Audrey Mari
During one of my trips to Japan, a tourist friend I was accompanying ended up smoking… in a restaurant restroom. She couldn’t find a smoking area, the signs were in Japanese, and she didn’t dare ask. The result: an intensely awkward moment, apologies to the staff, and an unforgettable embarrassment.
As a former tour guide and with smoker friends around me, I’ve seen these situations repeat over and over. Even for a Japanese person, finding a smoking area can be a headache. For a foreigner, it’s almost mission impossible.
You have to understand that Japan has implemented very strict tobacco regulations. Smoking indoors is generally prohibited, except in approved smoking rooms. But the rules vary depending on the location—indoors or outdoors—the types of tobacco, the types of establishments, and even by prefecture:
- In Tokyo, smoking on the sidewalks can cost you up to ¥2,000 in certain areas like Kita-ku (Kita-ku City Hall)
- In Osaka, starting April 2025, all restaurants larger than 30 m² must be completely non-smoking (Osaka Prefecture)
- The national law provides for a fine of up to ¥300,000 (about €2,000) for refusal to comply with orders from local authorities (Ministry of Health)
In short, without reading Japanese or knowing the local laws, the risk is high: fines, embarrassment, a bad image of tourists. And all that when the person just wanted to take a cigarette break.
