The samurai influence
During the Edo period of Japan (1603 and 1868), before cars were even invented, the country had already established a number of strictly followed rules regarding which side of the road pedestrians could walk on, and as you may have guessed it was the left. Though it seems like an arbitrary rule in a world where getting around by foot meant that dodging cars and buses were not a problem, there was a purpose behind it, and it goes all the way back to the samurai.
Many of the footpaths weaving through the cities were narrow. During this time most samurai wore their swords on their left hand side, providing easy access to their weapons with their typically stronger right hand. The combination of these two factors meant that if samurai swordsmen were to cross paths walking on the right-hand side of the footpath their swords would have crossed over and potentially bumped into each other causing inconvenience or injury. It simply made sense to both sick to the left side. From the samurai era to today’s Shinkansen, it’s clear the Japanese have had the art of transport perfected for a long time.
