Visit Japan - The Don'ts of Visiting Japan

Japan - The Land of The Rising Sun, Well there are plenty of amazing things to do when you are in Japan, enjoying Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and so many more great cities as well as temples, shrines and bamboo forests.
But there are things that you DON'T do or shouldn't do when you go to Japan and this video focuses on the things that tourists, travelers and vacationers just should NOT do when they go to Japan. From ways you might offend the locals, to how to use your chopsticks the right way to how to deal with insane huge crowds of people in the subway. The DON'Ts of Visiting Japan.
Filmed in Kyoto, Japan
Copyright Mark Wolters 2017

USA Today & 10Best's #1 Independent Travel Videographer 2014

FlipKey by TripAdvisor Top 10 Travel Bloggers 2014
We travel with a Microsoft Surface everywhere we go. I edit my videos on it & use it to backup my pictures and vides while we travel. It’s light and the best travel laptop on the market in my opinion.

We use Sony Alpha series cameras to film our videos. They are compact so you don’t look like a super tourist when you take great pictures and videos while you travel.

We use Manfrotto Tripods. They are compact, travel well, and honestly I would not use another tripod for my nice cameras.

Travel Plug that works in pretty much any country & has four USB ports. A must for any traveler.

Want to grab some great gear? We have used Osprey Packs for years & swear by them. Check them out here

Need some clothing for your next adventure? Patagonia has some pretty good stuff for all kinds of travelers.

Hey There Fellow Travelers! Thank you for watching our honest travel vlogs from all over this wonderful world. If you would like to get in contact with us please follow us & send us a message via our social media channels below. Also, if you like our travel videos please feel free to share them with other fellow travelers.

Follow Us At

[チェリーブロッサム-gf]

Hello, I'm a Japanese.
If you did it miss in Japan, we don't angry. Because you are guest and have interested about Japan, visit there.
We don't think any foreign tourist follow all rules of Japan. "Learn by mistake".
Take it easy and welcome to Japan.

[justchopstick]

I took a trip to Japan and they didn’t speak in subtitles, they lied to me

[frescainsalata]

Japan: "Don't be loud, don't smoke in public, don't be late"
My italian ass thrown in prison after 5 minutes in Japan: "excuse me wtf"

[crimsonchin]

I would end up disrespecting someone without even knowing

[DesertSmeagle]

I feel like Japan would be the perfect place to enable my social anxiety

[jksuttn]

You forgot one : Don't go into the suicide forest and film a hanging corpse then proceed to laugh about it

[marlonestrella]

Don’t tell the locals that Tom Cruise was the last samurai

[josemoreno]

Imma just translate "I'm sorry, I'm an American" to Japanese and put that on a shirt

[donaldlewis]

I would add two things - don’t forget that cash is king. Credit cards are not widely accepted and don’t be freaked out by all the sick masks. They are very commonplace and can even be fashionable in different districts.

[Zwizard]

As a Japanese, I do agree with this video, have see some foreigners do stuff they are not suppose to be doing, but I so help them correct their mistake. (Sorry for bad english)

[pwnyou]

One suggestion for a future video is "Top Things to Never Bring to Another Country". Many foreigners have been arrested for being in possession of something that was legal in their home country, but illegal in their destination. For example, it is illegal to bring a drone into Egypt, even a small one just to record your adventures. More personal (and related to this video) to us is that the husband of a family friend was actually arrested in Japan for possession of THC infused coffee beans. Long story short, he was in Japanese jail for 5 weeks before being given a suspended sentence on the grounds that he leave Japan immediately. Even possession of a USA legal prescription medication such as Adderall can get someone arrested in another country for importing an "illegal narcotic". I enjoy traveling, and I thoroughly familiarize myself with the local laws of other countries. Love your videos, keep up the good work.

[archangele]

My nephew lives near Kyoto and is married to a Japanese girl.

He absolutely loves Japan and does not even like to visit the USA anymore.
He said you really need to know some Japanese, especially if you

travel outside the major cities like Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo.

As for the noise, it is far less acceptable in Japan as compared
to the USA. People tend to be much more stoic and quiet.
He told me that he can generally pick out Americans with out
even looking by the noise level they create.

[senseitauntaun]

I think this was a record for the number of 'don'ts'.

However you missed a few. The onsen hot spring has a lot of rules. Rules that are taken so seriously that they are willing to kick you out.

1. No soap in the bath. You have to bathe with soap before or after dipping in the hot bath. The hot bath is only for relaxing not cleaning. Be sure you don't dirty the water with your dirt or soap.

2. Most onsens will not let you in if you have a tattoo. Tattoos are a huge no no here because of their conation to the mafia (Yakuza). You might have to cover your tattoo with a bandage or even tape. Some sentos (artificial onsen) and onsens might let you in, but they may be harder to find and much less touristy.

3. You have to go naked. No swimsuits or any clothing is allowed in an onsen. It will feel a bit odd walking around naked, but people are very respectful. They might even be more respectful in the bath than on the street.

As for the escalators, Kobe and Osaka are reverse of Kyoto and Tokyo.

Excellent video Wolters World!

[TwiZzy_]

Logan Paul should have watched this before he took his trip :P

[woltersworld]

We Loved Our Trip to Japan. It Was an Amazing Cultural Experience & We Highly Recommend Visiting.

[max__pain]

Don't eat in the subway. Seriously

[elvisj]

One think I like about your always care about local culture and customs regardless of the country. This makes you stand out from other travel vloggers.

[savedbygrace]

I LOVE cultural differences. This is the spice of life! So people who don't travel have no idea what they're missing.

[palaceofwisdom]

There is nothing here about not pointing and saying "GODZILLA!!!", so I assume it's cool.

[larabrenda]

When I went to Japan a couple of years ago (2015), I noticed a lot of Japanese people spoke English or another language other than Japanese. I only knew basic Japanese phrases but was able to get around because I encountered people that spoke English and Spanish. That being said learning the language before a trip is always a great option!