A ramen shop in Osaka introduced a "dual pricing" system, setting different prices for foreign tourists and Japanese customers, which has caused trouble with foreign tourists and has sparked mixed reactions.
On the top screen of the ticket vending machine there's a clear message stating that if a customer select a language other than Japanese, the product price and ingredients are different.
Ramen written in Japanese is around 1000 yen, but ramen written in English is closer to 2000 yen. To compensate for this, English version of a ramen are specially prepared with seasonings and ingredients aimed at inbound tourists.
However, on the 4th, trouble occurred with Chinese tourists who demanded price difference. The restaurant explained that they could not provide a refund because the ramen specifications were different, but the argument continued. When the shop owner told them they were going to call the police, the Chinese toursit's attitude changed completely and offered an apology.
The shop owner thought about banning foreign tourists but have not yet actually banned them yet.
https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/900181285.html
26 Comments
The title is misleading. The ramen shop actually had different menus in Japanese and English so it wasn’t different pricing from residents and tourists. So if the tourist was able to read Japanese, the tourist could have ordered from the Japanese menu.
For me it boils down to: We “technically” do not discriminate but we don’t offer the cheaper option to foreigners either, unless they INSIST on using the japanese language option.
The issue therein lies with transparency. It makes people understandably upset that you’re given the “parallel society” treatment
[“Foreigner prices” are bound to fail: The Osaka ramen shop scandal proves the only solution to dual pricing : r/japannews](https://www.reddit.com/r/japannews/comments/1q508hg/foreigner_prices_are_bound_to_fail_the_osaka/)
I don’t know how many people have actually seen the Japanese menu, but it’s written using hiragana only because the owner didn’t want to use Chinese characters that are recognizable to Chinese people.
I appreciate that businesses that are run by racists are self-identifying. I have no intention of ever eating at an establishment with dual pricing. Ever.
Nor should anyone else.
Racial discrimination is ostensibly illegal in Japan.
Learn Japanese or use google translate camera.
Wonder what happens if you use a translation app
If the ramen is actually ‘different’ (more toppings like a tokusei ramen/特製ラーメン) it isn’t a major problem that it is priced higher.
But the idea the cheapest bowl of ramen for foreigners is 2000 yen while for Japanese is 1000 yen is a bit troubling.
In Japanese ramen culture there is a term called “1000 yen wall” or “千円の壁” which refers to the long-held customer expectation that a basic bowl of ramen should cost under/around 1000 yen since ramen is viewed as an affordable comfort food.
Although I understand inflation and other issues have compressed margins so much it is very challenging to keep to this 1000 yen wall but asking foreigners to pay double seems a bit excessive.
The best part of being a quiet Asian tourist is they can never tell that we aren’t Japanese until it’s too late
「インバウンド向けの味付けや具材が入った特別な仕様になっているといいます。」 — Yeah this is expert level bullshitting. Basically saying that to cater to the tastes of tourists, the ingredients and seasonings are different, so we are justified in charging different prices………
From a business perspective I get why they do that, seeing how foreign tourists have more money. So instead of raising their prices across the board which would hurt local customers, they introduce dual pricing. Unfortunately that creates a minefield of issues, such as
– what if a tourist speaks Japanese?
– what if a foreign resident walks in? Do you ID them?
– what if people can’t read Japanese but notice anyways?
It’s just not practically possible to do this without overstepping boundaries and creating a split society where every non ethnically Japanese person has to worry about getting discriminated against. Economically, the country should put more fees on tourists when entering the country and booking hotels and redirect that money to the citizens. Small scale self justice like this only going to create conflict and should honestly be banned. The fact the owner threatened to call the police instead of apologizing when his bs was noticed makes it obvious this was racially motivated too. Go ahead and ban tourists, they’re better off eating elsewhere anyways.
The shop owner covered his ass. I think he’s in the right legally.
If your business model relies on overcharging some ppl. because your regs can’t afford a price increase/ or will choose you solely because of your cheap price point – maybe your business model ain’t viable anymore.
The special ingredient for the foreigner’s bowl is actually food waste that’s thrown out in the cooking process, so not only are they paying double but the chef put in trash as a topping too
Come on let’s name this ramen shop and spread it online so he can get just local customers forever
Imagine the opposite happened to Japanese backpackers and working holidays trying to make more money in the west lol
No one in Japan should be supporting this. No matter what your views are, this was just open racism. The owner threatening to call the cops when they got called out for their BS is just icing on the cake.
Lol anyone paying 2000 yen for ramen knows that isn’t Japanese prices but Canadian or Australian prices
It’s pretty blatant discrimination. Ramen isn’t one of those dishes you have to adjust because foreigners are unfamiliar with the taste. Most visitors have had ramen before, and many ramen ingredients are also used often in other cuisines. It’s not exactly an acquired taste. Besides, aren’t such adjustments usually made when you’re opening a shop in another country and have to cater to local taste buds, how can you make a dish that suits the palate of every other country in the world besides Japan? It’s like they’re not even trying to hide it
I recently went to a shabu shabu place in Tokyo and the cheaper courses were not on the English menu. Maybe this practice is already widespread
I frequent ramen shops, but if I actually find a place with this kind of policy I will be running out of there so fast. I talk with my wallet. Not supporting this nonsense is what people need to do.
Many Japanese people are poor, so please forgive them.
Isn’t this just offering a menu ordered differently to foreign customers? Like, if customers who order in English tend to order chashu-men instead of regular ramen, put that one first in order to make it easier for them?
I haven’t seen the exact menus so I don’t know the differences between them, but if I had the ability to customize an interface based on language selection I’d focus on what I want to sell to those customers in a specific order.
Is the concept of local discounts unheard of around the world?? Where I’m from if you show a local ID you get some percentage off at many places.
I was wondering when Japan would figure this out but outright doubling the price is a move in the opposite direction.
Damn.. you know… phones have a function to translate.. 😂😂