Why Is Everyone Smoking in London!? 🚬

One thing really shocked me when I visited the UK 😳🇬🇧

There were SO many people smoking on the streets 🚬💦

In Japan, street smoking is becoming more and more restricted, and when I studied in Canada before, it was actually rare to see people casually smoking while walking down the street.

So when I arrived in London, I honestly thought,

“What happened, UK!? 😳

What happened, London!? 😂”

Especially in London, I saw people smoking everywhere.

Sometimes cigarettes were right at the eye level of small children, and I found myself thinking, “Isn’t that dangerous…? 💦”

I also noticed quite a few cigarette butts on the ground, and in some areas the streets felt a little dirty because of it.

When I asked my British friends about it, they explained that smoking inside buildings is strictly banned, but smoking outdoors is still generally allowed 😳

After looking into it a bit more, I learned that since 2007, the UK has banned smoking inside public buildings such as restaurants, pubs, and stations 🚭

So indoor smoking rules are actually very strict.

On the other hand, unlike Japan, the UK still doesn’t have strong nationwide restrictions on street smoking, so in many places people can smoke outside quite freely 🚬

That said, smoking restrictions are gradually increasing around places like:

• hospitals

• children’s facilities

• some stations and public areas

The UK government is also working on new anti-smoking policies aimed at reducing smoking among younger generations, so things may continue to change in the future 😳

Still, walking around London and seeing so many people casually smoking made me experience a real culture shock 😂

It reminded me that even among developed countries like Japan 🇯🇵, Canada 🇨🇦, and the UK 🇬🇧, everyday rules and social norms can be surprisingly different ✨