On September 10, 2026, a post titled 'Things I couldn't understand at Japanese museums' appeared on a South Korean internet forum.

The poster, who visited a museum during a trip to Japan, wrote, 'Even though I was just taking photos of an exhibit that stated photography was allowed, a Japanese visitor nearby glared at me and even went to report me to the staff. Even when the staff said it was okay, the visitor who reported me kept staring at me.' They added, 'I like visiting museums when traveling abroad, but particularly in Japan, I've encountered people staring intently at me or cautioning me about actions that aren't prohibited several times, which surprised me.'

In response to this post, other netizens commented: 'I also went to a museum during my recent trip to Japan, and there was a natural flow of visitors, and I was surprised when I was cautioned for not following it, even though it said you could view exhibits in any order you liked.' 'I've also been cautioned even when photography wasn't prohibited.' 'First of all, I was surprised that admission fees for museums and art galleries in Japan are too expensive.' 'Perhaps because tickets are expensive, the feeling of needing to 'behave strictly' or the imposition of such behavior becomes stronger.' 'But for all that, there are quite a few people talking loudly, aren't there?'

Additionally, comments included: 'I haven't been to an art museum, but I've been cautioned in similar ways, so I wonder if it's common in Japan.' 'It feels like things are decided more by 'impression' than by actual rules.' 'When you talk about these kinds of episodes, people always say 'it depends on the person,' but... there are more such people than in other countries.' 'In Japan, being quiet is emphasized, and it is actually quiet, but in Korea, I often see Japanese tourists making a lot of noise, so I wonder if they're just conforming to the atmosphere around them.'

On the other hand, such comments were also made: 'However, I personally dislike people who snap photos loudly in museums.' 'There are noisy people and strange people everywhere.' 'While it's unpleasant, if you haven't done anything wrong, you should just be confident.' 'I wonder if Japan is clean because of such 'sensitivity.' 'There might be strange people, but in any case, there might be manners in foreign countries that we don't know, so if a local person cautions you, you should at least listen.' (Translation/Editing: Higuchi)