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You’re thinking of visiting Tokyo soon, but admittedly, you smoke cigarettes. The two shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, yet are they? Are you allowed to smoke in Tokyo or will you have to quit the habit for your trip?
You can smoke in Tokyo, but not in as many areas as you once could. Before you light up, you’ll have to look for spots marked “smoking area.” Also, in 2018, Tokyo created an anti-smoking law ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics that affects many restaurants and bars. Now you can no longer smoke in all these establishments.
Okay, so you don’t have to quit cold turkey for your trip to Japan, which is good news. Still, you have more questions. Besides smoking areas, where else can you smoke? What is this anti-smoking law? Read on, as we’ll tell you all this and more!
Can You Smoke in Tokyo?
Whether you smoke a cigarette a day or a pack, you can still keep up the habit if you’re going to Tokyo.
In fact, in the 1980s, you would have been in good company. Smoking was once lauded by those in the country and promoted as a means of good health. Things have definitely changed.
The use of tobacco products in Japan has fluctuated over the years. In the early 1990s, Japan’s residents smoked cigarettes more than those in the United States, the Netherlands, and Finland. Only Norway citizens smoked more.
By the late 1990s, the numbers started to drop, continuing in a downward trend through 2009. Here’s a graph illustrating Japanese smoking habits from 1993 to 2009.
What about post-2009? The trend continued, as only 19.3 percent of Japanese residents were smokers in 2015. A small portion of those were women, just 9.7 percent. The rest, 29.7 percent, were men.
Those numbers are much better, but Reuters says that “Tokyo was set to be the smokiest Olympic games in years” before the anti-smoking law came into play. The law itself would have no need to exist if smoking wasn’t enough of a concern in Tokyo.
What Is the Anti-Smoking Law?
Up until summer 2018, many Tokyo establishments like restaurants and bars were a safe haven for smokers. While not every place of business allowed smokers, many of them did. As we mentioned in the last section, this could be because so many of Japan’s population once smoked so regularly.
Effective as of June 2018, an anti-smoking law came into fruition that sought to clean up the city before the 2020 Summer Olympics. Admittedly, many publications agree that the law is not as strong as it could be, such as Medical Xpress. They call it a “watered-down” legislation at best. This is because many of the decisionmakers in the game have personal connections to the restaurant and/or tobacco industries.
Still, a law is a law, and if you see a sign that tells you that you can’t light up in a restaurant or bar, it’s best to follow it.
There’s another relevant smoking rule you should be aware of that bars outdoor smoking. It’s intended to cut down on secondhand cigarette smoke killing citizens. This one is more strictly-enforced, as it reached the parliament in Japan. According to Reuters, annually, 15,000 residents in Japan are killed by secondhand smoke. Children are often casualties, hence the need for more serious legislation.
Can You Smoke in Tokyo Streets?
As mentioned, the rule that was passed to prevent unnecessary deaths in children from secondhand smoke forbids outdoor smoking, but only if children are nearby.
What if you’re on a street and there are no children? Are you free to light a cigarette or should you reconsider?
It depends. If you see something like this:
…that’s a no-smoking sign. This one looks like it’s on the ground of a Tokyo street. The sign, although written in Japanese, is clearly understood if you’re an English speaker as well.
Throughout the city, even on some Tokyo beaches, you’ll come across signage denoting a smoking area. These will typically say as much, “smoking area,” in large English letters. It’s tough to miss these spots. While some of them are bars and restaurants, others are little enclosed areas meant just for smokers.
There, you and any other residents or tourists who need a smoke break can do so. Since the walls are tall, the secondhand smoke shouldn’t pass out of the enclosed area and to the passersby in the surrounding streets.
If you stick to these smoking areas only, then you should be able to smoke in Tokyo’s city streets without penalty. If you see any no-smoking signs or you’re close to any children, though, you should not light up a cigarette.
What about on Public Transportation?
If you’re riding a bus or a train and you get the itch to smoke a cigarette, can you? Much like you can’t smoke on most public transportation in the United States, the same is true in Japan. The only exception is the few smoking cars on the Sanyo Shinkansen and Tokaido trains.
There will typically be warning posters and notices on the walls of all other buses and trains telling you not to smoke. Make sure you follow these warnings.
Can You Smoke in Your Hotel?
While you probably booked your Tokyo hotel room based on price and proximity, you should also make sure it’s one you can smoke cigarettes in. Not all hotels permit smoking. You’d have to rent out a smoking room, the price of which shouldn’t be more than a non-smoking room would be.
You can also smoke in many hostels, ryokan, and business hotels. Still, to be on the safe side, always ask before you assume you can have a cigarette.
What Happens if You Get Caught Smoking?
Okay, let’s say you made a mistake and you happened to smoke somewhere you shouldn’t have. Maybe you missed the no-smoking sign or you didn’t know the rules. What happens if you get caught smoking?
You’ll get hit with a decent fine. In Tokyo, that fine may be ¥2,000 on the lower end and up to ¥5,000 on the higher end. That’s about $20 to $45 USD.
The fines and penalties do vary depending on which part of Japan you’re traveling to. If you get caught smoking in Nagoya, the fine is ¥2,000. Again, that’s about $20. Smoking in Sapporo nets you a smaller fine, just ¥1,000, which is the equivalent of about $9. Still, this part of Japan also has strict rules about getting rid of your cigarette butts in an environmentally-friendly and safe manner. The fine could possibly increase if you don’t do so.
In both Osaka and Kyoto, the fine is the same, ¥1,000. There are no-smoking zones in Osaka, much like Tokyo, but in Kyoto, you cannot smoke on any street or sidewalk.
Cheapest way to get from Tokyo to Kyoto
Cheapest way to get from Tokyo to Osaka
If you’re traveling to a new place for the first time, the last thing you want is to get yourself fined or in any legal trouble. Make sure you know the smoking rules and laws in Tokyo and other parts of Japan you visit. Then, only smoke in designated areas.
Can You Buy Cigarettes in Tokyo? How Much Do They Cost?
With the strict rules about smoking, you may have concerns about where to procure cigarettes. Can you buy cigarettes in Japan or is that not allowed?
Actually, it is! There are plenty of places and means of getting cigarettes in Tokyo and beyond. The first of these is at a store. Supermarkets often sell cigarettes, much like they do here in the US. A TASPO card may be required. This is nationwide initiative that began in 2008 to ensure that only those of age can smoke.
Otherwise, you can always buy cigarettes out of a vending machine. Again, you’ll need your TASPO card, so make sure you keep it on your person.
For a pack of cigarettes, you might pay between ¥430 and ¥460. That’s about $3 to $4, which makes cigarettes in Japan just slightly cheaper than what you’d find back on your home turf. Speaking of home turf, if you have a favorite American cigarette brand, chances are at least a few will be stocked at Japanese grocery stores. Japanese cigarette brands abound as well, giving you a chance to try something new during your travels.
Conclusion
If you’re a smoker and you’re traveling to Tokyo, there’s no need to quit in a rush. You can smoke in the city, but you’ll have to be careful about where you do so. Certain streets may ban the activity, and a new law ahead of the 2020 Olympics now prohibits you from smoking in some bars and restaurants as well.
Where does that leave you? Smoking in designated areas only. There are also some smoking trains on public transportation you can use. At hotels or hostels, you can ask for specific smoking rooms. Failing to meet the smoking guidelines in Tokyo and other parts of Japan will result in a fine. While the fine is never exorbitant, who needs the extra hassle when traveling?
Be smart about where you light up your cigarette and you should be okay. Good luck!
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