Guide · Plan the trip
Japan safety and etiquette: emergency numbers and the basic rules
Police 110, ambulance and fire 119, JNTO hotline 050-3816-2787 (24 hours, English). In a quake, follow staff. Rules on trash, smoking and tattoos.
Call 110 for the police and 119 for an ambulance or fire. Both are free and open 24 hours. The JNTO Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, answers 24 hours a day in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, and covers illness and disasters. JNTO describes Japan as very safe, with low crime, so most of what follows is manners and preparation.
Who do you call in an emergency?
Dial 110 for police and 119 for ambulance or fire.
| Number | Service | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 110 | Police | Free, 24 hours. Tokyo Metropolitan Police English helpline: 03-3501-0110, 24 hours |
| 119 | Ambulance and fire | Free, 24 hours |
| 050-3816-2787 | JNTO Visitor Hotline | 24 hours; English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese; illness and disasters |
For a crime or a lost item, go to the nearest koban, the neighbourhood police box. Ask for a police report if you lose your passport or need to claim on insurance.
JNTO’s Safety Tips app sends quake and tsunami alerts in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. JNTO also points to Japan Safe Travel Information and NHK WORLD-JAPAN. For a medical need that is not an emergency, JNTO’s medical facility finder lists facilities.
Safety Save 110, 119 and the Visitor Hotline number before you land, and keep your insurer’s emergency number with them. Clinics are usually cash only: see Travel insurance for Japan.
What should you do in an earthquake?
Stay calm and follow the staff where you are. The steps come from JNTO’s emergencies page:
- Stay calm and follow instructions from hotel, station or shop staff.
- Find the evacuation routes when you check in.
- Put out open flames. Fire is the main secondary hazard.
- Keep your phone charged.
- After a large quake near the coast, move to higher ground because of the tsunami risk.
Early warnings come through TV, radio and phone.
What should you do in a typhoon?
Reach your destination before public transport stops, and follow official warnings. JNTO’s page gives no typhoon steps and points to Japan Safe Travel Information.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says there is no fixed typhoon season: formation is highest from July to October and peaks in August and September. Its 2026 list records approaches to Japan in June (3), July (1), August (4), September (3) and October (1).
What about volcanoes, bears, snow and roads?
Check the alert level, bear sightings and road conditions on the day, because each hazard has its own rules. The guides below carry the detail.
- Volcanoes: Level 2 keeps you out of the crater area and Level 3 closes the mountain. Levels change without notice, so read the Japan Meteorological Agency the day you go. See Volcano alert levels in Japan.
- Bears: bears live on Honshu and Hokkaido. The ministry says to make noise, hike in groups, check sightings and carry spray. See Bear safety in Japan.
- Backcountry skiing: rules differ resort by resort. See Backcountry in Japan.
- Winter roads: if you are stranded, call the police on 110. JNTO’s winter driving page gives #9910 for roadside assistance and, with JAF, advises studless tyres and carrying chains and a jack even with studless tyres. See Can you rent a car in winter with an IDP?
What are the basic manners?
Keep your phone on silent on trains, carry your rubbish and smoke only where it is allowed.
| Topic | Rule | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Trains | Phone on silent, no calls | JNTO manners page |
| Trash | Public bins are few: carry rubbish home and sort it by type | JNTO guidance, earlier read |
| Smoking | Banned in most restaurants and bars except designated areas, with fines; avoid smoking while walking | JNTO guidance, earlier read |
| Tipping | Generally unnecessary at Western-style hotels | JNTO manners page |
| Shoes | Off at a ryokan entrance | JNTO manners page |
Kyoto lists 43 “Beautification Promotion Areas”, including Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari, where litter and similar offences bring fines up to $195 (¥30,000). Kyoto’s tourism site also states criminal penalties: trespass in restricted temple or shrine areas carries up to 3 years in prison or $645 (¥100,000), and damaging property up to 3 years or $1,940 (¥300,000). Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.
For restaurant lines, JNTO’s responsible-travel guide says to follow signs and floor markers, and How to order food in Japan has the detail. Tips and cards are in Tipping and paying in Japan.
To verify The Coast Guard number 118, a general queueing rule, the steps for the moment of shaking in an earthquake, tipping at a ryokan and tattoo rules at shrines and temples are not on the official pages read, so none is given. The trash, smoking and tattoo guidance comes from JNTO pages read earlier and is not on the manners page.
Are tattoos allowed in a bath?
Depends on the bath. JNTO’s guidance says many baths and onsen refuse tattoos or ask guests to cover them, so check ahead. Japan has no national rule on tattoos in onsen, so each bath decides. Tattoos and onsen lists what named baths say on their official pages.
At shrines and temples, read the sign or ask the office.
Where do the detailed rules live?
Four pages carry the rules for places where manners matter most.
- Shrines and temples: bow twice, clap twice and bow once at a shrine; do not clap at a temple; there is no fixed offering amount. See Shrine and temple etiquette.
- Onsen: wash before you get in, keep the towel out of the water and do not bathe after drinking alcohol. See Onsen etiquette.
- Nightlife and touts: choose your own venues, walk past touts and ask the total price first. A news report (secondary) of Shinjuku police figures counts 91 overcharging complaints in Kabukicho from January to June 2026, against 77 in all of 2025. See Yakuza in Japan: what visitors should know.
- Medicine: a month’s supply needs no procedure, some stimulants are banned and cannabis is prohibited in every form, medical included. See Can you bring medication into Japan?
Do you need travel insurance?
Not compulsory, but JNTO and Japan’s health ministry strongly recommend it. JNTO’s medical guide quotes old bills of $48,390 (¥7.5 million) and $64,520 (¥10 million), and says clinics are usually cash only. Look for a policy with cashless medical service. Travel insurance for Japan lists the checks.
Where next?
Every planning page is in the Plan hub. Trip totals are in How much a trip to Japan costs, and train rules are in the Shinkansen and JR Pass guide. Etiquette for specific places is in Culture and the Onsen hub.
Questions
Call 110 for the police and 119 for an ambulance or fire. Both are free and open 24 hours. The JNTO Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, runs 24 hours in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
Stay calm and follow staff instructions. Learn the evacuation routes when you check in, put out open flames, keep your phone charged, and move to higher ground after a large quake near the coast because of the tsunami risk.
JNTO describes Japan as very safe, with low crime. Stay aware, go to a koban (police box) if something happens, and get a police report for a lost passport or an insurance claim.
Smoking is banned in most restaurants and bars except designated areas, and fines apply, according to JNTO guidance. Avoid smoking while walking.
Depends on the bath. JNTO's guidance says many baths refuse tattoos or ask guests to cover them, so check ahead. Japan has no national rule, so each bath decides.