Recently, on China's social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED), a post titled "I was picked a fight with by a Japanese person on the Shinkansen" drew a large response.

The poster uploaded a video showing the interior of the Shinkansen. People were sparsely seated in the three-seat rows on the left and two-seat rows on the right, so it didn't seem crowded. According to the poster, when they boarded a non-reserved car, the aisle seat of a two-seat row was empty, so they asked the man sitting by the window seat, "Is this seat taken?" and, after receiving the reply "No, it's fine," sat down.

However, less than 10 minutes after departure, the man next to them said, "There are other empty seats, so would you mind sitting somewhere else?" The poster asked, "Is there a problem with me sitting here? Am I bothering you?" The man replied, "No, it's not that. I just thought you could use more space if you moved to another seat since there are other seats available." The poster retorted, "Isn't it rude to make someone move for your convenience? Why don't you sit somewhere else instead?"

As they argued, the poster reportedly became increasingly angry, saying, "This is a non-reserved car, isn't it? It's my freedom where I sit. If you want to pick a fight, I'll go all the way." The man then said, "I don't want to fight," and later, "Never mind," and moved to another seat himself.

The poster expressed their dissatisfaction, saying, "Perhaps he saw my smartphone screen, realized I was Chinese, and deliberately picked a fight. It's absolutely unforgivable to bother a Chinese person when Japan-China relations are so tense." They continued, "What would such a person do when the train is full? Would he tell people to jump off the train?"

In response to this post, Chinese netizens commented, "Your actions are correct, but you're overthinking it a bit. It's strange to link everything to discrimination." "That's actually how it is in Japan. When there are plenty of seats, strangers don't sit next to each other." "Japanese people generally leave the middle seat empty in three-seat rows and sit on one side in two-seat rows. Sitting next to someone makes them uncomfortable. This is related to the Japanese sense of personal space (interpersonal distance), not nationality." and "He (the Japanese man) has no right to tell you what to do. But generally, when the car is empty, people don't intentionally sit next to others."

Furthermore, advice was also given: "I'm not saying you're wrong, but in Japan, it's common to try to sit as far away from others as possible. This isn't just on public transport, but also in waiting rooms at government offices and hospitals. And if someone intentionally comes and sits close to you when there's other space, it certainly feels uncomfortable. Of course, I think it's strange for the other person to tell you to change seats, but if you're living in Japan, I think it's good to be aware of this custom."

Additionally, many comments indicated that even Chinese people dislike it when someone sits next to them in an empty situation, such as: "Why would you sit next to someone else when there are empty seats in a non-reserved car? That's strange, isn't it?" "A normal person wouldn't sit next to a stranger when there are empty seats." "It's like in a restroom too. Even if there are many urinals, someone intentionally stands right next to you." "Anyway, if there are empty seats, I wouldn't deliberately sit next to someone else either." "He (the Japanese man) was brave. If it were me, I would just endure it without saying anything." and "If someone sat next to me in such an empty situation, I would also feel uncomfortable. But I couldn't say anything, because there's no reason, and I'd get into a dispute with someone like you."

Furthermore, the poster later added a supplementary explanation: "I think some might ask 'Why didn't you sit in a three-seat row on the left from the beginning?', but I boarded at the starting station, and many people would get on midway. If I sat by the window in a three-seat row, it would become inconvenient to get in and out if it became full later. That's why I always sit in a two-seat row on the right. When I boarded, one side of the two-seat row on the right was already occupied, so I decided to avoid sitting next to a woman and instead sat next to the man." (Translation and editing by Kitada)