Kusatsu Onsen

Kusatsu Onsen as a day trip from Tokyo? Japanese regulars say stay the night — 8 of the 200 top comments say so, and the bus is ~4.5 hours each way.

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No: every onboard smoking room on the shinkansen closed in March 2024. Japanese riders mostly welcomed it, 69 likes on the top comment. Where they smoke.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Kagura's adult day pass is 7,500 yen this season. Japanese skiers on the 30,000 yen day, who has quit, and the small local hills they name instead.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?".

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Japan put front-carried backpacks on its rail nuisance list. In the top 100 of 305 comments, commuters say the back is worse (60 likes) and skip the rack.

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Why do Japanese people wear masks? In the top 200 of 11,939 comments the top reason (8,684 likes) is a face they'd rather hide — and when it comes off.

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Is it rude to wear sunglasses in Japan? No rule or law bans them — the pushback is social, aimed at customer-facing staff. Drivers: 844 likes for safety.

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Two claps is the safe default — but in an 849-comment thread under a Shinto priest's video, Japanese visitors name shrines that clap four, five, even 17.

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Japan pulled its public bins — in the top 123 of 155 comments Japanese viewers call terrorism the excuse, not the reason. Plus where they put rubbish now.

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Do you need a Suica card in Japan? Yes — but 665 comments explain why no IC card crosses Japan's fare regions in one tap, and the workarounds riders use.

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Can you refuse otoshi? In the top 200 of 1,255 comments the rule is: decline the dish, still pay the seat charge — plus the izakaya chains with none.

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Top 200 of 615 comments on why ekiben are vanishing: Japanese riders blame 30-second stops and sealed windows — and split on whether they're worth it.

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Japan's railways now ask riders to stand on both sides and not walk — and 1,549 comments show why it hasn't stuck: hatred of single-file queues.

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Is the JR Pass worth it after the roughly 70% hike? The Japanese verdict tourists rarely hear: it was too cheap all along (116 and 115 likes).

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633 comments on unbooked use of the shinkansen's oversized-luggage space — the top reply (575 likes) likens it to parking in someone else's spot.

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Japanese riders back the phase-out of shinkansen unreserved cars, and share the tactic that works: "only ever board at the origin station" (519 likes).

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