Japan Times: "Tourists May Not Warm To Japan's Welcome"

Above, a ryokan room in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As Japan is gearing up to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, conundrums involving the unique hospitality customs are becoming more apparent. I have to give the Japanese credit for looking into questions on what foreigners expect and what they will actually get and possibly coming up with solutions.

The Japan Times has an article on this that provides good food for thought.

They begin it with:

A former colleague of mine always made it a point to tell people coming to Japan for a visit to bring lots of handkerchiefs because the public restrooms didn’t have towel dispensers. I always took a more positive view and emphasized that public restrooms in Japan were everywhere and open to everyone, something I think would be more important to more people, considering how difficult it can be to find one when you need a restroom in other countries. 

Nobody who travels with any sort of frequency expects the same things that they have at home. It’s the main reason people go abroad. Nevertheless, countries that want to attract visitors do what they can to make the sojourn smooth. Travelers with open minds will accept the lack of familiar comforts as the price they pay for new experiences, but then maybe most people don’t have open minds.

 There is one telling sentence in the article that sums up Japanese-style hospitality:

Whatever you want to call it, hospitality Japanese-style is noted by everyone who comes here as indeed being special and appreciated, but there are also inconveniences inherent in this hospitality.

Personally, I've never encountered any problems in regard to Japanese-style hospitality. Then again, I've been over there seven times so I'm used to their culture. The article mentions a couple of customs by ryokans (Japanese inns) that are examples of "inconveniences" that foreigners may not like.

Thanks to the Olympics and Japan's push to increase tourism, there are many who will be coming over for the first time and may not warm to their style of hospitality.

To read the article, go here.