Overtourism in Japan, and how it hurts small businesses

Post by BirdieNZ » Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 8:58 PM UTC

School-Cotton wrote: post #296

timr wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But the thing I worry about, having never been there, is that I might get some good recommendations for out-of-the-way spots where there would be few if any other tourists, and take the time to go find them, only to be denied entry because I’m a foreigner. Yep, that's the part I hate, too. The locals put up completely understandable roadblocks to preserve their own culture, but those roadblocks end up making the wh…

Telling someone “just speak Japanese and blend in!” is sort of an absurd suggestion. That is impossible if you’re not East Asian and even if you are, it would take years of study.

Post by Aloisius » Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 9:05 PM UTC

TimorousBestie wrote: post #117

VWWHFSfQ wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> no foreigners It's such a contrast to USA, where I doubt that such a thing would even be legal. And also the bit about no tattoos. That's lawsuit city.

> It's such a contrast to USA, where I doubt that such a thing would even be legal. The sign itself is probably protected speech. As for the policy, it is probably also legal here. Private businesses have broad rights to refuse individual customers without stating a reason. Fabricating a legitimate business reason to deny service to a particular group of customers is usually trivial, as well. Proving it was fabricate…

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 9:09 PM UTC

m_a_g wrote: post #239

cedws wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My home country, the UK, has already been through this cultural erosion which is why I respect Japan's right to defend its own. London in particular has become a place for everybody and at the same time for nobody. It's a city of people of different values and wavelengths with very little shared strata compared with Tokyo.

London isn’t an example of cultural erosion—the pie has simply grown. The same applies to New York. Diverse cultures enrich London; they add to it rather than diminish it.

Post by hackama » Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 9:11 PM UTC

tmtvl wrote: post #294

patrickscoleman wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even as a foreigner who speaks Japanese, I frequently got the "we're closed" and crossing the hands in an X response while locals continued eating. Sometime they'd laugh and I'd hear "gaijin" (rude slang for foreigner) as I walked out. But plenty of places were super warm and friendly after the initial apprehension if you speak Japanese and read some kanji. Worth the effort!

If I remember correctly, gaijin is just how you say 'foreigner' in standard Japanese. The rude slang is jingai. And I also have the experience of people really appreciating it if you actually speak and read Japanese. Which makes sense, I can easily imagine it being a relief to find that you can just speak with someone normally instead of having to struggle with this absolutely bonkers weird language that one may be o…

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC

1024core wrote: post #281

> but in my opinion, the most rewarding point of travelling is: to sit with, and spend time with The Other ... I didn't grow up with grandparents, so I have a natural affinity for grandmas. Some of my most cherished moments have been interacting with old ladies in places like Cinque Terre, Portofino, Brussels, Tokyo, NYC etc. I like to walk around the neighborhoods, off the beaten track, and if I get a chance to inte…