Japan imposes 40% cigarette tax increase

[Schneebored 0]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11449516

 

For some reason I assumed we live in an almost smoke free world...bit stupid really.

 

Do smokers happily light up around people eating in restaurants in Japan?

[Go Native 70]

yes they do.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

yes

[Jynxx 4]

YES

[Thundercat 60]

yes... its the only place i don't like smoke...

[griller 9]

Bastards.

 

I like to save up some particularly pungent farts and carefully time them to go off just before they are about to take a first bit, and distrubuted so that they get the full force.

 

Works a treat.

[JA2340 16]

Actually, it's the one place I REALLY detest the stink of smoke! The noxious fumes aside, just the stink of it is enough to spoil the flavour of the food. (And, isn't the flavour of the food in Japan something to be in awe of!)

[Go Native 70]

All your western vitriole against smoking will have little effect in Japan I'm thinking. Don't like it? Don't come here. If you do accept that it's accepted here.

[griller 9]

Doesn't usually bother me that much to be honest.

But I don't like it when eating.

I'll just fart in their faces as above.

 

[griller 9]

"Western vitriole"

 

Rather dramatic isn't it. More like personal preference.

Though smokers never do really understand or give a shit about these things do they?

[Jynxx 4]

Eating and smoking is a bit off, isn't it?

I reckon you can't taste the food all that well to appreciate it.

That's the point. It's not about eating but putting something in your tummy so you can enjoy smoking.

[Go Native 70]

Actually ex-smokers are usally the worst when it comes to the vitriole.

In Japan I don't think I've ever come across a Japanese person who doesn't smoke ever get overly worked up about it which is why I refer to it as 'Western vitriole'.

 

If it's personal preference then don't eat out at restaurants in Japan that allow smoking. Of course you may struggle to find many...

Niseko has it's fair share because they rely so much on Western business.

 

We tried a no smoking area in our bar in Hakodate. Practically no one ever went in there so we opened it up to smokers again and it's now always pretty full. No smoking in Japan will generally just mean no business. Long, long way to go before they become anything like the West and ban it practically everywhere.

[Jynxx 4]

Very true, GN

My personal experience is just that. Difficult to find a place to eat that is non-smoking. Compromise to finding a place that is not so smoky, has a good ventilation system, wall-separated tables.

[bobby12 0]

If you find a decent non smoking place, go there often. And refuse to go to places with smoking areas.

 

Luckily in Kobe there are many good non smoking places.

[muikabochi 208]

Actually the places I go to in this area never seem to be smokey when I think about it not at all.

It does really annoy me when someone closeby lights up though.

Just simply inconsiderate if you ask me.

[NoFakie 45]

Blacket bans on smoking in pubs are ridiculous. It should be the owner's choice. He/she knows his/punters best. It'll kill lots of pubs in Britain.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

They thought it would here too .... but it hasn't.

People adjust. They b!tch and moan for a while, but there are plenty of pubs locally that have 15 or 10 minute queues to get in regularly, and there is no smoking.

[Go Native 70]

Originally Posted By: muikabochi

Just simply inconsiderate if you ask me.

Only inconsiderate from a Western point of view though isn't?
The Japanese haven't been subjected to years and years of government propaganda about the evils of smoking. They don't think about it the same way as Westerners do as far as I can tell.

[Jynxx 4]

You mean japanese gov. propaganda "Not to advertise the ill health effects of smoking" to protect their tax revenue?

[muikabochi 208]

Originally Posted By: Go Native

Originally Posted By: muikabochi

Just simply inconsiderate if you ask me.

Only inconsiderate from a Western point of view though isn't?

It's inconsiderate from MY point of view.
And a fair few of my Japanese friends.
Probably lots of non-smokers, even if they aren't vocal about it.

You seem to like your labels don't you GN?

[Jynxx 4]

Smoking is personal, so you can get personal as like - no solution to that if you go that way.

 

Hey,

What makes me wonder is:

We all agree that the japanese chuff their way, but how come they got to be the longest living race?

These are just my assumptions

1) Better diet makes one a little more resilient to smoking, and bad diet make it even worse when combined with smoking?

2) Smoking to the butt makes it a REALLY bad smoking practice.

3) Japanese made ciggies don't have as much harmful addictive as the western ones (this one is an interesting question)

[big-will 7]

Well that is meaningless if all the ones who live the longest are non-smokers isn't it.

 

Any data?

[RobBright 35]

Originally Posted By: Go Native

The Japanese haven't been subjected to years and years of government propaganda about the evils of smoking. They don't think about it the same way as Westerners do as far as I can tell.

Of course they haven't seeing as JT is part owned by the Japanese government. Wouldn't make sense to discourage your consumers by inferring your product can kill...

[Go Native 70]

All I know is from my near 7 years here I've never seen or heard any bad reactions by Japanese people in a restaurant or practically anywhere else if someone lights up a smoke. I couldn't say the same about people from other countries. Currently smoking in this country is not considered inconsiderate or anti-social or really any of the bad connotations that seem the norm these days in Western countries.

 

Of course there are lots of non smokers here but they just don't seem to get all worked up about the evils of smoking like non smokers from other countries.

 

You have a different take on it? And how should I distinguish between what I see as the norm here in Japan and the norm in Western countries without some sort of 'label' as you put it?

[JA2340 16]

Originally Posted By: big-will

Well that is meaningless if all the ones who live the longest are non-smokers isn't it.

Any data?

Note that Jynxx hasn't responded ...

Data from the International Database of the US Census Bureau

Average Life expectancy
Monaco 89.8
Macau 84.4
Andorra 82.4
San Marino 83.0
Japan 82.2
Australia 81.7
Canada 81.3
Hong Kong 82.0

so not quite the longest life expectancy, but well up there.