What not to do in Japan
There are fewer hard rules than most visitors fear, and nobody expects a tourist to get everything right. A handful of things genuinely matter — shoes, how you behave on trains, the order of operations at an onsen — and the rest is just being considerate.
SHOES
This is the rule that is actually enforced. The signals: a step up from the floor, a shoe rack or lockers, or slippers laid out facing you. Put on the provided slippers, but step onto tatami mats in socks only — never slippers.
Take your shoes off at the entrance (genkan) of
Toilet slippers are a separate pair kept inside the toilet room. Change into them as you go in and — the classic mistake — change back out as you leave. Walking into the dining room still wearing the toilet slippers is the one everyone notices.
EATING
| Situation | Do | Don’t |
|---|---|---|
| Chopsticks | Rest on the hashioki or across your bowl; turn around and use the clean end for shared plates | Never stand upright in rice, never pass food chopstick-to-chopstick (both echo funeral rites) |
| At the table | Slurping noodles is normal; lift small bowls toward you; pour for others in a group | Don't fill your own glass first — let someone pour it |
| Paying | Pay at the register on the way out; put cash/card on the small tray | Don't expect to split the bill easily at nicer places — one person paying and settling up later is easier |
| Walking & eating | Fine at a festival stall, or standing just outside the shop; fine on shinkansen/limited express | Avoid generally, and avoid on crowded commuter trains |
Saying itadakimasu before and gochisousama after is a nice touch but not expected of visitors. For what to order, see the Japanese food guide.
TRAINS & PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Put your phone on silent ("manner mode") and do not take calls.
Keep conversation quiet, especially with a travel companion.
In a crowd, take your backpack off and hold it in front of you or put it on the rack.
Let passengers off before you board, and line up along the platform markings.
Do not run for a closing door.
Priority seats near the doors are for elderly, disabled, pregnant and injured passengers — give one up if needed.
It is best to leave priority seats free when the train is busy, even if unoccupied.
ONSEN & PUBLIC BATHS
The order of operations
Baths are gender-separated and you go in with no swimwear.
Sit on one of the low stools at the washing stations and wash your whole body with soap, then rinse off every trace of it.
Enter the bath to soak in clean — it is not for washing.
Do not put the small towel in the water — fold it on your head or leave it at the edge.
No swimming, splashing, photos or loud talk; tie long hair up.
Tattoos
Many traditional baths still refuse entry to anyone with visible tattoos. Options: search for “tattoo-friendly onsen”, book a private (kashikiri) bath, use a ryokan room with its own bath, or cover a small tattoo with a skin-tone patch. Attitudes are slowly relaxing but the rule is still common.
TEMPLES & SHRINES
Which is which
| Type | Religion | How to spot it |
|---|---|---|
| Shrine (jinja) | Shinto | Marked by a torii gate |
| Temple (tera) | Buddhist | Usually a large roofed gate, often with guardian statues |
The etiquette differs slightly, and it is fine to visit either as a non-believer.
At a shrine
At the water pavilion: rinse your left hand, then your right, with one ladleful.
Pour a little water into your cupped left hand to rinse your mouth (do not touch the ladle to your lips).
Tip the ladle up to rinse its handle.
At the offering hall: toss a small coin in gently.
Bow twice, clap twice, pause for your wish, then bow once more.
Walk along the side of the path under the torii, not straight down the middle.
At a temple
Same coin offering as a shrine, but no clapping — just put your palms together quietly and bow.
Remove hats and sunglasses at the hall.
Look for signs — photography is often banned inside the main buildings.
TIPPING
Do not tip. Not in restaurants, taxis, hotels, bars, salons or on tours — it is simply not part of the culture, and leaving coins on a table usually just confuses staff, who may run after you to return the money you “forgot”. A service charge (“table charge” or otoshi at an izakaya) that appears on the bill is normal and is not something you add to.
PHOTOGRAPHY
“Sumimasen, shashin ii desu ka?” is enough to ask permission.
SMALL THINGS THAT COME UP
Do not eat the free pickled ginger as a salad.