Cellphone vigilantes try signal disobedience - International Herald Tribune

Cellphone vigilantes try signal disobedience - International Herald Tribune

I read this article a few weeks ago and was so amazed by this story, reading it through my new eyes of appreciation for Japanese cell phone etiquette.

In Japan, there are areas where you must turn your cell phone completely off. No one who has any manners uses their cell on a train or bus. AND if people who are in a station or on the street speak too loudly into their cell phones, other people turn and glare at them. If a cell phone even rings on a moving train, (a rare occurance) folks are truly annoyed. There are set rules for phone use here, and they don't seem to cause any difficulty, and these folks LOVE their cell phones. Everyone has one. They are fashion accessories. I don't know how cell phone use became part of the Japanese politeness culture, but it's really astounding how a little consideration for others goes a long way.

When did we Americans forget this?
Some may argue against such strict rules of public behavior- that it infringes on individual rights. The Japanese know how to work and live together in harmony. There are sooooo many of them. All in one place!! They have to have these rules to make it so.