Bottakuri – Beware of Japanese Scammers

Have you heard of bottakuri? In Japan, there are establishments like strip clubs and bars that deceive customers into paying excessive amounts of money. In this article, we will talk about these scammers in Japan.

The word bottakuri [ぼっ手繰り] literally means scam, deception, or unfair excessive charge. The word has an etymology that involves being wrapped up, taking advantage, transport, and arrangement.

In English, it is also called “clip joint” or “ripoff.” It refers to a bad financial transaction. Generally, an incident where a person is overcharged for something or received services that are not worth the price.

What is Bottakuri?

In neighborhoods with a high concentration of foreigners, establishments like nightclubs and bars offer flashy promotions to foreigners, but in the end present an exorbitant bill that was not planned.

If you refuse to pay the undue charge, you are usually intimidated, threatened, and even subjected to physical violence. Generally, these establishments are managed by the Yakuza or foreigners.

A group of foreigners, often Nigerians, usually approaches you on the street to offer a place with drinks, sex, and sometimes even drugs. In some cases, they are just invitations for cheap food.

Other invitations are for sensual massages or even sex. Be very careful and do not listen to anyone who approaches you in the street inviting you to any activity.

Remember that there are establishments that apply this scam without the need to approach people on the street. They are usually sushi restaurants that hide prices outside the establishment.

Below we have a list of what can be considered Bottakuri:

• High drink prices without the customer’s knowledge;
• Unusual additional charges after the service;
• Being kicked out after making an advance payment without receiving the full service;
• Can be used to refer to pachinko machines and gambling;
• Paying for a beautiful woman and receiving an ugly one;

You pay for the drinks of the Companions

This tradition is not a scam for foreigners; generally, in bars with companions, Japanese people really have to pay for the drinks of the girls. The problem is that many foreigners do not expect this.

Part of the plan is to make the companions order the most expensive drinks in the establishment, so be careful when choosing a companion. It’s not just foreigners; many Japanese also go bankrupt because of this.

Everything in these establishments is charged. There are hourly fees, fees for girls, fees for touching the girl, and many other fees that require your attention. We recommend reading our article about Companions in Japan.

How to avoid Bottakuri?

The first thing you should do when receiving an invitation is to ignore it, thank, and leave. If any scammer tries to convince you or even insults you for not wanting to accept the invitation, simply ignore and run away.

If you end up entering a suspicious establishment, avoid anything that could generate an exorbitant fee. If faced with an exorbitant fee, the best thing to do is to record the situation with your phone to be able to report it to the police or a lawyer.

Generally, the police do not usually resolve Bottakuri problems due to the difficulty of communication with foreigners and also the lack of evidence to take any action. The best is always to avoid suspicious establishments!

Bottakuri is not just bars and restaurants

In all countries, locals tend to exploit foreigners. You can be scammed with bottakuri not only in bars but also in retail stores and transportation for tourists.

Some stores in tourist spots do not display prices on their products to charge more from foreigners. Generally, tourist neighborhoods are not the best places to buy things.

In other establishments, the prices in Japanese may differ from the prices written in English. Some restaurants provide two different menus to deceive foreigners.

Maid Cafés also offer services, fees, and food at a quite steep price compared to other places, but it is not considered a bottakuri. Generally, they also invite people to enter the establishment.

Not everything is Bottakuri

In a certain situation in Ginza, an elderly lady was asking for money to help with the Hokkaido earthquake. Unfortunately, I cannot verify if that money would be used for that purpose.

While talking a bit with the lady, she invited me to go to a kind of bar where there was a traditional Japanese music performance, with a fee of 1500 yen.

I didn’t even remember the Bottakuri scams and accepted the invitation. Luckily, it was indeed a friendly little bar; the lady even paid for a snack, and the prices were not exorbitant.

It was quite risky; I am sure the lady also earned something by inviting me to the place and paying a fee of 1500 yen. But I really enjoyed the experience; I will tell more about it in the video below:

Izakaya Bottakuri

There is a manga and dorama called Izakaya Bottakuri that tells the story of a small bar located in the deserted center of Tokyo. In this place, the sisters Mine and Kaoru serve ample food and sake.

The two sisters and their regular customers solve small problems and share wisdom while eating and drinking. Why does the series have the word bottakuri, which means to deceive, in its title?

Despite the name Bottakuri, the series is not about establishments that deceive people. The Izakaya has this name because it serves common foods found in Japanese homes.