An Osaka-based restaurant chain has apologized after one of its stores put up a sign refusing service to Chinese nationals. The act, which violates Japanese law, highlights the problematic ways some Japanese restaurants are responding to misbehaving or demanding tourists.
SASAYA store is closed after incident
The store in question belongs to SASAYA Holdings, which operates various izakaya-style restaurants focused on different aspects of Japanese and foreign cuisine. The chain has most of its stores in Osaka, with a few in Tokyo and Fukui. It also runs two stores in Honolulu.
The controversy apparently involves the store Sumibi Yakitori HAYASHIN. According to news reports and the company itself, the store posted a sign in Chinese saying, “Since so many people lack manners, we refuse service to Chinese customers. Thank you for your understanding.”
(Interestingly, SASAYA’s Chinese language apology names the store at the center of the controversy. The Japanese language version, however, does not.)
The store had apparently opened just recently. In an apology posted on its website, SASAYA said the store put up the sign without permission and that it was in violation of corporate policy.
“Up until now, our company has always welcomed foreign and Japanese customers equally. We run all our stores under a policy of providing the highest service possible. Nothing about this policy is changing.”
According to Sankei Shimbun, the company has not only pulled down the sign—it’s closed the store in question. Restaurant review site Tabelog currently lists the store’s status as unknown.
Japanese restaurants vs. Chinese tourists
Some Japanese restaurants have dealt with what they perceive as rude foreign tourists in less than ideal ways. I reported last year, for example, on a restaurant in Tokyo’s Okubo neighborhood that put up a sign refusing service to Chinese or Korean guests.
In Japan, restaurants are within their rights to refuse service to rude or disruptive customers. However, targeting people by nationality violates the 14th Amendment of Japan’s Constitution, which ensures equal treatment of all residents.
Besides rude behavior, some Japanese restaurant owners have been complaining that foreign tourists, particularly Chinese tourists, have a bad habit of no-showing their reservations. This has recently become a point of discussion on Chinese social media. A person who handles restaurant bookings in Japan for Chinese visitors posted on the social media service RED about how they had three tourist groups no-show their reservations.
No-shows and rude behavior are, of course, unacceptable. However, as SASAYA acknowledged in its swift response, there are better ways to handle this than posting racist signage.
Why this page doesn't look like crap
You may notice a few things about this page. First, it’s mostly content – not ads. Second, this article was written by a human, not a plagiaristic Turing machine.
Unseen Japan is a collective of independent authors. We work hard to keep our content free of intrusive ads and AI slop.
Help us keep it that way. Donate to the Unseen Japan Journalism Fund to support our work. Regular donors will receive Insider, our paid newsletter with weekly bonus content about Japan. Plus, your contribution will help us produce more content like this.
What to read next
Tokyo’s Sento Are Opening Their Arms to Foreign Tourists
Tokyo and the Tokyo Sento Association want more tourists (tattooed or otherwise!) to experience this aspect of traditional Japanese culture.
Ryokan vs. Hotels: Inside Japan’s Unique Accommodation Culture
Should you stay in a “modern” hotel or a more “traditional” ryokan in Japan? Here’s what to consider when deciding.
Japan’s Lodging Taxes Grow as It Combats Overtourism, Fuels Growth
In order to fuel tourism investment and combat overtourism, close to 100 locales are considering new lodging taxes. How will this affect your trip?
Sources
大阪の飲食グループ、1店舗で特定国籍者を入店拒否 謝罪文は中国語 「マナー」巡り物議. Sankei Shimbun
