Any difference in treatment between Asian and Westerner tourists in Japan?

Question

I want to know how Asian tourists are treated from Western tourists in Japan. Are Asian tourists treated differently? If so, how? Are the locals both helpful and understanding to both? Please, I want honest answers. The last answer I want are politically correct answers.

Answer 1

The question is weird. Asians should have more confidence. Lots of Asians enjoy staying in Japan. On the other hands, lost of westerners might have experienced bad treatment.
It depends.

BTW, your post "Are the locals both helpful and understanding to both?". What do you mean helpful? and understanding ? Tourist is just a tourist. Who cares.

And if you are from China or S.Korea, you will find the image of Japanese are very different from the education in your country. If Japanese were the same as written in the text book, or the war memorial hall, most Asians would stop to visit Japan.
But actually tourists from Asia are increasing every year.
And lots of Chinese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Singaporeans, and Malays are coming to Japan.
Especially Hokkaido area is very popular to them nowadays.

Answer 2

The customer is "god" regardless of what country they are from. You will be served and not treated rudely. But whether the shopclerk badmouths you to her coworkers after you walk away is another story. (but who cares!)

I never felt that I was treated badly--what some may interpret as bad treatment is more likely embarassment--which is childish when you think about it, nevertheless it's true.

Japanese people do have their own opinion of other Asians--it's true, and yeah right, not every person is the same, not everyone is prejudiced, etc etc. Japan does not consider itself part of Asia. Some Asians do suffer from discrimination when they come to Japan--although I think that those who move to Japan suffer more. Tourists come for a short time, are in a group, and spend most of their time enjoying themselves. They aren't trying to rent an apt or get a job or buy a car, so no worries there.

I think if you are a patient, friendly and polite tourist you will be treated well. But losing your temper or trying to browbeat your hosts will get you nowhere.

Answer 3

For all practical purposes no. Once they understand that you are a tourist, they will treat you like any other tourist. Most of the time they can tell if you are a tourist or not by the way you act and dress.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that non-Japanese Asian locals are treated as second-class citizens. You can see this in subtle ways like not being waited on right away at a restuarant.
Since I am a Japanese-American, everytime I visit Japan I will be mistaken for a local by someone and will end up giving this puzzled look as I am being spoken to in Japanese. Then as I explain to the local that I am an American in my broken Japanese, the local will profusley apologize and go on his/her way or offer to help me in some manner.

Answer 4

I'm Japanese and say, it's both yes and no.

The Japanese people are quite aware that there are different countries in the "West"; Germans, Italians, Americans from New York or the deep south, Australians and the British are all different. They are more aware that countries of "Asia" includes a universe of different peoples, from Korea or the Philippines, the Chinese from communist PRC or Taiwan or SE Asia, Vietnamese, Thai, Indians, Persians, and Arabs ...

There are of course particular stereotypes of ugly Whites touching and damaging tuna at Tsukiji Market auction or the Chinese people coming from the poorer villages and spitting and talking their heads off on trains. Such stereotypes exist for almost any nation (I suppose you've heard about French driving, Greek industriousness, British cooking, etc.) and the situation is not so different in Japan.

Having said that, all tourists are "welcome", and as the Japanese say it, all customers/clients are "gods". There is no discernible difference between how Asian people or Westerners or perhaps even Klingons as tourists are treated in practical terms.

Answer 5

As a tradition, Japanese welcomes tourists. Don't worry. You will be most welcomed in Japan no matter how you look; Chinese, Koreans, Thai, Indian, Indonesian, whatever. You will enjoy every moment during your stay as all the other foreign tourists do.

But if you come to Japan to work and live, it's a different story. You will face a very strong invisible border between you and Japanese.

Answer 6

If you are an asian who can pass for a Japanese, then people may automatically assume that you speak Japanese (you didn't say if you do?) and they will expect you to behave like Japanese, and if you don't they will be surprised!

But for the most part, the Japanese will be able to tell that you're probably a tourist, just by the way you walk and dress, even if you look like them.

I don't think you would get treated any better or worse than a western tourist.....you just may get some people speaking to you in Japanese because they'll assume you speak it as well.......

Add on: Burado, I don't know if you were reacting to my post, but I guess they WILL speak japanese to you know matter what! Touché !!! But that's not the point I was trying to make.....My bad!

Answer 7

People will speak to you in Japanese whether you are Asian or not because they speak (shock, horror) Japanese in Japan. It has nothing to do with race.

From my experience it is easy to pick other Asians out from Japanese and it is not just appearance. This may sound a bit racist but other Asians are very noisy and lack manners, they push and shove through crowds and generally don't have any respect for anyone around them. This is also true in my own country also. This is not to say all are like this but a vast majority are. Take China for example, it's own government handed out fliers to teach people manners for the up coming Olympics, so if their own government admits it then there must be some truth in it.

Now to really rub some salt in the wound I opened up and not to be singling out just Asians, Americans find it really hard to adjust to Japan also. Personally I don't think Americans should travel at all because 90% of the ones I have met have always complained about Japan or my own country when they've been there.

Answer 8

Unless you speaking japanese, you will really get annoying by the Uyoku member .But they seem to hate korean and Chinese more.

Answer 9

Yes, there is a difference in treatment. But this is only true and very visible in the big cities.
Westerners are treated with more respect than the Asians.
Japanese have high regards for themselves and they look at themselves as westerners eventhough they are in the continent of Asia.

Answer 10

Of course they are treat differently, the Japanese know that a Westener is more likely to spend a lot of money and therefore they wiil treat him / her better. This rule applies in most countries. The more a local believes that Westeners are wealthy people, the more they will try to please the Western tourist. Asia tends to be associated with poor people and therefore will have to show their money before expecting decent service etc.