green_train_jr_train_train_station_train_nara_japan_transportation_vehicle-japanese train etiquette do and donts

All Blog Posts, Etiquette in Japan

The 8 Mortal Sins: Japanese Train Etiquette

Please the Japanese Train Etiquette Gods by Knowing the 8 Mortal Sins of Train Travel in Japan!

There are some simple things that one should know when moving, traveling or teleporting to Japan. When you ride the train, you should be aware of some simple etiquette. If you fail to do so, you’ll not only get weird, odd and sometimes mean looking faces staring at you, but soon after getting off the train, a ninja may or may not lobe off your head… of course it all depends on what you failed to understand when it comes to etiquette on Japanese trains.

So here are the do’s and don’ts when it comes to riding the Japanese train ways!

Or the ‘How to Ride Trains in Japan’ … or ‘How to Not SIN in Japan’

Here’s a quickie for those that may not believe in the Japanese Train Gods. This is similar to those who don’t believe in god (Christian), yet still show up to church on Christmas Eve. So take it kind of like that for those.. Not so sure about these legendary beings!

Waiting in Line at the Trains and Letting Passengers Off

Make sure you stand in the right line when getting on the train. There will be markers and writing on the ground to let you know where to stand. When the train finally arrives, it’s best to stand off to the side while the passengers depart. Just make sure you get it right…. those train gods can be hard on foreigners, but it’s only so they get it right! Just like a strict parent.

Don’t Chikan and Watch out For Women-Only Train Cars + Real Etiquette

First of all, it should be rather known, NOT to grab a bunch of butts while in a crammed train car. So I shouldn’t need to go into that, but if you are unaware, this is a major problem in Japan. It’s called Chikan, it’s where a man (mostly) will grab butts and whatever else he can while everyone is smashed in like sardines.

They do this because overall, they know they can get away with it and no one will know, except the chikan’ed (new word?). But because of this there are a growing number of all women train cars emerging. Just make sure you are a woman if you got on one, otherwise, you may get beat up.

But to finalize this section off, let me share some real train etiquette, because, honestly you should know not to be grabbing people on their who’who’s and ha’ha’s on the train.

Do not put makeup on or get dress or ready for work or school on the train, it’s considered a bad omen, and someone may just have to smack you up side your head for doing it. So keep that in mind, do all your getting ready before getting on the train.

Don’t smoke on the Train..

Now days, smoking in public places is not illegal in many parts of Japan. You will end up with an annoyance called a fine if you get ratted out, and trust me, you will. It’s so well known that you do not smoke on the train that they don’t have any signs or recordings tell you not to do it!

There are many times smoking rooms in the stations where you are allowed to smoke. I guess the best bet is… if you don’t see a go ahead and smoke sign. Don’t do it. There will be available smoking rooms and areas not only in stations, but at festivals and in public areas.

Do not eat or drink on the train

There is no eating or drinking in the cars. Wait until you leave the train to continue on munching… as stated above there are certain trains you can eat on, but for overall purpose trains, it’s not recommended… that is all 😛

When Waiting for the Train – Wait BEHIND the Yellow Line.

The yellow line is also called the ‘suicide line’. It’s basically a no go when waiting for the train, do not step over it. It’s also got bumps on it so the blind know it’s there as well. This is also on Japanese sidewalks as well.

No talkie on cell phony!

This is most likely one of the most known rules by foreigners when they hear train etiquette, but that doesn’t mean they still listen to it. It’s best to finish up your call before the train arrives, and if you get on the train while still on the phone, you have a couple more seconds to wrap it up before you literally waken the Japanese train gods and horribly upset them.

But, there are loop holes to the Japanese train gods etiquette rules on the train. You can answer a phone call long enough to let the person know that you are on the train and that you can call them back once you arrive at your station you are getting off on.

It’s best to always have your phone on silent mode. The Japanese actually call this ‘Manner Mode’. There are many message announcements in both Japanese and English that will remind you to have your phone on ‘Manner Mode’.

Trains overall are quiet. So any noise that erupts from a phone will be noticeable.

Give up your seat for Pregnant, Handicapped, Injured, Older Individuals and People with Young Children

This is pretty simple and it comes down to giving up your seat to individuals who more so need your seat then you do. There are priority seating areas on the trains, but many times these people will not use these seats. It’s because of the politeness factor and the ‘I don’t want to be a bother’ syndrome in Japan that this happens.

But either way, there will come a time when these select few of heroes come on to the train and will need your seat. Many times you will know they want your seat by staring at you. If you ask them if they want the seat, they will pull the ‘I don’t want to be a bother card’, but don’t pay any attention to their ‘no it’s okay’s’ just give them your seat. This will make the Japanese train etiquette gods very happy and you will not be slain when you leave the train.

Instead, you’ll be allowed to live another day and you get 1 free get out of jail card which can be used when you accidentally break one of these train etiquette rules! Pretty useful for not being struck down later in your train riding career.

Being Gross and Riding the Train = 3 Public Lashings

Just because there is a lack of deodorant in Japan doesn’t mean you want to me sticking it up in a cramped train. In fact I just watched a very interesting video that explains the reasons Japan doesn’t have very much deodorant in Japan to choose from, and it basically comes down to genetics. Check it out here.

But when it comes down to it, be aware of your stinkiness. Best bet would be to carry some kind of deodorant with you while you travel about Japan especially on the trains! But overall, be sure to avoid heavy metals in your deodorants as that causes cancer. So be selective with your stink be gones, avoid cancer and please the Japanese train etiquette gods all at once.

So that’s it, you now know these very important religious rules from riding the trains in Japan. You may also want to understand the all important Chopstick Etiquette guidelines in Japan… least you be punished by the Chopstick gods.

Some of this information was gathered from this blog here.

All Blog Posts, Learn Japanese

Top 10 Japanese Words to Learn

Easy Japanese Words and Expressions for Beginners

Learn Japanese Like a Boss,
Build Your Foundation with The Basics

Anybody who plans to go to Japan ought to possess a nodding acquaintance using the vocabulary to be able to communicate the locals a bit more bearably. It was discovered out that 75% vacationers who frequent Japan have no understanding of Japanese at all. And if you believe it or not, even the easy words that are utilized daily by the locals. These guests frequently discover it difficult to interact with the native Japanese people, particularly when they are lost or if they want some thing done for them.

These are in my opinion the top 10 Japanese words (categories more so) that can help you while you’re in Japan.

1. Yes and No

These are no brainers when you get down to, you should at least know these words right?

The word for ‘Yes’ is ‘hai‘ (sounds similar to the word ‘high’ but a more pronounced and strong ended)

The word for ‘No’ is ‘iie‘ (which pronounced is ‘E..A’ basically)

It’s better to always answer in a specifics then hand gestures or nodding in Japan.

2. Greetings in Japanese

Japan is a very polite place and it’s known for it’s greetings. Knowing these simple greetings through out the day is a great start to speaking simple Japanese.

• “Ohayou Gozaimasu” is used before about 10:30 am in the morning

• “Kon-nichiwa” — is used after 10:30 am for good afternoon

• “Konbanwa” — is used for Good Evening

• “Oyasuminasai” — this is used for when you or someone is leaving late at night, or going to sleep. For family you can simply say ‘Oyasumi‘

3. Is it Arigato or Arigato Gozaimasu?

“Arigatou” is brief for thank you. The total type is “Arigatou Gozaimasu“. A few of the locals make use of the slang “domo” once they are inside a hurry.

Arigatou (Ah-ri-ga-tou) (R’s are pronounced like an R and L put together) is thank you. But there is a way to make it more polite and by doing so you just have to add ‘Gozaimasu‘ (Go-Zai-Mas). You can also use ‘domo‘ but it’s mostly for in a hurry or for family.

4.Oh Excuse me, “Sumimasen”

If you happen to bump into someone slightly on a train or while walking about you would the word ‘Sumimasen‘ (Sue-Me-Mas-Sen). You can also use this word to get someones attention, which you could then use to ask a question. You would ‘gomenasai‘ if you ran into someone really hard or hurt someone, or did something a bit more abrasive then what you would ‘sumimasen‘ for.

5. Asking for certain things in Japan

Here is a list of commonly asked question statements you can use while traveling in Japan.

• ‘Korewa nan desuka?‘ — asking what a particular object is

• ‘Wa doko desuka?‘ — asking for path or direction

• ‘Nanji desuka?‘ — asking for the present time

• ‘Ikura desuka‘ — just how much will be the item/service? (monetary)

6. Time to say goodbye – “Sayonara”

This is the most ‘Goodbye’ word in Japanese, there are many other words that indicate a fair-well, but ‘Sayonara‘ (saw-yo-na-ra) (remember the r+l pronounciation) is for if you are leaving for a long while (mostly).

You can use ‘jane‘ (Jah-Nay) for friends and for short goodbyes if you will. If you are saying goodbye to a teacher or boss you would use ‘Dewa Mata‘ (Day-Wah Ma-Ta).

7. “Tasukete” — ‘Help’

This word is another way to ask for assistance or to make it simple it’s the word for ‘Help’, similar to ‘Sumimasen’, but it’s mostly used to request for assistance with something in particular you in the present time need assistance with. ‘Tasukete‘ (Tah-Su-Kay-Tay)

8. Pretty Please with Sugar on Top! … okay just please…

There are a few ways you can say please in Japan. One way is by saying ‘Dozo‘ (Doe-Zoh), which is mostly used to request an action from someone, like. Come inside, please drink, please eat.

You can also use ‘Zehi‘ (Zeh-He) to express hope and request. (this is a little advanced, just ‘know it’ for now)

But when in doubt use ‘Onegai shimasu‘ (Oh-nay-guy shi-mas) for please when asking for something.

9. “Wakarimasen”

When beginning to speak Japanese you will be slow to hear words and to speak them, you can say “Wakarimasen” when being talked to and you don’t understand what they are saying. It means basically ‘I don’t know/I don’t understand). (Wa-Ka-ri-Mas-Sen).

10. Bathroom

To avoid leaving a mess in your pants, the best way to ask for a bathroom in Japan is to say “Toire wa doko desuka?”

To-e-ray wa do-ko des-ka

‘Toire‘ is toilet
‘Wa‘ is a particle for is in this case
‘Doko‘ is where
and ‘desu‘ indicates that the ‘wa‘ is used as an ‘is’
and ‘ka‘ is a statement of a question.

‘Toilet where is?‘

If you are ready to learn more basic Japanese I highly suggest checking out my favorite free learning source ‘Nihongo Master’ or you can check out my article on all my favorite learning sites for Japanese online.

All Blog Posts, News in Japan

Ever See a Albino Sea Cucumber?

Fukuoka Aquarium’s Albino Sea Cucumber

FUKUOKA – A rare white namako (sea cucumber) has wowed visitors to an aquarium in the city of Fukuoka recently, prompting many to make their wish for good luck on the marine creature.

The white sea cucumber is thought to be an albino, with its pigments mutated for unexpected reasons. The rare marine life recently debuted at the Marine World at Uminonakamichi aquarium in Fukuoka.

Aquarium official Takumi Orii pitched the new exhibit, saying: “It may bring good luck. We’d like people to come and see it.”

The namako is about 15 cm long and weighs 75 grams. A local fisherman found it in January and offered it to the aquarium.

With the assistance of aquarium staff, visitors can even “feel” the namako by touching it, the aquarium said.

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