smoking in public- what exactly is the law?

i%26#39;ve just read briefly on here that smoking is banned on the streets...

ok so what do you do?

do you stand by a bin and smoke or what?

where can you smoke?

the four of us who%26#39;s going 3 are smokers.

i%26#39;m flying in a few days and need to get my facts right ito respect the people of the country

thank you

smoking in public- what exactly is the law?

Each city/ward area has different laws. They are not banned on every single street but usually I see in some major areas like around Shinjuku Station, but walk across the designated area to the other street and smoking is fine.

Right now at JR Stations you can still smoke on the platforms at designated areas, but beginning next month the smoking areas will be removed and smoking banned at those locations (minus at the major stations will still have smoking rooms).

Cities have designated no smoking areas with signs everywhere, otherwise no sign, its usually OK to smoke. The designated non smoking areas (around Shinjuku station area at least) have uniformed retirees walking around remindn gpeople not to smoke, but like i said, just jump accross to the area that is not designed non smoking then you should be fine.

smoking in public- what exactly is the law?

You can pretty much pop into a McDonalds and puff cigarettes inside those places too (at the designated areas).

Do JR rail allow smoking on their trains and do most restaurants allow smoking?

Here is Australia smoking is banned in just about all restaurants, hotels, trains, buses, shops etc. It certainly makes for a more refreshing experience for those of us that do not smoke and care about our health.

uk, smoking is just banned indoors.

hong kong you may smoke whilst walking...but you have to stub it out on a bin

we are staying at sunroute plaza, and staying in shinjuku and coming back on 4th march

Smoking on trains depends on the train!

If it is a long distance train like a limited express then it ';might'; have smoking cars. Depending on which JR company you are talking about.

REGULAR trains are all non smoking. Most of JR East trains have gone non smoking.

The Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train) is moving towards no smoking at seats, but do have smoking compartments.

Japan is currently in transition catching up to the rest of developed nations in this regard. Still smokers have more freedom than non-smokers, i.e. non-smoker waiting cubicle on the train platform instead of putting smokers in there until they come out smelly %26amp; pale. I am not sure which is better, though as the cubicles have A/C.

The long distance trains including shinkansen %26amp; LEX have designated cars, usually every other car but the smell may drift into the adjoining non-smoking cars. On the commute trains are banned. Coffee shops/restaurants may have ineffective designated sections or separated by floors. Small shops often have none.

If in doubt, follow the smoking crowds and the ash trays/bins or ask. Some train stations have timed non-smoking period during commute rash hours.

this is really interesting

any more info...restaurants banned?

I haven%26#39;t come across non-smoking restaurants. Izakaya is full of smoke which affect my eyes and breathing. Once I walked out from a tiny coffee shop in an early morning as the regulars came in and lit up next to me. If you see an ash tray(haizara) on the table or if you ask for it and they give you, you can smoke.

But since you are used to non-smoking in restaurants, why not continue that in Japan for other non-smoker%26#39;s sake. Japan needs to raise the pack prices. They are too cheap.

Some carry a portable ash tray in the street. Buy one as a souvenir.

Smaller izakayas and restaurants might not have divided smoking and non-smoking section so smoking would be allowed in those. Bigger ones sometimes have separate sections. Some restaurants are smoke-free entirely. It just depends.

A lot of smoke on the Hong Kong streets by the way. I wish they%26#39;d do something about that.

Starbucks is non-smoking! :-)

Many ';foreign'; restaurant chains began separating the smoking and non-smoking sections several years ago, and thanks to them, the non-smoking trend is FINALLY catching on. Yokohama is ';planning'; on implementing a system in which restaurants will all be non-smoking, bars and izakayas will have to have two sections, and pachinko parlors (for now) will still be filled with smoke. They%26#39;re hoping that the other prefectures will follow suit. Maybe not in our lifetime though.........

Cute-baby-angel, as you%26#39;re walking around Tokyo, you%26#39;ll find designated smoking areas in the middle of the road/sidewalk. There will be a big ashtray surrounded by people, so you won%26#39;t miss it. You can smell it, too. If you have a chance to go to Hachiko, the dog statue in Shibuya, you%26#39;ll even find a glassed-in building designated just for smokers so they won%26#39;t get wet when it%26#39;s raining! It%26#39;ll make a great conversation piece!