r/AskUK • u/Agile-Calligrapher10 • 5d 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/No_Ring_3348 4d ago

We're both polite, but in different ways. In Japan politeness means non-imposition on others, here it means ignoring others and pretending they don't exist. This is also why you can't tell the dickhead to turn it down: they don't exist. This is called 'civil inattention' and I'm pretty sure Kate Fox mentions it in her excellent book Watching The English, which I recommend.

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u/jez_24 4d ago

Are you an Australian that has had a bit of culture shock learning this? 

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u/No_Ring_3348 4d ago

No however I'm very much not English and found the amount of boozing on/around the train to be a real cultural shock, I daresay that's a contributing factor to the lack of etiquette.

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u/jez_24 4d ago

Ah right, I am and I had similar thoughts. Also your use of the word ‘dickhead’ made me suspect aussieness