Tag - manners

 
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July 02, 2026
 

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MANNERS

Japanese fans hold up their blue plastic bags before the start of the Group F match against Tunisia at the 2026 World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 20.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2026
The spotless World Cup stadium and the ‘unseen sink’
OECD data place Japanese men among the least domestically active in the developed world.
Tourists take photographs of Japanese macaques, commonly referred to as "snow monkeys," taking an open-air hot spring bath at the Jigokudani Monkey Park in the town of Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture, in February last year.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2026
Japan ‘snow monkey’ park to cap visitors after overcrowding and bad behavior
As the number of tourists snowballed, so did instances of bad behavior, such as trying to feed or touch the monkeys.
In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, <i>aruki-sumaho</i> — walking while using a smartphone — has become a persistent safety concern as commuters navigate crowded stations and sidewalks while focused on their devices.
JAPAN / Society / First person
Jun 21, 2026
Distracted walkers in Japan are a real safety risk. My mother knows firsthand.
Despite years of awareness campaigns, aruki-sumaho — walking while using a smartphone — remains widespread and difficult to stop.
A "customer harassment" prevention awareness poster at the entrance of an Aoki Super supermarket in Aichi Prefecture
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Chubu
Jun 15, 2026
‘Customer harassment’ continues in Japan despite moves to end it
While ordinances have been helping many businesses across the nation to combat “customer harassment,” they haven’t been a silver bullet for such abuse.
The Chinese embassy in Tokyo in November
JAPAN / Society
Mar 4, 2026
Chinese Embassy in Japan issues warning against ‘bumpers’ after viral video
The call for vigilance comes as Tokyo was pushing back against Beijing’s claims that Japan’s safety environment is deteriorating.
A litter prevention warden draws circles around feces using yellow chalk at Kaiseizan Park in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 5.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Jan 19, 2026
A Fukushima city launches Operation Yellow Chalk to battle dog fouling
The Koriyama Municipal Government hopes to prompt dog owners to voluntarily pick up dog feces and raise awareness of manners.
The Amtrak Cascades line provides service along the Pacific Northwest from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Eugene, Oregon.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jan 19, 2026
Shinkansen vs. Amtrak and the lost art of small talk
After years steeped in the sacred silence of the shinkansen, a Japan Times staffer returns stateside and gets his sea legs with small talk aboard Amtrak.
The Justice Ministry is assessing the impact of tougher penalties for the crime of insult.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 10, 2025
Japan assessing impact of tougher penalties for insults
The Justice Ministry is assessing through an expert panel the impact of tougher penalties for the crime of insult three years after their enforcement through a penal code revision.
A boy looks at samples of Pokemon toys available with the McDonald's Happy Meal set in Tokyo earlier this month.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 28, 2025
How to complain politely: Lessons from the McDonald’s Pokemon debacle
In Japan, the right phrasing can mean the difference between a request and harassment.
Though Kyotoites play down their reputation for not meaning what they say, there are certain phrases you should look out for if you’re invited to a home.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 20, 2025
How to get kicked out of a Kyoto home with a smile
In Kyoto, a polite offer of tea might really mean “please leave.” Learn how to decode Kansai’s indirect dialect through a few phrases.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on April 20
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 29, 2025
FIA president considering ‘improvements’ to swearing rules
Competitors in rallying and Formula One have been at loggerheads with the Emirati over a crackdown on bad language during events.
The Great Wall of China near Beijing. Two Japanese tourists were detained in China for taking photos showing exposed buttocks at the World Heritage site.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2025
China deports Japanese tourists over Great Wall buttocks pic, reports state
The tourists reportedly told the Japanese embassy they did it as a prank.
Tokyo’s notoriously crowded trains and train stations can be stressful for many. Unfortunately, the ぶつかり男 (butsukari otoko, bumping man) takes his stress out on others through shoving, elbowing and shoulder checks.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 31, 2025
Mind the gap — and the shoulder checking: Dealing with pushy people in Japan’s crowded spaces
Knowing what to say in the moment is good, knowing how to report it to the authorities is even better.
Kumiko Shichijo provides tips on Japanese etiquette and manners on Instagram and says videos on gift-giving and hand towels have done particularly well.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 29, 2024
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
Worried about committing a social faux pas while in Japan? This manners expert hopes to help you be your most polite while out and about.
With Labor Thanksgiving Day approaching in Japan, it's a good time to show some appreciation to your colleagues.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 20, 2024
You don’t need an onion bouquet to say thanks — just the right words
Nov. 23 is Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan and Nov. 28 is Thanksgiving in the United States. That makes it a good time to learn how to show your appreciation.
Max Verstappen described his recent punishment for swearing during a news conference as "silly."
SPORTS
Sep 23, 2024
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen says ‘silly’ swearing penalty could hasten F1 exit
The Red Bull driver was sanctioned by the FIA after swearing during Thursday’s drivers’ news conference, which was being broadcast live.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen speaks during a news conference in Singapore on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 20, 2024
Max Verstappen riled up by call for F1 drivers to swear less
Mercedes’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton took issue with the FIA’s comparison to rappers, saying there was a “racial element” at play.
A new rule of having prison officers use honorifics when addressing inmates sparked apprehension when it was introduced in April. Three months later, a prison officer said the rule helps avoid situations where older inmates might not feel comfortable being called by their names without honorifics by officers fresh out of school.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 15, 2024
Prison officers and inmates warm up to rule on use of honorifics
Since April, a new rule requires prison officers to use the honorifics san and kun when addressing inmates by their last names.
As the world marks World No Tobacco Day on Friday, debate is growing over passive smoking in one crucial space that remains unregulated: private homes.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 30, 2024
In Japan, neighborly debates light up over secondhand smoke
Passive smoking has become a concern because many people live in multiunit apartment buildings or small houses with little space between them.
The Japanese word "hanami," literally means “flower viewing.” But, a hanami gathering is more than that: It can be a picnic, a drinking party or an occasion to read poetry.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 15, 2024
We invite you to get ready for this year’s cherry blossom parties
Asking people to a party is made easy in Japanese with a few basic sentence structures. Taking your leave from a party is just as simple.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men&#039;s restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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