What do you think about people's manners on trains in Japan?

In general it is pretty good here I think, better than other countries I've been to at least. The biggest issue I can think of (aside from overcrowding, which isn't the passengers' fault) is the constant sniffling/snorting. All those packages of tissues being handed out at train stations and these people who are in obvious need aren't even using them!

People's manners are generally good here as could be expected. Yes, some odd individuals, some people not giving up seats (though surprisingly a lot do) and occasional gaijin harassment by a different kind odd individual wanting instant English conversation practice.

Other problems with trains like over crowding, backpacks and some people whose earphone music is too loud and some males who have hands where they shouldn't be. I wish people would choose better venues than crowded stations for suicide though, or better still not do it at all.

Used to catch trains a lot, but not now in Kochi. At least now I avoid one of the great contagious disease transmission environments in winter.

Last Friday, a young guy (uni student) drilling for gold in his nose and then eating his deposits sitting next to me. Disgusting. I asked "You don't feel embarrassed to eat your snots in public at your age?"

A few weeks ago a retiree taking his shoes and socks off and picking at his toenails.

I have to laugh when Japanese criticise Chinese manners.

I second what Zichi said--rarely if ever any problems in Kansai. Helps that I use Hankyu almost exclusively and rarely venture out of the greater Kobe area. Compared to US public transportation, it's a dream.

The Top Three annoyances, for me, are:

Not giving up seats to someone in need.

Standing in front of the doors and not stepping off or aside when people are getting on or off.

Keeping bags on shoulder and backs, instead of lowering them.

There is a woman on my morning route who obviously feels the same about #2, and when we are approaching her stop (which is the same as mine) she shrieks: "ORIMASU!" and elbows her way to the door. I sympathise with her, as people - especially schoolkids - simply will not move; but the last time I saw her, she tried to elbow me in the back to move me out of the way, and we had a brief exchange.

This sounds like one of those questions designed to highlight the superiority of Japanese citizens over the rest of the planet so I'll bite: Lost my passport on one train and got it back the next day. That never happened to me on a commuter train in Seattle. Second, except for the occasional crazy loon, I'm surprised how civil everyone is in such a packed train; I've never been in such a situtation in Seattle.

People not taking their backpacks off while standing in the middle of a crowded train is another good one. It seems to me this is a relatively recent issue, 10 years ago it seemed like it was much more common practice to take your backpack off, but young people currently seem to usually leave them on and hit all those around them. Is it just me thinking this is a recent issue?

@Striker - I would agree that it seems to have become more of a problem. I imagine it's to do with the idea that the floor is dirty. Pisses me off - so it's ok if you whack someone in the chest with your bag, but not if its base touches the floor? pfft.

I think it's amusing to hear from Japanese people how great their manners are compared to Chinese (in particular, but others in general), then in the same breath complain about a large range of groups; young women doing make up, young people blocking the doorways and not giving up seats, etc., but the funniest part is if you are talking to them about this ON the train they are usually shouting, and might be interrupted by the very loud ring tone since they haven't set their phones to manner mode, and can't sit because their bags are taking up a space.

The trains are cleaner than they are in most Western nations, I find, but not as clean as in some other Asian nations, despite what some might say (Singapore trains are the cleanest that I've experienced, and Hong Kong pretty clean, too), and the stations at least are pretty impeccable, and often people will pretend to sleep or use their cell phones rather than talk, but when they do they are as loud as anyone else, and more often than not there are people of certain age groups that do the very thing those age groups complain of about others. Yesterday I was riding the Chuo Line from Osaka Port to downtown and a group of middle-aged women on the train were the single loudest group of people I have heard on ANY train, in ANY country. They weren't Chinese, nor were they Korean, but amidst their very loud 'conversation' (sounded more like a shouting match except they were also laughing and agreeing with each other) they had the gall to complain about how many loud Chinese tourists there were in the place they had just come from.

In other words, the manners here are no different than anywhere else. Some areas better, some far worse. The only thing I find worse in Japan than in Korea or some other places is people who don't need priority seats (let alone regular ones) taking them and not giving them up for those who do (pretending to sleep, instead).

I love the good manners on trains in Japan. Top notch, some of the best I've seen anywhere.

The question is garbage because it presumes all Japanese people have the same train manners. Every train I've been on has been excellent, with the exception of any train in Tokyo, where about 80% of the passengers are held hostage by a 20% of shameless barbarians.

Kyushu's excellent. I was even moved to take a photo (something I almost never do) in Fukuoka recently: the carriage was absolutely packed, like a vision of Hell/Tokyo, but the six priority seats remained pristine. Amazing.

Their manners make me feel like a king. I sit down and people keep the seat on my left and right open every time. I totally get the VIP treatment haha

It's the one place that the mask slips. I always say to my foreign friends, if you want to see the Japanese at their worst, ride the trains. From bony elbows in the ribs from old women to queues disintegrating as soon as the train arrives at the platform to teenagers sitting playing games on their phones while elderly people stand, I've seen and experienced enough to fill a few books...

I just don't find it nice to see businessmen lying down, occupying several seats on the local trains.

The Japanese have impeccable manners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They never sit while an elderly, pregnant woman, or disabled person needs a seat. Japanese kids never sit in front of doors playing games on their phones while people need to get off/on. They never wear their backpacks while standing. Japanese ladies never put on their makeup and get it on the people sitting next to them. Japanese old men never take off their shoes and socks to pick their feet. Japanese are the kindest, most considerate, and most evolved species of humans EVER and ANYWHERE.

Sacrasm off now.

I was rather shocked when two skanky schoolgirls sat near me on the local train in the morning years ago and started slurping away and eating noodles. If the train had suddenly stopped, the soup would have gone all over them. Ah, wishful thinking.

I have taken train and especialy shinkansen hundreds ot times.

I can only compare to France.

If anyone complain about Japanese habits, France is light years behind.

Japanese know how to behave. All comments above point out to special cases, which are after all rather funny, the only very wrong habit is not to leave priority seats to the disabled.

I smell twice only stench because of tramps, never had an issue with bags except when overcrowded (so this is normal since bag takes space!), never have had difficulty because of school kids some seem to spit on (they are by definition kids so don't expect most wise behaviour from them), people never fight physicaly (elbow vs elbow is natural and is simple way to show your presence, people don't have yet 360 eye sight...)

Not perfect but still much, much better than in most other countries/places I travel to where loud, obnoxious phone convos (including video calls, speaker on, with missus and kids!) are now de rigueur. Give me J manners any day, especially outside Tokyo.

I echo many of the sentiments above, that conditions are generally very good, save for overcrowding. My personal pet peeve is older Japanese riders who feel that they are above the rules and customs. They like to cut to the front of the line as the train doors open so that they can rush on first to get a seat, throwing elbows and elbowing people out of the way. The irony of it is that I would gladly allow them to take a seat in front of me if I saw them there.

I've only been as a tourist however I have stayed a cumulative total of around a month and a half over the last couple of years and travelled everywhere by train. The worst place I have travelled in my own experience is Osaka and it makes me laugh to read some of these comments because every incident bar one was from the Chinese (the others being from Thailand I think, could not recognise the language). On one train journey alone there were 2 young Chinese women with bags across a 3 seater priority seating area whilst people were stood chatting extremely loudly, then on the opposite side in the middle of the car 3 older Chinese women decide to squeeze themselves into a space only big enough for 2 squashing the other passengers aside. With the other nationality I could not recognise it was on a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka very early in the morning when people were trying to sleep, in a car for reserved seats. The group of four were playing musical chairs between three rows for the first hour and then one decided to have a 30 minute FaceTime call with somebody I can only assume had a dying cat in the background. In terms of Tokyo it can get very crowded yes but it depends whose in a car with you to how unpleasant it is, the more elderly people are the ones that refuse to move 80% of the time, every so often a middle aged man gets on smelling very strongly of alcohol and the big problem is nobody gives you a simple 'sumimasen' when trying to pass, just silently barges through. I may be ranting I know but I'm from a small town in the UK so my train journeys are usually very quiet (albeit usually late).

Mostly good. I've been on a lot of trains in a lot of places, so I can't really fault Japan's train etiquette. Sure, there's a few things that irritate - headphones that turn up to 11, backpacks that stay on, pushing, noisy frat boy tourists but overall, mostly agreeable.

So much snot sucking noises here I thought I was on a steam train.