I agree. When foreigners came in our bars, we would have a little sit down
with them and explain how it works. If they spoke Japanese, it pretty much
ended there because they had a 99% chance of understanding the system
(unless of course they learned their Japanese in college and it was their
first time in). If they were right off the boat, we would explain it to
them, and most of the time they would go to a different place. (of course I
would tell them where they could go nearby to find those 400-600 yen drinks
they were looking for and no sit down charge).




"Jason Cormier" <fjlij@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5c5b95a0.0404031846.6e04318e@posting.google.com...
> From the usual source of amusement....
>
>
> =========
>
> Self-protection, not discrimination
>
> Once again, the March 25 article by Akemi Nakamura, "Discrimination's
> blatant signs, not roots, easy target," is one that accuses the
> Japanese of blatant business discrimination against foreigners without
> taking into account the reasons for this discrimination.
>
> Japan is a very crowded country. The Japanese male (particularly when
> less than sober or if someone else is paying for it) is willing to
> accept what many foreigners would consider exorbitant prices to sit in
> a bar or nightclub and drink. Much of the charge is based on the space
> and ambience provided together with the time the customer occupies the
> space and enjoys the ambience. The amount of alcohol consumed is of
> minor importance when computing the tab.
>
> Paying for space and time (both relatively scarce commodities in this
> society) is a concept generally accepted by Japanese. Foreigners
> usually don't think this way. When charged several thousand yen for a
> small bottle of beer and some peanuts, they get mad and refuse to pay.
> The owner of the establishment must deal with this problem at the
> expense of providing service to the other customers. There are
> language difficulties. The harmony of the establishment is compromised
> and income is lost.
>
> Indeed, Japanese customers are quite capable of causing trouble, but
> they are much less likely to do so than foreign clientele. Dealing
> with Japanese troublemakers is an acceptable risk for the
> establishment proprietor. Dealing with foreigners is not. Barring
> foreigners from a drinking establishment has much more to do with
> self-protection than discrimination. There is an extremely high chance
> of confrontation with the foreign patron when it comes time to settle
> accounts. Taking steps to avoid this situation is the right and
> privilege of the owner.
>
> BOB OLIVER
> Yokohama, Kanagawa