Did a Taiwan face get lost while cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto? Netizens: Drop these 9 bad travel habits

▲ The beautiful sight of blooming cherry blossoms in Kyoto always draws large crowds of visitors. (Photo / Taken from Rakuten Travel)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Every year, Japan’s cherry blossom season attracts throngs of travelers, with Kyoto being a beloved spot among Taiwanese visitors. Faced with the influx of people, a netizen working in tourism in Kyoto has something to say. He shares nine common bad travel habits for Taiwanese tourists to consider improving, hoping everyone can enjoy their trip while also being a welcome and quality traveler.

The following is the full text:

Author / Linwehan

Hello everyone, this is my first time posting in the Japan Travel forum, please bear with me.

I have lived in Japan for five years (all in the Kansai region) and currently work in the tourism industry in Kyoto. This year, as the cherry blossom season approaches, starting from the last week of March, there has been a noticeable surge of tourists flocking to the ancient capital of Kyoto. The majority of foreign visitors to Kyoto are Chinese tourists, and among them, Taiwanese travelers make up the largest group.

My job involves daily interaction with tourists from various countries, including Taiwanese visitors. I provide services such as helping with train transfers within Kyoto, giving brief introductions to attractions and itinerary planning, locating lost items, searching for hotels, offering interpretation services... and much more.

As April approaches, there are a few things I just have to get off my chest, and I hope to share them with my fellow compatriots who are planning to visit or revisit Japan. Perhaps these topics aren’t directly related to Japanese tourism itself, but they do concern the image a community builds abroad.

Below are some behaviors I’ve noticed (or heard about from colleagues) that Taiwanese travelers in Japan should be mindful of and improve upon:

1. Don’t consult others while eating (especially after having strong-smelling food — do you know how unpleasant the smell can be?)

2. Don’t wear headphones when asking for help

3. When asking for information, listen to the whole response before leaving or speaking again (those who walk away without listening often come back to ask the same question, wasting their own time and that of others)

I know these points are basic, the kind you’d find in elementary school civics class, but sadly, many people still can’t follow them.

4. Do some basic research before traveling abroad.

For example, confirm where your hotel is located. With the internet being so accessible these days, a quick Google Maps search isn’t hard. Yet, I often encounter Taiwanese guests who hand me a hotel reservation slip and ask us to look up the location for them. The nicer ones might say “Can you please help me check the location?” The less polite ones don’t even say “sorry” or “excuse me” before blurting out a “u?...” without even a greeting. That kind of behavior is really not impressive — and it doesn’t only happen to older folks, even younger people do it.

Also, you’re in Japan now where the official language is Japanese. Although Taiwanese travel guides mark Japanese place names with Romanized spellings, we still occasionally get guests who ask “I want to go to 宇治(ㄩˇㄓ拴.” When I give them a puzzled look, some slow down and repeat “I ~want~ to go~ to ~宇~治(ㄩˇ~ㄓ拴.” Sir/Madam, in Japan, “Uji” is pronounced “UJI.” In situations like this, even writing it in Chinese characters for communication would be better than trying to say it out loud.

5. Do not speak loudly or eat inside temples or shrines, and avoid wearing revealing clothing when entering religious sites

6. When carrying a large backpack on public transportation, be mindful of the people around you

7. Before (or after) purchasing any discounted tickets, take a moment to read the usage instructions

It often happens that someone buys an “Ikaruga One-Day Pass” and then tries to use it on a JR train, only to be stopped at the ticket gate and come ask us why — even though the instructions are available in Chinese... Or like the case of a traveler who bought an ICOCA card and a Haruka round-trip discount ticket from Kansai Airport to Kyoto at Kansai Airport. They used the ICOCA card and the outbound journey, but then came asking to get a refund for the return trip. Excuse me, if you ordered a Big Mac meal, ate the fries and drink, then suddenly felt full — could you go to the counter and ask for a refund for the burger? There are too many such examples; I’m just giving these two to illustrate the point.

8. Do not criticize other nationalities’ travelers in public, no matter what language you’re using

9. If you encounter any issues, don’t panic — look around for someone you can ask or a service counter

A common scenario is someone using an ICOCA card to ride the train but then getting blocked at the ticket gate when trying to exit. The way ICOCA works is almost identical to an EasyCard — for a correct transaction, say on a train, there needs to be both an entry and exit record. No entry record means you can’t exit. And you might ask, “But I tapped my card, why is there no entry record?” The likely reason is that you tapped too quickly and the machine didn’t register it. If this happens, just take your card to a station attendant, and they’ll fix it for you. They may ask which station you entered from, and you just need to truthfully report that — no need to panic. You won’t be fined or taken to the police.

That’s all for now — sorry it got a bit long. These are just some of the common mistakes I’ve seen Taiwanese travelers make during my time working in tourism in Japan. Take them as advice for improvement where needed. Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable trip in Japan.

*This article was reposted with the author’s permission. Please do not reproduce or use it without authorization.