Stepped in it : From fitting room hoods to train naps.

​Last month I promised more tips on what to pay attention to as a foreigner in Japan, so here we go...

​You’ll get the hang of it.

When you're in Japan, you will most likely go shopping. When you're shopping for clothes and want to try something on, please make sure to respect the rules of the stores you're in. Many stores have signs at the fitting rooms, explaining their “system”. In bigger chains and international stores (like H&M or Zara), going to the fitting room is not very different from the usual. But especially small businesses in Japan ask you to tell them if you want to try something on. In many fitting rooms it's not allowed to keep your shoes on – you have to leave them in front of your stall. At some stores, you're not even allowed to take your bag with you, it has to stay outside with the shoes. Sometimes the staff will also remove the hangers from the clothes, fold them and hand them to you before you enter the fitting room.
For the people who wear makeup – please use the face covers you'll find in most fitting rooms in Japan. It's very rude to leave makeup on the clothes (well, isn't it in every country?). The covers are also anti-static, so they keep your hair in place after pulling certain fabrics over your head, which I think comes in handy.

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Stay on Track

The public rail transport system in Japan is amazing and using the train is very simple. The maps/plans are usually also written in romaji (Roman alphabet) and easy to read, so you will find your way without any problems. The different train lines also have different colors, which makes it even easier to find the right one. (This refers to rail transport in the bigger cities – when you're traveling through more rural places, you may need to translate the maps/plans.)
But please keep in mind that there are different transport systems running on different tracks. In Japan, there are more than 100 different private companies running the rail system. In Tokyo, for example, there's the Metro, the JR (Japan Railway), the shinkansen ( bullet trains) and some more railways, express trains, etc.

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Getting the right ticket can sometimes be very confusing, so I would recommend you to get a suica-card or a pasmo-card, which you can buy and recharge at every train/Metro station. You can also buy them at the airport. And you can also pay at some stores and at vending machines with them.
Please be also aware of your manners when you're on a train. Your cell phone has to be in silent mode. Talking on the phone or listening to music/watching videos without headphones is rude in every country but in Japan it's a very strict rule. No loud talking or eating food on the train – you can drink something if necessary, but you will rarely see Japanese people have breakfast on their way to work. Sleeping on the train though is perfectly fine.

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zzzzzzzzzzz

I always loved to take a quick nap on the Tokyo Metro on my way to visit friends or go out eating – I usually listened to the different short jingles at every station to not miss mine (they really get stuck in your head, you'll learn them easily when you're taking the same line a few times!).
As a tourist, try to avoid the rush hours... The pictures you might have seen of crowded trains in Tokyo are no joke – that's what it really looks like. During the rush hours, there are also some train compartments, which are reserved for women only. This is to avoid sexual harassment from men in the crowded trains. Pink stickers on the floor will mark those compartments.

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Have you ever been on a shinkansen? It's a really comfy way to travel. Let me know in the comments about your experiences with the Japanese railway system!