Do Tourists to Japan Have Bad Changing Room Manners?

From wearing heavy perfume to failing to remove their shoes, Japan tourists are making headaches for shoppers and staff alike.

At this point, I’ve combed through many a report of “bad” tourist manners and cultural expectations vs. tourist reality in Japan. I have to say this is the most…specific complaint I’ve seen to date. A recent report says that clothing apparel shops — and their Japanese customers — are complaining about poor manners in clothing store changing rooms.

The article from Money Voice documents various etiquette faux pas witnessed among foreign tourists to Japan. For example, one female customer in her 30s complains that foreign tourists spend an inordinate time in changing rooms. On several occasions, she says, she’s left the store without trying anything on.

The woman also complained that tourists emerge from changing rooms “acting like it’s a fashion show.”

“One woman was singing and blasting music from her smartphone while strutting back and forth from the changing room like a model. A guy was taking video — I think they were livestreaming.”

Some people say tourists are using locations like shoe stores, not to shop for anything, but to sit and rest. A man in his 40s says he regularly sees “people just using their smartphones, letting…