Foreign customers not welcome at some restaurants

Text: Matt DAVIDSON (New Zealand)

I like Japanese food and often go to Izakaya (Japanese pub restaurants) with my work mates. As Japanese food is provided at reasonable prices at Izakaya, I always take my friends from overseas whenever they come to Japan. That no English menu is provided is only my complaint. I have been in Japan for three years so I can order using a Japanese menu but my foreign friends can't and are often embarrassed. It is strange that there are few restaurants that have English menus in spite of the fact that foreign residents and tourists are on the increase. More foreigners will happily use Japanese restaurants if English menus are available.

Several months ago I advised the manager of my favorite restaurant to prepare an English menu. After that I went to the Izakaya many times, but the English menu had not been prepared.

When I asked the manager about the reason he said, "We are a chain restaurant and so we can not prepare it alone. I asked our headquarters, but they have decided not to make one." I asked, "Why?" He said embarrassingly, "Frankly speaking, foreign customers are not welcome." I was stunned, but he continued," Foreign customers tend to order only a little and stay a long time." In short, they think foreigners are not good customers.

As I have been this restaurant for a long time, I was shocked to know that I have not been so welcome. Whenever I enter the restaurant, the waitress welcomes me with a smile. Is this smile just an act based on their manual?

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