Cell phones are incredible devices. Never have billions of people been so immediately reachable, so interconnected with one another. And yet, despite how they unify us, we all use our phones in wildly different ways and contexts.
Japan is a country with many rules. There is no need to worry too much if you do not know all of them, as most of them are manners and not criminal offenses! But you will probably notice some differences between Japan and the rest of the world for etiquette on public transport.
This article will talk about one specific rule, which is that on public transport you should not talk on your phone. If you travel by subway or train in all areas of Japan (even busy and crowded cities such as Tokyo and Osaka) you will probably notice everyone is quiet. People will not talk on their phone, and will even rarely talk to one another.
If someone is talking on their phone loudly, it is likely they will get a few judgemental looks! Similarly, if someone’s phone rings loudly, it is an embarrassing ten seconds of fumbling to quickly silence their phone. Japanese society is all about not invading other people’s own space and privacy, and refraining from talking on the phone on public transport is just one representation among others.
We cannot overstate how important privacy is in Japan, and how Japanese people take it. In public places, people are expected to consider how they are invading people’s privacy and should refrain from doing so.
It is regarded as an actual invasion of privacy for someone to have a private conversation on the phone if there are others around who can hear what is being said and are therefore forced to listen. On trains and buses in Japan, people are using their travel time to sleep, think, work, or just calmly sit and read. Many people work long hours and are under constant stress.
The train or bus ride remained a quiet moment, lived as a kind of “decompression chamber” between private and professional life. Therefore, do not be surprised if you get a few dirty looks while talking on the phone on public transport. Sometimes, someone may even confront you and gesture for you to finish your conversation.
Related to the need for an expectation of privacy for each individual, there is also the fact in Japanese society, people keep themselves to themselves. They often won’t get involved in public disputes, listen to other people’s conversations, or get involved in other people’s business.
Equally, if a person is having a public dispute with someone, they would expect no one to intervene nor to make the situation even more complicated it is already. Obviously, this is a controversial part of Japanese society.
There have been reported cases of women being sexually harassed publicly on public transport, with people not getting involved even though most people would agree they would need help.
As a tourist traveling through Japan, adhering to all of the Japanese etiquettes can be difficult, so I hope this has helped at least to clear up the etiquette around making or taking phone calls when using public transport in Japan.
