📖 Japan
Guide
Smoking rules in Japan — where can you smoke?
Japan has no single nationwide street-smoking ban, but most city centres prohibit smoking while walking and instead provide designated outdoor smoking areas, often near stations. Many wards enforce these zones with on-the-spot fines (commonly ¥1,000–2,000). Indoor smoking has been heavily restricted since the 2020 revision of the Health Promotion Act: most restaurants and public buildings are smoke-free or offer dedicated smoking rooms. Heated tobacco (IQOS, glo, Ploom) is widely used and sometimes allowed where cigarettes are not.
Before your trip
Traveling to Japan? See the travel essentials.Key points
- ✓Use designated smoking areas near major stations.
- ✓Never smoke while walking in central wards.
- ✓Carry a portable ashtray — littering butts can be fined.
City rules in Japan
Smoking rules vary by ward in Tokyo; most central wards ban street smoking outside designated areas.
Since 27 Jan 2025, Osaka bans street smoking across the ENTIRE city (all 24 wards) — cigarettes and heated tobacco — with a ¥1,000 fine. Use designated smoking areas only.
Kyoto bans street smoking outside designated areas city-wide (ordinance since 1 Jun 2019). In high-traffic “fine zones” (around Kyoto Station, the central area, Kiyomizu and Gion), street smoking incurs a ¥1,000 fine. Use Kyoto City public smoking areas.
Yokohama bans outdoor smoking in 8 designated districts (Yokohama Station, Minato Mirai 21, Kannai, Tsurumi, Higashi-Kanagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Totsuka, Futamatagawa) — incl. heated tobacco — with a ¥2,000 fine. Use the designated smoking areas within them.
Nagoya bans street smoking in designated zones (around Nagoya Station, Sakae, Hisaya-Odori and Nishiki 3-chome) — even standing still — with a ¥2,000 fine. Smoke only in designated smoking areas.
Fukuoka bans street smoking (while walking or cycling) in designated districts — Tenjin/Daimyo and around Hakata Station — under its “Moral Manners” ordinance, with a fine up to ¥20,000. Use designated smoking areas.
Sapporo bans street smoking in the central area (Sapporo Station, Odori and Susukino) under its anti-litter ordinance, with a ¥1,000 fine. Use designated smoking areas.
Kobe bans street smoking in designated districts (Sannomiya–Motomachi and around Rokkomichi Station) under its litter & street-smoking ordinance, with a ¥2,000 fine. Use designated smoking areas.
FAQ
Can you smoke on the street in Japan?▾
Often not in city centres. Many wards ban smoking while walking and only allow it in designated areas, with fines for violations.
Is indoor smoking allowed in Japan?▾
Mostly restricted since 2020. Many venues are smoke-free or provide dedicated smoking rooms; rules differ for small existing bars.