Getting ripped off while traveling is almost an expectation for many travelers. You’re going to a place where maybe you don’t speak the language, you don’t know the local customs, and you don’t know what things should cost. But should you worry about being fleeced in Japan? According to our survey respondents, the answer is “no”. More than 4 out of 5 respondents reported zero rip-offs while traveling in Japan.
Wait, so 1 in 5 people get ripped off in Japan?
Getting ripped off is often just a feeling. If you feel you’ve been overcharged or shortchanged, then that’s just how you feel. However, for those who were ripped off, we delved deeper to find out the cause.
Of those who reported being ripped off, 42% reported getting ripped off at a bar or restaurant. Our questionnaire explored this further, and we asked about the specific situation — which was enlightening.
“We didn’t order this”
One respondent reported having to pay for a starter that they didn’t order. To anyone familiar with dining in Japan, you should immediately realize what happened here. Restaurants in Japan don’t ask for tips; however, there is often a table charge — or, more accurately, a seating charge, since it is per person.
Rather than just charge you for nothing, Japanese restaurants serve an otо̄shi — a “free” dish in exchange for the table charge. Seating charges are rarely more than ¥500 per person, so this definitely isn’t a rip-off. Just enjoy your otо̄shi or don’t, you don’t have to eat it.
Tourist pricing in Japan
Another respondent reported different pricing on the English and Japanese menus. In reality, this is so rare that it’s almost an urban myth. More often the English menu may just be incomplete, as they haven’t got around to translating it completely.
Overpriced food in Japan
While we’re unconvinced that “tourist pricing” is a thing, high-priced food in tourist areas definitely is.
A prime example is somewhere like Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, where tourists often go to get a bowl of seafood donburi — a selection of fresh sashimi on top of vinegared rice. In tourist hotspots like this, you are paying a premium on what the same dish would cost at a chain sushi restaurant elsewhere in the city.
Locals are aware of this phenomenon — so much so that the term “inbound don” was coined to describe overpriced bowls of seafood aimed at international (inbound) tourists, who are perceived to have more disposable income due to the low Japanese yen exchange rate. This is an easy thing to avoid, though, as there are sushi chains everywhere that offer bowls of kaisendon at reasonable prices. Tsukiji is interesting, but Tokyo’s main fish market is at Toyosu now, so the fish at Tsukiji is no fresher than anywhere else in the city.
Transport rip-offs in Japan
The next most reported situation for being ripped off in Japan was while getting around, with 25% of those who reported being ripped off citing transport.
Taxi rip-offs
Taxis are relatively expensive in Japan, but people who reported being ripped off mainly complained about bad drivers.
It’s difficult to argue with this, as there are some awful taxi drivers who know almost nothing about getting around. If you’re worried, you can ask that they use the GPS navigation. If you know the driver got lost, they are usually amenable to taking some money off the fare. One time, when this writer took a taxi and the driver got completely lost, leading to a 20-minute late arrival to a meeting, they made the ride free.
Other rip-offs
After getting around, the next most reported places for being ripped off were at accommodation or while shopping.
Some other specific cases were flea markets and crane games. Flea markets anywhere are clearly “buyer beware”, and crane games are notoriously tricky.
One respondent reported being ripped off by a monk on the street putting something in their hands and then demanding payment. This is something that occasionally happens, but which clearly fits better into the “scam” category rather than a simple rip-off.
The survey was a self-reporting pop-up questionnaire which ran from December 15th 2024 until January 6th, 2025. The total number of responses was 1,079.
