Japan Travel Tips: What Japanese People Actually Say
From Japanese YouTube comments, translated into English
- What Travelers Ask About Japan vs What Japanese Say
We logged 755 Japan travel questions asked on Reddit in 18 days. Most ask if an itinerary is right. Almost none ask what Japanese threads argue about.
- Can You Take a Stroller on Trains in Japan? Riders Answer
Yes, and Japan's official stroller mark says you needn't fold it. But 525 likes say a Tokyo rush-hour train has no room to yield: ride off-peak.
525 likes
- Is It Rude to Blow Your Nose in Japan? Japanese Answer
Blowing your nose at the table is rude in Japan, but Japanese commenters say sniffling is worse: 353 likes on that complaint, 184 want it called out here.
2,687 likes
- How to Get a Taxi in Japan: What Drivers Ask You Not to Do
Order one taxi app, not two: the request Japanese drivers repeat (335 likes) in a 796-comment thread, plus why no cab comes at all outside the big cities.
335 likes
- Can You Drink and Cycle in Japan? What Japanese Riders Say
Can you drink and cycle in Japan? No. It has been a crime since November 2024, and 896 riders lost car licenses in 2025. What Japanese riders say.
441 likes
- Narita Express or Skyliner? What Japanese Riders Pick
Narita Express or Skyliner? Japanese riders pick by where you sleep, not the stopwatch: 202 likes for Tokyo Station's deep platform and the luggage math.
202 likes
- Do You Need Cash in Japan? Why Cheap Shops Refuse Cards
Do you still need cash in Japan? Japanese shoppers say yes at cheap supermarkets and small owner-run shops, and 928 likes explain why: card fees.
928 likes
- Hiroshima to Tokyo: Shinkansen or Plane? The 4-Hour Rule
Hiroshima to Tokyo by train or plane? Japanese riders pick the shinkansen, and the top answer (141 likes) is not about speed. Plus the airport they use.
141 likesWhere to go instead →
- Night Bus or Shinkansen in Japan? What Japanese Riders Pick
Night bus or shinkansen? Japanese riders' top answer (880 likes) is the Sunrise sleeper train. Why bus fans still ride, and the seat rule they insist on.
880 likes
- Do Japanese People Still Ski? Lift Prices Priced Them Out
Kagura's adult day pass was 7,500 yen in 2025-26. Japanese skiers on the 30,000 yen day, who has quit, and the small local hills they name instead.
132 likesWhere to go instead →
- What Is Open in Japan During New Year? The Japanese Answer
A TV report on New Year shop closures drew 477 likes for "let's just take New Year off." Which Japanese supermarkets shut, which stay open, what to buy.
477 likes
- Can You Buy Food on the Shinkansen? The Cart Is Gone
The Tokaido Shinkansen trolley is gone. Japanese riders say they had already quit it: the top answer (137 likes) is to buy at the station before you board.
192 likes
- Is It Rude to Talk on the Phone on a Train in Japan?
1,961 Japanese comments on why you can't talk on the phone on trains in Japan: it's volume, not law (979 likes), and what riders do when it rings.
1,260 likes
- Can You Use Convenience Store Toilets in Japan? The Rule
2,827 Japanese comments on whether you must buy something to use a konbini toilet: the 979-like rule, what counts, and why some stores now refuse.
1,514 likes
- Do You Need a Helmet to Cycle in Japan? The Real Rule
Japan's bike helmet rule is an "effort duty" with no fine — under a day-one news report, 75 likes say: make it mandatory and we'll wear one. Most don't.
95 likes
- How Much to Put in a Japanese Shrine Offering Box
A shrine asked visitors to stop offering 1-yen coins. Top 200 of 3,545 comments: Japanese say start at 10 yen (648 likes) — and why coins cost shrines.
3,696 likes
- Can You Ride a Bike on the Sidewalk in Japan? 2026 Fines
Japan now fines sidewalk cycling ¥6,000. Under a TV explainer of the 2026 rules, 1,927 likes say the roads are too narrow to obey it — plus the workaround.
1,927 likes
- Is It Rude to Recline Your Seat on the Shinkansen?
English guides say ask first. In an 824-comment thread Japanese riders say don't ask — announce. Top comment (239 likes): "I'm reclining", not "may I?".
239 likes