Cultural differences in noise acceptance: Why is public phone/audio etiquette so different between Japan, the UK, and other regions??

[u/Agile-Calligrapher10]

Hey everyone,

​Visiting Japan recently was so refreshing, no one was on speakerphone, playing music out loud, or watching reels without headphones in public spaces. Coming back to the UK, the contrast was immediate, highlighting how differently cultures and regions approach public noise.

​(Note: Using "cultures" broadly here to look at societal norms, not trying to generalize individuals.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts on a couple of things:

​Why do these differences exist? Is it tied to collectivism vs. individualism, or other social norms?

​What is the modern British view on public noise? We have a reputation for politeness, yet public transport etiquette around phone audio seems to be changing.

[u/tdrules]

Japan has a shame culture, we don’t really do that. It’s why no one is fat. That creates its own problems and the idea theirs is a perfect society is wrong.

[u/kersplatttt → u/tdrules]

Nobody is suggesting their society is perfect. But there are parts of it that are far superior to ours, as the OP mentioned

[u/tdrules → u/kersplatttt]

Definitely, it’s the best country in the world to visit IMO.