Establishments that prohibit entry to foreigners

There are establishments in Japan where you will probably come across a sign that says: “Japanese Only” or something like that. Don’t worry, it’s something very, very rare, but if someone has seen it, it has already made its way onto the internet.

The intention of these signs is to prohibit the entry of foreigners and keep them away from the establishment. Why does this happen? There are various pretexts that you hear about, but all of this can be summarized with prejudice.

It is worth clarifying that Japan is not the only place in the world with these signs. There is at least one such establishment in most countries. I have encountered establishments with truly racist signs allowing entry only for whites in countries like the USA.

Don’t go judging Japan or the Japanese because of 1 establishment among millions. Calling the Japanese prejudiced because of a sign from a random place only makes you prejudiced.

Why prohibit the entry of foreigners in establishments?

There are several factors; it may be that the store employees are not skilled enough to serve foreign customers in another language. Perhaps the service offered by the place is exclusive, or it could even be some shady business controlled by the yakuza.

The few places that tend to have these signs are accompanied by the +18 sign, which indicates that it may be some place of prostitution. Many places of prostitution do not accept foreigners. Probably Japanese women do not want to have an experience with the “size” of foreigners.

I think it is unlikely that the owner of the place will put up this sign for a reason like “aah I don’t like gaijin“, because that would ruin their own profit and sales. We have entered very Japanese places like some PUBs where the owners had never encountered a foreigner, did not speak any other language, and were very happy to meet us.

There are places that also prohibit entry of people with tattoos. These places are common, especially onsen and pools.

A friend of mine who lives in Japan also researched a similar topic and made a video that you can watch below:

Is there prejudice in these signs?

There is no denying that there is an anti-foreign mentality in Japan, but this is not without reason. Foreigners do not always maintain a good reputation. Although it is something done by a handful of fools, we all know that the collective pays for what some individuals do.

Since foreigners stand out so much in Japan, a poorly behaved foreigner can make all foreigners look bad. From time to time, a story like this appears in the Japanese media. Furthermore, there is still a certain tension between the older generation who fought in World War II and anyone who is not Japanese.

However, times have changed, and honestly, no one deserves to go through scorn or repression just because you, coincidentally, belong to the same group as those who harm others. If you are a good person, why suffer discrimination for being a foreigner? Why pay the price for what other people have done?

What to do in these cases?

Although it is difficult to find these types of establishments that prohibit the entry of non-Japanese, it is something that can be dealt with in a simple way. Go to another place. After all, you are not the one losing anything. In this case, they are the ones losing customers.

And generally, these places that have these signs do not have a very good reputation. They are places that even the Japanese themselves tend to avoid. Most of the time, the service of these types of businesses is not of good quality.

So, if you go to a restaurant, bar, or something like that and come across a sign prohibiting the entry of foreigners, simply head to another place. You will not be losing anything.

If you think that this business has offended you in some way, think carefully before trying to waste time reporting or lamenting about it on the internet. Such places are not exclusive to Japan; there are establishments like this in countries like Russia and South Korea.