Unscrupulous Shops in Japan Target Tourists As Yen Weakens
The weak yen has made it more attractive than ever to travel to Japan — but some restaurants and stores are taking advantage of that. The latest on tourist scams in Japan and how to spot them.
4 min readSep 10, 2023
By Kay Benton
On September 6, 2023, it took 147.65 Japanese yen to equal a single US dollar. This is the weakest the yen has been in 2023, and the trend shows no signs of reversing. After several years of roughly 110–120 yen equaling a dollar, rates began to tip in favor of the dollar in 2022. They have remained that way throughout 2023. [1]
Many US-based tourists have taken advantage of the current weak yen. , visiting Japan while their money goes a long way.
However, some Japanese stores have responded by raising their prices, often to unscrupulous levels. Several stores have begun to scam tourists by including “hidden fees” in their pricing.
Tourists encounter hidden fees
