TOKYO -- "Coughing and sneezing without consideration for others" topped the list of annoying behavior on trains and at stations for the first time in a survey by the Japan Private Railway Association.

The Tokyo-based group has been conducting the surveys since 1999, and this year, it asked people via the internet in October and November about manners at stations and on trains. A total of 5,314 people responded, selecting up to three types of annoying behavior from 17 options.

The association analyzed the results of the "annoying behavior ranking," saying, "The coronavirus pandemic may have ingrained the importance of consideration for others as a norm."

According to the association, 50.5% of respondents chose coughing and sneezing, making it the top-ranked annoying behavior for the first time, significantly surpassing its previous year's second-place ranking at 33.5%. When this option was first introduced in 2019, it ranked sixth, but it has been on the rise in recent years.

A representative noted that although more people are removing their masks on trains as time passes since the COVID-19 crisis, concerns about infectious diseases persist, stating, "More people likely feel greater anxiety than before the pandemic when someone nearby coughs or sneezes without wearing a mask."

Other results included "improper seating such as stretching legs and not moving over" in second place, and "noisy conversations and boisterous behavior" in third place, and "poor manners during boarding and alighting such as blocking doors" in fifth place.

The category "strong scents from perfume or fabric softeners" jumped to fourth place from seventh the previous year. The representative suggested that "this may be because train congestion has increased post-COVID, bringing people closer together," indicating the pandemic's influence here as well.

Additionally, this year's survey for the first time sought responses regarding annoying behavior by foreign tourists visiting Japan. The top issue was "noisy conversations and boisterous behavior," followed by "how luggage is carried or placed." The association plans to use these results to promote better passenger manners in the future.

(Japanese original by Shinji Kurokawa, Tokyo City News Department)