"No Koreans or Chinese Allowed"... Why Are Japanese Restaurants Continuously Banning Entry?

Amid growing backlash in Japan against over-tourism and the reckless behavior of some Chinese tourists, some restaurants have posted notices banning entry to Korean and Chinese customers, sparking controversy.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 14th (local time), a restaurant in Osaka, Japan, posted a photo on its social media (SNS) account on the 10th showing a notice on the entrance refusing Chinese customers.

This notice written in Simplified Chinese states that "due to many Chinese people being rude," they will not accept Chinese guests.

 

This is not the first time that Japanese restaurants have discriminated against Chinese customers. In particular, some restaurants have also expelled or banned Korean customers from entering.

In 2023, a Chinese influencer visited a Chinese restaurant in Tokyo and discovered a no-entry notice written in Chinese and Korean, which they exposed on social media.

This notice stated in Japanese that it was "designed to prevent the Chinese virus." The influencer entered the restaurant to ask the staff for the reason but was immediately expelled.

In July of last year, another restaurant in Tokyo also caused controversy by posting on SNS that "Korean and Chinese customers are not allowed to enter."

 

According to the Japanese Constitution, it is permissible to accept only customers who speak Japanese at restaurants for linguistic reasons, but discrimination based on nationality or race is prohibited.

SCMP reported that the 'discriminatory' measures at this restaurant have increased amid growing backlash in Japan against 'overtourism' and the thoughtless behavior of some Chinese tourists.

Examples include a Chinese female tourist lying on the highway to take a photo and a Taiwanese tourist shaking cherry blossoms to create an artificial flower shower for a photo.

 

Sun, foreigners over-tourism leads to avoidance of domestic tourist spots.

 

Recently, as the number of foreign travelers to Japan has increased, over-tourism issues have arisen. As a result, Japanese people are reportedly avoiding popular tourist spots within the country.

According to the Kyoto City Tourism Association, the total number of overnight stays by Japanese visitors staying at hotels in Kyoto city in March decreased by 16.1% compared to the same month last year. It is analyzed that this trend has continued since April of last year, as foreign tourists flock to Kyoto, a famous tourist destination.

According to the results estimated by Kyoto City using smartphone location data from November 1 to December 15 last year, the number of foreigners visiting Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), a popular temple, increased by 29% compared to the previous year, while the number of Japanese visitors decreased by 19%.

Nikkei pointed out that "this phenomenon is not limited to Kyoto," citing factors such as difficulties in making reservations and rising accommodation costs due to overtourism, and warned that "if measures are not taken, it could further discourage Japanese people from traveling domestically."

It was reported that the Japanese government has set a target of 60 million inbound travelers by 2030, 1.6 times higher than last year's figure, and as concerns about overtourism grow, some local governments have begun to regulate the total number of tourists.

 

690,000 Koreans visited Japan in March... for two consecutive months, the top foreign visitors

 

According to the foreign visitor statistics released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the number of foreigners visiting Japan in March was 3.497 million, a 13.5% increase compared to the same month last year. This marked the highest March figure on record and maintained the 300,000-plus level for six consecutive months.

Looking at visitors by country of origin and region, South Korea had the highest number with 691,000 people, a 4.3% increase. The number of Korean visitors was surpassed by China in January due to the influence of the Lunar New Year (Spring Festival) holiday, but since February, South Korea has been leading in the number of visitors.

Next were China (661,000 people), Taiwan (522,000 people), and the United States (342,000 people). JNTO stated, "Despite the trend of a weak Korean won, the increase in flight routes also contributed, and as of March, Korea recorded the highest number of visitors ever."

 

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After rude Chinese people, Koreans are also saying not to come into the restaurant.

 

Our country has consistently ranked first in Japanese visitor tourism, regardless of exchange rates...

 

Overtourism... It seems they don't consider the money earned from tourists...

 

Chinese people are being treated the same as our people..