Safety And Etiquette– category –

What tourists should do when they have a Japanese restaurant reservation but see a line outside the door.

Worried the Gion tourist ban means no dinner in Kyoto? Good news: the rules target sightseeing on private alleys, not diners with a booking. Here's exactly what's restricted, what's open, and how to book Gion dining as a foreigner.

Eating in Kabukicho is genuinely fine. Following a tout to a bar is how tourists get burned. Here are named safe walk-in venues and the one rule that protects you.

Waved off at the door in Tokyo? It's rarely about you. Learn to read the signals before you walk in, what to say in Japanese, and how to never get refused again.

Verdict + a per-bar table of named Golden Gai bars that welcome foreigners: cover charges, English-OK, cash-only and walk-in odds, by a Tokyo founder.

Charged ¥300-700 for a tiny dish you never ordered at a Tokyo izakaya? What otoshi is, if it is legal, whether you can refuse it, and when it is a real scam.