Tokyo etiquette essentials

Shoes, floors and slippers

Any raised floor is a no-shoe zone. At a ryokan, a temple hall, a traditional restaurant or someone’s home, stop at the genkan (the sunken entry), step out of your shoes, and step up without putting your socks on the lower level. Point your shoes toward the door or put them in the locker provided. House slippers are for corridors; take them off before stepping onto tatami. Toilet slippers live in the toilet and go nowhere else, a mistake every visitor makes once. Slip-on shoes and socks without holes make all of this painless.

Onsen, sento and tattoos

The bathing routine is the same everywhere: undress completely in the changing room, wash thoroughly at the seated showers before entering the water, keep your small towel out of the bath (fold it on your head), tie up long hair, and do not swim, splash or take photos. Baths are usually gender-separated and swimsuits are not worn. Drink water first; the baths are hot.

Tattoos are the complication. Many onsen and hotel baths still refuse tattooed guests, or require small ones to be covered with skin-colored patches sold at drugstores. Neighborhood sento (public bathhouses, around ¥550 in Tokyo) are generally relaxed about it, as are a growing number of tattoo-friendly onsen listed on sites like Tattoo Friendly. For a sure thing, book a private bath (kashikiri) or a hotel room with its own tub.

Queues, trash and streets

Tokyo queues for everything: the train, the elevator, the ramen shop, the escalator. Find the end of the line and the painted markings, and never cut. On escalators, stand on the left and leave the right free, even though signs ask everyone to stand still on both sides.

Public bins almost do not exist, a legacy of the 1995 subway attack. Carry a small bag for your trash and empty it at a konbini bin (for things bought there), at a station, or back at your hotel. Separate burnables from bottles and cans when bins have slots. Eating while walking is frowned upon; eat where you bought it or find a bench. Smoking on the street is banned in most wards; look for the designated smoking areas.

Phones, voices and chopsticks

Trains are silent. Phones on manner mode, no calls, headphones that do not leak. The same applies in restaurants and lobbies: a loud conversation stands out more than a tattoo. On the street, people do not speak to strangers much, but “sumimasen” (excuse me) opens any door.

With chopsticks: never stick them upright in rice and never pass food from your chopsticks to someone else’s, as both echo funeral rituals. Do not spear food, point with them or wave them. Rest them on the holder or across the bowl. Slurping noodles is fine and expected. Pouring your own drink at a group table is slightly off; pour for others and someone will pour for you.

Small things that register

Money goes in the tray at the register, not in the cashier’s hand. A slight bow with a thank-you returns most courtesies. Blow your nose in private, not at the table. Step to the side of doors and escalators to check your phone. None of these rules are enforced, and visitors get generous leeway. Follow the half dozen above and you will be treated as a guest rather than a tourist.