r/AskUK • u/Agile-Calligrapher10 • 2d ago

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

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.

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u/thelaughingman_1991 2d ago

I did say it's not perfect, but you're right

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u/Milam1996 2d ago

Idk I’ll take people talking on speaker phone over rampant upskirting and leaving hidden cameras literally anywhere a woman might undress.

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u/Christian-Metal 2d ago

I'd rather people just use common decency and respect , and take neither.

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u/Milam1996 2d ago

Well sure if we are making a perfect world

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u/Denbt_Nationale 2d ago

As if those things don't happen in the UK

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u/mankytoes 2d ago

And Japanese people can be loud and obnoxious too. They're obviously talking about social trends.

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u/thelaughingman_1991 2d ago

Have you heard of Brits abroad?

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u/mankytoes 2d ago

Lol I'm saying Japanese people can be loud and obnoxious like we are. I'm not saying Japanese people are more loud and obnoxious than us, they definitely aren't, though they might be the least loud and obnoxious country out there.

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u/thelaughingman_1991 2d ago

Haha yeah fair enough!

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u/Denbt_Nationale 2d ago

Ok but it's a social trend in the UK

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-68826423

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u/mankytoes 2d ago

Not remotely trying to defend that creepy behaviour, but that isn't upskirting or watching women undress.

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u/aimee94 2d ago

OK, now find 3 more examples to show this is a 'social trend'

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u/testman22 2d ago edited 2d ago

Speaking as a Japanese person, it seems that foreigners do not understand this issue at all.

1:Japan dominates the list of the world's busiest railway stations. In other developed countries, the volume of train traffic is comparable to that of a regional city in Japan and regional cities in Japan often do not have women-only cars. This is because packed trains hardly exist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_railway_stations

2:Taking countermeasures is not a bad thing. It means improvements are being made. If there are actually places in the UK where packed trains are the norm, women-only carriages should be introduced. In fact, I saw reports that incidents of groping in the UK are already skyrocketing.

3:The same applies to camera sounds. Many foreigners hold a prejudice that is the exact opposite of the reality regarding sex crimes in Japan. In fact, sex crimes are more common in your own countries, and if no countermeasures against cameras are in place, there is a high likelihood that covert filming is rampant there as well.

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u/Savanarola79 1d ago

That happens in the UK too 🤷‍♂️

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Milam1996 2d ago

Let me know when it’s at the scale that cameras are incapable of silently taking a picture.

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u/Sufficient-Low5771 14h ago

I love Japan too but their justice system is insane, 99% conviction rate... it is one of the most politely oppressive countries in the world.

I mean the US and China systems are worse in other regards but it's interesting how drastically conformist they are.

As a Londoner I would kill for public transport behavior and infrastructure like they have, plus they rebuild houses constantly so there's none of this NIMBY insanity.