Edit about my discrimination (?). To be fair, It's actually considered a bad manner to have a phone call in a restaurant, so maybe that was what she meant. (Although she clearly said "due to covid", but who knows, maybe what she wanted to say was the manner part). I want to emphasize that most restaurants treat all customers equally, but from time to time, foreigners (even Japanese) might encounter something like this. Oh by the way, there are some ramen shops that don't allow customers to talk or even look at their phones. I know it sounds funny, but they want you to focus on the food and thus made it a rule. Foreigners who cannot read Japanese can go inside these restaurants and not knowing the rules, they can get kicked out. The foreigners might interpret this as discrimination, but actually, it's just that they unknowingly broke the rule So what I want to say is: 1. Most of the time, service is great in Japan (so please don't be scared!) 2. There are some restaurants with weird rules (and can be mistaken as discrimination, but it's not) 3. But yeah, sometimes, discrimination can happen (but honestly, this exists everywhere in the world) Apologies if you felt uneasy watching this video.
I think you’ve been away from Japan too long. It’s clearly your talking on the phone that was the issue and she probably couldn’t explain enough in English and just said something like “コロナ予防のために”. also if you were on the phone talking without a mask, she may have noticed it and wanted to ask you to stop. Just my thoughts.
@@philho.youtube I doubt that's the reason. Ghib himself is Japanese, he could sense something is amiss right away. That's why he made this video, because the reason the worker gave him didn't make sense. He said other diners were talking too. But just because he was on the phone and talking in English, he was singled out. You can tell from the reaction of the worker when Ghib confronted her with his fluent Japanese. She said its "because of covid" but apparently people can freely talk in Japanese in their shop🤷♂️
@@newyear6077 If he was talking to his wife in English, this could be the real issue. And the restaurants do have to put up notices of do's and don't's like for us foreigners who don't know the way of life, it would be wrong to kick us out. You will have to bring your family to Japan to be a real, actual, genuine, whatever the word is, to be a Japanese all over again. Just like if you have left your ancestral home, the people back there don't really see you as one of them even though you regard yourself as one of them.
@switch back And your point is??? To just let yourself get discriminated willingly with the absurd 'reasons' and 'rules'? Do you even read what you just typed? Seems like local there do not understand the gravity of this issue, and not wanting to improve and understand at all...
Ghib san, i am one of your many viewers who really enjoy your vlogs and honesty in not only food reviews but other subjects as well. I understand it can be a lonely job at times but you must know that your work is much appreciated and loved. Keep on truckin'.
Best thing about you is, you did not cut away your thoughts about discrimination, you included the truth and shared your opinions on it, and you are doing it right by holding on the truth, respect that a lot, keep doing your videos ❤
Unfortunately my sister and I have been discriminated against in Japan on several occasions. I find Japanese people will be really polite to your face, but they actually will talk crap about you if they think you don’t understand. We speak English and we’re treated really nicely by some customers at a restaurant, but then my sister (who understands Japanese) later told me they were talking crap about us in Japanese.
@@KaranKumar-di9fw Yes, in UK we all have to be PC nowadays, so people will never say anything racist, sexist or anything that might be offensive to your face but behind your back, they call you all sorts😅
No, it wasn’t anything we did. They were complaining about foreigners and how they didn’t want be seated next to us. We were sharing a very long table.
So for the discrimination part, there’s the particular discrimination to Chinese people essentially - for those that may not understand why - most Japanese language teachers would teach you When they ask: “are you Chinese?” They mean: “are you from China?” Never say “I’m Chinese”, say your nationality (I.e, Singaporean) many places is as such, especially the older areas, because of the relationship between China and Japan (or really, the lack there-of)
chinese and korean, i was mostly mistaken as a chinese even though I am from philippines, and they always give me cold shoulder. as if they can stop me
@@s2oop436 Yea, if you resemble anything like a Chinese, there's gonna be some level of bias past the first impression unless you explain that you're not China-chinese, or you are/speak Japanese It's the ways of the boomer for the time being unfortunately I say boomer because most modern Japanese teens to adults are more open minded and really couldn't give 2 shits It's mostly the elderly
@@uuu12343 elder or japas arround late 30’s. Some are even racist to the core. My previous was like that; he keeps denying i look like chinese and saying i am z Filipino so my skin is color charcoal while i am even light skinned
I was discriminated once in a regular store, at shibsaibashi. I just wanted to confirm the price of a backpack and then make the payment. The staff refused to talk to me and denied her service, which i found strange.
Can understand that it applies to a lot of countries. Bulk of tourists are just pests who don’t try and respect the local cultures, thus creating stereotyping behaviours towards everybody else. And especially in a country like Japan which are mostly reserved and polite, how do you expect them to keep being polite when facing brute and disgusting tour groups all over the years. I won’t say from where. The hate has spilled all over everyone. To sidetrack, been living in Germany for a while, may I know why most Japanese that live there are so rude towards other Asians? But when they see locals, their attitudes immediately change. To be honest very surprising, since we love Japan. But those that’s living in DE, man….
I have the impression that Japanese people have a superiority complex towards other Asians, and consider themselves the “Europeans” of Asia. Why? Historical reasons. Even before WW2, Japan looked to the West to carry out modernisation. They borrowed their Civil Code from Germany. During WW2, Japan succeeded in conquering and subjugating most of her Asian neighbours, and so tends to look down on them even today. On the other hand, Japan was defeated by America during WW2, and occupied by them for 7 years during which the US carried out radical reforms (military, political, economic, social) in Japan. Since then, Japan has not only been a faithful US ally, but also looks up to America and Americans.
I remember one day, at the restaurant, I spoke in English because I was with my friend who don't speak Japanese) , the waitress, answered me with a few words in English and smiled, but when she turned around to talk to her colleague, she insulted me saying "Fucking tourist, and on top of that, he doesn't even make the effort to learn our language in order to communicate", I went to see her so with her colleagues, and I started to speak Japanese, and I made her understand that I spoke it fluently. She apologized and wanted to offer me a meal. I said no, and that I would give the restaurant a bad mark.
To be fair a little, Chinese media constantly post hate posts about Japan mainly because of the war they had in the past and the war crimes that Japanese army committed. There are lots of Chinese who hate and say shit about Japanese.
That is terrible! But I got discriminated in Japan before too and I hear some whispering,”Chinese,” behind me a few times when figuring out how to buy a ticket from a machine. I spoke to my family in English. 😑
I had an experience back in 2017 where the chef shouted at me for not speaking Japanese. I fired back an insult by returning my oyakodon uneaten at the return counter and promptly walked out of that place!
I was in Osaka for my grandfather-in-law's funeral sometime in 2016. I didn't speak much Japanese so I figured "Oh look, an Italian place. Maybe they're used to non-Japanese speaking customers." Nope, they did that cross thing they do with their arms and said something to the effect of "Japanese only". So I walked the extra 10 minutes to the St. Regis where I know they had to take me and had a good time at their bar lol. Thing is, my family is originally from Okinawa but I just don't speak much Japanese by the time we moved away. I've been told that the restaurants don't think they could offer a good level of service to me since they can't communicate well but 1) I think outright rejecting you is pretty bad service and 2) Plenty of people travel around the world by pointing at menu items and smiling a lot. Can you imagine the s*tstorm if someone got rejected from a restaurant in the U.S. because they were foreign? It would be on the news. I think this happens all the time in Japan along with a ton of other little slights that are never overt but obvious anyway. I used to think I'd bring my family back to the "homeland" one day and re-connect with my roots (even if I'd get paid much less based on tech salaries) but my experiences there as a foreigner dissuaded me from even wanting to visit anymore let alone live there. Not to mention that I have daughters and there are far fewer opportunities for women there than here in California but that's a whole separate conversation.
I read news about financial problem that happen , i not sure this true or not . To support tourist area need a lot of money ( get loan money from bank ) .
I read news about financial problem that happen , i not sure this true or not . To support tourist area need a lot of money ( get loan money from bank ) .
so the X hand signal means "no foreigners allowed"? I experienced this too in Spring of 2019, at a *RUSSIAN* restaurant in Midtown Tokyo, the chef didn't say anything but as soon as he saw my mom's blonde hair, he 'X'ed me out of there. I was so flabbergasted I didn't even think to say, she's Russian in Japanese, because I speak enough to understand. isn't that just weird? a foreign restaurant owned by a Japanese person, said no to foreigners...
@@SailorVenusYaten1001 The X gesture is actually just more a general sign of rejection. Funny enough, it's not universal (it's not like anyone outside of Japan knows what it means) but they use it on everyone as if it is anyway.
@@jamestk656 My mom took it so offensively, I knew how Japanese were, so I just ignored it and I didn't want to cause a scene on my first five hours after just landing in Japan. But yeah, many of the vlogs I watched never mentioned it, so I was taken back by the broad "X" signal. Like imagine doing that at any other Westerner country....pointing at people is considered rude, imagine putting an X at their face with your hands.
Personally i find it worse that they are pretending to be polite and despising you inside. I would rather be turned away at the door than be looked down upon while i shop or dine. Those kind of people can pretend all they want but they are truely rotten on the inside.
You might be overly critical here, they might just be uncomfortable as they are not good at English, not despising anyone definitely. Japan is still generally a conservative country but have improved over the years, i personally love travelling there.
Personally I don’t really care how they think inside and I don’t let it affect me because it’s out of my control. What matters is how we actually treat each other, even if it means putting on a poker face.
I visited Tokyo in Jan-Feb 2020 before COVID went serious. My family and I were eating at a saboten restaurant. The elderly father, mother and their high school kid (a few tables away from us) saw us talking in Singlish, proceed to cover their mouths and say "China people." I understood Japanese and at that moment wanted to confront them that I was from Singapore. I was really shocked and discriminated to see Japanese like this.
I was in Shibuya 2019, and the restaurant told me that they don't serve people who can't speak/read Japanese when I asked in my broken 4th gen Japanese LOL. So I told my family and friends we had to look for a different restaurant to eat dinner. I was lucky that the street hustlers outside the restaurant building actually helped me find a restaurant that would serve English speaking customers and even more shocked that we didn't get ripped off XD. Thank goodness for that because our night was saved and stomachs were fed LOL. Also I remember your episodes on CNA too, glad to see your vlogs.
Perhaps one of the reasons why your channel is popular is because you are sincere and not hypocritical. You are entitled to your own views just as others are entitled to their own views. Please don't change your style of being honest.
The more and more videos I watch about Japan, the more I am increasingly turned off by this country. Way behind and backwards on so many issues. Stuck in the past and stubbornly refusing to move with the times.
16 years in Japan, I got used to it, almost happens everyday. This society is trash, everyone is so fake, people outside praise Japanese people for being polite but they're just two-faced.
Japan is a really weird, insular culture. Many Japanese travel abroad, and know that they aren't discriminated against at restaurants because they can't speak the language. Really strange that they can't grasp this concept at home. It's not like Tokyo is some tiny backwater city.
I think the best way to get back is by starting a digital movement, which would allow you to record all restaurants that dont welcome foreigners. This will split the business between those that accept foreigners and those who dont. Once they see money going into those who accept foreigners, they will fix themselves. Someone needs to take the initiative to designing an interactive map of their weird experiences with restaurants, so all are aware. Maybe even use google maps comment section for e.g. and keep doing videos on it.
@Waka Waka No need to segregate. Foreigners should just bring their tourist dollars to where they are welcome. Why give your money to those who despise you? They don’t deserve it.
I visited Japan in 2018 and did get discriminated a few times. I was polite and followed all the rules, but I either get stares or I had a few who would whisper to their friend/peer(s),”Chinese,” behind my back when I was trying to figure out how to buy tickets from a machine. I was reading the English on the screen and spoke English to my family. But with my Asian face and not speaking Japanese, I am immediately called Chinese. Another time I was in a dept store in Osaka to check out this cosmetics counter…this Japanese salesman came up to ask me if I spoke Japanese or Chinese. He asked me in English and so I answered,” I only speak English.” Then he walked away and stared at me from far away. I accidentally dripped a drop of the lip gloss on the counter top when I checked out this lipgloss and his co-worker came up to me, gave me a dirty look, wiped it off the table, then walked away. I left that counter and went to another counter with excellent customer service. They had an iPad to translate when working with me. So….yeah I am nervous to visit Japan again.
I went to Japan in 2011 and didn't get any discrimination at all. But then I only went a few places like Disneyland and the shopping centre near my hotel (due to that unfortunate event in 2011). When me and my family ate at restaurants the staff were hospitable and polite too. But it was in a touristy area so I guess the discrimination would probably be minimal. Even if the owner didn't speak English we just communicated with gestures and used the vending machine to order haha
@@waterlily43 that’s great you had a good experience. Not all Japanese ppl discriminate. The ones working at the airport were incredibly friendly and helpful, but that’s prob why they work there. Their jobs would require them to interact with ppl from all over the world. Most of the younger generation in tourist areas were friendly. I do notice that some are more passive aggressive, so even if they bow, you can just look at their facial expression to see if they are genuinely nice or not. There is a lot of tension between China and Japan, so a lot of the discrimination seem to be towards Asians who don’t speak Japanese as they immediately assume you are Chinese. I bought something from a dept store at ginza and the sales woman who was helping me was doing her job, but then when I was paying, she had to ask (without a smile): where are you from? She seemed rather cold and the conversation didn’t lead to: welcome to Japan, hope u have fun. It was a high end store too. So it varies…it really depends on the individual because there are some who are warm and welcoming while some just made me feel the opposite.
Japanese people are so weird. You rarely see this behaviour from the local mainland Chinese towards Japanese tourists, and China wasn't even the one doing the massacre in WW2.
Similar to my experience in Hokkaido despite they more open to foreigners up north. Store clerk basically denied my existence despite me and my dad was the only customers until he called her up and they still gave off this suspicious looks right up until they asked me where I came from before I pay for my stuff that I'm Thai and it's like they put masquerade masks on in an instant get all happy energetic and helpful. I do not like that feeling at all, but mind you this happened in a very Japanese centric business with little regards to servicing foreigners. (Yamada Denki) I obviously got treated much better in an established business that have oversea branches.
@@barebarekun161 it just shows how behind they are in culture. They keep expecting foreigners to respect their culture, but they can’t be open minded to accept differences. It definitely doesn’t feel good to be treated like that.
I had a similar experience. I got discriminated in Japan too for speaking foreign languages in public, especially during the pandemic. I was on the bus in Kyoto, I was talking to my friend and we lowered the tone cuz we knew that Japanese people are sensitive to non-Japanese languages. We got shouted 'Do not talk' in English by a Japanese Ojisan, despite other Japanese groups talking loudly and no one was told anything but only us.
This was back in 2017, I was turned away when an izakaya owner asked me if I was Chinese. Why of course I said yes. Then I was told to sit outside, it was warm, and was hoping to sit inside where there is air conditioning. She said no. Then I told her, "But I am Malaysian" in Japanese. Then she said, "Ah in that case, please come in". My response to her was, "no thank you" and I walked away.
How can you blame them when everyone is well familiar how mainlanders behave~ it isn't racial, it is just insulting to bow down and serve those which does not have an ounce of respect for anyone because they have money to throw around. You do know how customer treat waiters and restaurateurs in China so how do you expect people to deal with such behavior in other countries with very different sets of cultures?
Imagine they go to other country and be treated the same way just bcos they are Japanese, see how they like it.. You may not like certain country but discrimination is wrong and should not be encouraged. I would've walk away too, berlambak lagi restaurant lain yg kita boleh pegi makan.
@@MrNajibrazak I do agree with you on how mainlanders behave. But not all Chinese are mainlanders, like how not all Japanese people are from Japan. I have Japanese friends born in the US and in Malaysia. Maybe the question should be, "where are you from?", instead of assuming once you are Chinese are from the mainland.
You made the cardinal sin, because most Japanese language Teachers would teach you When they ask: “are you Chinese?” They mean: “are you from China?” Never say “I’m Chinese”, say your nationality But now you know why they turned you down that first time - many places is as such, because of the relationship between China and Japan (or the lack there-of)
@@uuu12343 That is sad. Yes, I did realise I committed a cardinal sin by saying I am Chinese. Because for all of us, ethnically we are chinese regardless of where we are born or are from. Hence, my reply back to her was to say "I am Malaysian".
I have heard similar stories from my friends who visited Japan. Honestly it kinda turn me off a little bit from visiting the country. Sending postive vibes over Ghib. Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Had the same issues at one of those secluded restaurant in Okinawa . The rest of the restraints , cafe , eateries were amazing but this we really felt the owner just can’t wait for us to leave his restaurant . The minute he saw us with children , his face turned sour , and he ignored us the whole time after we make a few small orders and kept staring at us the whole time we eat it was really uncomfortable . We decided from then on never ever to visit those small cafe /izakaya/ even those higher end eateries as they do tend to stare or reject you .
Working in antiques, ive had quite a few negative experiences with japanese dealers. Even though im mixed race, even not being a chinese citizen isnt enough. Ive been refunded because the dealer looked at me,my name and then proceeded to refund me, ip ban me from their site or add me to a blocklist. But that isnt the worst of it. The worst is when people pretend to like you or be cooperative and they take every opporrtunity to put me at a loss. I had a elderly man in Nara send me broken antiques after photographing them unbroken and then apologizing and proceeding to do it over and over leaving me to repair it. I understand someitems are fragile but the items in question surely are not being linen and sarashi towels and brushes. They were very obviously torn or smashed or placed in unnecessarily dirty places after photographing. Initially i gave benefit of doubt in spite of friends in the industry saying it was because they perceived me as chinese. But then i had a name change. And suddenly things got a lot better. I got myself the whitest name possible and used my swedish friends graduation photo. I never experienced this ever again not a single instance at all now.
The unfortunate truth is - foreigners get discriminated in many many countries. Singapore is probably one of the only places where in terms of restaurant and service-related activities (like shopping, etc), we see a lot less discrimination of foreigners. I think it still happens in Singapore but personally I think we are more welcoming than a lot of countries, as long as the foreigners respect our social norms. For example, I have experienced outright refusal to serve me in Paris and racism in Australia and U.S., and also felt unwelcomed in Japan. I think because we live in such a small and densely packed place like SG, we have to practice a lot more tolerance. Sorry to hear you had that experience. Edit: I do want to add that I have met a lot of very kind Japanese people who would totally go above and beyond to help a foreigner like myself when I was in Tokyo.
You are right. We are not used to discrimination in restaurants/shops in SG because we are a multicultural society used to many foreigners. So it comes a a rude shock to encounter discrimination in Europe, the US, Korea and Japan.
How Singaporean people of Chinese descent get treated in Japan resembles the discrimination minorities in Singapore face. For example in renting property and in jobs. Based on stereotypes, a whole group of people are written off as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
Talking on the phone in a restaurant is sometimes considered a bad manner in Japan. Actually, staff warned me at restaurants once or twice before though I am Japanese. I think other public places like transportation, hospitals, and some types of shops are the same. Of course, conversations in such areas are OK. I don’t know the reason. There is sometimes discrimination here in Japan if they think you are Chinese or Korean… Ridiculous!
Discrimination in japan depends on luck, i suppose. one small town eatery turned me away, i'm not sure if it was due to me being alone(was on a solo trip) or not being able to speak japanese. There were obivously empty slots but the owner simply told me " no " and waved me off. Then, in another small town izakaya filled with grumpy looking middle aged men - i expected some form of discrimination too. Lo and behold, they were pretty friendly and told me the last foreigner to drop by the place was years ago. One of them even worked in Singapore(he was retired) and was pretty glad to have a conversation with me.
I'm actually surprised some business owner in Japan would willing not want to do business. I would think that when someone opens a restaurant they would gladly accept any paying customer.
Had a bad experience @narita airport before travelling back to SG. We were queuing at the mcdonalds counter when I code-switched from english to mandarin with my family on which meal to order. An eldery woman customer just shoo us away (probably thinking we were from china). Its pretty insulting to my family. That leaves a bad note for my trip (we are frequent visitors). Overall franchised shops' customer service are pretty good, they are trained to handle foreign customers. Its just the out of the way, small shops/restaurants that react in this manner. Tip: quick meals at franchised restaurants, the food are good & affordable as well. This is how we stretched our yen with 2 weeks of travelling.
Tip: Don't ever speak Mandarin in Japan as a Singaporean. (- Singaporean living in Tokyo) I only do it when I absolutely must because some of my other foreign friends don't speak English much.
Sometimes, you don't really notice the discrimination in your own country until you get mistaken for one of those "disease carrying foreigners". So far on my travels I have not encountered this attitude from any of the places I visited in Japan, but I don't really buy the explanation that they reject non-Japanese customers because of language concerns, when other RU-vidrs who have stayed in Japan for years and fluent in the language get the same treatment as well.
Since spending a year as an exchange student in Tokyo back in 1999, I have been visiting Japan every year on holidays (except covid times) and have watched with dismay at the growing tension in the tourism sector. I think the underlying feelings were always there in some Japanese restaurants but until the tourist boom from early 2010 onwards, the tourist numbers were relatively manageable and did not overwhelm the service sector……also, as the type of tourists grew, there became many more instances of conflict between arrogant tourists (my money makes me king/queen attitude) ….I suspect that the break given by covid may have made those weary of difficult tourists, decide to formally show their xenophobia.
Fellow Singaporean here and I was in Japan for almost 2 months during summer this year. I am someone who complains abt the weather in Singapore everyday being hot. But ever since I came back, I have ever complained. Japan summer was crazy, I get headaches after being outdoors for half a day and always going to combini to hide for a few mins before getting out to continue heading to my next location. Can’t believed how many times I have to do that just to get to next destination cause most places in Japan at not really sheltered when you have to be on your foot to walk from one place to another. But overall that summer really left me a huge impression.
Never go to Japan in summer. Or Italy for that matter. Many of these places don’t have satisfactory air conditioning like SG because their hot weather doesn’t last long enough to justify the cost of serious air conditioning. If you dislike hot weather, avoid Japan, China, Southern Europe etc in summer.
Yes it very hot japan summer So much hotter then in Singapore here . The heat is scorching there 36 degree that time I went Osaka in July 2019 . And many times when we shopped in the street , we heard the ambulance siren , wondering is it someone has stricken heat stroke and got fainted .
The staff must’ve thought you were a foreigner coz you were speaking English with your wife. Hence the discrimination. A lot of Japanese are quite xenophobic. Japan is still a conservative country in this respect.
Oh yes... I witnesses Obachan told off a mother in a 'playground' not to cause too much noise. At a playground ya! This was back I 2012 when I lived in Tokyo... Nishi-Kasai to be exact. Was so dumbfounded at that time. I can see the Mother very stressed about the situation because she wants her kids to enjoy and release their energy at the playground before the sunset. I do enjoy my life in Japan thou... I'll definitely will return once a year and stay at least 1 or 2 months. If I got the chance to live there again, probably I'll give ti another chance if there's really a reason for me to stay there with purpose not just for the sake of living there because I love the culture so much. The only time I experience discrimination is when bunch of friends came and see me, went out for the whole day and decides to take a bus, we're too excited to catch up and speak a little louder as usual and elderly couple sat in front of the bus said very loud to the bus driver 'Urusai na~". I have to tell my friend we have to speak softly because the obachan said we are very urusai. Maybe she shocked because she heard the word urusai and look at us and I just say in the most formal politeway... "Hontou ni moshiwake gozaimasen, kidzukanakatta! gomen ne~" Young lady sat opposite of her just smile nonstop because 'one of us' can speak Japanese. I believe the obachan probably can't sleep for the whole night realises her ignorance make her look like an evil obachan. That's the only incident I experience...
Of course there’s discrimination in many places. But seldom to the extent of being turned away at a restaurant just because you’re a foreigner, which going by the many comments here, seems not uncommon in Japan.
It was great catching up in Japan, Ghib! Glad to see you were able to enjoy bits of Tokyo during your visit. Unfortunately discrimination does happen in Japan, and I’ve been on the receiving end of it, being a Japanese as well. I personally think that Japanese people tend to have rules and guidelines set without really considering the meaning behind them…. Still blows my mind that some times foreigners can’t rent or buy properties in Japan, because they’re not Japanese. Obviously not all companies are like that, but theres surely a lot of unconscious bias in this country that isn’t discussed enough, because it’s such a homogeneous country.
@@cks2k2 not sure if you live in Japan, but there are some agencies/companies that decline doing businesses with foreign customers - not all, but some. You’re totally right that foreigners are allowed to buy properties in Japan 👍
Visited Tokyo in 2015 with my family (including two children).. We went to a small udon shop across the entrance to our hotel. The owner was a grumpy old man, who merely grunted when he took our orders but left us alone to have our meal. We ended up coming back two more times and saw he treated everyone, whether they are foreigner or not, in the same manner.. but the food was good and cheap. The rest of the time, we found the staff at restaurants or shops to be very accommodating even if they speak minimal English - we went to a bbq grill place and they even hauled a worker from the kitchen to explain the different types of fish they had, with plastic food displays to show us. In another restaurant, we had the same server the few times we ate there and she was so interested to know more about us that she asked the cook to come out and translate. We even went to a hole in the wall kind of place in Shibuya where we had to order via vending machine and we had no idea what to do but the kind lady at the store came out, showed us how to purchase the meals. Edited: wait, now that I thought about it. We did feel awkward when we visited Kidzania. We specifically visited it on Wednesday, I believe, as it was designated an 'English speaking' day. We were met by a Caucasian person when we arrived but almost no staff spoke English and plenty of activities were not available to us as my kids didn't speak Japanese. We met a handful of foreign kids including one from Singapore but I think we were the only one who really tried to make a day out of it because everyone just left after they realised it was not easy to participate if you don't speak Japanese.
Ya discrimination is felt too in Chiba. But i thought its because i look Asian ! If i were Ang Moh maybe they would treat me better? Im amazed how the locals thought me that the only way to survive summer is by eating 塩分お菓子 as water alone will still give you heat stroke.
Even during pre Covid days, we walked into this relatively empty restaurant in Hokkaido, to be turned away saying they are full and no longer accepting customers. They were about to sit us down but stopped when they overheard us speaking in English. Found it strange till today, we were neither loud nor have kids with us.
Had the same experience in Atami near Tokyo in 2018. We were 3 adults and went into what looked like a popular restaurant near our hotel, but they turned us away when they realised we were foreigners. Happened again at the next restaurant we tried to eat at. We were puzzled. At first, we thought it might be because they didn’t want the hassle of trying to communicate in English, which was obviously challenging for them. We finally managed to eat at a yakiniku restaurant which was likely Korean-operated. We pointed at pictures in the menu and had a good meal despite not being able to speak Japanese or the waiters being unable to speak English, so we wondered why we were turned away from the first two restaurants. Now I understand. Heard anecdotes too about how despite opening up for travel, Covid has made many Japanese even more xenophobic about foreigners, so I’m giving Japan a miss till things improve. Much as I love Japanese food and scenery, I won’t go where I’m not welcome.
We were taking a local tour in Hokkaido this summer. The tour guide saw us spoke to each other in English he immediately assumed that we just came from the USA. So he spoke to other Japanese tourists in Japanese telling them to be aware of us to avoid Covid 19 contact. Ha, they thought we couldn't speak Japanese. Anyway, we quickly informed the group tour guide that we've been living in Japan for a few years now. We didn't just fly from the US.
So sad. But very true. I was having dinner in a small izakaya in Kyoto with a friend and the owner told us that the other customers are feeling uncomfortable that we're speaking English and told us we should just finish up and leave soon.
Kyoto is the core of conservative. The owner cares about customers feelings uncomfortable but doesn’t think the customer (you) feeling uncomfortable by that attitude. That’s not fair!!!
Certainly, foreigners in Japan are not troublemakers. Nobody go to Japan with the intent to create trouble or commit a crime and get arrested. The mindset or suspicion must definitely changed.
Man, reading the xenophobic encounters tourist face in the comment section makes me want to cancel my trip to Japan next year. Didn't know they're so unwelcoming. Business owners that doesn't want to do business, staffs being uncomfortable of people speaking other than Japanese language with their own friends/family, and it's not only normal Japanese, seems like it comes from a spread of people, from Restaurant owners, to service staffs in shops, gosh isn't it already 2022? Are foreigners pest to them and a chore to serve?
The reason why I learned Japanese was because I was turned away at a McDonald’s in Yokohama when I first visited Japan with family in 2006; they did not want to speak English to us. At a McDonald’s. I was still so intrigued with everything Japan, so I picked up Japanese. When I visited Dotonbori in 2018, a sushi restaurant turned away a lot of English speaking guests saying they were sold out but my ex and I got in with no problems because I spoke Japanese. It’s sad that this is still happening, and I’m so sorry to hear it happened to you Ghib :( Enjoy your vacation!! Loving these vlog style videos 🫶🏻🫶🏻
Why would you expect Japanese McD workers to speak in English ? Do you expect workers in some yakitori restaurant in US, to speak Japanese? While restaurants can certainly be more accommodating to foreigners, as a business its unreasonable to expect them to speak English. Since most Japanese menus have pictures, it would be pretty easy to handle foreginers IMO, but the issue is with people trying to "customize" the menu, and the staff are not equipped to handle it.
I think he's being discriminated not for "akan" manners but rather being a Kansai native (let alone an Osakan)... Seems that most Kanto people kind of treat their Western counterparts (esp. Kinki natives) with disdain, doubt and such......
When I was in college, I worked at a conbini. I remember my line would be empty, yet some customers would rather wait for a Japanese staff to check out than come to my register... (Even though I was shift leader LOL and often had to treat those customers anyways since the younger staff didn't know how to do somethings with the register)
I stay in Japan with my kids now and boy, it’s tough. Sometimes they don’t say ‘no’ to you in your face but just make things difficult in all sorts of ways. I love Japan but things like these make me angry/sad 😞
Your experience and the stories in the comments are discouraging. I've never been to Japan and have been planning to vacation with family there. I'm afraid such experiences can spoil the mood of the whole vacation. I guess I can sort of understand why. They're slower to open up and their attitude towards covid as a nation seems to be more like Singapore's 1-1.5 years ago. Maybe would be a bit better to wait until next year to visit when the nation's mindset towards covid changes.
damn, just when it would be good to take advantage of crashing Yen (vs. USD)..........gotta put up with bullshit attitudes. wonder how many of those restaurants had bad experience with PRC tourists when they had money?
Hasn’t it always been bad manners in Japan not to use ur phones in public. You’ll notice that especially on public transport …. It’s a society thing and I’ve just avoided doing it over the years when visiting Japan.
I have never been discriminated at all based on race/ethnicity so far. However, what shocked me was the time I was wearing a pair of crutches on the passenger train, Toyoko line (and sadly I am still wearing them, this didn't happen too long ago). No one gave up their seat for me - everyone was instantly looking away or glued to their phones. I am supposed to be a priority passenger. At least make a way for me to go to the priority seat. I am far from spoiled or demanding. Even when my feet were already hurting very bad, I didn't complain because there was nothing to prove that I was hurting before the crutches. But if I'm already on crutches, it should tell that my injury is already bad enough i can't stand on my own. I wish I was kidding, but I am not. I stood for two stations struggling to stand with crutches on until a kind aunty glared at the passengers and secured a seat for me when some people got off. Japan never ceases to shock me with their lack of empathy or even common sense everyday. I still love this country and I have warm and caring people surrounding me here, but the pain of that day will never be forgotten. This country truly needs some fixing, but I don't think they wanna be fixed either.
Your story reminds me of the incident when the elderly Singaporean talked crap to the Malaysian kid on the MRT for sitting on the priority seat, even when there was nobody around that needed that seat. I just find it ironic that in Japan when somebody really needed that seat nobody does anything, but in Singapore when nobody needs that seat, somebody gets told off for parking his butt there. Maybe the real reason is foreigner discrimination because the kid was Malaysian.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 It's probably because of the priority seat, not because they were Malaysian. My friend and I got scolded off sitting down too and we weren't even on a priority seat. I understood their intention and respected it but we were talking to each other and genuinely didn't notice the elderly person; the least they could do is be polite
My experience in Japan is so far good. I guess for the restuarant that they put "no foreigner" (i found this in tokyo mainly) usually they have bad experience or they dont speak foreign language, i dont feel offended, as they already give you a head up at the door. they are not prepared for non-japanese, as they not speak and their menu does not crater for foreigner.. and i guess it is also part of the services to serve.. if they cannot speak your language... it is pretty bad too. of course, the feeling of being "outcast" is bad, imagine singapore restaurant putting "no foreigner", i guess they will be FAMOUS over-night!
Yes. This issue is very real to foreigners who go to Japan. My personal experience. My wife was craving soba. I was at SHIBUYA SKY with my 4 year old. We found a quite atas soba restaurant. (i paid 300sgd for 2 soba set menu) I went inside to enquire if its open, the waiter said yes. The place was actually empty. I gestured to my wife to come in , and so she started to push the pram in, the waiter immediately shouted no no no, and slammed both hands on the pram and pushed back HARD on the pram. like how you would imagine you would try to push a car by yourself. We were all shocked. He could have simply just told us to fold the pram or leave the pram outside. His english was good. I was feeling quite upset but i didnt want to back down. So i politely packed up everything, left the pram outside. There was no one inside the restaurant at all but he still took 15mins to come to attend to us to get our orders. My wife wanted to leave but I felt , i needed to make a point. So i made my order and we had our meal. The entire time, the restaurant was empty. We paid and we left and even thanked the waiter for the service. But you know something, try telling a Singaporean stories like this. And you get utter disbelief. Nearly every singaporean i know would say something like "Oh because you didnt know the "rules", or you didnt conform to the culture, or etc etc, like the fault lied with me. Yes i might not know the hidden rules. But there is no need to be rude about it or express it so extremely. I have lots more to share but i would like to end with. I still love japan hahahaha
It happened to my bro. He was talking outside a toilet in MRT station trying to make arrangements for his accommodation. A guy walked over and slapped his face.
Thank your for your honesty. It takes a brave person to say something. This happened to me too about 15 years ago in Tokyo at small restaurants. I also found asking for directions was a horrible experience. No one was willing to help me. The unfriendly looks were not nice either. There’s much to love about Japan but the rudeness leaves a bad taste. I would like to visit again, but hopefully get better treatment.
Love your videos Ghib Ojisan. I really hope to visit Japan 'free and easy' some time soon. If you could do a video about a beginner's guide to visiting Japan for a week, that would be great. Kanpai! :)
This is before covid, me and my family were shopping around the market and found a food stall and as we were discussing what to get, i saw the disgust look on his face as he prep the food so i knew off the bat he doesn't like foreigners but i still try to purchase as i wave my hand and try to speak broken Japanese, he didn't bother to look at me and ignore me the whole time as i was in his face (btw there were no lines so i was the only customer there). At this point i just told my parent i want something else because I don't want it to be a big thing but that really sour my experience that day.
You are so right, I brought my mum and sis to Tokyo back in 2018. This was pre-covid. We were at the old fish market and visited one kaiten sushi store. I could understand Japanese but speaking was bad. The sushi chef at the bar counter ignore the 3 of us while taking orders from other and said something that was not nice. I spoke in Japanese and then he attended to me and started paying attention to our order. I wonder how the experience would be like for those who can’t speak the language.
It's the same in Germany when I was there. They served all their German-looking customers first in German. I take it that it was more efficient for them to service customers that spoke their language first before spending time with those who can't communicate with them efficiently.
The main problem is communication.. when Japanese don’t understand English, they are naturally distant from any sort of interaction with Foreigners. Coupled with a society with expected rules to adhere to, foreigners are just not accepted. The policy from the Government as well is very elitist and they don’t want other nationalities / races to dilute the pure brand. There is already discrimination faced by people from the country side or suburbs so of course there’s discrimination faced by foreigners especially if you are not there as tourist or business visitor. COVID is making it easy for people to express such anti foreigner sentiment.
I’m a Malaysian-Japanese born and grew up in Singapore. I lived in Japan for a couple of years and love both Japan and Singapore equally. When I first came to japan I wanted to know WHY does some Japanese don’t like/ discriminate foreigners. After living there for 7 years I kind a found the answer. (Btw this is from my personal experience) I worked at a jinjya/shrine in kobe during festival season. In a part of the area of at shrine, It clearly stated and written “NO PHOTO” in English.You can’t imagine how many times I had to remind the tourists and talked to them personally. And I did encounter some Singaporean too . I talked to the admin staff and he said this happens all the time and they have no idea on how to stop them. So at that time I realise that Japan doesn’t really know how to work with tourists, this kind of small things builds up and they just decided to not accept foreigners or non Japanese speaker to make it easier. I hope Japan will change. They do need tourist. The younger generation are more accepting and understanding, so hope it will get better after a few years. ❤
Also just to add up! I went to a couple of restaurant where they only accept Japanese. The owners of chef doesn’t know I am mixed till I’ve done with my meal and payment. They are all ok with me being non Japanese 😂 When I ask them why do they not accept “non Japanese”. Usually their reply will be : 1. I am not able to give the best service quality because I can’t speak English. 2. (traditional Japanese restaurant) I can’t explain the quality or the way how to eat the food 3. Some foreigners are very loud 😅 - I think it’s just because we are damn excited to see all the yummy and delicious food. 4. Had a bad experience or heard someone who had a bad experience - this is very sad to hear … I always end the conversation saying that there are (most) foreigners are like me who are willing to learn and would love to learn the customer if they could explain to us. 😊 I hope Japan do improve and I do see more positive vibes when I went there in July ❤
@@missplainjane3905 Sure thing! Before I answer all these questions, let me clarify that : 1. I lived in Tokyo and Kobe - both cities are known to have more foreigners than other cities. 2. I was in my late teens to early '20s when I was in japan (till 2018) 3. I came to japan with about 70% native language level. 4. I've only lived in Singapore and Japan (a few months in Malaysia) 1) Do you consider Japan a highly developed and advanced country? ->In Tokyo, yes, but outside the city, No all places. For Tokyo, it depends on which part you want to say developed. If you say Fintech? That's a no. But if it's in the cosmetic industry or fashion, I think japan is more advanced in that part. However, the country (especially the younger generations) knows that Japan is slowing down on development, and they see it as a problem. Sadly it's tough for them to raise their voice because the older generation's power is too strong. 2) How would you personally rate Japan (from culture to technology, architecture, food, local products, scenery/landscape, the standard of living/quality of life, etc.) on a scale level of 1 to 10? - culture 8: They firmly have great pride in the culture (but who doesn't?) - technology 6: A combination of technology and creativity is damn good. But when to make something "new", they need to work harder on it. -architecture 6: I hate Tokyo buildings. It's all ugly, but I love Kobe city. ) -food 9: Not only Japanese food. Italian, Mexican and french food taste so much better than in Singapore. (But Chinese food in Singapore is better) -local product 8: You can get good quality local products. Especially drug store products. -Scenery/Landscape 7: Each Japanese prefecture has a famous scenery. However, I'm a very city girl and prefer the city. -Standard of living 6: In Japan, I had to pay rent and other utility fees; of course, I couldn't use as much money as I could in Singapore. I think Singaporeans have more money or can save more because they live with their parents (But I understand because of BTO ). Overall, the living standard was a little more pricy in japan. 3) How would you overall describe the characteristics of Japanese people? So far, I have been blessed to meet very good people. And no matter where you go, you will meet very nice and very shit people. I think Japanese people are terrified of conflict and argument. Everything makes sense if you try to believe in their shoes and understand their culture. (of course, some might not be right) Once you know that, Japanese people will be one of the most caring people you meet. 4) If you have 3 or more words to describe Japan, what would it be? Easily Misunderstood, Very understanding and overly caring (Or not 3 words, but I hope you understand what I mean) I hope this answers your questions! apologies for the super long reply! HAHA Let me know if you wanna know more :)
@@missplainjane3905 Japan is a frist world country. Like it is huge, but not all the Japanese population are a huge anime or manage fan... I don't watch anime.
@@missplainjane3905 japan is safe to travel alone. I’m not sure where about you want to go. Just for your info my friend who went to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka stayed in Japan for 8 days.
No need to defend for the sake of defencing. They also worked aboard, and i know some of them after working as co workers. They are rude to u when talking craps abt u behind u. In fact some are kinda of aggressive when they are packing up for good. The so called politeness is just a wayang culture and it only when they are doing face front. They want ppl to see how japanese are polite in other countries. But when doors are closed, behavioral is difference. It also one of the reasons why they worked aboard. Cos they dun want to put up with the sensi culture
It is still possible in Japan for stores to " reserve the right to refuse service to anyone". Unlike the US which were overrun with Woke culture, Japan maintains this most basic common sense right and I think that this is great. You are probably singled out due to talking much louder than others on the phone and English sounded rather harsh to Japanese ears.
Perhaps the change needs to start from above.. like the people who r running the country. A leader’s influence and acceptance is what creates a change. I’ve gotten discriminated even during pre-covid days. Some just don’t express it out but you can feel it through body language.
I think they have had that superiority complex towards other Asians for a long time already. Since at least WW2 when Japan invaded her Asian neighbours and subjugated them. By contrast, they look up to America and Americans because they were defeated by the US during WW2, and occupied by them for 7 years during which the US carried out radical military, political, economic and social reforms in Japan to ensure she never went to war again.
Discrimination is widespread not just in Japan. Try yourself as an Asian to Europe like France and Italy It's double the treatment. Majority of people do not like PRC/ Indian not because all PRC/ Indian behave badly but given their population, 1% of them bad eggs would have made a tiny nation population. Even sometimes in Singapore you see these folks giving their people the bad name. Every country has their black sheep just some country has much more than the rest . People tend to be safe than sorry.
I once went to a tofu restaurant but they stopped me at the door, saying they were full. I could see the inside and it was all empty! Another time, I went to an upscale sushi restaurant for omakase and only the new assistant made my sushi. The chef didn't even look my way. Near the end of the meal, I called the chef in Japanese, and showed him that I had his old namecard from when he first opened his restaurant. Only then did he become friendly. Sigh... I think in future, I will make my reservations under a Japanese name too, so that I don't face discrimination.
Ghib, have a great vacation in Japan!! As you know, yesterday, Japan announced re-opening of tourist travel. No restrictions for tourist that are vacinnated, so things are returning to normal.
My wife and I were trying to get food in Yokohama and we received a flyer from someone outside so we decided to try it out. When we went into the restaurant, they refused to let us in a serve us. I thought it was weird how they wanted us to go in but didn't let us in.
We got discriminated at the moomin cafe - Tokyo skytree. We are Japanese American from Hawaii and the experience was horrifying. The waiter grabbed the menu from my daughter's hand and handed it a Caucasian couple - UNACCEPTABLE!!! We stood up and left the restaurant
I went to a artisan highly rated unagi restaurant, before all the customers entered, the staff kindly explained that no using of phone, take off shoes, no professional cameras and no speaking unless necessary and softly, phone camera is borderline ok because they want us to focus on the food and be considerate to other customers, so I find this reasonable. This custom also applied to everyone. The staff were also friendly and tolerant, because one of my friends were late and ended up not coming (changes headcount while queuing outside), and my other friends got impatient during the wait inside the restaurant and used their phones quite a bit and took more than several photos before eating, and the staff was still nice to us after that.
*Has anyone walked into a non-Japanese cuisine restaurant, and within seconds was given the X signal with hands?* Cause I experienced this my first night visiting Japan. I noticed there was a Russian restaurant/bar near my hotel (my mom is of Russian/Ukrainian descent, so I assumed she would enjoy eating her type of food), BUT as soon as I walked in, the chef/bar master, signaled an X sign with both of his hands, right at me. It was 7pm, and there were still lots of customers seated at this restaurant, so once I walked out, I checked the hours, they had 2 hours left till closing. *Was this one of those "no foreigner entry" restaurants I've heard about it?* there was no sign saying that...
May I share an Old Testament Verse with you from Daniel 7:14 "And there was given him dominion, and glory, & a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should SERVE Him; his dominion is an Everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." God the Father loves you so much that He sent Holy Sinless Jesus (His Holy Son) to earth to be born of a virgin.Then, to grow up & die on a cross for our sins. He was in the tomb for 3 days, then Father God raised Holy and Sinless Jesus Christ (Y'shua) to Life! He appeared to people and went back to Heaven. We must receive Sinless Jesus sincerely to be God's child(John 1:12).After we get saved by grace through faith in Christ, if we truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will obey Jesus(John 14:15). Mark 1:15 "And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. "There's a real hell. It says in Revelation 21:8 "But for the cowardly, & unbelieving, & abominable, and murderers, & immoral persons sorcerers & idolaters & all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire & brimstone..." Please sincerely receive Holy Jesus & put your true faith and trust in Him today and please repent. Will you have a Real encounter with Holy Lord Jesus (Y'shua is His Hebrew Name) & stay in a Genuine relationship with Him daily please?
Don’t need to watch ur vid to want to visit Japan. Have been having with drawl syndrome for 2 years Liao. Your videos only makes us cry 😂 finally restrictions have eased but air ticket prices makes us cry again 😢
I felt the same whenever I travelled with my mom to Japan, even on group tours. I wonder if most Japanese in Japan feel threatened by the presence of foreigners. I do feel that it's not just the language barrier that is the issue. Rather, it's the various customs and the pride that they have. Anyways, I still love going to Japan. The country makes my heart flutter.
Japan has been a very homogeneous society for centuries, so there is understandably a very strong sense of being Japanese (Nihonjin) versus being foreign (Gaijin). There are Koreans who have lived in Japan for 3 generations, look and speak like Japanese, yet are still regarded as “Gaijin”. Japan also has a innate sense of cultural superiority over other Asians because of Japanese history eg they conquered most of East and SEA during the WW2. Plus, the fact that the average Japanese, especially in suburban areas, does not have a good command of English and so likely feels uncomfortable trying to communicate with foreigners. All these factors help explain why some Japanese seem xenophobic. Fortunately, there are others who are more receptive to foreigners, especially those in the hospitality industry. But the ones who are rude or turn you away because you’re a foreigner do spoil your holiday somewhat.
@@missplainjane3905 On my very first trip, Hokkaido during beginning of summer, second trip was to Okinawa. The last tiplme was to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo . To be honest, I didn't go to every corner of all these places. Tour groups usually bring you to the more touristy areas. I didn't go without one because I'm not street smart and independent. Plus, travelling with an aged parent is tough.
I personally didnt encounter or perhaps I was oblivious. But precovid during my visits to Japan I always seem to spot japanese-speaking chinese/taiwanese quarrelling with the staffs after knowing they were discriminated in Nihongo. Japanese are known for being polite and courteous, & if thats only a facade, i’ll be truly disappointed.
Low birth rate and not open to external culture is a spiralling issue. Robots development to replace manpower is also shown in your video. Not a good direction to be heading. Was an exchange student in 1999. The number of mainland China travellers haven't arrived in busloads. Discriminated once in a yakitori bar in shinjuku. But very well taken care of in an Izakaya in Monzennakacho. It has to do with external pressure and how the general public handles it.
I went to Kyoto in 2019, and was in a famous market street buying a famous tamagoyaki.. the lady behind the counter was so smiley and friendly to the locals until I approached her. 😆 but what can I do? Got my eggs and left. It was sooooooooo good! Best tamagoyaki I ever had.
