Tourists to Japan Should Pay More? | Two-tier Pricing Coming for Himeji Castle & Japanese Food
Tourists to Japan to Pay More, Two-tier Pricing at Himeji Castle & Restaurants. I’m at Tsukiji Market where a skewer of Wagyu goes for ¥10,000 ($65) which is maybe okay for dollars but for Japanese Yen, feels like a fortune (to me). How about you, what do you think? #japan #tsukiji
🏯 Himeji Castle (NHK) https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240618_12/
💴 Restaurant Two-Tier Pricing (Nikkei Asia) https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Travel-Leisure/Japan-restaurants-explore-charging-foreign-tourists-more
46 Comments
"Foreign tourists eat more food…"
Way to put me on the spot! I'm hoping to do the Tokyo Marathon and then hit up a restaurant/buffet/one of those noodle shops that challenge you to eat as many bowls as possible to replenish on lost calories. Now, I just feel bad!!! 😂😂😂😂
wow a street parked toyota century, beautiful
As a tourist in Japan, if you spend more than 5,500 yen, depending on the retailer, you can get it tax free with a foreign passport. We as tourist don't seem to mind one bit that it's something not offered to the "locals". As far as increased prices in tourist areas, I feel it's the nature of the beast and a reality in most tourist centric locations. But, if they go too high, which I think those meat skewer prices are ridiculous, you could kill the business. Ultimately, you as a consumer, local or tourist, have the option to eat there or not to eat there. As for discounts for "locals", I'm OK with it. Some places offer local discounts with and local ID, often associated with businesses in "tourist" areas. A good way to entice locals to frequent places so if there is something which impacts tourism, they are not dead in the water. Just my 2 yen…take it for what it's worth…and right now, it's worth a bit less now days…🤪
In the Bay Area, there are places, like city's swimming centers do charge locals less but higher for people outside of the city; HOWEVER, there is no two tier-pricing for food or hotels. Also, there is no tax on food at grocery stores, tourists or not. They only tax food that are made by the stores, again tourists or not. That's the only good thing about the USA from the tourist perspective. Otherwise, everything else in the USA is just gimmicky or pure greed, e.g., deceptive advertising, etc.
I love Japan and its people/culture/food. If a place has two-tier pricing, I simply won't give them my business!
What if other countries applied two-tier pricing, one for japanese tourists and another for everybody else? Would japanese tourists think is fair? I understand there is a strong sense of nationalism in Japan, but this is slippery slope.
This is like any free market, just go elsewhere and buy some tax-free merchandise to cheer yourself up.
Also, this applies to any 5 star hotel, they want $300 for a steak at the Prince Park, when you can go around the corner to Yappari Steak and get one for $10-$15, just as in fact we did. Nice rooms though, cheapest 5-star stay ever. Unbelieveable at $200(US) per night.
Once resentment sets in it’s hard to reverse.
I’m talking about resentment both ways – that felt by the locals of over tourism, and that felt by tourists feeling alienated and prejudiced against
Lots o poor people in every country,what if US charged Asian tourists more then americans 😊
Been to Japan many times. Never visit the Tsukiji Market, which is a tourist trap!
Charge whatever you want,,IF its too expensive I wont buy it ❤
I went to Japan every year for five years up to 2019 – then returned in 2023.
I felt in 2023 less welcomed John, and that the open welcome had lessened.
I can understand the locals are simply fed up of all the tourists.
Sadly for me it will be a while before I return.
Shame 😢
When today, people have different reasons inspiring them to visit Japan than before. The Japan Reporter mentioned this when top five are 1. anime/manga, 2. affordability, 3. safety, 4. culture/traditions, 5. cuisine. Notice the #2. Ten years ago, it was 1. culture/traditions, 2. people, 3. language, 4. nature, 5. anime/manga.
Guess I'll take my money elsewhere then. 🤷 Not a difficult decision. Japan seems like the kind of place where there is plenty to do.
The mayor of Himeji is just throwing out the idea, and nothing is set in stone. People are too quick to draw their own misguided and uninformed conclusions. I personally think it is a great idea because the entry fee was ridiculously too low for what it is, and they can weed out the undesirable cheapskates who are visiting Japan because it is cheap now.
Inflated prices at a tourist traps, sure, you see that everywhere in the world. But it's still the same price for every customer, so no problem with that. But different prices for Nihon-jin and Baka Gaijin? Well, that's a clear way to say "Not welcome!"
And the exchange rate as an excuse? Well, I wonder if the yen ever recovers, will they give foreigners a discount? Doesn't sound very likely….Looking back at my first two visits to Japan just months apart back in 2008, the rate went from around €0,65 for 100 yen to it being close to a euro. So basically making everything about 50% more expensive. Too bad, just have to deal with it.
Also, apparently at Himeji only 30% of all visitors are foreigners, so 70% are still Japanese. So if it's to fight overtourism, wouldn;t it make more sense to make it more expensive for everyone, with maybe a discount for Himeji residents. And at those buffets? I've been to a few and was generally the only or at best one of very few foreigners around. And I'm nat that big of an eater anyway. Last time in Kobe I went to a seafood buffet with unlimited crab, and I ate my fair share of crab legs. The Japanese family on the table next to me, well, let's just say they really turned it into a proper crab party. Because why only get a few if you can stack a ton of them on your plate?
Sometimes I just don't get Japan. Pre-covid, they spent a shitload of money to promote tourism, and very successfully so. Did we ever hear complaints about overtourism? During the pandemic: Panic! Without tourist money, places are going bankrupt! And now that everything is back to normal, they seem to be doing everything just to piss off tourists. And the thing is, based on my own experiences, overtourism is still a very local thing. During my most recent rrip in April, I visited Wakayama, Shikoku, Shodoshima, Okayama, Himeji (but not the the castle….seen that before) and Kobe, and I'd think at most of those places they would actually very much welcome some more tourists, overtourism is something they can only dream of. Matsue is one of only three prefectures I haven't been (had to cancel my 2020 trip…), and apparently at many places there you actually get a dslight iscount if you show your foreign passport. Japan should do much more to promote other places than just Tokyo and Kyoto. For starters, maybe make the JRP good again, just so people can travel remote areas more easily?
They have 2 tiers in nyc. Penny for nyc residents and 30 for tourists for museums. Ferry prices too.
It's a slippery slope to do…Charge more, but make tourists feel unwelcome at the same time as charging more? Doesn't make sense to me. I just hope it's fair. Though I don't eat at places like Tsukiji, since I stay with friends in Japan, we eat at local places…but it makes me kind of sad. Makes the omotenashi feeling not good for me. I hope I'm proven wrong on my trip in october.
Let the market dictate.
I payed 7000 yen for sashimi at tsujiki market for the experience there, but I won’t eat there again, I might not even return there again. It was just an experience. I do think restaurants in Japan might need to increase prices due to the yen when I was there several weeks ago. It’s a good idea to have two price menus. Do we want restaurants to go out of business?
Charging more for tourists when it comes to landmarks is absolutely necessary. When more people go through a shrine there is wear and tear on the concrete, etc. I have no issue with this.
Locals should be charged the same as anyone else. This is xenophobic, honestly.
In Hawaii we have "Kama'aina" rate for parks, and other tourist attractions. Some restaurants, not all, offer Kama'aina discounts where locals just show their resident ID (license or state ID) and they either get a discount or get into an attraction for free. Somewhat a two tier pricing
Hawaii has local / non local fees at local attractions ie: Hanauma Bay, the Aquarium, zoo and many other places.
The tourist areas should charge tourist prices. Then give “locals” price discounts if they want to. That’s how Hawaii does it.
Sounds like Hawaii should implement Tiered pricing for japanese visiting
I'm perfectly fine with businesses raising prices a little and giving residents a discount. I'm perfectly fine with paying a little extra while riding the transit vs the locals. There are ways Japan could do this without gouging tourists or hurting its own citizens.
If I have to pay more for food, I will not visit Japan again! A culturally significant place, I'm happy to pay a little more.
No. I’m from New Zealand, and Japanese tourists used to come in droves in the 80s and 90s when the yen was all powerful and the Japanese economy was strong, and we didn’t try and raise the prices on them. Why should Japan charge us more now the tables have turned
What is the root cause of the yen’s downtrend? Are Japanese companies not competing or doing business outside of Japan as much as previously? I’ve noticed Japan slipping in the automotive industry, especially with the popularity of EV now outside of Japan
Disney gives local Southern California residents discounts at Disneyland
Wow… I just read the mayor is thinking of $30 for foreigners!!! THAT would erode every bit of omotenashi the country promotes itself as having.
Is the mayor a lifetime politician or just some guy who ran for mayor after retiring? Ill look it up but my guess is that he or she has little experience… or is just an old Japanese man with zero understanding of anything anyone youngercthan them might think.
With Tsukiji markets I wonder how high the rent is for those vendors?
It may not all be the vendors doing for high prices and they may be trying to give the locals a discount and hoping the tourists will frequent their business more to cover the losses on the local discount.
There definitely needs to be higher prices for historical sites to help with maintenance.
I agree with some of the comments about the 2 tier prices at museums, historical places, etc. However, if I have to pay 1500 yen for just a standard bowl of ramen (the one that usually costs 900-1100) then one can only imagine the high price tourists have to pay for sashimi, sushi, and wagyu. I probably choose my local 2000 yen ramen bowl without the hassle of flying, transport, waiting and walking, the language barrier, and the 2-tier pricing thing.
Some call it over-tourism now, but they also must remember that some tourists come because Japan is affordable. If the 2-tier pricing is adopted by most restaurants, then I'm sure it will soon adopted for transport and other services. When this happens, don't be surprised if you start to see "Visit Japan" ads in various airports and planes.
Simple: Avoid “tourist prices” by avoiding tourist trap areas. The two-tier pricing seems to be only in places where it’s mostly tourists. Most of the over tourism is at the same places. Just go someplace more local, authentic. Tsukiji, for example, is not authentic nor cheap even though it should be. Get away from Tokyo. Kyoto. Try local prefectural cities instead. Same as in any other country, isn’t it? Two-tier is a hard sell but local family box has little choice. They can’t lose their regulars even though they are with the declining population. They’ll have to choose one pricing or give our loyalty cards or something. What do you think? Again, it’s not all of Japan, just tourist spots that are massively overcrowded where you could expect to pay much more.
The moment the yen gets stronger this strategy will backfire.
The government should just make a stronger effort to divert tourists into other prefectures.
Unpopular opinion here but I disagree with the take on Himeji and the reactions in the comments below. I feel like the true economic benefit of tourism is a little over-exaggerated. With the exchange rate for the yen at decade lows tourists can get more bang for their buck, and locals do more for less. You can thank the lingering effects of Abe's loose interest rate policies and the fed panicking at the inflation rate in the US for that. I'm of the rarer opinion that if you can afford to go abroad, you should expect to help the local micro economy out by paying tourist prices. God forbid you pay more at a UNESCO world heritage site?? Bear in mind, most of your money goes on flights and (depending person ofc) foreign hotel chains. Some people even avoid eating out and eat at combinis. And its not just Japan, places like Venice and islands in the Mediterranean are looking to limit tourist numbers.. do they want the bucket list budget tourist looking to check off every country in the world (the worst kind) or the family/couple saving up over couple years to spend a little longer in said country?
They think tourist are all rich while most of time people who came ain't got that much of money. Even travel accordingly by budget 😅😢
The core issues are greed, low wages, and racism. Everything you see in the media is bullshit
Planning to move back in the fall of 2025 (left in 2011 after the 3/11 quake). Not sure what the world will be like by then but hoping for the best. At least I won't have to work at an eikaiwa this time because I've been working remotely for the past 4 years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
This will not work when Japanese tourists come to America its the same price for everyone! this will not work!
Two-tier pricing happens in other countries too. But I would rather wander the streets and find a place a more local place to eat.
They do this all over the world, like Russia and some parts of Southeast Asia
I lived in touristy Canmore, Alberta, Canada for a couple years and a lot of places have a Locals Discount that you can ask for if you live in town…but openly listing two prices or seemingly aiming it at non-Japanese feels a bit disingenuous.
On the other hand, I put in the extra effort to learn a bit of the language and find the hidden gems when I visited Japan. If tourists are just getting off the tour bus and being herded to these areas, they probably deserve to pay more. 😅
What happens when Japanese eat with tourist? Are they still paying more or less? What if there were 6 Japanese and 1 tourist who is chinese, can they tell who's who?
How quickly people forget just a few years ago when there were no tourists and how hard life was then for businesses. Can't have it both ways.