Consumer Consultations by Foreign Visitors to Japan on Rise
Tokyo, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)--The number of consultations from foreigners visiting Japan about problems related to accommodations and shopping is increasing, reaching about 80 pct of levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the number of foreign visitors to the country continues to rise in fiscal 2024, thanks in part to the yen's weakening, there is concern that such consultations will increase further.
"As more and more foreign tourists who are interested in Japanese culture now visit restaurants and other shops popular with locals, their operators should be well prepared so that they don't panic when foreigners come," an official of the National Consumer Affairs Center said.
The number of consultations from foreign visitors in fiscal 2023, which ended in March this year, stood at 227, up for the second straight year. Of them, the number of consultations related to accommodations was the largest, at 56.
Some consultations were related to the quality of accommodation facilities, including cases in which foreigners claimed that the rooms they booked were too small. There were also complaints due to a lack of explanation by accommodation operators or a misunderstanding on the part of foreign guests, such as a case about a canceled reservation not being refunded.
Differences in culture and manners were also behind some complaints, especially those by users of restaurants such as "izakaya" Japanese-style bars, with some complaining about being charged a seating fee without explanation and others about getting a warning about bringing in food.
Some foreign customers complained of getting ripped off, saying that they were charged hefty fees at restaurants where they visited after being led by touts.
In December 2018, the center opened a telephone hotline for foreign tourists visiting Japan, now offering consultations in seven languages, including English and Chinese.
The number of consultations from foreign visitors, which totaled 264 in fiscal 2019, plunged to 10 in fiscal 2021 amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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