Cultural differences always bring unexpected surprises and amusement during international travels. Recently, a fascinating anecdote from France went viral on X (formerly Twitter), resonating with countless users.
Saki (@inlaforet), a Japanese student living in France, recently shared a taxi experience in Paris on social media. While chatting with an elderly driver, the driver suddenly asked, puzzled, "Japanese people are so polite and quiet, but why do they never close the car door?"
Faced with this confusion, Saki immediately explained, "Because in Japan, the car doors close automatically." This response sparked widespread discussion among netizens.
In fact, Japan's automatic taxi door system became widespread as early as the 1960s. It was initially designed to enhance driver service quality and passenger safety. This innovation was reportedly introduced around the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, showcasing Japan's thoughtfulness and technological prowess.
Since then, automatic doors have become a standard feature in Japanese taxis, leading generations of Japanese people to grow up with a "no need to close the door after exiting" taxi culture. For locals, it's simply second nature.
However, this automatic door technology hasn't caught on globally, and many countries' taxis still rely on manual doors. For local drivers, passengers closing the door themselves upon entry and exit is a basic courtesy. So, when they encounter Japanese passengers who don't close the door after getting out, it's understandably confusing, sometimes even perceived as carelessness or impoliteness.
One netizen commented, "My Australian friend rode a Japanese taxi about twenty years ago and was absolutely amazed that the doors opened and closed automatically (because in Australia, even now, 99% of taxis still have manual doors)."
Another user even posed the question, "In Japan, automatic closing doors have been a given for decades. It's actually strange why this feature hasn't become widespread in taxis overseas."
That said, even in Japan, with the increasing variety of car models, automatic doors aren't the only option for taxis anymore. For instance, in recent years, Teslas have been entering the taxi and luxury car market in Tokyo, and these vehicles mostly feature manual doors. 
Regular passengers are starting to adapt to the change—when they spot a Tesla, they no longer wait for the driver to open the door but proactively open and close it themselves.