Can Japanese Stores Use Signs to Keep Tourists Out?

This store’s tactic is clever — but is it legal? A lawyer in Japan says: yeah, pretty much.

Picture: スムース / PIXTA(ピクスタ)

Businesses in Japan are struggling to handle the huge influx of tourists. Some small restaurants, in particular, are finding ways to tell tourists they don’t have the staff and foreign language skills to accommodate them. One store in Kyoto found a clever way to communicate that. But is it legal under Japanese law?

We wrote in April about a restaurant in Kyoto that went viral after posting an explicit “Japanese language only” sign on their door. In May, another shop made headlines after the owner complained on X that foreign tourists to Japan should learn some damn Japanese already.

Another store in Kyoto, however, found an even more clever solution. They posted a sign on their front door in English and Chinese that reads “no vacancy.” However, in small red print in Japanese underneath, it says, “If you can read this Japanese, please come in.”

“This is Kyoto hospitality,” OP says, making a quip about the Kansai area’s no-nonsense attitude and deadpan sense of humor. (Source: X)

Many Japanese users called the sign clever and very “Kyoto-like” in its implementation. Others, however, allege this amounts to discrimination against foreigners.

Most locations that post signs like this aren’t trying to discriminate — they’re just trying to keep their businesses operating smoothly. In an article for Bengoshi JP News, one bar owner in Kyoto discusses how they have trouble resolving complex disputes over tabs and cover charges with visitors who don’t speak Japanese. Most of these businesses have at most one or two staff on most days; the time taken resolving issues with tourists hinders serving other customers.

A survey run by Tablecheck reveals some 22% of Japanese food service businesses don’t want to increase the number of foreign tourists coming to their locations. The language gap is the primary reason. However, others are concerned that hosting too many non-Japanese speakers will ruin the neighborhood vibe of businesses like snack bars.

But is it legal?

But is this method of addressing the issue legal?