If a Japanese road has neither a sidewalk nor a marked roadside strip, the basic rule is to walk along the right-hand edge. Since cars drive on the left in Japan, this also has a practical advantage: you can see vehicles approaching from the front instead of having them come up behind you.
Not every road without a sidewalk requires you to walk directly beside the traffic lane. Many have a roadside strip marked off by a white line. If there is enough room to walk there, pedestrians should generally use that marked area. Only when there is no usable sidewalk or roadside strip does the right-hand edge become the basic position.
The rule is not absolute. If construction work, the shape of the road, or some other hazard makes the right side more dangerous, you should not force yourself to stay there simply because it is normally the correct side.
On Japan’s narrow residential and rural roads, knowing the rule is only part of staying safe. A car may have very little room to pass. Even when you are already walking where you are supposed to be, it can make sense to move a little farther aside if there is a safe place to do so. Drivers also have a responsibility to keep a safe distance from pedestrians, but from the pedestrian’s point of view, there is little benefit in thinking, “This is my space, so I do not have to move,” while a vehicle squeezes past only a short distance away.
When several people are walking together, forming a single line as a car approaches gives everyone more room and makes it easier to pass safely.
Nighttime creates a different problem. On a dark rural road, a pedestrian may see a car’s headlights from far away and assume that the driver can see them just as clearly. That is not necessarily true. Dark clothing and poor street lighting can make a person very difficult to spot from inside a moving car. Reflective material or a small light can make a major difference.
