A cultural travel guide to the world

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Understanding local customs is where a journey begins. Find the topics that matter to you and feel at ease wherever you go.

Japan · Nagasaki

22 rules found

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Japan: At fireworks festivals, don't tape off spots in advance, and never fly drones

Do

  • Spread your sheet where there is actual space when you arrive, leaving room for neighbours
  • Follow police and staff directions and move with the crowd
  • Bring plenty of water and cooling gear to prevent heatstroke
  • Riverbanks have lots of insects, so bring repellent
  • Festivals usually go ahead in light rain, so bring a raincoat
  • Take your rubbish home

Don’t

  • Don't mark spots in advance with tape or spray paint on roads or in parks
  • Don't fly drones
  • Don't use selfie sticks in crowds; the Sumida River festival bans them
  • Don't stop in the middle of the path to watch and block the flow

Spots marked in advance are cleared by the organisers, and flying drones is prohibited by law. City-centre festivals run one-way crowd flows, and going against the flow or stopping can cause dangerous crushes.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Excite News: Sumida River Fireworks, access and viewing guide

Essential restrictionsHot springsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Mixed, open-air and private baths: read the signs, don't stare, never take photos

Do

  • Check the signs before entering; mixed baths are clearly marked, and joining is entirely your choice
  • Most mixed baths are nude only, with no swimwear; some allow or lend special bathing wraps or towels, so follow the bath's rules
  • If you prefer not to bathe mixed, use the separate men's and women's baths or a private bath
  • Outdoor baths are slippery and the temperature changes sharply; hold the handrails when moving
  • Use a private bath only within your booked slot and leave on time
  • Tohoku and other regions still have many therapeutic hot springs with mixed bathing; for long therapeutic stays, follow the ryokan's and your doctor's advice

Don’t

  • Don't stare at other bathers, strike up conversations, or linger to watch
  • Don't take photos or videos in the bath area
  • Don't overstay a private bath; the next group is waiting

Mixed bathing works only because bathers keep their eyes to themselves; staring or taking photos will get you asked to leave, and filming others in a bath may break local law.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Wikipedia (Japanese): Konyoku

Essential restrictionsPhotos & dronesCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Stay off private land, and ask before photographing children or people

Do

  • Ask parents' permission before photographing their children
  • Ask geiko, maiko, and other working people before photographing them
  • Check for 撮影禁止 (no photography) signs, and ask staff if there are none
  • Photograph trains and stations themselves without disrupting operations

Don’t

  • Do not enter private homes or land for a shot
  • Do not photograph the inside of homes
  • Do not aim your camera at individual passengers on trains or buses
  • Do not step into rice paddies, flower beds, or along railway tracks for photos
  • Do not use selfie sticks or tripods in crowds or dangerous spots
  • Do not chase or stop geiko or maiko

Trespassing on private land is illegal and can get you told to leave or to delete your photos. Shooting in no-photo areas will be stopped, and photographing children is seen as an invasion of privacy.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Aichi Now: Sightseeing Manners

Essential restrictionsHot springsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Bathe nude in the onsen and keep your towel out of the water

Do

  • Bathe fully nude, without swimwear or underwear
  • Rest your small towel on your head or the edge of the bath
  • Tie up long hair so it stays out of the water
  • Enter the bath slowly and keep quiet
  • Leave your phone in the locker
  • Keep your first soak short, and dry off before returning to the changing room

Don’t

  • Do not dip your towel into the bath
  • Do not swim, dive, or talk loudly in the bath
  • Do not take photos anywhere in the bathing area
  • Do not wrap your yukata right side over left; that is how the deceased are dressed

Most of these are written bathhouse rules. Breaking them gets you a reminder from staff, and in serious cases you may be asked to leave. Soaking too long can also make you dizzy.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Authentic Local Japan: Onsen Etiquette

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Convenience stores and vending machines: say you're eating in, and recycling bins take bottles and cans only

Do

  • Queue at the register and place your money on the tray if there is one
  • Answer clearly when the clerk asks whether to heat your bento
  • If you will eat in the store's seating area, say so when paying (eat-in and takeaway are taxed differently)
  • Don't linger in the eat-in area, and sort your containers and chopsticks into the store's bins
  • If you can't find a bin, bag your trash and take it back to where you're staying

Don’t

  • Don't bring household or outside trash to a convenience store to dump
  • Don't stuff rice-ball wrappers, coffee cups or bento boxes into the bins beside vending machines
  • Don't drink alcohol in the eat-in area where the store prohibits it
  • Don't leave trash on benches or the ground

The bins beside vending machines are for plastic bottles and cans only, and forcing other trash into them is considered very rude in Japan; stores accept only trash from items bought there, so dumping household waste is not allowed.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Makimono Manners: Convenience store manners

Cultural sensitivitiesPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Shinkansen and taxis: book a seat for oversized luggage, let the driver work the rear door

Do

  • Check which cars are non-reserved and reserved, and sit in your assigned seat
  • Glance back or say a quiet "sumimasen" before reclining
  • On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, book a seat with an oversized-baggage area in advance for very large luggage; size limits are as published by JR
  • Take your trash with you or use the bins by the deck between cars
  • Sit in the back of a taxi, usually getting in and out by the left rear door
  • Have your destination address in Japanese ready, and check your seat and the floor before getting out

Don’t

  • Don't put your feet on the seat in front
  • Don't open or close a taxi's rear door yourself; the driver operates it
  • Don't exceed the vehicle's passenger capacity

Oversized luggage without a reservation may incur an extra fee and must be stowed as the crew directs, and bags over the maximum are not allowed on board; forcing a taxi's automatic door can damage it or pinch your fingers.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Explore Translation: Shinkansen manners and rules

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Castles and museums: don't touch exhibits, check photo signs before shooting

Do

  • Check each gallery's photography sign before raising your camera
  • Turn off the flash even where photos are allowed
  • Keep your voice down and follow the visiting route
  • Leave large bags in the lockers or storage the venue provides
  • Check tickets, opening hours and special-exhibition rules in the venue's official information

Don’t

  • Don't touch exhibits, armor, folding screens or the building's woodwork
  • Don't take photos in no-photography areas
  • Don't let tripods or selfie sticks block the way or bump exhibits
  • Don't walk against the route or step past ropes and barriers
  • Don't give loud commentary or take phone calls in the galleries

Oil and sweat from hands damage the surfaces of cultural properties; touching exhibits or breaking photo rules will be stopped by staff, and in serious cases you may be asked to leave.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Romancing Japan: Temple and shrine etiquette

Cultural sensitivitiesTemples & religious sitesCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Hang ema on the designated rack, never open an omamori, return old ones to a shrine

Do

  • Buy an ema at the shrine office, write your wish, and hang it on the designated ema rack
  • Carry your omamori with you or attach it to your bag
  • Return old omamori to a shrine around New Year or on a later visit so it can be ritually burned
  • If you draw a bad fortune, tie it at the shrine's designated spot; good fortunes can be taken home
  • Views differ on carrying several omamori; if unsure, carry those of only one shrine

Don’t

  • Don't hang ema on torii gates, trees or other undesignated places
  • Don't write insults or curses against others on an ema
  • Don't open an omamori pouch to look at the talisman inside
  • Don't throw old omamori in the trash

Ema and omamori are offerings to and blessings from the deities, so hanging them anywhere or throwing them away is seen as disrespectful; by tradition, opening an omamori lets its power escape and it loses its protection.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: UpToGo: Should you carry an omamori with you?

Cultural sensitivitiesDressCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Kimono and yukata: always right side first, so the left panel is on top from your view

Do

  • Wrap the right panel against your body first, then the left over it, so the left is on top as you look down
  • Men tie the obi around the hip bones; women tie it higher, between the solar plexus and the waist
  • Walk with small steps and knees slightly inward so the hem and collar stay neat
  • Sit shallowly on chairs so you don't crush the obi knot at your back
  • Lift the hem gently on stairs, and fold back your sleeves a little when eating

Don’t

  • Don't wrap it left side first (right panel on top); that is how the deceased are dressed
  • Don't pull on the inner fabric when climbing stairs
  • Don't wear a ryokan yukata or rented kimono beyond the area the provider allows

Wrapping left side first is tied to funeral custom and is regarded as a serious taboo; people around you or shop staff will usually point it out so you can fix it.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: asianbeat: Yukata guide (PDF)

Cultural sensitivitiesRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Ramen shops: queue once your group is complete, one bowl each, leave promptly

Do

  • Join the end of the line only when your whole group is there; sign in first if there is a list
  • Check whether you order at a ticket machine or at your seat, and carry cash
  • Order one bowl per person (infants excepted)
  • Put your belongings on the shelf or hook by your seat, clear of the aisle
  • Slurping is normal in Japan, so don't feel self-conscious
  • Leave soon after finishing so the next person in line can sit

Don’t

  • Don't stand next to diners to hurry them
  • Don't share one bowl among several people
  • Don't bring in food or drinks from elsewhere
  • Don't photograph the chefs or other customers without permission

Most ramen shops have few seats and depend on turnover, so sharing a bowl, lingering or bringing outside food will draw a reminder or a polite refusal from staff; photographing people without asking causes offense.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Ramen Japan: Ramen manners

Cultural sensitivitiesRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Conveyor-belt sushi: take only your own plates and never put one back on the belt

Do

  • Make your own tea with the powdered tea and hot-water tap at your seat; the water is very hot, so adults should pour for children
  • Take only what you will eat, and finish what you take
  • Stack empty plates on your table
  • Turn the sushi over and dip the topping side lightly in soy sauce
  • For gunkan-maki, brush on a little soy sauce with a slice of pickled ginger
  • Many people start with mild white fish and move on to richer flavors (there is no fixed rule)

Don’t

  • Don't take sushi someone else ordered on the tablet; it is sent to their seat
  • Don't put a plate you have taken or touched back on the belt, even if untouched
  • Don't put empty plates back on the belt
  • Don't dip the rice side in soy sauce; the rice falls apart

Returning plates to the belt is a hygiene problem and staff will step in; taking someone else's order causes trouble for that customer and the shop.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Japan Travel 8888: Conveyor-belt sushi guide

Cultural sensitivitiesRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Never stand chopsticks in rice or pass food chopstick to chopstick

Do

  • Use serving chopsticks for shared dishes when they are provided
  • Lift distant dishes toward you by hand
  • Lay your chopsticks on the rest when done, or on the edge of your plate

Don’t

  • Do not stand chopsticks upright in rice; it resembles a rice offering for the dead
  • Do not pass food from your chopsticks to someone else's; it recalls handling remains after cremation
  • Do not spear food, point at people, or tap bowls with chopsticks
  • Do not lay chopsticks across your bowl, and do not lick them
  • Do not hover over dishes undecided or rummage in your soup bowl
  • Do not drag dishes toward you with chopsticks

These are kirai-bashi (disliked chopstick habits). There is no penalty, but the first two recall funerals and will genuinely upset Japanese diners; the rest look ill-mannered at formal meals.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Japan Know How: Chopstick Rules at a Japanese Table

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Sort your rubbish and take it back to your lodging or a convenience store

Do

  • Sort waste into burnable, non-burnable, recyclable, and oversized
  • Rinse PET bottles and remove the cap and label before recycling
  • If staying in a rental or long term, put rubbish out at the designated spot on the morning of collection day
  • Use transparent, semi-transparent, or designated bags as your area requires
  • Street bins are rare, so take rubbish back to your lodging or a convenience store
  • Book oversized rubbish collection in advance and pay the fee; check the official rates

Don’t

  • Do not drop rubbish on the street
  • Do not put bags out the night before
  • Do not throw other rubbish into PET bottle bins
  • Do not assume rules are the same everywhere; follow your lodging's and the local government's guide

Wrongly sorted rubbish, or rubbish put out on the wrong day, is refused and left where it is, and it annoys the neighbors. Bags put out too early get torn open by crows.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: tsunagu Japan: Everything You Need to Know About Garbage in Japan

Cultural sensitivitiesPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · Japan

On trains, give up priority seats and carry your backpack in front

Do

  • Give priority seats to elderly, pregnant, and disabled passengers and those with small children
  • Near priority seats, turn your phone off when it is crowded, as railway companies ask
  • Take off your backpack and hold it in front, or put it at your feet or on the rack
  • Eating a bento on the shinkansen or limited express trains is normal
  • Once the door-closing chime sounds, wait for the next train

Don’t

  • Do not keep a priority seat when someone who needs it boards
  • Do not block doors and aisles with a backpack on your back
  • Do not eat full, strong-smelling meals on ordinary commuter trains
  • Do not rush onto the train as the doors close; it is dangerous

There is no penalty, but other passengers will be annoyed and station staff may remind you. Rushing the doors can get you caught in them.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Sumimasen Guide: Train and Bus Manners in Japan

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Take off your shoes when you see a genkan (entrance step)

Do

  • Take off your shoes at the entrance of homes, some restaurants, temples and hot-spring facilities
  • If unsure, look for a shoe rack or slippers at the entrance

Don’t

  • Stepping onto tatami or indoor wooden floors in shoes

It is seen as very rude.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette

Cultural sensitivitiesPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · Japan

No phone calls on trains and the shinkansen; queue to board

Do

  • Put your phone on silent; on the shinkansen, take calls in the area between carriages
  • Queue at the marked spots on either side of the train door, and let people off before you get on
  • Give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and passengers with limited mobility

Don’t

  • Talking on the phone or playing sound aloud in the train

Not illegal, but you will get looks and a reminder from the conductor.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette

Local customsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Japan: In business meetings, exchange cards with both hands and leave the seat of honour to guests

Do

  • The visitor or more junior person offers a card first, with both hands
  • Read the card you receive and keep it on the table during the meeting
  • Wait for your host to seat you; the seat furthest from the door is the seat of honour
  • Arrive five to ten minutes early
  • At after-work drinks, pour for others, and ask before you pour
  • If you don't drink, toast with a soft drink; no explanation needed

Don’t

  • Don't write on a card in front of its owner or stuff it straight into a pocket
  • Don't bow while shaking hands; let your Japanese counterpart lead with a handshake or a bow
  • Don't sit down before you are shown to a seat

Slips here rarely affect the deal itself, but handling cards carelessly or taking the seat of honour comes across as poor manners. A bow of about 15 degrees for everyday greetings and about 30 degrees when seeing someone off is enough; deeper bows are for apologies or deep thanks, and visitors needn't imitate them.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Explera: Japanese business etiquette for MICE delegates

Local customsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Staying at a ryokan: no slippers on tatami, keep to meal times, mind the curfew

Do

  • Take off even your indoor slippers before stepping onto tatami
  • Leave luggage at the entrance or the designated spot
  • Eat dinner and breakfast at the times the inn sets, and call ahead if you will be late
  • Note the curfew and ask before going out late
  • Put valuables in the room safe
  • Ask the inn whether you may go out in the inn's yukata

Don’t

  • Don't drag a suitcase across the tatami
  • Don't put personal belongings in the tokonoma alcove
  • Don't take the inn's yukata, towels or other items home
  • Don't strip or wash the bedding yourself

Ryokan dinners are served at set times, so arriving late may mean missing the meal; most ryokan have a curfew, and coming back after it may leave you locked out.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Japan Ryokan Association: Staying at a ryokan

Local customsRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Izakaya: wait for the toast before drinking, and order at least one dish each

Do

  • When seated, ask whether there is a time limit (e.g. for all-you-can-drink plans)
  • Wait until everyone's drinks arrive and someone calls "kanpai" before your first sip
  • Order according to group size: at least one dish per person
  • Check the smoking sign at the door: some places have smoking seats, others are fully non-smoking
  • Confirm how to pay: usually one person settles the whole bill at the end; standing bars often take payment as you order

Don’t

  • Don't start drinking before the toast
  • Don't occupy a table for a long time while ordering almost nothing
  • Don't smoke in non-smoking areas or seats

Drinking before the toast or taking up a table without ordering comes across as not knowing the rules and inconveniences your companions and the shop; smoking in a non-smoking area will be stopped by staff and may lead to complaints or penalties.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: LetsGoJP: Izakaya etiquette

Local customsTemples & religious sitesCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Temple visits: join your hands and bow, no clapping; fan out incense

Do

  • Bow once at the main gate before entering
  • Step over the threshold rather than on it
  • Join your hands and bow quietly before the Buddha
  • Light the incense, wave out the flame with your hand, then place it in the burner
  • Take off your shoes when asked inside halls; wear shoes that slip off easily
  • Check signs such as 撮影禁止 (no photography) before taking photos

Don’t

  • Do not step on the threshold of the gate or hall
  • Do not clap as you would at a shrine
  • Do not blow out the incense flame
  • Do not take photos inside the main hall where it is prohibited

These are customs, not rules: nothing happens if you get them wrong, but following them shows respect. Taking photos in a no-photo area will be stopped by staff.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: photoru: How to Visit a Temple

Local customsTemples & religious sitesCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Shrine visits: two bows, two claps, one bow

Do

  • Bow once when you pass through the torii, both coming and going
  • Walk along the sides of the approach; the center is left for the deity
  • At the purification fountain, wash your left hand, then your right, then rinse your mouth
  • At the offering box, ring the bell and make your offering to announce your visit
  • Pray with two bows, two claps, and one bow
  • Where the shrine posts its own instructions, follow them

Don’t

  • Do not walk down the middle of the approach
  • Do not touch the ladle with your lips when rinsing
  • Do not photograph or film in front of the main hall
  • Do not bring drones into the shrine grounds

These are customs, not rules: nothing happens if you get them wrong, but following them shows respect. Bans on photos and drones depend on each shrine's rules.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Two Bows and Two Claps – the Ins and Outs of Shinto Shrines

Local customsTippingCountry-wide guidance · Japan

There is no tipping in Japan

Do

  • Say thank you with 'arigatō gozaimashita'

Don’t

  • Pressing loose change on staff

Japan is a no-tipping country and bills usually include service; if you press a tip on staff, some will politely refuse.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese table manners

Site-specific notes 6

Taken from the "don'ts" on each site page here. Open a site for its full etiquette and background.

Glover Garden

  • Flash photography is banned in most of the Western houses, so watch for the signs at each building's entrance. Don't lean on century-old wooden railings for risky poses, and don't run or fool around on the slopes and stone steps (very slippery in rain). The garden is a cultural-property area, so no smoking or littering. During special events such as the winter illuminations, don't climb over barriers for photos.

Nagasaki Kunchi

  • Do not enter the performance area
  • do not use flash during performances
  • do not be noisy within the shrine grounds

Megane Bridge

  • Riding a bicycle onto the bridge
  • climbing the embankments
  • prying stones loose

Hashima Island (Gunkanjima)

  • Approaching the pier or landing without permission
  • crossing fences or entering dangerous building areas
  • wearing high heels or other unstable shoes on the island
  • bringing pets
  • using an umbrella on the island

Nagasaki Peace Park

  • Don't fool around or pose for fun photos in front of the memorials and the Peace Statue
  • keep quiet

Dejima

  • Don't touch the exhibits in the restored buildings
  • keep quiet when visiting