Yes, tall travellers really do bump their heads in Japan. Older houses, inns, restaurants and some stations were built around the heights of earlier generations, so doorways, beams and showers can sit below the eye level of anyone over about 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in). Modern buildings are far roomier, and most visits pass without injury, but the experience is common enough that tall visitors have turned it into a running joke online.
This gallery collects 30 of their photos, shared on Reddit, Instagram, Imgur and Twitter, from a 6-foot-7 stepfather hidden by a lintel to a shower that ends at shoulder height. For each picture we explain where it was taken and why the space is shaped that way, and at the end you will find practical tips for planning a comfortable trip if you are tall.
Why Japan can feel small if you are tall
The reasons are partly historical and partly economic. Average heights in Japan rose sharply during the 20th century, and today adult men average around 171 cm and women around 158 cm, a little shorter than averages in the United States and well below those in the Netherlands. Many traditional buildings, however, were designed in an era when people were shorter still, and their proportions followed a long-established building module.
Space is also expensive. Japan’s population of roughly 124 million lives mostly on a narrow strip of flat land between mountains and the sea, so city hotels and apartments make the most of every square metre. That is why you see compact unit bathrooms, low corridor ceilings and capsule hotels, a format that began with the Capsule Inn Osaka in 1979, designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa.
Traditional houses, inns and low doorways
My 6'7" Stepfather Is Visiting Japan This Week
A 6-foot-7 (about 2 m) visitor stands in a traditional tatami room, and the top of the doorway frame neatly hides his head. In older Japanese houses the lintel above sliding doors is often only around 1.75–1.8 m high, built to suit the much shorter average heights of past generations.
Photo: pakupakupaku
6’3” Lived In A Traditional Japanese House In Japan For Two Months. There Were Lots Of Exposed Wooden Beams
Two months of daily life in a traditional house left this 6-foot-3 traveller with a scratched scalp. Exposed wooden beams are part of the charm of old Japanese homes, but they sit lower than many Western visitors expect, and a quick daily routine of ducking becomes a habit.
Photo: MongooseDog85
In Japan, Tall Friends Duck Together
Two tall friends stand side by side in a tatami room with futons laid out, each bent at the same angle under the lintel. The neat symmetry earned the photo a place on a forum devoted to scenes that look like a Wes Anderson film.
Photo: MGP11
If I Could Summarize My Recent Trip To Japan In One Photo, This Would Be It
A visitor fills almost the whole height of a wooden garden gate with a tiled roof. Gates like this lead into traditional Japanese gardens and temples, where proportions were set long before modern height averages.
Photo: shivermyimgurs
The Free Brain Cell Removal Rooflines Are A Common Fixture In Japan
In two frames, a tall guest turns sideways and then tilts his head to avoid the beam of a traditional-style room. The poster’s joke about “brain cell removal rooflines” is a reminder that low wooden beams, not walls, are usually the hazard.
Photo: josroder
Being Tall In Japan
A tall visitor climbs a steep stairway whose ceiling cuts off the top of the picture. Narrow, steep stairs are typical of older Japanese townhouses, which squeeze a second floor into a small footprint.
Photo: Denbags
Another Problem With Being A Tall Man In Japan
Cooking under a low extractor hood means bending forward over the stove. Compact kitchens with counters and hoods set for an average-height cook are standard in Japanese apartments.
Photo: GandalfTheTartan
Traditional Japanese Home. Clearing Doorways Is A Challenge
A smiling visitor points at the top of a doorway that reaches only to about her ear. Older homes in Japan were built for people a good deal shorter, so tall women face the same ducking routine as tall men.
Photo: journeylingartist
So My Brother (6'7"), My Sister (6'0"), And Myself (6'4") Went To Japan... We Had A Hard Time Getting In
A large man stands in a dark red doorway, and the frame hides everything above his chin. Low doorways in older restaurants and inns can feel especially snug for broad as well as tall guests.
Photo: mynameishutch
Being 6 Ft 3 In Was Pretty Tough In Japan
A 6-foot-3 traveller stands in a narrow doorway with a curtain rail across the top, cropped at the neck. Many traditional restaurants and inns keep historic doorways, so it pays to look up when entering.
Photo: mrkymrkspf
To Tall Guys Travelling In Japan: I Feel You, Brothers. I'm 195 Cm (6'4")
A 195 cm (6 ft 4 in) traveller poses in two doorways, and in both the frame stops at his shoulders. His caption offers solidarity to other tall men making the same trip.
Hotels, hostels and tiny bathrooms
My Trip To Japan As A 6.3 Feet Guy Summed Up
Four snapshots sum up one tall guy’s trip: a shower head at chest height, a beam at forehead level, a mirror that shows only his body and a ceiling lamp at eye level. Budget hotel rooms in Japan are compact by design, with fittings placed to suit the average guest.
Photo: chaosunicorn
We Came, We Saw, We Raised The Roof
A hotel guest stretches his arms up and touches the corridor ceiling with ease. Business hotels in big Japanese cities often have low ceilings and narrow hallways, a result of very high land prices.
Photo: tallrobstallprobs
Stayed One Night In This Hostel In Japan. My Head Connected With This Light 8 Times
This traveller says his head met the light fitting in his hostel room eight times in one night. Hanging lamps are a common hazard in small rooms, so tall guests often push them aside or ask for a different room.
Photo: crazymunch
Hotels Suck
The bathroom door of a hotel room reaches just to the guest’s chin. Prefabricated “unit bathrooms”, moulded as a single piece, are standard in Japanese hotels and come in fixed sizes.
Photo: cptcornlog
Meanwhile In Tokyo
A tall guest bends almost double to wash her face at a low basin. Sinks and showers in older hotels are set at a height that is comfortable for most locals but awkward for anyone well above 1.8 m.
Photo: supercircinus
My Shower At My Hotel In Japan. I Am Not Pleased Nor Is My Neck
A tall guest folds himself under a shower head that barely reaches his shoulders. Hand-held showers are common in Japanese bathrooms, which helps, but a fixed bracket can still leave a tall person crouching.
Photo: ugotmilk
Trains, stations and “mind your head” signs
I Recently Travelled To Japan
A man stands under a sign reading “頭上注意” with the English translation “Mind your head”. You will see this phrase on low beams in stations, temples and old buildings across Japan, and tall travellers quickly learn to read it.
Photo: Gratton
Japan Wasn't Built For Me
A tall traveller walks hand in hand with a companion through an underground passage whose ceiling clears his head by very little. Older subway connections in Tokyo and Osaka often have low, padded beams painted in black-and-yellow warning stripes.
Photo: rault18
Loved My First Trip To Japan
Beside his suitcase, a tall visitor stands next to a striped warning beam marked 頭上注意 in a station. The yellow tactile paving on the floor, which guides blind passengers, appears in almost every Japanese station.
Photo: allkindsofmamba
Just Found R/Tall. I'm Happy To Finally Be Among My Kind. Here's Me In Japan Trying To Fit In
A tall passenger stands inside a train or ferry cabin with only a few centimetres of space above his head. Regional trains and older carriages tend to have lower ceilings than modern commuter stock.
Photo: lenaxia
Tall People Problems #5535 - On A Train In Japan
A well-dressed tall traveller fills the doorway of car 6 on a JR Central bullet train, the operator of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka. Shinkansen seats have generous legroom compared with planes, but the door frames are another story.
Photo: licentiousbuffoon
Shrines, crowds and photos that cut off heads
Tall In Japan
A tall traveller’s head rises well above a packed shopping street in Tokyo. With adult men in Japan averaging roughly 171 cm, a visitor over 1.9 m is easy to spot in any crowd, which can be handy for friends trying to find you.
Photo: florianschura
Asked A Guy To Take A Photo Of Me And My Friends With Some Bathing Snow Monkeys In Nagano, Japan. Checked The Photo Later
Someone asked a stranger to photograph a group with the snow monkeys at Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano Prefecture, where Japanese macaques bathe in hot springs. The tallest friend ended up with only part of his face in the frame, a common hazard when the photographer is much shorter than the subject.
Photo: shared by a Reddit user
Life Being Tall In Japan. Side Note: This Was A Hit With The Crowd And There Were Lots Of Giggles
At the Thai Festival in Tokyo in 2018, a photo-booth frame designed for average heights cut off two tall visitors at the neck. The poster says the crowd found it very funny.
Photo: leannacasebere
Shark Bait
A giant plush whale shark hangs from a shop ceiling, and one tall visitor’s head disappears into its mouth. The playful title, “Shark Bait”, says it all.
Photo: david_instapics
Everytime I Visit Japan I Feel Like I Don't Fit In... I Wonder Why?
A tall woman in a long coat stands among women in yukata holding red and gold fans at a festival. Her caption plays on the idea of not fitting in, in the most literal way.
Photo: tiatravelsto
Tall People Problems
The tall-menswear brand 2tall shared this photo of a tall man in the torii tunnel at Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, where thousands of vermilion gates line the paths. The gates are donated by businesses and individuals, and their height is generous for most visitors but tight for some.
Photo: 2tall
Just Got Back From A Trip To Japan. I Know I'm Tall. Didn't Realize Just *How* Tall Compared To All The Japanese Folks
A tall visitor and his companion pose in a crowded shopping arcade decorated with lanterns and blossoms, which appears to be Nakamise-dōri, leading to Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. The poster wrote that he had not realised how much he would stand out until he saw the photo.
Photo: ZachWahls
Big In Japan
A tall man stands framed by a tunnel of red torii gates at a Shinto shrine. These gates mark the boundary between everyday space and sacred ground, and walking through them is part of a shrine visit.
Photo: FreakyStyley8
Tips for tall travellers in Japan
Check room details, not just floor area. Hotel listings rarely give ceiling or shower heights, so email the property and ask about bed length and shower height, especially for older business hotels and ryokan. Many hotels offer longer beds in larger room types.
Choose your sleeping style carefully. In a ryokan you sleep on a futon laid on tatami, so there is no bed frame to hang off. Capsule hotels are usually about the length of a single bed, which can be too short for very tall guests.
Watch for the warning sign. The characters 頭上注意 mean “mind your head” and mark low beams in stations, temples and old buildings. Padded, striped beams are another clue.
Book trains with legroom in mind. Shinkansen seats generally offer more legroom than economy flights, and front-row or bulkhead seats can help. Local trains and buses are tighter.
Pack for size. Large clothing and shoe sizes can be hard to find in ordinary stores, so bring spares. If you do take a knock to the head and feel dizzy or unwell afterwards, see a doctor.
Above all, enjoy the attention. Most of these photos were taken by people having a great time, and the trip-ending joke is usually the moment a stranger laughs along with you. Explore a related story: Funny Airport Photos: Unexpected Moments Between Flights.
Sources: Bored Panda: original collection of photos of tall people in Japan; Wikipedia: Capsule hotel; Wikipedia: Jigokudani Monkey Park; Wikipedia: Average human height by country.
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