It's possible to talk to other people on the tube, but normally you just make a kind of a quick comment and don't expect the other person to carry on the conversation. It's true in England, but it doesn't mean that we're mean. People can be reserved. And I think it's quite considerate to not impose yourself on other people when they have busy lives to deal with. Number 12: Why don't people carry umbrellas even when it's raining? I heard this a lot in Japan. We're perfectly nice. We just understand that we respect each other's privacy in a big city where everyone has to live together.