I’ve watched people step in front of moving vehicles, spit on other people, and generally disregard all rules of common sense and human decency. It’s enough to make me silently, and passive-aggressively, judge them.

It’s because of those experience that I was little more sensitive than normal to pedestrian behavior when we visited Japan earlier this year. While you might not be able to get around a country like the US without a car, you definitely won’t be able to go far in Japan without walking a few miles.

Because walking is so important, I think it’s pretty important to try and be a good pedestrian when strolling around Japan. After all, you don’t want to look like a stupid foreigner, do you?

Watch Your Speed

One of the most interesting factoids I learned recently is that a city’s size and the speed at which its people walk are correlated. The bigger a city, the faster the people walk; the smaller a city, the slower they walk.

It might seem like an obvious and not very useful factoid (and you’re probably right), but it put things in a new light for me. If you’re visiting Japan, you’ll probably be stopping by some incredibly populous cities, which means you might have to hustle a little bit in order to keep up with the crowd.

You don’t want to be the slowpoke who blocks the entire sidewalk. C’mon!

On the flip side, if you’re used to a more fast-paced, urban lifestyle, then you might need to pump the brakes a bit if you’re visiting rural Japan. Slow it down a bit. Take your time and smile. Be friendly!

Be Careful of Regional Differences

Obviously, there are some pretty big differences between walking in a major city like Tokyo or Osaka and taking a stroll out in the sticks, but there are other, regional differences are a bit more subtle than that.

The Kansai and Kanto regions of Japan (which contain Osaka and Tokyo, respectively) have been cultural rivals for literally hundreds of years, and they play out their rivalry in some incredibly strange ways.

For instance: in the two different regions, you stand on different sides when you ride the escalator. If you’re in Osaka, you stand on the right and pass on the left; in Tokyo, it’s the opposite.

Even though it’s one of the most bizarre, asinine ways two places can distinguish themselves (I mean, really guys?!), it can be confusing, especially if you travel from one region to the other. Just remember where you are and watch what other people are doing.

Look & Listen for the Signs

OK, this is pretty obvious. Your mom probably told you to do these things when you were a kid, but it bears repeating when you’re in a different country. Etiquette is different, signage is different and, of course, the language is different.

Fortunately even if you don’t speak Japanese, major Japanese cities have signs and signals in spades. Between that and the accomodations for handicapped people (some of which I’ve talked about before), you can more or less guess what’s going on.

Don’t Worry Too Much

When all else fails, just take a second to watch the people around you and see what they’re doing. It’s not rocket science, and there’s no real consequences if you screw up. Unless you’re deliberately being inconsiderate or reckless then no harm, no foul.

The worst that can happen is that I’m a few steps behind, silently judging you.

What Is Namba Aruki (なんば歩き)?

Namba Aruki is the running style of the express runners (hikyaku) during the Edo Period (1603-1868) whose job it was to run messages quickly and efficiently between Edo and the other provinces. Usually they would travel in pairs, one having a pole with a box or package on the end, and another that had a pole with a lantern on it inscribed with the characters “official business.” Needless to say, communication was key to an effective government, so these express runners had to be very, well, express. They would regularly run from Edo to Kyoto in 6-8 days. Considering that’s approximately 300 miles (~480km) on foot, I’d say it isn’t all that shabby. I would certainly subscribe to their Hikyaku Prime program if they had one.

Of course, doing all this running must have been tiring for them. That being said, there was a lot of time and opportunity to figure out a better way of running. Something more efficient… something that would get them to their destination faster overall… something a little more namba, perhaps?

But it wasn’t just the express runners who used this style of walking. If you’re wearing a kimono Namba Aruki will also make it so it doesn’t get rumpled up (because you don’t move your hips or upper body back and forth like with normal walking). Also, if you have a sword (aka you’re a samurai and/or Tom Cruise) at your hip walking in the Namba style will prevent the sword from swinging side to side, which would get irritating after a while (and make it harder to draw while you’re running). Lastly, if you’re wearing geta and walking through the muddy streets, this style of walking would prevent you from splashing said mud up the back of your hakama or pants, or even onto other people. So, even beyond the express runners there were many reasons for people to walk this way in Edo era Japan.

But what exactly is it? Check out 0:24, 1:16, and 5:10 for the basic idea:

When you do Namba Aruki, you move your left arm and left leg forward at the same time. Then, you move your right arm and right leg forward at the same time. This may seem inefficient at first (and it is, until you practice), but when you’ve honed your namba aruki craft down to a science you gain many benefits. If you’d like to do just that, check out our Namba Aruki Guide in our Guides section.

Benefits Of Namba Aruki

So why should you start walking in a way that makes you look like a fool? Are there actually benefits to this? In several martial arts, particularly Japanese ones, the benefits of Namba Aruki are more obvious. Kendo and Aikido in particular get a big boost from learning this because many of the basic footwork actually revolves around namba aruki (though very few dojos teach it nowadays for some reason).

But what about your regular day-to-day life? What if you want to get up and namba aruki all the way to the 7-Eleven across the street to get your Wild Radiation Slurpee™? You’re in luck, my friend. Even you can benefit from this special Edo-style walk.

According to the Japanese Wikipedia page on Namba Aruki, you’ll get all this and more with your Namba Aruki Slurpee.

• Longer lasting stamina by twisting your body the bare minimum.
• Stable posture with reduced twists in the upper half your body
• No wasted energy and increased explosiveness (when you push off to walk or run, you sicko!).
• More power by moving one arm, hip and leg at the same time, like the wooden pole used by sumo wrestlers in training.
• Less strain on your body by climbing steep slopes or stairs in the Namba running style.

So there you have it. So many good things happen to people who are willing to look like a weirdo while walking around in public. If this isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps incorporating namba aruki training into your sports regimen is? Namba Aruki in modern sports is got fairly in Japan for a while and still is to a certain extent.

Namba Aruki In Modern Sports

There are a number of professional athletes from Japan who trained with Namba Aruki in mind and ended up doing pretty well. Perhaps the best known is Shingo Suetsugu who set the Asian record for the 200 meters at 20.03 seconds during the Japanese National Championships. But he as well as other runners who incorporate Namba Aruki only do this walk to a certain extent. The idea is to train with Namba Aruki and apply the concepts of efficiency into the regular sprinting, not to run in a true Namba Aruki style.

Several successful Japanese basketball teams also incorporated Namba Aruki in their training. For example, the Toho High School Basketball Team was selected to participate in the inter high school meet, representing Tokyo. You’ll hear about other athletes using Namba Aruki as well, to varying degrees.

That being said, these examples aren’t “true” Namba Aruki styles. They were just incorporating what they learned from it into what they normally do. Suetsugu is quoted as saying that he “had been consciously thinking about the movements of the Namba style while running and this lead to an increased awareness of the running style.” So, while beneficial he wasn’t actually out there running by swinging the same hand and foot at the same time. A shame. That would be fun to see.

Still, you can see why some athletes think about Namba Aruki in Japan. It is efficient. And while it doesn’t necessarily lend itself to modern sports, a lot of the ideas behind it does, meaning you could do the same thing for yourself, too.

The End Of A Namba Aruki Era

It’s not entirely known how many people walked like this back in the day. Some people think that quite a few people used Namba Aruki, others think it was more of a special and practiced movement style done by a small percentage of the Edo population. Based on what I’ve read, I tend to agree more with the second theory. I think some of the higher class, samurai, and express runners used Namba Aruki. It definitely helps a lot with kimonos and swords, which matches up with the higher class / samurai statement from before.

There are several theories on why Namba Aruki became extinct, too. One theory is that it disappeared with the introduction of conscription where the marching style being used was that of the Western military training (opposite hand and foot swing, body twists). Others say it is due to “Westernization,” though this could simply be part of the”critique of the modern/Western” going on at the time. What we do know is that in film and photographs taken in the early 1900s, nobody is using Namba Aruki, but beyond that it’s not too well documented. Perhaps it came to an end when swords, kimonos, and geta became less popular. It just wasn’t as useful anymore, and the effort to practice it outweighed the benefits you’d receive.

So, the question remains. Was Namba Aruki something that a small percentage of people did (probably), or is it an ancient walking style many people did that disappeared with the dodo? Certainly if I got my hands on a time machine, this would be one of the last things I’d bother checking out.

I for one hope to bring Namba Aruki back, though, which is why I wrote this guide on how to learn and practice Namba Aruki. Perhaps hipsters will pick it up?

Read: Namba Aruki Guide

I hope you go out there and start walking in Namba style now. It’s really quite fun and definitely feels very different. I’ve been practicing this for a couple months now and the girlfriend absolutely hates walking around with me in public, so mission accomplished, I suppose. Oh, I also feel less tired when I walk long distances. That’s pretty good too. Why don’t you give it a try and see how it works for you? Be sure to let us know, too!

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Sources: ja.wikipedia.com, npo.co.jp, Personal Experience

Walking While Talking

Just like it is on trains in Japan, having loud conversations on your cell phone while out and about is kinda rude. While those on vehicles will usually resort to the much more polite act of texting, if one gets a call on a busy street, it’s not unusual for them to take it aside to a more secluded area as to not bother others with their babbling.

I’ve always thought this was kind of strange though. It’s not very different from if you were just walking down the street with a friend and chatting it up with them. Maybe it’s just the idea that everyone around you only hears one side of the conversation and that is viewed as rude. It makes sense to me when people are on the train though because usually the trains are super quiet, so anyone talking loudly really stands out.

Walking While Smoking

One of the most profound discoveries I made while in Japan was how clean their streets and sidewalks were compared to those in America. One of the biggest offenders as far as litter goes in the US is cigarette butts. They’re everywhere. I never really noticed it until I got back from Japan and actually started paying attention to them. In most cities you can’t go more than a few steps without seeing another discarded cigarette. It’s sad, really. However this is not the case in Japan.

Smoking and walking is one of the biggest taboos while out and about in Japan. In some places, it’s even illegal. When you think about it though, it really makes sense. How many times have you been walking down the sidewalk and someone in front of you lights one up? You can either keep walking at your normal pace and deal with the fallout from the chimney in front of you, or you can speed up and overtake them. Either way, it’s kind of annoying. Now imagine this situation in a crowded area like Tokyo. Secondhand smoke all over the place.

Another reason is that with it being so crowded it becomes easy to accidentally bump into someone with your lit cigarette. If you bump into another adult, you might burn a hole in their clothes, or scorch the skin on their arms. And it’s even worse if you happen to bump into a small child. You run the risk of burning their face or getting hot ash in their eyes. Definitely not a pleasant experience.

So part of the reason that there are so few discarded cigarettes in Japan is because people are highly discouraged to smoke while on the move. Another reason is because of the many designated smoke areas that exist in Japan. They are places away from traffic where smokers can light up, smoke, and discard their cigs in special containers. I know we have things like this in the States as well, but how many people will really take the time to use them for smoking a cigarette? Not many.

While this is great and all, Japan unfortunately forgot to do anything about controlling smoking while indoors. Unlike Europe and the United States, smoking is perfectly accepted in most all Japanese bars and restaurants. Maybe one day they’ll fix that too.

Walking While Eating or Drinking

While not as dangerous as smoking while in public, eating and drinking while walking is also considered kind of a low class thing to do in Japan. You’d think it would be just the opposite with the abundance of vending machines they have over there, but it is quite the contrary.

It’s not quite as rude as it used to be, but it’s still considered to be kind of lousy. More often than not, when people use a vending machine they will just hang around the machine until they are done with their drink or snack and then continue on their way. Makes sense that a lot of these machines have started to implement free Wi-Fi.

When my friends and I were studying abroad in Kobe, we would head down to the local Lawson, one of Japan’s many fantastic convenience stores, get some breakfast foods, and eat them on our way back to the dorm. It was far from unusual for us to get some strange looks from the locals while doing so.

So what do you think about these social conventions in Japan? Think your country would benefit from any of them? I know I’d sure love it if America was more polite with their public smoking habits. Let us know in the comments!

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