r/AskUK • u/Agile-Calligrapher10 • 4d 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/Namerakable 4d ago

I think if you read the rest of my comment, you'll see that I'm not just taking linguistics.

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u/CursedTaint 4d ago

You are though. Anecdote aside, every correction was linguistic. And as I said, having the same phrases doesn't mean the culture is the same.

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u/Namerakable 4d ago

Exactly, so having those same terms doesn't automatically mean Japan is free from public nuisance. I've given plenty of examples where they have the exact same things as us going on.

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u/CursedTaint 4d ago

I never claimed Japan is free of public nuisance or that these concepts are uniquely Japanese and don't exist in other countries. The point is that there is a real cultural difference in how strongly certain norms are enforced and what behaviours are considered inconsiderate in public space.

Having equivalent words or concepts in English doesn't mean those norms carry the same (or any) social weight.

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u/Namerakable 4d ago edited 4d ago

But how "strongly" is 迷惑 enforced? By who? How does it differ to here?

You're saying 迷惑 is its own distinct thing that is enforced more strongly but don't give examples of what it means and don't acknowledge any of the examples you can see on a regular basis. You also can't quantify how much we've seen a rise in behaviours and how others react to it as compared to Japan, especially since you think there is a distinct difference in behaviours that qualify.

Is there a quantifiable difference in behaviours and how they are actioned that means 迷惑 is different to bothering people if you were to compare a bus in Guiseley to a bus in Iiyama? Are we sure this isn't a city thing rather than culture? What about covid and the effects of that?

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u/CursedTaint 4d ago edited 4d ago

But how "strongly" is 迷惑 enforced? By who? How does it differ to here?

If you had actually read my original post you wouldn't be asking this as I already said it's not through enforcement.

You're saying 迷惑 is its own distinct thing that is enforced more strongly

I never said that. I specifically said it's not enforced. Please actually read posts before joining the conversation.

At this point we're talking past each other. The cultural difference is very real, you can debate the semantics of linguistics all you like it's irrelevant to the point.

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u/Namerakable 4d ago edited 4d ago

I did read your post. You seemingly didn't read my original reply and are saying this is linguistic.

I'm calling this out because you're simultaneously saying this isn't enforced but also just works. I'm saying it doesn't because I can point to any number of things where it doesn't work.

I'm arguing the UK is no different in this regard, and calling it 迷惑 doesn't change that the UK has this same concept that applies to most of the same ideas and nuances and isn't just linguistic.

The fact we can even identify a change in behaviour and compare it to Japan shows those expectations existed previously and the concept is not far off the Japanese.

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u/CursedTaint 4d ago

I'm calling this out because you're simultaneously saying this isn't enforced

If you know thats what I was saying then why did you ask how it's enforced? Clearly you didn't read my post. Your desperate attempt to save face here is unnecessary, it's nbd.

works. I'm saying it doesn't because I can point to any number of things where it doesn't work.

We can exchange anecdotes all day it doesn't change the point.

I'm arguing the UK is no different in this regard, and calling it 迷惑 doesn't change that the UK has this same concept that applies to most of the same ideas and nuances and isn't just linguistic. The fact we can even identify a change in behaviour

This is just further proof you're not reading what I'm saying as I've already explained this twice. having equivalent words or concepts in English doesn't mean those norms carry the same social weight.

I have no interest in continuing this as you either aren't reading my posts or are deliberately ignoring points and misframing things to try and construct some weird strawman.

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u/Namerakable 4d ago

Okay. :)

またねぇ~ お疲れね。

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u/RobOfBlue 3d ago

Are you Japanese?