FOOD
Is That Izakaya a Trap? Japanese Eaters Say Watch Out for These Warning Signs
What you need to know to avoid the typical izakaya traps: all about touting, snuck-in fees, and fishy business practices.
scams
FOOD
SEX & NIGHTLIFE
How Japan’s Nightlife Tourist Traps Pad Their Reviews
Japan's tourist traps know how to look trustworthy online, creating paid reviews, inflated ratings, and search rankings to mislead travelers.
SEX & NIGHTLIFE
Is Kabukicho Safe? How to Navigate Tokyo’s Raucous Nightlife District
The answer is yes - but you should be aware of a few rules and these common traps before stepping foot inside…
RACE IN JAPAN
A Nepali Konbini Clerk Foiled a Scam in Japan, Even as Politicians Cast Foreigners as Threat
A 24-year-old Nepali convenience-store clerk in Kobe sensed an elderly customer was being scammed and stepped in.
INSIDER
Modern Day Extortionists: The Scummy World of Japan’s “Exposé” Influencers
(Subscriber content) Two men invaded the home of an "exposé" influencer, beat him, and microwaved his phone. Here's why few people feel…
LAW & CRIME
How Video Games Trapped a Japanese Teenager in Myanmar
At least one of two Japanese kids rescued recently was kidnapped by scammers via a growing recruitment avenue: online games such as…
LAW & CRIME
Tokyo Man Reportedly Catfished Men as a High School Girl to Extort Them
He met them on a dating app. He maintains he didn't want money, though - only to teach the men a lesson.
TRAVEL
Are More Tourists Getting Scammed in Japan?
More tourists to Japan report getting overcharged or just plain ripped off for goods and services. Here are the most common grifts…