Japanese Etiquette Guide
Navigate the Land of the Rising Sun with grace. A little respect goes a long way in connecting with the local culture.
The Golden Rule: Meiwaku (迷惑)
Japanese society is built on the concept of avoiding meiwaku—causing trouble or inconvenience to others. If you keep this single principle in mind (being quiet, clean, and considerate), you will instinctively follow 90% of Japanese etiquette rules.
1. Everyday Interactions
✓ Do
- • Bow lightly when greeting, thanking, or apologizing. A small nod is enough for visitors.
- • Take off your shoes at the entrance (玄関 genkan) of homes, ryokan, and some restaurants.
- • Place money or cards on the tray at the register when one is provided, rather than handing it over directly.
✕ Don't
- • Initiate hugs. A handshake is fine if the other person offers; bows are the default.
- • Tip. Service is included. Extra cash often causes confusion, not delight.
- • Blow your nose loudly in public. Step aside or into a restroom; sniffing is widely tolerated.
2. On Trains & Buses
✓ Do
- • Queue neatly at the designated floor markings on the platform.
- • Set your phone to "Manner Mode" (silent) and avoid calls.
- • Offer priority seats to elderly, pregnant women, or those with disabilities.
✕ Don't
- • Talk loudly. Local trains and subways are often quiet; the Shinkansen is a little more relaxed.
- • Eat on local trains or subways (water is fine). Ekiben on the Shinkansen and limited express is expected.
- • Block the doors. Step onto the platform to let people off if the car is crowded.
3. Street Smarts
✓ Do
- • Carry your trash. Public bins are rare. Hold onto it until you find a bin at a convenience store or station.
- • Smoke only in designated smoking areas. Street smoking is often fined.
- • Wait for the green man at crosswalks, even if no cars are coming.
✕ Don't
- • Eat while walking through neighborhoods or historic streets (Kyoto especially). Finish at the stall, a bench, or a marked area. Festival stalls and places like Dōtonbori are more relaxed.
- • Jaywalk. Drivers and cyclists do not expect it; wait for the signal.
- • Enter posted private alleys in Gion (Kyoto), or chase or photograph geiko and maiko. Book a licensed performance or tea if you want to see them. Fines of ¥10,000 are posted on some private lanes.
4. Dining Decorum
✓ Do
- • Say いただきます (itadakimasu) before eating and ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita) after — a short thanks, not a prayer.
- • Slurp ramen, soba, and udon. It cools the noodles. It is not expected for every dish.
- • Use the wet towel (おしぼり oshibori) for your hands, not your face.
✕ Don't
- • Stand chopsticks upright in rice (立て箸 tatebashi — a funeral offering).
- • Pass food chopstick to chopstick (渡し箸 watashibashi — also a funeral rite). Set it on a plate first.
- • Pour your own drink in a group. Pour for others; they will usually refill yours. Solo diners can ignore this.
5. Temples & Shrines
✓ Do
- • Purify at the 手水舎 (temizuya). Rinse left hand, then right, then pour into your left palm to rinse your mouth — do not drink from the ladle or spit into the basin. Tilt the ladle so leftover water rinses the handle, then replace it.
- • Bow lightly before passing under a torii (shrine) or sanmon (temple gate).
- • At a shrine, offer two bows, two claps, one bow (二礼二拍手一礼). A few shrines differ (Izumo uses four claps). At a Buddhist temple, bow quietly — do not clap.
✕ Don't
- • Walk the center of a shrine path when you can avoid it. The midline (正中 seichū) is reserved for the kami; walk to the side. At packed sites such as Fushimi Inari this is often impractical — just do not block the way.
- • Photograph the inner sanctuary or anywhere signs forbid it.
- • Treat shrines and temples as photo sets. They are working places of worship; keep voices down.
6. Onsen (Hot Springs)
✓ Do
- • Wash thoroughly at the showers before entering. The bath is for soaking, not washing.
- • Go unclothed in a traditional onsen or sentō. Swimsuits belong only where the facility says so (some mixed outdoor baths).
- • Keep the small towel out of the water. On your head or the rim of the bath.
✕ Don't
- • Assume tattoos are welcome. Many onsen still restrict visible tattoos; policies vary. Ask ahead, cover a small tattoo, or book a private (貸切 kashikiri) bath.
- • Swim or splash. It is a quiet soak.
- • Let long hair touch the water. Tie it up.
7. Ryokan & Home
✓ Do
- • Wear the slippers provided for walking in halls.
- • Wear the toilet slippers only in the toilet. Don't wear them back into the hall!
- • Be punctual for meals. Dinner is often served at a fixed time in Ryokans.
✕ Don't
- • Wear slippers on tatami mats. Socks or bare feet only.
- • Wrap the yukata right-over-left (right panel on top). That is funeral dress (右前). The living wear left over right — left panel on top (左前).
- • Drag wheeled suitcases on tatami mats. Carry them or leave them in the entrance area.
8. Magic Words
You do not need to be fluent. These three phrases, used sincerely, cover most encounters. More on Japanese for travelers.
すみません
Sumimasen (soo-mee-mah-sen)
Excuse me, or sorry. Use it to get attention, apologize for a bump, or thank someone for a small favor.
ありがとうございます
Arigatō gozaimasu (ah-ree-gah-toh go-zai-mass)
Thank you. The default at shops, stations, and hotels.
こんにちは
Konnichiwa (kon-nee-chee-wah)
Hello during the day. Staff will usually greet you with いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase); a nod and konnichiwa is a polite reply when entering a small shop.
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