Dual pricing in Japan: Restaurants cater differently to locals and tourists

More and more Japanese restaurants are introducing two price lists in their menus: cheaper for local customers and more expensive for foreign guests, to take advantage of the tourist influx without alienating local consumers, describes the Nikkei Asia portal.

The portal reports that Japanese restaurants may face difficulties growing if they focus solely on serving foreign tourists who choose Japan as their travel destination due to the weakening value of the yen over the past year.

The president of the large restaurant chain Watami, Miki Watanabe, noted that local Japanese people do not order beef fillet skewers for 3,000 yen (about CAD 27). Still, tourists visiting Japan think they are cheap and gladly purchase them. The Watami restaurant chain recorded over a 75 percent increase in meals served to foreigners in April.

Nikkei Asia reports that introducing two price lists is the increasingly common solution in this situation.

A grill in the bustling nightlife district of Shibuya, Tokyo, among others, made such a decision. On weekdays, a seafood buffet offering about 60 dishes and unlimited drinks costs 5,980 yen (about CAD 54) for residents but 6,980 yen (about CAD 63) for tourists.

A Hong Kong resident saw this offer on social media, decided to visit the place, and had no objection to paying a higher price than local residents. He noted that he would pay twice as much if he wanted to eat the same dishes in his hometown.

The portal quotes a lawyer who says introducing two price lists is legal if the prices are correctly explained. He emphasizes that it all depends on how consumers perceive it.

The mayor of Himeji plans to introduce a similar solution. On Sunday, he said he is considering quadrupling ticket prices exclusively for foreign tourists. A ticket to the 17th-century Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, costs 1,000 yen (about CAD 9).