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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou\u2019re thinking\nof visiting Tokyo soon, but admittedly, you smoke cigarettes. The two shouldn\u2019t\nbe mutually exclusive, yet are they? Are you allowed to smoke in Tokyo or will\nyou have to quit the habit for your trip?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can smoke in Tokyo, but not in as many areas as\nyou once could. Before you light up, you\u2019ll have to look for spots marked\n\u201csmoking area.\u201d Also, in 2018, Tokyo created an anti-smoking law ahead of the\n2020 Summer Olympics that affects many restaurants and bars. Now you can no\nlonger smoke in all these establishments. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, so you\ndon\u2019t have to quit cold turkey for your trip to Japan, which is good news. Still,\nyou have more questions. Besides smoking areas, where else can you smoke? What\nis this anti-smoking law? Read on, as we\u2019ll tell you all this and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\nsmoke a cigarette a day or a pack, you can still keep up the habit if you\u2019re\ngoing to Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, in the\n1980s, you would have been in good company. Smoking was once lauded by those in\nthe country and promoted as a means of good health. Things have definitely\nchanged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The use of\ntobacco products in Japan has fluctuated over the years. In the early 1990s,\nJapan\u2019s residents smoked cigarettes more than those in the United States, the\nNetherlands, and Finland. Only Norway citizens smoked more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the late\n1990s, the numbers started to drop, continuing in a downward trend through\n2009. Here\u2019s a graph illustrating Japanese smoking habits from 1993 to 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What about\npost-2009? The trend continued, as only 19.3 percent of Japanese residents were\nsmokers in 2015. A small portion of those were women, just 9.7 percent. The\nrest, 29.7 percent, were men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those numbers are much better, but Reuters<\/a> says that \u201cTokyo was set to be the smokiest Olympic games in years\u201d before the anti-smoking law came into play. The law itself would have no need to exist if smoking wasn\u2019t enough of a concern in Tokyo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Up until summer\n2018, many Tokyo establishments like restaurants and bars were a safe haven for\nsmokers. While not every place of business allowed smokers, many of them did.\nAs we mentioned in the last section, this could be because so many of Japan\u2019s\npopulation once smoked so regularly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>. They call it a \u201cwatered-down\u201d legislation at best. This is because many of the decisionmakers in the game have personal connections to the restaurant and\/or tobacco industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, a law is\na law, and if you see a sign that tells you that you can\u2019t light up in a\nrestaurant or bar, it\u2019s best to follow it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s another\nrelevant smoking rule you should be aware of that bars outdoor smoking. It\u2019s\nintended to cut down on secondhand cigarette smoke killing citizens. This one\nis more strictly-enforced, as it reached the parliament in Japan. According to\nReuters, annually, 15,000 residents in Japan are killed by secondhand smoke.\nChildren are often casualties, hence the need for more serious legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned, the\nrule that was passed to prevent unnecessary deaths in children from secondhand\nsmoke forbids outdoor smoking, but only if children are nearby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What if you\u2019re\non a street and there are no children? Are you free to light a cigarette or\nshould you reconsider?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It depends. If\nyou see something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026that\u2019s a\nno-smoking sign. This one looks like it\u2019s on the ground of a Tokyo street. The\nsign, although written in Japanese, is clearly understood if you\u2019re an English\nspeaker as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the\ncity, even on some Tokyo beaches, you\u2019ll come across signage denoting a smoking\narea. These will typically say as much, \u201csmoking area,\u201d in large English\nletters. It\u2019s tough to miss these spots. While some of them are bars and\nrestaurants, others are little enclosed areas meant just for smokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There, you and\nany other residents or tourists who need a smoke break can do so. Since the\nwalls are tall, the secondhand smoke shouldn\u2019t pass out of the enclosed area\nand to the passersby in the surrounding streets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you stick to\nthese smoking areas only, then you should be able to smoke in Tokyo\u2019s city\nstreets without penalty. If you see any no-smoking signs or you\u2019re close to any\nchildren, though, you should not light up a cigarette. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re riding\na bus or a train and you get the itch to smoke a cigarette, can you? Much like\nyou can\u2019t smoke on most public transportation in the United States, the same is\ntrue in Japan. The only exception is the few smoking cars on the Sanyo\nShinkansen and Tokaido trains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There will\ntypically be warning posters and notices on the walls of all other buses and\ntrains telling you not to smoke. Make sure you follow these warnings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While you\nprobably booked your Tokyo hotel room based on price and proximity, you should\nalso make sure it\u2019s one you can smoke cigarettes in. Not all hotels permit\nsmoking. You\u2019d have to rent out a smoking room, the price of which shouldn\u2019t be\nmore than a non-smoking room would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also\nsmoke in many hostels, ryokan, and business hotels. Still, to be on the safe\nside, always ask before you assume you can have a cigarette. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, let\u2019s say\nyou made a mistake and you happened to smoke somewhere you shouldn\u2019t have.\nMaybe you missed the no-smoking sign or you didn\u2019t know the rules. What happens\nif you get caught smoking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll get hit with a decent fine. In Tokyo, that fine may be \u00a52,000 on the lower end and up to \u00a55,000 on the higher end. That\u2019s about $20 to $45 USD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The fines and penalties do vary depending on which part of Japan you\u2019re traveling to. If you get caught smoking in Nagoya, the fine is \u00a52,000. Again, that\u2019s about $20. Smoking in Sapporo nets you a smaller fine, just \u00a51,000, 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\u2019t do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In both Osaka and Kyoto, the fine is the same, \u00a51,000. There are no-smoking zones in Osaka, much like Tokyo, but in Kyoto, you cannot smoke on any street or sidewalk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cheapest way to get from Tokyo to Kyoto If you\u2019re\ntraveling to a new place for the first time, the last thing you want is to get\nyourself fined or in any legal trouble. Make sure you know the smoking rules\nand laws in Tokyo and other parts of Japan you visit. Then, only smoke in\ndesignated areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With the strict\nrules about smoking, you may have concerns about where to procure cigarettes. Can\nyou buy cigarettes in Japan or is that not allowed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a> may be required. This is nationwide initiative that began in 2008 to ensure that only those of age can smoke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Otherwise, you\ncan always buy cigarettes out of a vending machine. Again, you\u2019ll need your\nTASPO card, so make sure you keep it on your person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a pack of cigarettes, you might pay between \u00a5430 and \u00a5460. That\u2019s about $3 to $4, which makes cigarettes in Japan just slightly cheaper than what you\u2019d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a\nsmoker and you\u2019re traveling to Tokyo, there\u2019s no need to quit in a rush. You\ncan smoke in the city, but you\u2019ll have to be careful about where you do so. Certain\nstreets may ban the activity, and a new law ahead of the 2020 Olympics now\nprohibits you from smoking in some bars and restaurants as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where does that\nleave you? Smoking in designated areas only. There are also some smoking trains\non public transportation you can use. At hotels or hostels, you can ask for\nspecific smoking rooms. Failing to meet the smoking guidelines in Tokyo and\nother parts of Japan will result in a fine. While the fine is never exorbitant,\nwho needs the extra hassle when traveling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be smart about where you light up your cigarette and you should be okay. Good luck! <\/p>\n\n\n\nCan You Smoke in Tokyo?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What Is the Anti-Smoking Law?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Can You Smoke in Tokyo Streets?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat about on Public Transportation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Can You Smoke in Your Hotel?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Happens if You Get Caught Smoking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Cheapest way to get from Tokyo to Osaka<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCan You Buy Cigarettes in Tokyo? How Much Do They Cost? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion <\/h2>\n\n\n\n