🚄 Transportation Guide & Train Etiquette
🚅 Welcome to Japan… Where the Trains Are Almost as Famous as the Food!
One of the best parts of our adventure is experiencing Japan’s incredible transportation system! Throughout our trip, we’ll travel by the world-famous Shinkansen (Bullet Train), local trains, subways, buses, taxis, cable cars, and more.
Japan’s public transportation is known around the world for being clean, efficient, safe, and incredibly punctual. Let’s do our part to help keep it that way!
🤫 The Golden Rule
Use Your Church Whisper Voice!
Alright family… 🤣
We know how we get down.
We laugh loud.
We tell stories loud.
We hype each other up loud.
But Japan is NOT the place to bring the cookout, the family reunion, or the hood, unfortunately. 😂
When we’re on trains, subways, buses, or inside stations:
🤫 Keep conversations quiet.
📱 Put your phone on silent.
📹 Save the FaceTime calls and speakerphone conversations until we’re off the train.
Think church whisper, not Soul Food Sunday!
Respecting local customs is one of the greatest ways we can thank Japan for welcoming us into their beautiful country.
🚶 Keep It Moving
Japan’s train stations can be BUSY!
Please remember:
➡️ Stay with the group.
➡️ Don’t stop suddenly in the middle of walkways.
➡️ Need to check your phone or take a picture? Step off to the side first.
Most locals are simply trying to get to work, school, or home, so let’s keep traffic flowing.
🎒 Your Backpack Is Your Best Friend
On some of our longer travel days, we’ll use Japan’s amazing Takkyubin (luggage forwarding service) to send our large suitcases ahead to our next hotel.
That means you’ll travel comfortably with just your backpack for the day.
Be sure it contains:
✅ One complete change of clothes
✅ Medications
✅ Passport
✅ Wallet
✅ Phone charger
✅ Snacks
✅ Anything valuable or essential
Your suitcase will meet you at our next hotel!
🍱 Food & Drinks
Drinks are perfectly fine.
Light snacks are usually fine.
On longer Bullet Train rides, many passengers enjoy a delicious bento box while traveling.
Just remember:
🗑️ Clean up after yourself.
Leave your seat just as clean as you found it.
🪑 Train Etiquette
✔️ Keep your feet off the seats.
✔️ Keep your kids quiet, and still no running, jumping, climbing.
✔️ Don’t spread your belongings into someone else’s space.
✔️ On crowded trains, wear your backpack on your front or carry it by your side to make more room for others.
✔️ Offer your seat to elderly passengers, pregnant women, parents with small children, or anyone who may need it more than you.
Kindness is understood in every language.
⏰ Be On Regular Time! Not CP Time!
Japanese trains are famous for leaving exactly on schedule.
Not one minute later.
So if I say we’re leaving at 8:15 AM…
I don’t mean leave the hotel at 8:15.
I mean be ready, packed, and waiting by 8:00.
The train won’t wait for us…
…and neither will the rest of the group! I will leave a grown ass person in Japan. 😄
💙 T&T Travel Tips
⭐ Always let passengers exit before boarding.
⭐ If you’re listening to music or watching videos, please use headphones.
⭐ Keep your ticket or transit pass handy until you’ve exited the station.
⭐ Escalator etiquette varies by city. Simply follow what the locals are doing stand where everyone else stands and leave room only if others are passing.
⭐ Eating while walking isn’t very common in Japan. If you buy street food, enjoy it near the vendor whenever possible before continuing on.
⭐ Trash cans can be surprisingly hard to find, so keep a small bag in your backpack for wrappers until you find one.
⭐ Public trash bins are limited, but recycling is taken seriously. We’ll show you the easiest way to dispose of trash along the way… Naw just put in your pocket till you find a trash can!
❤️ One Last Thing…
People may notice us because we’re a fun group and that’s perfectly okay!
Let’s be remembered for:
✨ Our kindness.
✨ Our respect.
✨ Our positive energy.
✨ And how well we represented ourselves.
The more we embrace Japan’s customs, the richer our experience will be.
Travel with respect.
Travel with joy.
Travel like family.
– T&T Travel