I’m a Tokyo Local and This Is the Most Important Etiquette Tip to Know When Visiting Japan

People talk a lot about the complexity of etiquette in Japan, but in 20 years of living here, I think all the ins and outs really boil down to one thing: demonstrating respect for others.

That’s why the best etiquette tip I can give visitors is to be punctual. It requires no skill in the language, no understanding of the social hierarchy or one’s place in it, and no memorization of the subtle meanings in the angle of a bow. And yet it demonstrates a respect towards everyone you meet and the value of their time.

While in many Western countries and especially the Latin world, showing up fashionably late is the norm, in Japan you’re late if you aren’t 10 minutes early. Not to mention that everything from trains to tours will leave predictably on the dot, with or without you. People in the service industry will still be unfailingly polite in the face of a customer’s cavalier attitude to time, but I can promise you they are seething inside—and judging you.

Amid skyrocketing tourist numbers—Japan is expected to welcome a record-breaking 40.2 million visitors this year—a lack of timeliness and no-shows have become a major cause of friction between tourists and Japanese in the hospitality industry. Restaurants and services used to be easily booked without prepayment or guarantee.

Now, many places require a credit card guarantee or introduction by a regular. Particularly for places in space-squeezed Tokyo that only have capacity for a handful, it’s become a necessary if unwelcome precaution. Not only does it add to the administrative burden, but in a culture so dedicated to impeccable service, many proprietors find it distressful to begin the relationship by suggesting that the customer would be so rude as to not keep their reservation.

So don’t be that tourist. Even as a customer, show up on time. If you are unavoidably delayed, call and let them know. Be apologetic for the inconvenience. Repeatedly. Make it clear that you respect their time, and by extension, their humanity. It’s only polite.

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