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Smoking on the street in Japan can get you fined – but designated areas are easy to find once you know where to look. Check our tourist’s guide to where to smoke in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, on the Shinkansen… and more.
When I first went to Japan, a long, long time ago, there was a lot of smoke. You could smoke in bars and restaurants; every hotel had smoking floors, and there were even smoking rooms on the Shinkansen, but over the years, things have changed.
So, what’s the situation now if you’re a smoker visiting Japan? Or conversely, someone trying to avoid the smell of smoke and worried about staying smoke-free in Japan? We’ll explain what both groups need to know…
Checked and updated in July 2026 with the latest laws
The Rules of Smoking in the Street
This might surprise you, but smoking in the street in Japan can be illegal and result in a fine.
The rules are set by local authorities rather than the national government, but many places commonly visited by tourists are smoke-free. For example….
- Tokyo: You can’t smoke on the street, outside of a designated smoking area, in the Tokyo city limits
- Kyoto: You can’t smoke on the street in many areas, including downtown, Gion and around Kyoto Station.
- Osaka: Osaka City has implemented a citywide ban on street smoking in 2025, with violators facing a 1000 yen fine if caught.
- Nara: Has named specific ‘no smoking’ zones – like Nara Park and the walkway up to Kasuga Taisha. The city also asks people not to smoke in crowded places.
While the reasons for not allowing smoking are similar to those about eating and drinking on the street (concern for the wellbeing of others), it’s also common sense – think about how much damage a flicked cigarette butt could do in the older areas of Kyoto, or in cities like Takayama or Kanazawa that are lined by wooden buildings, or to the straw houses of Shirakawago (although ironically, I left there stinking of smoke from the wood fire in the museum house!)
How to Find Smoking Areas in Japan
The good news for smokers is that even with these rules, you don’t need to go cold turkey on your holiday. Even in the above areas, you can smoke in designated smoking areas. And here’s how to find them.
- Use your senses. In areas where street smoking is banned, smokers will always be grouped together in one specific spot. If you see a huddle of people smoking, or smell smoke, you’ve found the designated area.
- Look for the signs. No-smoking symbols are stencilled on pavements and displayed on buildings in restricted zones. The flip side is that smoking areas are clearly signed too.
- Bookmark the List-Sites. A couple of websites have location-related maps of smoking areas and cafes or bars that allow smoking that you can use if cravings strike on the move. Try en.tobacco.tokyo or mottosuitai.com.
- At train stations. Look for the JR station map, on the wall near the exit or on platforms, which marks smoking rooms on the concourse. Most major Shinkansen stations have at least one.
- At Tokyo Disney and USJ. Smoking area locations are shown on the official park apps. There is no smoking while walking around either park or while queuing.
- In hotels. Ask at check-in. Most business hotels have at least one designated smoking area for guests, even if the rooms themselves are non-smoking.
Smoking in Hotels
Increasingly, more and more hotels in Japan are completely non-smoking, especially in Tokyo, where indoor smoking rules are strict. Even then, many hotels also have at least one communal smoking area for guests.
If you book via the web, hotels that do still have smoking rooms will often split reservations into smoking or non-smoking, so make sure you look before clicking to book.
How to Find Hotels With Smoking Rooms
Some older business hotels may offer some smoking rooms or have dedicated floors for smoking guests. You might also find Love Hotels offering smoking rooms – and some of these now offer bookings to longer stay guests.
Some other hotels that allow smoking in some rooms are…
Tokyo – Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo (Shinjuku) – one floor in each building is a designated smoking floor
Kyoto – Hotel Granvia Kyoto (Kyoto Station) – no specific details on their website, but they state that if no non-smoking rooms are available, other rooms can be deodorised on request.
Osaka – Hotel Granvia Osaka (Umeda) has smoking rooms on the 19th and 27th floors.
Sometimes you will be able to specifically book a smoking room online. If not, you will need to email the hotel after booking to ensure your room is allocated on the correct floor. Also, remember that hotels sometimes remove smoking rooms – especially during renovations.
If You’re a Non-Smoker
The good news is, in the big cities, non-smoking properties are outnumbering those that allow smoking in the rooms, and, in those that do, the rooms are normally on their own floor.
If you travel a bit more rurally, or to smaller towns with lots of local business traffic, smoking rooms become more common, so when reserving your room, make sure you choose a room specifically labelled non-smoking or check if the hotel says that it’s a totally non-smoking property.
I have asthma, so ending up in a smoking room would be a deal breaker for me, so if I do have to stay in a hotel that has both, I will only book a confirmed non-smoking room – and I also always email to check that it’s guaranteed. If their reply leaves me with any doubts that I might end up in a smoking room, I’ll rebook and find a new one.
If your hotel only has a smoking area, I wouldn’t worry at all. On my last trip, I stayed at two Daiwa Roynet hotels, where there were smoking areas on each floor… including mine. This made me nervous, but the room was well-sealed and off the area used for vending machines and microwaves, so there were two doors between it and the main corridor. But even in the vending machine area, there was no smell.
Smoking on Public Transport
If you’re travelling around Japan, you might be wondering if you can smoke on the move; after all, some Shinkansen journeys can be three hours long. The short answer is no, but here are the details.
Can You Smoke on the Shinkansen?
No. All Shinkansen lines – including the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu – removed their onboard smoking rooms in early 2024. There are no smoking carriages or smoking cars on any line, and you’ll get regular announcements in English reminding you that the trains are totally non-smoking, so you can’t even plead ignorance.
Instead, you’ll find designated smoking rooms on the platform concourse at most major Shinkansen stations that you can use before you board. Check the JR station map or ask staff to point you in the right direction. It is illegal to smoke on a train platform, outside of these areas, even if the platform itself is outside.
What About Local Transport?
The same rules apply. You also can’t smoke on subways, local trains or buses.
And again, smoking is banned on platforms even if they are located in the open air. If there is a smoking area in the station, it will be marked on the station map.
You also won’t be able to smoke at bus stops in areas where street smoking is prohibited. Use a street smoking app to find a nearby designated smoking area.
Smoking in Restaurants
Japan changed the rules on indoor smoking when they were chosen to host the 2020 Olympics. Following past precedent from hosting countries, Japan changed smoking rules to ban smoking in many indoor areas – including restaurants and bars bigger than 100 square metres or those that served food as their main purpose.
Tokyo had slightly stricter rules banning it in all restaurants or cafes that had employees.
Recently, Osaka further tightened rules prohibiting smoking in eateries with dining areas larger than 30 square metres – unless they have a dedicated indoor smoking room (and a few other exceptions). The fine if you do light up inside can be as high as 30,000 yen.
Finding Bars and Restaurants That Allow Smoking
Of course, if you’ve ever walked along a road of tiny izakaya seating 5 or 6 people, and staffed by only the chef, you can see why it was estimated that, at the time the rules above came in, around 55 per cent of bars and restaurants in Japan didn’t fall under this jurisdiction, and around 16 per cent were exempt in Tokyo.
This meant it was up to the owner if they wished to allow smoking. And some did – and still do.
The Smoking Spots websites I listed above also have lists of bars and cafes that allow smoking. You’ll also see signs outside showing a martini glass and a smoking cigarette in a blue square.
If You’re a Non-Smoker
If somewhere does allow smoking, there must be clear signage outside that states this. Again, it’s a blue square containing drawings of a martini glass and a smoking cigarette – there’s an example in the picture above. If you’re a non-smoker and see this, you can easily choose whether or not to go in.
Interestingly, before this ban came in, I’d been to some large izakaya that allowed smoking. I don’t know if they had better ventilation than I was used to in the UK, but they didn’t really smell. Importantly, as I pack very light, they also didn’t leave my clothes smelling of smoke either.
If you’re not so lucky, many hotels offer a deodorising spray that will freshen up your clothes, or you can find Febreeze in pharmacies.
Smoking in Japan’s Theme Parks
If you’re visiting a theme park in Japan, it’s important to know that there is no smoking while walking around the Tokyo Disney Parks or USJ. There is also no smoking in the park restaurants or while queuing.
There are designated smoking areas, though, so if you need something to help you recover from seven minutes of hearing dolls singing It’s a Small World or the thrills of Flying Dinosaur, you’ll find the locations on the apps in both parks.
If you’re staying onsite, the official Tokyo Disney hotels are all non-smoking but have a smoking area. At Universal, the main hotels outside the park – the Park Front, The Liber and the Singulari – are non-smoking but have a smoking area.
Buying Cigarettes in Japan as a Tourist
The legal smoking and purchasing age for cigarettes in Japan is 20, higher than in many Western countries.
You will be asked to confirm your age at vending machines (tap the button to confirm you are over 20) and may be asked to show ID in convenience stores. Your passport counts as valid ID – and since you’re legally required to carry it in Japan anyway, this shouldn’t be an issue.
A few other things worth knowing if you’re a smoker visiting from overseas:
- Cigarettes are widely available at convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) and from vending machines
- You cannot legally buy vape liquid in Japan, though you can bring a small amount for personal use. The number of e-cigarette devices you can import is also limited. Check official rules for the exact quantities at the time you wish to travel.
- Cannabis is illegal in Japan with serious penalties; this guide covers tobacco and nicotine products only
- Check the current rules on bringing in smoking products from a trusted source like the JNTO or the Japan Ministry of Health before you travel, as these do change. Do not listen to randoms on the internet about this – no, not even me!
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
