The Real Meaning Behind ‘Make Room’ in America – What Personal Space Reveals About the Distance Between Japanese and American Cultures

Sometimes a casual phrase you hear while traveling cuts right to the core of that country’s culture. For me, the phrase “Make Room” in the United States was exactly that.

One day, I stopped by a local buffet restaurant. The typical all-you-can-eat, self-service style—what we in Japan call “Viking.” In the U.S., they pronounce it “buffet” as “buh-fay.” Hungry and excited, I headed to the food area, only to find a long line in front of the most popular dishes.

I joined the line and, without thinking, stood “close” to the person in front of me—using my Japanese sense of distance and naturally closing the gap. That was the trigger.

The American man in front of me suddenly turned around and said:

“Make Room.”

For a moment, the literal translation popped into my head: “Make a room”? …What? What room? We’re in the middle of a restaurant, there’s no “room” to make.

But then it clicked. “Room” doesn’t just mean a physical room—it also means “space.” In other words, he was saying, “Give me some space. Don’t stand so close.”

That one phrase sparked my deep interest in the difference between how Americans and Japanese perceive “distance.”

Distance rooted in culture: The concept of personal space

Every person carries an invisible barrier around them. That’s what we call “personal space.”

It’s the physical and psychological distance at which you start to feel uncomfortable when someone comes too close. This “comfortable distance” varies from person to person, and even more so from culture to culture.

The Japanese are often said to have relatively small personal space by global standards. We’re used to being packed into rush-hour trains, standing close together on escalators, and generally enduring crowded conditions. On the other hand, Americans tend to have much wider personal space. Even when just greeting someone, it’s common to stand two or three steps away and say, “Hi!”

So from an American point of view, the Japanese habit of “closing the gap” in line can easily feel “pushy” or “intrusive.”

The unspoken message inside “Make Room”

Looking back, I feel that “Make Room” carried more than just the literal meaning of “step back.” There may have been a bit of irritation behind it, something like: “Why is this guy standing so close?” or “Don’t invade my space.”

In Japan, we might think, “If I move closer, the people behind me can get to the food faster,” or “Leaving too much space in the line is bad manners.” So for me, “closing the gap” was simply a natural, considerate action based on Japanese social norms.

But in the U.S., it’s the exact opposite. “Leaving space” is considered polite and respectful. Keeping distance means you’re acknowledging and protecting the other person’s personal space.

By unconsciously stepping closer, I had invaded his territory—“Make Room” was his way of reclaiming it.

Why do Japanese people tend to “close the gap”?

So why do Japanese people tend to stand closer? The reasons lie in our historical and social background.

First, Japan is literally a “small country.” Our land area is about one twenty-fifth that of the United States. In big cities, crowded trains, narrow restaurant seating, and shared spaces are a part of daily life. We’re used to living physically close to others.

On top of that, Japanese society places a high value on group order and harmony. When standing in line, people often think, “If I leave too much space, the line will get messy,” or “Someone might think I’m cutting in line.” The desire to “not inconvenience others” naturally leads to “closing the distance.”

In other words, in Japan, “standing close = cooperation and consideration,” while in America, “keeping space = consideration.” This opposite logic is exactly what gave birth to that single phrase: “Make Room.”

A Japanese sense of distance to watch out for abroad

Ever since that incident, I’ve tried to keep about one meter of space between myself and the person in front of me when lining up in the U.S. At first it felt odd, but after a while, I realized it actually felt more comfortable.

The funny thing is, when I went back to Japan, I was once told, “You’re leaving too much space.” While standing in front of a ticket machine at a station, using my “Western spacing,” someone behind me asked, “Um, are you in line?” (I couldn’t help but laugh.)

Change cultures, and your sense of distance changes too. That’s why learning the “appropriate distance” in each country is really the first step in good cross-cultural communication.

Territory as “turf instinct”

Humans are said to have an instinctive sense of “territory” as well.

Just like animals mark their territory, humans unconsciously draw lines like, “From here to here is my space.” When someone sits too close in a café, or when you intentionally leave one seat between yourself and others on a train—that’s your territorial instinct at work.

What’s interesting is that the size of this “territory” also varies by culture. People raised in a vast land like the United States naturally develop wider personal territory. In contrast, those who grow up in space-limited environments like Japan develop a more compact sense of territory.

So in a way, it’s no surprise that I, shaped by Japan’s “packed-together culture,” came across as “aggressively close” in the U.S.

In the end: “Make Room” is more than a command

If I had taken “Make Room” purely as a command, I might have felt a little offended.

But the more I learned about the cultural background, the more I came to see it as a message: “Please respect my space.” In that sense, it was part of a polite form of communication rather than simple rudeness.

Traveling between cultures isn’t just about language—it’s about relearning “the air,” distance, and even silence.

And it’s often in these small moments that we discover the “obvious” things we’ve never really noticed about ourselves.

If I had to sum up the difference between Japanese and American culture in a single phrase, it might just be:

“Make Room.”

It’s not only about physical space. It may also be about the emotional breathing room we need to keep between people.