I’m often asked by friends who smoke cigarettes or vape, if things are as open in Japan as things are in the USA? If anything, the ability to smoke outside anywhere if you want.
In Japan, there was a time when the country used to have cigarette ads everywhere. It was common to see in Shibuya and Shinjuku…
At the time, it was common to see people walk and smoke, cigarette smoke
In fact, Japan’s top actor and pop star at the time, many of Kimura Takuya’s images from the 90’s to the early 2000s were primarily showcasing him smoking a cigarette.
These days… not so much.
In Japan, the days of “bad boy images” have kind of went outside the window. As more and more “bad boys” and “bad girls” on the entertainment side being busted for drug use. We’ve seen idol entertainers in Japan who smoke or are caught drinking alcohol being used as examples of what not to do or what to become and people are becoming more health conscious, the entertainment image in Japan has changed. Entertainers featured smoking on magazine pictorials is something from the past.
While historically less restricted, there has been a major decline in people wanting to smoke. There is a proposed tobacco tax hike set for October 2020 upping prices over Y50 more but lately there has been laws enacted by the government and wards are applying outdoor anti-smoking bylaws and also anti-smoking ordinances on restaurants. Chiyoda ward banned smoking while walking on busy streets.
In April 2020, a law banning indoor smoking took effect across Japan as part of an effort to protect people from passive smoking prior to the Tokyo and Paralympic Games.
And their are penalties for those who break the law banning smoking at restaurants, hotels and offices. In 2019, smoking was banned at schools, hospitals and government offices. But smoking is allowed in restaurants with designated smoking rooms with exhaust equipment. Cigar bars, private homes and hotel rooms are exempt from the ban.
Vaping and heat not burn cigarettes campaigns are starting to become more popular but these individuals are also required to use smoking rooms.
I do feel smokers are really getting upset of how they are losing more spaces to smoke but at the same time, with fines becoming pricey, it has led to people not smoking or just following the rules as they have no choice.
Penalties include a fine of up to ¥300,000 on people who smoke at nonsmoking establishments and a fine of up to ¥500,000 for operators of facilities who put ashtrays in nonsmoking areas.
And as Japan has a disdain towards litter, a problem that also upsets many Japanese are smokers who feel that they can throw their cigarettes all over the ground.
And unfortunately these people ruin the image of those who are responsible smokers.
But if you are in Japan, and need to smoke, often near a station or a major tourist hub are smoking areas. And yes, if you are going to smoke in Japan, don’t go outside of a restaurant, don’t go outside of an establishment to smoke. Look for designated smoking area, such as the following shown below.
But this blog post was to show that the attitudes in Japan towards smoking have changed a lot in the 20 years I have been traveling to Japan. And while there are many smokers in Japan and it’s still big business, don’t expect any reprieve as more taxes and more rules are probably going to more active and unlike places like the US where people smoke where they want to smoke.
In Japan, as attitudes change and a cleaner, healthy and productive society is the image Japan wants to push, don’t be surprised if smokers continue to be more segregated from those who can’t tolerate it.
