Smoking in Japan

[Minxie]

I know I've said this countless of times already, but I am going to Japan next week. (*yay! finally lol)

I am a smoker, and being as it that I have not gone back to Japan since I was 6, I am not familiar with "smoking procedures" out there.

I heard, some people carry around an ashtray (w/ a closing lid of course), ash & throw their stoge in there and then put it in their pocket. Is this common?

I guess overall, my main question is, where do I throw my cigarrette away? Here in New York, you just throw it in the street, and disregard the cigarrette dumping posts. I don't want to get a ticket or fine out there for not displaying proper smoking etiquette, so please please please enlighten me!

thanks a bunch!

 

[Akakubisan]

You will find more smokers in Japan than here in America. And thus smoking seems to be accepted in more areas with less rules.
But, recently rules (maybe not legal rules or enforced) seem to be starting to appear.

Six years ago, people smoked pretty much anywhere, anytime. Last year I noticed that there are now smoking areas at places like Shibya outside the station. Not everyone used it, but most seemed to.

About throwing you butts in the street, I am personally against it and so I don't. In Japan I noticed some do and some don't. More than likely there are rules against it, but I have never looked into that. I have seen people use the ashtray type thing you listed above though.

 

[Kara_Nari]

Yeah, you can buy the little ashtrays in various cuteness, or practicality levels.
I noticed some people throwing them on the ground, but there is alot of garbage bins on the streets. If worse comes to worse, put it in your bag, or down a sewer drain.

 

[ArmandV]

I had no problems smoking in Japan for the same reasons as previously stated. I use the designated smoking areas as it is frowned upon the discard your butt on the sidewalk. There's some sort of rule or law that one cannot smoke while walking down a sidewalk, although I never had any problems. Can someone clarify this?

 

[vorpar]

My familiarity is with Tokyo, which has some portions of the city designated as "no public smoking", such as the area west of Kanda station. The only trash cans I've seen there in public places are in parks, they just don't seem to exist on the streets. If you want to use a portable ashtray, they are sometimes sold with a pack of cigarettes (in shops, not vending machines) I'm fond of the Alphabet brand ashtray. If not, there are always ashtrays in front of convenience stores. A quick glance at the ground will let you know how many other people have left butts behind if you really need to drop one.
When in doubt, do what the Japanese around you are doing.

 

[Davey]

you better buy a ashtray that you can bring with you haha,, as in japan there are not many places where you can put them in, not many ashtrays on the streets, just in the centre of a city they have some on top of the trashcans, but yeah you also wont see many trashcans in japan.. this got me anoyed most about.. but funny thing is , Japan is still so clean!!!!!!!!!

 

[RockLee]

I hope you're at least 20, else Smoking and Drinking is "Dame" for you, as you are considered mature from age 20

Another solution might be to stay away from those filthy things and don't smoke

 

[misa.j]

I don't think their rules are as strict as how they are in New York, and you can still smoke inside buildings in many places in Japan. There are even ashtrays with water in it at some train stations, or many people just litter cigarettes on the street which I think sucks .

or down a sewer drain

Kara, that's a bad suggestion. A sewer is not a trash.

 

[GaijinPunch]

It's still a smoker's paradise. I am proud to say that I'm an ex-smoker. I wound up being a pack and a half a day smoker by my late 20's living in Tokyo. I quit when I got married (2 year anniversary next month).

After being gone a year and going back, the clouds of smoke will hit you like a freight train. I went to a club that was so smokey, the smokers had to leave b/c it was burning their eyes.

Chiyoda-ku (and perhaps others) now have ordinances which forbid people from smoking on the street. Akihabara even has a Smoker's Style which is great if you're a smoker and out of cigarettes. Just walk in.

EDIT:
I AM an ex-smoker.

 

[ArmandV]

you better buy a ashtray that you can bring with you haha,, as in japan there are not many places where you can put them in, not many ashtrays on the streets, just in the centre of a city they have some on top of the trashcans, but yeah you also wont see many trashcans in japan.. this got me anoyed most about.. but funny thing is , Japan is still so clean!!!!!!!!!

I've been to Japan twice and never saw a personal ashtray. When I go next month, I'll have to look out for one. May come in handy here.

Your point about the lack of trash cans, yet the country seems so much cleaner was something we noticed last summer. I mentioned it in an article on our tour in G-FAN.

 

[ArmandV]

It's still a smoker's paradise.

Yes, I've noticed that.

We had an old saying:

Don't smoke in bed, the ashes that fall may be your own!

 

[deadhippo]

I've been to Japan twice and never saw a personal ashtray. When I go next month, I'll have to look out for one. May come in handy here.

Your point about the lack of trash cans, yet the country seems so much cleaner was something we noticed last summer. I mentioned it in an article on our tour in G-FAN.

Well, many people use these portable ash trays now. Ay Yokohama station they have some older ladies and gentlemen who will give you a free one and encourage you to put yours out. It doesnt stop those ignorant tosspots (offence intended) from throwing their butts on the ground though. You can also get these ashtrays at practically any convenience store or kiosk of which there are many.

These days many stations are non-smoking. I'm not sure about JR but the Sotetsu Line is non-smoking.

On another note, even if you were ten yeas old and wanted to smoke, its no probelem as they are still readily available in veding machines until 11pm which I think is pretty stupid. I f they really wanted to stop young people to stop smoking they would switch the vending machine on at 11pm.

 

[Minxie]

Thanks a lot guys for filling me in! I am very appreciative of everyone's input.

Don't worry i'm over 20 and am legal here in the states to drink and buy stoges - even though I STILL get id'd everywhere i go. It's funny because everyone who checks my id thinks its fake, I wish they would just see that the "under age 21" is not there and realize if it was a fake, how the hell could I chalk that whole thing out?!

Just out of curiousity, how much are cigarrettes out there? I'm sure it's cheaper than 7-8 bucks like NYC lol

 

[deadhippo]

Just out of curiousity, how much are cigarrettes out there? I'm sure it's cheaper than 7-8 bucks like NYC lol

theyre about 210 yen
i guess thats about 2 bucks for twenty cigarettes.

 

[Silverpoint]

210 is a little low. Pretty much all brands are either 270 or 300.

 

[deadhippo]

210 is a little low. Pretty much all brands are either 270 or 300.

im a non-smoker

 

[Minxie]

210 is a little low. Pretty much all brands are either 270 or 300.

O WOW, thats crazy cheap. I should buy cartons there and bring em back.

 

[RockLee]

O WOW, thats crazy cheap. I should buy cartons there and bring em back.

Try getting that back to NYC ! Good luck

 

[Minxie]

Try getting that back to NYC ! Good luck

yeah thats the thing. I'm sure there is a limit of how many cartons you can bring back. I should look into that. I think it's 2, but we shall see.

 

[Silverpoint]

Wow - you guys have a seriously confusing up customs setup

Exemptions

Depending on the countries you have visited, your personal exemption will be $200, $800, or $1,600. There are limits on the amount of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products you may include in your duty-free personal exemption.

Tobacco Products: Travelers may import previously exported tobacco products only in quantities not exceeding the amounts specified in exemptions for which the traveler qualifies. Any quantities of previously exported tobacco products not permitted by an exemption will be seized and destroyed. These items are typically purchased in duty-free stores, on carriers operating internationally, or in foreign stores. These items are usually marked ﾂ"Tax Exempt. For Use Outside the United States,ﾂ" or ﾂ"U.S. Tax Exempt For Use Outside the United States.ﾂ"

For example, a returning resident is eligible for the $800 exemption, which includes not more than 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars. If the resident declares 400 previously exported cigarettes, the resident would be permitted 200 cigarettes, tax-free under the exemption and the remaining 200 previously exported cigarettes would be confiscated. If the resident declares 400 cigarettes, of which 200 are previously exported and 200 not previously exported, the resident would be permitted to import the 200 previously exported cigarettes tax free under the exemption and the resident would be charged duty and tax on the remaining 200 foreign-made cigarettes.

The tobacco exemption is available to each adult. Except for information and informational materials, no traveler (whether traveling legally under an Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) license or traveling illegally without an OFAC license) may import Cuban origin goods, including Cuban cigars, unless authorized to do so by a specific license issued by OFAC.

 

[ArmandV]

Wow - you guys have a seriously confusing up customs setup

That's the U.S. Government for you.

From reading that confusing Exemption thing, it appears that we can bring in one cartion of cigarettes. Ten packs of 20 cigarettes is 200 cigarettes, which is one carton. That's what I brought into Japan back in 2001. I had no problem with customs. It is probably some sort of reciprocal thing with the two governments.

 

[Silverpoint]

It's the same in the UK when travelling from outside the EU. Come back home from an EU country though and you can bring 3,200 cancer sticks before they even challenge you. And even then, so long as you can reasonably demonstrate they are for personal use, there's no specific limit.

 

[Mike Cash]

That's the U.S. Government for you.

From reading that confusing Exemption thing, it appears that we can bring in one cartion of cigarettes. Ten packs of 20 cigarettes is 200 cigarettes, which is one carton. That's what I brought into Japan back in 2001. I had no problem with customs. It is probably some sort of reciprocal thing with the two governments.

For real fun, try searching the net for clear and definitive information on personal importation of cigars into Japan.

 

[Davey]

i was suprised about the price of those ciggarets yeah, just 300 yen, in my country they cost *brand, i cant say the name, i am an ex-smoker, beside last night then haha* 430-450 yen.

everybody says Japan is expensive, but its not so bad, if you see things good.. at least shopping isnt expensive *in my opinion, some stuff is way more cheap then my country!!!*

 

[ArmandV]

i was suprised about the price of those ciggarets yeah, just 300 yen, in my country they cost *brand, i cant say the name, i am an ex-smoker, beside last night then haha* 430-450 yen.

everybody says Japan is expensive, but its not so bad, if you see things good.. at least shopping isnt expensive *in my opinion, some stuff is way more cheap then my country!!!*

Not knowing that "a certain brand" of cigarettes were widely available in Japan and cheaper than in California, I brought a carton with me in 2001. Last year, I brought two packs and bought the rest in Japan. I will do the same this month when I go. Live and learn!