Introduction to Japan’s Tourism
The growing number of foreign visitors in Japan this year was great news, along with headlines that a small minority chose, which attracts the anger of the locals due to misconduct. But even well-behaved tourists from North America and Europe are a source of irritation or confusion for many locals in Japan due to their un-Japanese habits.
Record High Foreign Visitors
More than 21.5 million foreigners visited Japan in the first half of 2025, a record high and on the right track to outperform the arrival grade of 40 million for the whole year. Many first-time visitors are confused by Japanese customs, from the shoes at the entrance to a house to bowing and eating with chopsticks.
Unwritten Rules and Money Culture
There are also unwritten rules about how money is handled and offered that Japanese instinctively know, including that gifts of cash must be in a special envelope and that payments are not exchanged by hand, but are always placed in a tray. Tipping is just a further pitfall in the minefield of Japan’s money culture, and the vast majority of Japanese would not like drinking money in the Western style here.
A Good Service is Part of the Job
"Very often, when I pass people that I suspect are first-time visitors in Japan, I politely say that one of the wonderful things in Japan is that tipping is not necessary, which immediately does away with every awkwardness," said a UK citizen, whose Japanese wife has been living in central Japan since 1940. "Sometimes they ask themselves why, and I just say that it is always here and that it is a good thing that they do not have to pay an additional 20% if prices rise as they were."
Employees and Tipping
"But it is also the case that my employees and I do not believe that we have to be paid for just to do our jobs properly," he added. "If someone leaves money on a table as a tip, they should not be surprised if my employees hunt them on the street to return it to them." The boom in foreign tourism to Japan is partially fueled by the weak Yen, which seems relatively inexpensive for travelers, some of whom want to leave a small tip.
Cultural Differences and Tipping
In some bars, coffee shops, and restaurants, the owners started leaving a tip glass next to the register. But that’s still rare – and controversial, especially for the Japanese. At the beginning of this year, the Gyukatsu-Motomura chain of beef cutlet restaurants caused a stir, as a social media user posted pictures of a tip in a restaurant. "A culture of tipping is bad. I worked in the service industry and it doesn’t take long for people to feel about owing tips," says a comment.
Owners’ Perspectives on Tipping
Many owners hope that the Western culture of tipping in Japan will remain unusual, where good service is a fundamental requirement. "It is a cultural difference and we are simply not used to getting tips," said Mariko Shigeno, who until recently had the La Tour restaurant in the Kamika district of the Kanagawa Prefecture south of Tokyo. "For me, it is my job to ensure that the service is good and I don’t have to pay any extra for it," she said. "I understand that tips for excellent service are grateful, but I should already offer excellent service."
The Future of Tipping in Japan
Taku Nakamura owns the Le Pipi d’An an Wine Bar in Yokohama’s Motomachi District. After he had traveled extensively in Europe, he very much hopes that tipping in Japan will not become big. "For me, it seems that a tip is a person who shows how much money he has, a person who works in a low, low job," he said. "In Japan, I think most people believe that a person should be able to make enough money to live without having to need charity."
Conclusion
Ashley Harvey, an analyst for travel marketing that has been working in the Japanese travel sector for more than 15 years, is confident that some foreign visitors will continue to pay small drinking money with their meals, but the concept will not occur among the Japanese. He explains that the problem is not as common as some may think that it can assess the increased number of foreign visitors or from social media debates. "Although foreign tourists who have increased to Japan in recent years, the vast majority of other parts of Asia such as China, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. have come, which also has no tradition of tipping," he told. "It is really a small minority of people who try to tip."
