Tokyo Etiquette Guide

The one idea behind almost all of it

Tokyo can feel like a city with a lot of unwritten rules, but nearly all of them flow from a single courtesy: don't impose on the people around you. In a metropolis this dense, that instinct — meiwaku wo kakenai 迷惑をかけない, roughly "don't be a nuisance to others" — is what keeps thirty-odd million people moving smoothly and pleasantly. Once you see the logic, the specifics stop feeling like a test and start feeling obvious: keep your noise, your bags and your mess from spilling into someone else's space, and you're most of the way there.

It's also worth saying, warmly, that Tokyo is forgiving of visitors. Nobody expects you to perform Japanese etiquette flawlessly, and a clumsy bow or a fumbled chopstick is met with grace, not judgement. The point of learning a few norms isn't to avoid punishment — it's that moving with the grain of the city makes everything easier and more enjoyable, and it's a quiet way of showing respect for a place you've chosen to visit. The notes below are the ones that come up most for travellers.

Tokyo Travel Tips

The practical hub — transport, money, language, luggage and the rest of the trip-planning basics.

Trains, queues and escalators

Tokyo's trains are famously quiet, and that quiet is deliberate. Phone calls are not made on board; set your phone to silent (manā mōdo マナーモード, "manners mode") and keep conversations low. Eating is avoided on commuter trains and the metro (longer-distance and Shinkansen trains are fine). Backpacks come off and are held low or placed on the rack so they don't jab fellow passengers, and you let people off before you board. Priority seats near the doors are for elderly, disabled, pregnant and travelling-with-infant passengers — leave them free if you can.

Queueing is a genuine art here, and a comfort once you trust it. On platforms, painted markings show where the doors will open and people line up neatly behind them; for buses, popular ramen shops, taxi ranks and shop openings, an orderly line forms and is respected. Find the back of the line and you'll never go wrong. On escalators, Tokyo convention is to stand on the left and leave the right side clear for those walking — note this is the reverse of Osaka, which stands on the right. That said, stations and operators increasingly ask everyone to stand still on both sides for safety, so follow the posted signs and the crowd.

• Phones on silent ("manners mode"); no calls on board; keep voices low.
• Let passengers off before boarding; carry backpacks low or on the rack.
• Leave priority seats for those who need them.
• Queue at the door markings on platforms and at shops — find the back of the line.
• Escalators: stand left, walk right in Tokyo (opposite of Osaka) — but follow stand-still signs where posted.

Tokyo Trains & Metro Guide

How the lines, transfers and rush hours actually work — the practical companion to train manners.

Money, shoes and trash

There is no tipping in Japan, and this surprises many visitors. You do not tip in restaurants, taxis or hotels; service is included and offered with care as a matter of course, and leaving extra cash can cause polite confusion as staff try to return it. The graceful thank-you is a word and a small nod, not a gratuity. When paying, you'll often see a small tray by the register — place your cash or card on the tray rather than handing it directly. Many places are cash-friendly even as IC cards and contactless spread, so carry some yen.

Shoes come off more often than you might expect. Watch for a raised step (genkan 玄関) and a shelf of slippers at the entrance to homes, many traditional restaurants and tatami rooms, ryokan, temple interiors you enter, and some clinics and changing areas — the step up is the signal to switch from shoes to slippers (and to swap again for special toilet slippers in some places, which you then leave in the toilet). Tidy socks without holes are worth packing for exactly this reason.

Public bins are genuinely scarce in Tokyo, a hangover from past safety policy, and the streets stay clean anyway because people simply carry their rubbish until they find one — often near convenience stores and vending machines — or take it home. Do the same: pocket your wrapper and dispose of it later, and separate burnable from recyclable where bins are labelled. Eating or drinking while walking is also generally avoided; people step aside to finish a snack near the stall or a vending machine rather than wandering with it.

• No tipping anywhere — service is included; a word and a nod is the thank-you.
• Use the small payment tray at registers; carry cash as well as an IC card.
• Shoes off at the genkan (玄関) step — homes, tatami rooms, ryokan, some restaurants and temple interiors; pack tidy socks.
• Carry your trash until you find a bin; separate burnable from recyclable.
• Avoid eating or drinking while walking — finish a snack by the stall instead.

Money in Tokyo: Cash, Cards & IC

Cash, cards, IC cards and the no-tipping reality — how paying actually works across the city.

Sentō & Onsen in Tokyo

Full bathhouse etiquette — washing first, no swimsuits, the tattoo question and where to bathe.

Baths, temples, shrines and dining

Bathing has its own etiquette, and it matters because the baths are communal. At an onsen 温泉 (hot spring) or a neighbourhood sentō 銭湯 (public bathhouse), you bathe naked — no swimsuits — and the cardinal rule is that you wash and rinse thoroughly at the seated shower stations before you get into the shared bath, which is for soaking in clean. Your small towel never goes in the water (rest it on your head or the side), and the changing and bathing areas are split by gender. One honest heads-up: tattoos are still barred at some baths because of their historical associations, so if you have ink, check the bath's policy ahead, look for tattoo-friendly facilities, or use a cover sticker where allowed. Our bathhouse guide covers all of this in depth.

At temples and shrines, a little awareness goes a long way. At a shrine torii gate, a slight bow as you pass is customary, and many people walk slightly to the side rather than straight up the centre, traditionally reserved as the deity's path. Use the water pavilion (temizuya 手水舎) to rinse hands and mouth before approaching. To pray at a shrine, the common form is a small coin offering, two bows, two claps, a quiet moment, and a final bow; at Buddhist temples you don't clap — you press hands together quietly. Keep your voice low, don't photograph where signs forbid it (often inside main halls), and dress with a little modesty. These are living places of worship, not just sights.

Dining manners are mostly common sense plus a few specifics. Many places greet you with a hot or cool towel (oshibori おしぼり) for your hands — not your face. Say itadakimasu いただきます before eating and gochisōsama ごちそうさま after if you like; it's a warm touch. With chopsticks, never stand them upright in rice or pass food chopstick-to-chopstick (both echo funeral rites); rest them on the holder between bites. Slurping noodles is fine and even appreciated. Pour drinks for your companions rather than yourself in a group, and don't tip. For sushi counters specifically, there's a little more — see our dedicated etiquette note.

• Baths: wash thoroughly first, no swimsuits, keep the towel out of the water; check tattoo policies ahead.
• Shrines: bow at the torii, rinse at the temizuya, then coin–two bows–two claps–bow; temples — hands together, no clapping.
• Don't photograph where signs forbid it (often inside halls); keep your voice low at places of worship.
• Chopsticks: never upright in rice, never pass food point-to-point; rest them on the holder.
• Slurping noodles is fine; pour drinks for others in a group; and remember — no tipping.

Tokyo Sushi Etiquette

The finer points of the sushi counter — ordering, soy sauce, timing and omakase manners.

Best Temples & Shrines in Tokyo

Where to put this temple and shrine etiquette to use, by area and crowd level.

Do I tip in Tokyo restaurants and taxis?

No. There is no tipping in Japan, and this surprises many visitors. You don't tip in restaurants, taxis or hotels; service is included and offered with care as a matter of course, and leaving extra cash can cause polite confusion as staff try to return it.

The graceful thank-you is a word and a small nod, not a gratuity. When paying, you'll often see a small tray by the register — place your cash or card on the tray rather than handing it directly to the staff.

Which side of the escalator do I stand on in Tokyo?

In Tokyo, the convention is to stand on the left and leave the right side clear for people walking — note this is the reverse of Osaka, which stands on the right. Finding the correct side quickly is one of the small things that helps you move with the grain of the city.

That said, stations and operators increasingly ask everyone to stand still on both sides for safety, so follow any posted signs and the behaviour of the crowd around you.

When do I take my shoes off in Japan?

Shoes come off more often than visitors expect. Watch for a raised step (genkan 玄関) and a shelf of slippers at the entrance — that step up is the signal to switch from shoes to slippers. It applies at homes, many traditional restaurants and tatami rooms, ryokan, temple interiors you enter, and some clinics and changing areas.

In some places you'll swap again for special toilet slippers, which you then leave in the toilet rather than wearing back out. Packing tidy socks without holes is worth it for exactly these moments.

How do I pray properly at a shrine versus a temple?

At a Shinto shrine, the common form is a small coin offering, two bows, two claps, a quiet moment, then a final bow (ni-rei ni-hakushu ichi-rei, 'two bows, two claps, one bow'). Before approaching, rinse your hands and mouth at the water pavilion (temizuya 手水舎), and a slight bow as you pass through the torii gate is customary.

At a Buddhist temple, you do not clap — instead you press your hands together quietly in front of you. At both, keep your voice low, dress with a little modesty, and don't photograph where signs forbid it (often inside main halls). These are living places of worship, not just sights.

Why are there so few public bins in Tokyo, and what do I do with my trash?

Public bins are genuinely scarce in Tokyo, a hangover from past safety policy, yet the streets stay remarkably clean because people simply carry their rubbish until they find one — often near convenience stores and vending machines — or take it home. Do the same: pocket your wrapper and dispose of it later, and separate burnable from recyclable where bins are labelled.

Relatedly, eating or drinking while walking is generally avoided. People step aside to finish a snack near the stall or a vending machine rather than wandering with it.