I tried in various languages to explain to an Asian gentleman that it wasn’t ok in Japan to have your phone set to speaker phone and to be speaking loudly into it on a crowded train. He only seemed to take this as a need to move away from me. Which was not my intention. To prevent a dislike of tourists, I wish the Japanese government, and other organizations, would educate tourists more. As an owner of a couple of guest houses here, I hope that Japanese will welcome tourists, not be upset and annoyed by them. Maybe at my guest houses we should have a do’s and don’ts in Japan poster.

You cannot act like you do at home while you are in Japan. It is a quiet country in general. You cannot talk loudly on the phone in Japan.

You are supposed to restrict yourself. There are people from certain countries where it seems to be ok to be loud. Japan isn’t one of these countries.

You should do your best to fit in. You will notice that the Japanese tend to speak quietly. You should too.

Watch how the Japanese act. Try to be like them in Japan or you could find that you are no longer welcome.

Japan should do more to educate the Chinese and other nationalities on how to best behave in Japan. It will make relations between everyone smoother.