Watching a video about the negative impacts of tourism in Kyoto called Are Kyoto Locals Sick of “Tourists”?

The host of Tokyo Lens, Norm Nakamura, pointed out that Japan has a lot of cultural norms and rules that don’t exist in other countries such as:

• No smoking on public streets
• Stand to the side when standing on an escalator
• No eating while walking
• Don’t touch Sakura trees
• Wear your backpack on the front when riding a crowded bus
• No sitting on the steps to the temple or eating food there

He also said that it could be hard to remember all of the rules, even if you were a Japanese local. He suggested that if you’re visiting you should defer to behaving in the same way that everyone else around you is doing.

Some particularly bad behavior include:

• The harassing of others in public transit
• Littering
• Public urination