel. Or ask the concierge desk to write the address in Japanese on a piece of paper. That way, if you get lost and don't feel like searching any further, you can get in a taxi and show the driver the card/paper. It should not cost too much if you are in town, and I believe most taxis now also take credit cards.

I'm a current Tokyo resident, and decided to check this video out when it came up in my recommendations in case the info provided in it might prove useful to send to my family when they inevitably come visit me. I've never seen any videos from your channel before, so I was expecting this to be yet another in a long line of Japan travel videos that provide outdated or incorrect information -- but to my surprise, this may be the most comprehensive, succinct, informative video for would-be visitors to the country I've ever seen. I'm extremely impressed, and just wanted to say, thanks for this! I will most definitely be linking this to family and friends before they visit, as it perfectly summarizes just about every tip I might've given them, and literally every one of your points is a good one. Very nicely done!

I lived in Japan for 7 years, loved every second of it. Best way to learn is just immerse yourself in their culture. I was raised with respect in Texas so fitting in their culture was easy for me, and probably will be for you. Mind your business and your manners and that goes a long way.

I was in Japan in 1975 & rode in many taxis. I was really surprised to see, as I was exiting the driver pulled a little lever on the floor between his seat & his door & my door popped open. I thought this was unique to just this taxi, but it seemed all of them did that. I have mentioned how different, polite, very clean & just TOTALLY different they are from us!

All of these things were true when I went to Japan back in the early 2000s. This is a very good video for people going there for the first time to watch. The only other tip I have and you mentioned it a little bit is, please give them the courtesy of attempting their language before you start talking to them in English. Most Japanese will be happy to speak English with you after you’ve tried to speak their language first

One thing of note: adhering to the law is especially important in Japan, because if you get busted (or strongly suspected of) doing something illegal, Japan's abnormally high conviction rate of almost 100% will make sure you won't weasel yourself out of it.

I’ve always had the upmost respect for Japans people and culture.

I have to agree that learning some basic phrases whatever the local language can be a life saver. I speak, or I used to speak fluent German, which served me well while I was stationed in Germany. However, the AIr Force, in its infinite wisdom, decided to send me to just about the only "remote" assignment in Japan, knowing maybe a half a dozen words that I had learned from the novel Shogun. To compound this, we did not haver dorms or barracks but lived on the local economy. (There was total of 6 of us on the comm site and two guys working the passenger terminal at the airport.) Fortnately, between the guys I worked with and my neighbour in my apartment complex who was a JSDF (Japanese Self-Defense Forces) officer who happened to work on the radar site on Mount Sefuri (aka Seburiyama) that our Comm Site was situated, I was speaking broken pidgin Japanese in no time. (Later being set up with a girl friend who had been an exchange student to New Jersey, was a godsend!) I loved my year in JApan and not extending my tour there has been one of the few regrets I have in my life. (We had one guy there that had been there over eight years.)

Not being able to effectively talk to people during my visit was very frustrating and embarrassing. This is mostly my fault for not learning the language better or full embracing my translation app but it was a stressful element to my trip.

Wow. I visited Japan just once for a 20 hr transit. And these were the exact things I noticed. Thanks for summarizing it so precisely ❤

I had a friend who went to jail in Japan for bringing 3 joints in his luggage. He didn’t think it was a big deal but got locked up for 6 months

Went to Japan in March this year, hope to go back sometime. Loved it.