Why Aren’t Japanese Restaurants Happy to Have Chinese Tourists?

Are Chinese tourists to Japan ill-mannered? Why users on a popular Chinese social media app are lambasting their fellow citizens’ behavior.

Some Chinese tourists to Japan feel like some restaurants in the country aren’t welcoming them with open arms. There’s a reason for that, one Chinese user said in a recent social media thread that generated a lot of discussion within the mainland.

Japan continues to welcome a record number of tourists. While most of the country is happy to receive so many international arrivals, some areas and businesses are wrestling with the inevitable issues created by so many visitors. Restaurants, in particular, are grappling with attendant problems to the tourist influx, such as how — and whether — to handle customers who speak multiple languages besides Japanese.

The language gap, however, isn’t what’s turning some businesses sour on Chinese customers. According to Record China, a user on the Chinese social media site Xiaohongshu, or RED, one of the major issues is cancellations.

No-show by a party of 11