Common mistakes American tourists make?

I've had very mixed experiences ordering with special requests. I don't eat meat but aside from that I'm not picky at all. Because I don't like to bother people, I prefer to go to places which openly have some kind of simple meat-free option available (thank goodness for zarusoba, ten-don and viking restaurants!). That way I can avoid bothering anyone.

However, sometimes I end up in a restaurant where there is nothing at all on offer without meat. Last time I was in Japan, I went to a certain family restaurant I'd eaten at before, only to find out that they had removed all of their vegetarian dishes from the menu. I found a salad which was almost fine except for some bacon on top and explained to the waiter in Japanese that I couldn't eat meat; would it be possible to have the salad without the bacon? He agreed enthusiastically and then when the salad came, of course it was loaded with tiny strips of bacon.

I picked them all out and ate what I could salvage, but it's so wasteful. Although I didn't say anything at the time because I didn't want to make trouble for anyone, I won't ever go back to that family restaurant chain again. I usually find the service in Japan is the best in the world so it's especially disappointing when this kind of thing happens.

I think some people get worried making a customer pay the same amount for the version without the unwanted ingredient so they overcomplicate things and panic. Maybe I should write a polite complaint to that family restaurant chain so they offer the option of a meat-free salad again one day.

Generally most family restaurants and even Ryokan can accomodate special requests IFF (if and only if) you inform them in advance of your special requirements.
Just like airline meals - if you have special requirements e.g halal or kosher, airlines do or did? offer these meals IFF you give advance notice.
For cost & efficency reason, most food items are prepackaged so any deviation incurs additional effort.

WHAT IF the roles are reversed i.e now you are at the other end of the counter serving a customer that is like you.
How would you serve him or her if day in and day out, 99.9% of the orders are for set or standard menus?
(so-called 'walk a mile in my shoes' scenario)
Moreover as a server and lowly employee you have little or no discretion to vary or deviate from the standard menus.

I avoid beef and pork and I'm allergic to some seafood (more due to contamination) but since I recognize Kanji I can find the food (so much variety - the paradox of choice at work) I can eat well without burdening the serving staff.

If you have special requirements, a bit of pre--planning and advance notificationt can go a long way for business and customers to meet midway.

epsilon8: That's fine if it's somewhere you know you're going to in advance, but who pre-plans a visit to a family restaurant when in town? This chain used to sell vegetarian options but it stopped, which is the real problem. I can read kanji too, but being able to read kanji doesn't make options appear when there are none.

Fortunately, most Japanese restaurants are excellent and it's not hard to piece something together from the menu options without fuss. It's just that one chain I had a bad experience with (compounded by the staff member ignoring my request). A little more flexibility from either the chain or the individual staff would have made things much better.

Truffle: my remarks are generally for those with special requirements due to medical or religious reasons.

Verbal communication is always problematic especially an English-speaking person talking to a native Japanese who learned English in school but has totally forgotten once they start work due to lack of practice or requirement.

Most Japanese understand basic English in written form far better than the spoken one that has variations in tone, pitch and accent. Apparently they find it difficult to pronounce the R sound so the McD mascot Ronald was changed to Donald? in Japan.

I once came across a webpage (Oops - I can't locate the page now) where an enterprising folk put up ready-made phrases (in Japanese) you can download, print and even laminate them. Common ones like No Beef, No Pork and so on. I am not sure if the person takes requests for some rare or obscure exceptions

My grandma was born in the Meiji era and she lived with us and she had Samurai and Buddhist ethics that included a firm belief that to make any kind of fuss about food is ignoble. Any food that gets served, you finish with thanks, regardless of what and how much was being served (be it too little or too much). It was the same way in many families and even at schools. You had to stay after school and finish your school lunch even if there was something you didn't like and couldn't eat.

So many people still have a feeling of guilt or embarassment in expressing preference about food.

So what is good service in Japan? The server is supposed to consider the guest's age, gender, occupation, home region, the day's weather, etc. and create a menu that is most likely to satisfy the guest.If you did not know about the guest it was up to server to make the best guess.

Then the guest will not have to face the embarassement of fussing over food nor be bothered by your questions. My father always complained about American restaurants that they ask too many questions about preferences that it was bothersome.

Of course this doesn't apply to family restaurants and fast food chains and in cheap ryokans, but in good restaurants and ryokans where you don't have a menu choice, this ability in "profiling" the guests and guessing their preferences is a definite measure in the judgement of the place.

I think it is very demanding to the server side and only possible when people spend years of working and learning the old fasioned way and not possible by part time "arubaito" students at family restaurants. The diversifying lifestyle and values also aggrevate the situation.

So at your day to day cheap eatouts, the guest suffers the consequences and a some awkwardness will be present until either the guests develop a more self expressing style or Sony develops an automatic profiling / mind reading device on the McD counter that looks at the guest and flashes "No onions".

My grandma was born in the Meiji era and she lived with us and she had Samurai and Buddhist ethics that included a firm belief that to make any kind of fuss about food is ignoble. Any food that gets served, you finish with thanks, regardless of what and how much was being served (be it too little or too much). It was the same way in many families and even at schools. You had to stay after school and finish your school lunch even if there was something you didn't like and couldn't eat.

Sounds very similar to where I come from.

Truffle, I apologize if I sound rude, but restaurants, whether fast food, chain, or family, have the right to remove dishes whenever they feel. I just find it kind of humorous you are so upset that they removed the dishes. I am a vegan and it can be hard to find restaurants that have meals I can eat. Even restaurants I can go to, if they took the meals I enjoyed off the menu, it would sadden me - I loved them! But I would not harbor any negative feelings towards the place. They simply just no longer offer what I want - find some place new.

Update: Thanks to UK Traveller (guest) in this thread
Re: Egg, peanut and nut allergies. What to eat? 2013/2/15 12:11
http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+99936

the webpage I was looking for :
http://justhungry.com/japan-dining-out-cards
Printable cards for communicating dietary restrictions in Japan

BTW: JNTO offers a Tourist's Language Handbook
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/pdf/
In Chapler 5. AT A RESTAURANT
Q & A on eating out; Explanation of Japanese food

I was really surprised my last visit to japan (November 2012) versus my previous visit (November 2010). Compared to my first visit, the locals seems a LOT more 'accustomed' to foreigners than they had in previous years. Although there still wasn't relatively more English spoken, they just seemed a lot more comfortable in dealing with me than they would have before. I don't eat onions and when I go to McD's or other restaurants I say 'tamanegi nashi' (no onions) and that's it, easily done. I found this lack of discomfort in other parts of the service industry throughout Japan, there was very little retiscence to handle me (and my requests), a lot more curiousity and proficiency. What caused this to happen? I suspect the tsunami in 2011 and the on-rush of foreign aid did a bit to 'bridge the gap' between the various cultures.

I assume eating and drinking on shinkansen is not frowned upon, and that only holds true for using transportation within cities?

Shinkansen seats have trays much like those on commercial aircraft, so you can eat your ekiben and drink comfortably. Local trains lack this amenity.

Why are you limiting this to American tourists?
Or do you imply that all other tourists don't make any mistakes?

While most Japanese will assume that (if you're not Asian-looking) you are American, in fact there are a lot of tourists from many other countries!

After living in Japan for many years and travelling to all 47 prefectures ( http://zoomingjapan.com ) I have to admit that most foreigners I met speak English as their native language, but that doesn't mean they're all from America!

I notice not only Shinkansen,limited-express trains like those traveling from Aomori to Hakodate or Hakodate to Sapporo also can eat while on the train. I think there are no prohibited rule, its just not possible to eat on local trains that are crowded and have bench-like-seats facing each other. If the trains have the arm-rest seats, then it'is ok to eat, even some old railway trains outside the city have such seats layout to let people have their food on the train.

Why are you limiting this to American tourists?
Or do you imply that all other tourists don't make any mistakes?

zoomingjapan,

I guess the original poster is American, and want to be sure that "we" don't make the same mistakes. That was a very polite question to ask. I don't think her intention was to "limit" the question.

On my third trip to Japan I was at a McDonalds. After eating I go to the trash and an employee runs to me and grabs the trash from me. I felt embarrassed. It seemed like she thought I didnlt know how to separate the trash because I'm foreign.

d,

Oh, no.
They (the fastfood staffs) often take away the trash from me, when they are not so busy.
Or call out me "please leave the tray as it is, I'll clear it away" in Japanese.
It's just a way of customer service.
Then I bow slightly and go.

Maybe her smile was not enough?
Please think that she got a bit nervous of speaking foreign language only.

Why do they go to that trouble? Do Japanese not get rid of their own trash in Mcdonalds in Japan? Its pretty common practice over here.

Some of the responses are not mistakes. Complaining about hotel room sizes, for example, is not a 'mistake'. Having an opinion or finding that something is different than you expected is not a mistake. Sure, if you tell the staff that the rooms were too small it's rude, but even in that case, it's not a 'mistake'.


The Japanese McDonalds have 'no X' in their cash registers (example 'no ice') for the cashier to place special orders, and I think fast food is used to customization HOWEVER, in the USA you can often customize in more complicated ways. For example, they sometimes let you switch certain items for others and only charge you the difference (or not at all if you're lucky). THAT kind of customization makes a Japanese cashier's head explode. You simply can't do it in Japan.

Actually, Subway is now in Japan and even in Japan it is based on customization HOWEVER, their way of asking is really confusing, for both Japanese and foreigners. They ask, 'Is there anything you DISLIKE?'

Japanese who go for the first time are often taken aback by it and no one knows how to answer. There are foods that people like that they don't want on their sandwich, so even if you answer, it still doesn't answer the real question which is (or should be) what do you WANT. This method requires the sub maker to remember what you DON'T like and assume they can put everything else on it. It makes the whole thing more troublesome for everyone. I've noticed at some Subways they've stopped asking it in that way, but it seems to still be policy.

Rabbityama (guest),

I add my 2\
(a) The responses you mentioned are 'mistaken ASSumptions' either not checking the fine print or looking at Japanese customs/practices through Western lenses.

(b) I view the Subway situation as two complementary viewpoints.
I like Subway sandwiches with a variety of toppings and often I would say "No pickles" or "just peppers and tomatoes".
If you like or want a lot on the sandwich, then instead of enumerating each one, it's easier to say what you don't like; conversely if you dislike a lot, then you say what you like.

It stands to reason that you are in a Subway store so naturally you like or want refers to what is on the sandwich.

Don't overthink, just eat it (like that Yankovic guy who parodied that M Jackson hit song)

It's theorised that at any one time, one can hold in the brain not more than 7 items.

They are not mistaken assumptions, either. If a person doesn't like the room size, they don't like it. Often if there is a difference in assumptions about a room's size it is due to the hotel's own pictures anyway. Foreigners often have a lot of luggage, too, and a lot of rooms ARE small if you have a lot of luggage.

It's like a woman who says she doesn't like wearing yukata because it restricts her movement too much. She is not making a mistake, just stating her preference for clothing that permits movement.


I think you're in the minority though at Subway. Once again, even for the employees, the question forces them to work more or in many cases just mess up orders (the Kyoto Subway in Shijo is notoriously awful).

I just ignore their stupid question and tell them what to put on it. It's not worth it to tell them what I don't like and then watch them stand there not knowing what to put in the sandwich. Unless you say 'nothing', the question is rubbish no matter how you look at it.

Many Japanese also ignore that question and just say what they WANT. Being asked what they don't like for Japanese, makes them feel like they're being picky or fussy when they answer. That's another reason I'm surprised they have to ask it that way.

In the end, I don't really care, except that they really do seem to mess up a lot of orders with their method, so it's clearly not very efficient.