Originally Answered: Is it impolite in Japan to use mobile phone in public transportation such as train and bus? Yes, it is considered a bad manner. The consensus is that you are sharing the time and space with everyone there, so you are expected to be considerate by not making noise others would not care for.
Using your phone on the train or bus anywhere except near the priority seat area is acceptable as long as you are not using it for talking. Texting, emailing, gaming, listening to music or watching videos is fine as long as you are using headphones and the sound is not disturbing passengers around you.
Not Being Noisy on the Train is an Iron Rule
There is no rule against talking in the train car, but if your conversation is loud enough to be heard by those around you, it is considered rude and annoying. Japanese consider discussing private matters in public to be unseemly and rude.
If you're on public transit and have to take an important call that can't wait, keep it short and as quiet as you can. Don't get overly personal in your conversation either—no one needs to hear you describe symptoms to your doctor or tear your significant other a new one on their morning commute.
Japan's problems in urban transportation are similar to those of most Western nations with regard to such issues as rapid urbanization, growth in travel, increasing auto ownership, growing transit operating deficits, rising wages and air pollution.
Congestion is also the biggest problem in road transportation. It results from the shortage of facilities to meet the growing demand. The TMA has 230 km of urban expressways (toll roads) and roads and streets in central Tokyo are under a wide-area traffic control to ensure smooth flow.
Traffic congestion and parking difficulties. Congestion is one of the most prevalent transport challenges in large urban agglomerations. Although congestion can occur in all cities, it is particularly prevalent in those above a threshold of about 1 million inhabitants.
Etiquette expert Jo Bryant added if you need to answer your phone, “keep it quiet and quick, and arrange a better time to chat”. She also said to keep face-to-face conversations “to a low volume”.
As long as you don't make any noise, it's ok except around the priority seats (to not affect pacemakers). As for talking on the phone, it's not a rude or polite kind of matter.
Talking with other passengers and answering calls from your mobile devices are prohibited throughout your train journey to avoid possible droplet transmission. Also, face masks must always be worn properly while inside the trains for your safety.
Prolonged eye contact (staring) is considered rude. Don't show affection, such as hugging or shoulder slapping, in public. Never beckon with your forefinger. The Japanese extend their right arm out in front, bending the wrist down, waving fingers.
In Japan, crossing one's legs is seen as disrespectful. It is because when you do this you show the bottom of your feet to guests, and since they have picked up dirt, you are showing that dirt to your guests.
Do you need to speak any Japanese to travel around Japan? Absolutely not. You can travel to Japan without learning any of these words and have a great time. People ask us about the Japanese language barrier all the time, with common questions such as, Do Japanese people speak English?
We hold hands and kiss in public often in Japan. The only place we don't kiss is on a train, bus, or subway or at the hot springs. For all couples, same sex or not, it is culturally rude to kiss on the trains or subways or buses.
Talking on the Phone
You can use the phone for texting or surfing the internet, as long as it doesn't make any noise. If you want to listen to music, you should wear headphones.
In Japan, being quiet or calm is considered as a virtue which comes from Samurai period, so in the place, Japanese people tend not to be fond of being too friendly, especially when they talk with strangers.
Talking loudly on public transportation
It's common courtesy to refrain from speaking loudly when using public transportation in Seoul. In fact, most Koreans aren't shy of reprimanding you for being loud – after all, they often use their time on the subway or bus to rest after a day at work.
Can train inspectors wake you up? There is technically no rule against sleeping on trains, but passengers can regularly be woken up by train inspectors. Ticket inspection is one of the main reasons people's sleep is disturbed on public transport.
There is a custom in Japan where most people do not eat food outside other than when in restaurants. However, when using the bullet train or the green car, you are permitted to eat food. Normal trains and people commuting using said trains do not permit the consumption of food whilst riding the train.
"I would do a little wave, like, 'Hi!' ", says Steinberg. "Definitely smile—you just really want to give him the message that you're interested, available, and would like to get to know him a little bit." Subtlety is power, and learn how to take a hint.
Talking on mobile phones at dinner is always going to be rude in our book. If the phone call is urgent, then excuse yourself from the table and take the call outside, but never hold a mobile phone conversation at the table where those you're dining with and others in the restaurant can hear your call.
Under normal pre-COVID-19 conditions, the public transport system is both overcrowded and underused. At times of peak use, passengers are crammed on services or unable to board full trains and trams.
We might be susceptible to sleep while in a car, bus, train, plane, or boat because of multiple factors, including the vibrations and the white noise, the sensations representative of being in the womb, the boredom, or simply the fact that we're tired.
In a recent study at the University of California at Berkley, researchers discovered that commuters are more inclined to stop using public transit if they experience delays which can be blamed on the transit agency. (Most people will forgive other inconveniences such as traffic, emergencies or mechanical failures.)