If you are planning to come to Japan, you might want to know what to do / NOT to do. I would share the manners that Japanese people have on the train.
* Those are “manner”s, not rules.
Train in Japan
Trains are very important transportation in Japan, especially around big cities.
Most of people use a train to go to work and that’s why it is super crowded in the morning/evening when people go to work and go back home.
Put your bag in front of you or on shelf
Your backpack or luggage could bother someone around you unconsciously when it’s crowded.
Announcement on the train says “hold your bag in front of you or put it on the shelf”
No Eat/Drink
Usually, people don’t eat/drink on the train.
But also it’s ok to eat/drink if it doesn’t bother others like strong smell, spill it, getting drunk, etc.
No talk on the phone
This is very different from subway in NY though, usually you can NOT talk on the phone in Japan.
If you want, you need to take off the train.
The priority seats
There are priority seats, usually the edge of each car.
This is for old people, the people who have disabilities, the person who has a little kid, and pregnancy women.
You can sit down on these seats, but you need to give them yours if there is someone who need it.
Pregnancy women
How can people recognize if someone is on their pregnancy?
We have a sign for that.
If you can see the mark, she is pregnant. Please give her a seat if possible 🙂
Invisible disease
In addition, there are people who have invisible disease, we also have sign for that.
This red cross means they need to sit down, so please be nice to them if possible.
Turn off your phone around the priority seats
Some people may have a “path maker” for their heart, and it doesn’t work well if the devices like cellphone is nearby.
Women’s Only car
This might sound a bit strange, but we have a women’s only car on specific time to prevent women from molestation.
It really depends on each train company/line, some does and the other doesn’t.
But you can see the sign on platform or windows on train.
As i said, these are manners not rules. It is up to you to follow it or not.
Although in my opinion, it would feel nice to make comfortable room for others on the train, and to be kind to someone 🙂
