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From MSN Explore: Even as millions of tourists flock to Japan, keep in mind that Japanese people make up the vast majority of those dining at restaurants across the country. According to data from the
CIA, a whopping 97.5%!o(MISSING)f the population is Japanese. Moreover, Japan ranked 87 out of 113 countries in
EF's English Proficiency Indexlist, landing in the lower end of the "low proficiency" category.
With this in mind, the owners and staff at some establishments may be reluctant to welcome guests they fear might misunderstand them and their culture. Restaurant workers might not have translated menus prepared, and they may not know how to explain their food to people who don't speak Japanese. That was the reason one Okinawa bar owner gave for posting a "Japanese only" sign, according to
Okinawa Times (link in Japanese).
Even if you believe you just need a translation app to bridge the language gap, remember there are also cultural differences that can make dining out challenging for some tourists. For instance, unlike in the U.S. and some other countries, requesting adjustments to menu items is unusual in Japan, even if someone has a dietary restriction. Additionally, showing up late — or not showing up
at all — for a restaurant reservation may be trivial in some places but can be seen as an insult in Japan. Even if these habits don't apply to you, they explain why some restaurants are hesitant to serve non-Japanese patrons.
We solved this dilemma a couple ways. First, on day one of our visit, we "hired" a volunteer guide who showed us how to use public transportation, read maps, queue properly in lines, and behave properly, in general. I have done this on every trip to Japan, no matter how many times I have visited.
Second, if you venture off the tourist path, be prepared to use google translate. This occurred at several restaurants, where the menus and staff were Japanese only. A couple of "glitches" did not slow us down.
PS: I can speak a very small amount of Japanese, and know most of the food and seafood names.
At a very local, no tourist seafood place in Nagoya, the menu was Japanese only. The staff spoke very little English. The seafood was languishing in a pond in the middle of the food counters, ready to be caught (netted) and cooked for us! The
owner must have felt sorry for us, as he offered his private stash of sake' during our meal. Somehow, we muddled through an excellent dinner of sushi and tempura.
The next night, at a very exclusive steak house also in Nagoya, we encountered similar problems. Yes, the steak was presented on a platter for us to choose. But when we asked for medium rare, we got a funny look. The waitress said it takes an hour to cook! We got worried. An hour for a medium rare steak? Then they really freaked us out by saying they would fry it in oil first!
But I asked about the entire process (I wanted to see how they cooked the steak) and was assured the meat would be cooked medium rare. And in fact, it turned out perfectly! The wine was another issue. We chose a bottle or red wine, and it was presented to us. Imagine our surprise when it was cold, not room temperature! After more google translate, we agreed to buy our own wine down the street. Fortunately, Mike found a nice Bordeaux under $100, which worked perfectly with our meal.
Through my travels around the world, the only other significant issue occurred in Irkutsk, Russia. Thinking I would eliminate any language problems, I found a sushi bar. I figured my limited Japanese, and some careful English would help me. It turns out the staff "looked" Japanese, but spoke only Russian, no English and no Japanese!! I ended up pointed at pictures on the menu!
The moral of the story? Be prepared, or have google translate!
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