For smokers who have a plan to go to Japan for a holiday, you need to know about Japan’s smoking rules and regulations before heading out to Japan to avoid smoking problems.
Now, Japan has stricter smoking policy due to the government’s aim to decrease secondhand smoke to face the 2020 Tokyo Olympics amid international calls for a smoke-free Games.
To make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics a smoke-free Games successful, the government made news policy in the last few years. However, these policies are not making smokers difficult to find a designated smoking area for smokers. We can easily find a smoking area nearby such as stations, minimarkets, and many more places that have a big sticker of a cigarette.
Now, we would like to share with you the smoking regulations in Japan to help you to follow the Japanese smoking policy.
First, where can you buy cigarettes in Japan?
You can buy a pack of cigarettes in every convenient store or tobacco stores around the country. There are many varieties of flavored cigarettes in Japan, like blueberry mint, menthol, and other unique flavors you can try from the local and international cigarette brands such as Marlboro, Davidoff, Black Devil, and many more.
The first thing you need to remember before buying cigarettes in the convenience stores is, you need to bring your ID card or Passport to show it to the cashier counter that you are above 20 years old. In Japan, you can not buy cigarettes if you do not reveal your ID card; this is to follow the regulations to not sell cigarettes to people who are under 20 years old.
So, the second thing you need to remember when you are about to buy cigarettes in the convenient store is to bring your ID card or Passport.
Also, if you see the cigarette vending machine, you need to remember that tourists can not buy cigarettes in vending machines. These machines can only be used with a special card called “Taspo,” used to verify the age of the buyer. These cards are only issued to people living in Japan.
Smoking Areas
The third thing you need to know is the smoking areas. In Japan, you can smoke cigarettes in places such as train stations, parks, malls, convenience stores, and any areas that have designated smoking areas.
Tips for you to find the designated smoking areas, you can find a label of cigarettes on the wall in the designated smoking room.
Smoking in Restaurants or Bars
Before, Japan had a stricter smoking policy, there were many restaurants, cafes, and bars able to smoke inside the building. But now, there is a regulation where the restaurants, cafes, and bars need to have a separation room between a smoking area and a non-smoking area.
Usually, they have indoor smoking areas for their smoker visitors and to separate between the smoker visitors with non-smoker visitors.
Smoking in Hotels
If you are booking a hotel in an online application, you can easily find a hotel with a smoking room by using the filters in the application, or you can just come to the hotel and ask if there is any smoking room available to the receptionist. This will help you to smoke cigarettes in case you do not find a smoking area when you travel.
Smoke cigarettes while walking.
In Japan, when you are smoking while walking is prohibited, and you can get “fine” if you break the rules. Smoking around the mark on the “no smoking street” can fine you about ¥20.000 yen or about $2.700.
This is a huge amount, so you need to remember about this when you are in Japan.
Do not toss cigarettes.
It is not only in Japan, wherever you are, try not to toss cigarettes ends on the grounds or the sewerage to protect the environment and to show the responsibilities of a smoker. In Japan, littering is called “illegal dumpling” and carries a penalty of up to five years or a fine of up to 10 million yen (92,100 dollars).
We suggest you buy portable ashtrays in convenience stores around Japan. This will help you to prevent you from tossing cigarettes ends on the ground.
These are some tips and guides for Smokers before heading out to Japan. We hope our tips and guides will help you to have a pleasant and safe trip.
Smoke Cabin
Smoke Solution develops a set of efficient filtering system that can remove most of the airborne pollutants. There is an automatic motion sensor installed in each of the cabin and alternatively regulates the speed of the filtering system according to the movement inside the cabin. For their filters, Smoke Solution uses its own produced CO 2 neutral coconut charcoal. The harvest of the coconut shells is in a sustainable manner, without posing any harm to palm trees, animal habitats or the environment.
The ashtrays of the smoking cabins are fireproof and self-extinguishable. Lighted cigarette thrown into the ashtray will be extinguished and thus remove the risk of fire. Smoke cabins are modular and freestanding, they can be resized and relocated to fit in different locations, and follow the user patterns.
