This year, the increasing number of foreign visitors in Japan has been big news, as well as to take out the small minority coming into the headlines who attract the anger of the local people.
But even well-behaved tourists from North America and Europe are a source of irriting or confusion for many local people in Japan, which is a very United Nations-Japanese habit.
More than 21.5 million foreigners visited Japan in the first half of 2025, a record high and on the track to cross the arrival mark of 40 million for the whole year.
Many visitors are first confirmed by Japanese customs and norms; Everything from bending with chopstick to bend and eating at a house entrance to everything to everything.
The rules underlined about how the money is handled is that the Japanese find out easily, including the cash gifts should be in a special envelope and the payment is not always exchanged in a tray.
There is just another disadvantage in the mine of Japan’s wealth culture, and the spacious majority of Japanese people do not want the western -style gratuity to be ideal here.
Good service is part of the job
Britain Lant said, “When I am handing over a bill to those who doubt that I am in Japan for the first time, I am politely saying that Japan does not require one of a wonderful things about Japan, which immediately cuts off any strange,” a national, whose Japanese wife’s family has run away in the restaurant.
“Sometimes they will ask why, and I just say that it has always been there and a good thing is that they do not need to pay an additional 20%, when prices are there,” he told DW.
“But it is that my employees and I don’t think we need to make additional payments to do our work properly,” hey said. “If someone leaves cash on a table as a tip, they should not be surprised if my employees are chasing them on the road to give them back.”
The bounce in foreign tourism for Japan is in the foot part fuel by weak yen, making everything perfectly inexpensive to the passengers, some of which want to blame a small tip.
Some times, in coffee shops and restaurants, the owners have begun to lead a tip jar with the register. But it is still rare – and is specific to controversial, Japanese.
Cultural difference
Earlier this year, the Gyukatsu Motomura series of the Beef Cutlet Restaurant created a stir when social media users posted images of a tip jar at a restaurant.
“A tipping culture is bad. I have worked in the service industry and people do not take much time before feeling that they suggest,” read a comment.
“And then they say that they talk about those who do not tip the tip or only a small amount. They never blame their employer.”
Many owners hope that the tipping of Western culture is unusual in Japan, where good service is a basic requirement.
Mariko Shigeno said, “This is a cultural difference and we are not just tips.”
“For me, it is my job to ensure that the service is good and there is no need to make additional payment for this,” he explained.
“I think tips are to show arthritis for excellent service, but I should already serve excellent.”
Taku Nakamura has Le Pipi D’A AA AA Wine Bar in Motomachi district of Yokohama. After a broad journey in Europe, he said that he hopes that tipping in Japan is not large.
“For me, it seems that tipping is a person who shows how much money he is working for a person who is working in low-level, monthly work,” he said.
“In Japan, I think most people believe that a person should be able to earn enough money to live without the need for donations.”
Tipping is unlikely to catch
Ashley Harvey, a travel marketing analyst, who has worked for more than 15 years in Japan’s travel field, believes that foreign visitor will continue to pay small gratuity with their food, the concept will hold the concept between Japanese.
He explains that this issue is not as common as some people may think of the number of foreign visitors or social media debate.
“Even though there was a sharp increase in foreign tourists visiting Japan in recent years, most of them from other parts of Asia, such as China, South Korea, Taiwan and so on, which do not have a tradition of tip.” This is actually a small minority of those who are to tip. ,
“I think any restaurant or bar that realizes that it is actually going to the bush, heavy problems should just give a hint that tips do not require Arya,” Harvey said.
And although he says that he has seen “some tip jars” around the place, they are far from becoming common.
“I am sure these are not Japanese people who are investing money there,” he said.
Edited by: Carl Sexton