Rogues’ Gallery of “Japanese Only” Establishments updated: Tokyo Akihabara, Kabukicho, Minami-Azabu, Tsukiji, & Ishikawa added
Posted by debito on October 14th, 2008
The “Rogues’ Gallery”, an archive of “Japanese Only” exclusionary establishments spreading nationwide across Japan, has now been updated for the season.
Added have been Tokyo Akihabara (shop), Minami-Asabu (ballet school), Kabukichou (nightlife), Tsukiji (seafood restaurant), and Ishikawa (a newspaper subscription outlet for the Hokkoku Shinbun — yes, a Japanese newspaper outlet refusing NJ subscribers).
This brings the tally to (places and types of establishment):
Onsens in Otaru (Hokkaido), Bars, baths, karaoke, and restaurant in Monbetsu City (Hokkaido), Public bath and sports store in Wakkanai (Hokkaido), Pachinko parlor, restaurant, and nightlife in Sapporo (Hokkaido), Bars in Misawa (Aomori Pref), Disco in Akita City (Akita Pref), Hotels and Bar in Shinjuku and Kabukicho (Tokyo Shinjuku-ku), Ballet School in Minami-Azabu (Tokyo Minato-ku), Seafood restaurant in Tsukiji (Tokyo Minato-ku), Weapons etc. store in Akihabara (Tokyo Chiyoda-ku), Women’s (i.e for women customers) Relaxation Boutique in Aoyama Doori (Tokyo Minato-ku), Bar in Ogikubo (Tokyo Suginami-ku), Bars in Koshigaya (Saitama Pref), Bar in Toda-Shi(Saitama Pref), Stores and nightclubs in Hamamatsu (Shizuoka Pref), Onsen in Kofu City (Yamanashi Pref), Nightlife in Isesaki City (Gunma Pref), Nightlife in Ota City (Gunma Pref), Bars in Nagoya City (Aichi Pref), Internet Cafe in Okazaki City (Aichi Pref), Hokkoku Shinbun Newspaper in Nonochi, Ishikawa Pref. (yes, you read that right), Onsen Hotel in Kyoto, Eyeglass store in Daitou City (Osaka Pref), Apartments in Fukshima-ku (Osaka City), Bar in Kurashiki (Okayama Pref), Nightclub and Bar in Hiroshima(Hiroshima Pref), Restaurant in Kokura, Kitakyushu City (Fukuoka Pref), Billiards hall in Uruma City Gushikawa (Okinawa Pref), Miscellaneous exclusionary signs (Tokyo Ikebukuro, Kabukicho, Hiroshima).
Update details as follows:
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Akihabara (Tokyo Chiyoda-ku)
Shop “Mad”
東京都 千代田区 外神田 ３丁目１６番１５号
電話 東京０３－３２５１－５２４１ FAX: 03 3255 0012
(their website says they will only take phone calls between two and three pm on weekdays)
http://www.akiba-mad.com/
After the famous stabbings in Akihabara in June 2008 (by a Japanese), a shop which sells weapons and knives in Akihabara had the temerity to maintain a sign up on their shop refusing foreigners entry. Photos received May 24, 2008.
(Click on images to expand in browser)
UPDATE: After calls (June 9 and 16, 2008) and meeting with the owner of the shop (June 17, he was very friendly and cooperative), the store agreed to take down their sign and replace it with a new one written by Rogues’ Gallery monitor Arudou Debito (photo by same taken June 17).
Now while I’m not a fan of making weapons obtainable by anyone, there are more things in the store than just knives etc. The misleading sign has at least been made nondiscriminatory.
FULL REPORT HERE.
Nevertheless, as of October 10, 2008, “MAD”s website still explicitly says their knives are not for sale to foreigners.
Rogues’ Gallery entry at http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html#Akihabara
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KABUKICHOU 歌舞伎町
Mass-produced neighborhood signs for excluding all foreigners. Note how sophisticated the English language level of exclusionism has gotten.
These cellphone staps taken March 16, 2008 by Rogues’ Gallery monitor Arudou Debito at the address above (look down the stairwell to see the sign just to the left of the black stand).
But there are many other businesses now displaying the same sign in Kabukichou. Ironic, given that Kabukichou has the highest concentration of businesses run and staffed by foreigners in Japan. How do they go to work? I guess they’re not “guests”. See what I mean about the increasing sophistication of the exclusionary language?
Full report at http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html#Shinjuku
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Minami-Azabu (Tokyo Minato-ku)
Ballet School
ＭＧインターナショナル･アーツ・オブ・バレエ
東京都港区麻布5丁目5-9 後藤ハウスB1F MGホール
MG International Arts of Ballet, MG Hall, B1F GOTO House 5-5-9
Minami-Azabu Minato-ku, Tokyo
http://www.mg-ballet.org/home.html
Full report here: http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html#minamiazabu
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TSUKIJI SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Address and phone number unknown (was not able to check for myself from Sapporo), photo taken February 2008, courtesy CG. Sign describes complicated rules, and indicates that even Japanese who cannot follow them will be refused entry. However, the assumption still remains that non-Japanese will be unable to understand the rules of the establishment, so it blanket refuses them.
Full report here.
UPDATE: Exclusionary pign is now down as of February 2008, thanks to others contacting the restaurant and encouraging the management to reconsider.
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Nonoichi City (Ishikawa Prefecture)
Dealer for Hokkoku Shinbun
北國新聞
販売所名： 野々市三馬（石川県）
代表者名：松田了三（まつだ・りょうぞ）
電話： ０７６−２４７－２１２０ (changed to 076-243-1810)
〒920-8588 石川県金沢市香林坊2丁目5番1号 TEL.076-263-2111
dokusha@hokkoku.co.jp
koho@hokkoku.co.jp
nanbuhanbai@hokkoku.co.jp
http://www.hokkoku.co.jp/
As was reported on the Debito.org blog on January 8, 2008, in November 2007 a NJ resident of Ishikawa Prefecture was offered a subscription, by a sales manager of an independent company selling magazine subscriptions, to the Hokkoku Shinbun, a regional Ishikawa Japanese newspaper. Receipts dated November 13, 2007 as follows: (click here to see larger scans and a fuller report):
The subscription was abruptly cancelled the next day, with a postcard from the salesman, a Mr Matsuda, confirming that the company will not sell subscriptions to foreigners (click on images for larger scans and a fuller report). The company’s standpoint as revealed in telephone interviews here. (The Hokkoku Shinbun itself has disavowed any connection with this company.)
This outcome is confounding. As can be seen in other entries on this Rogues’ Gallery, we have managers worried that letting NJ into their facilities might cause, they claim, problems with manners, sanitation, violence, or just plain discomfort to the owners for their own langauge insecurities or xenophobic tendencies. It’s confusing why a newspaper outlet (in these days when print journalism is scrambling for paying customers) would unilaterally void a subscription contract. Are they worried the foreigner might be able to read their paper? UPDATE (February 2008): After investigation by reporters from Kyodo News, the Mainichi Shinbun, and a shuukanshi weekly, reporters on the case told me that their editors said this was a non-story, and no article on this issue appeared in any publication. The Rogues’ Gallery moderator’s interpretation of this outcome is that newspapers are not happy to investigate other newspapers when there are financial interests involved. This is how uncritical our media gets.
Anyway, as newspapers themselves advise, avoid subscription outlets that are not official newspaper sales offices.
http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html#Nonoichi
See whole Rogues’ Gallery up at http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html
ENDS
October 14th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I could understand a few of these “Japanese Only” establishments existing, but in hotels, an internet cafe, a sports store?! Insane. Especially if under the excuse of the language/culture barrier. How cowardly can you get? In “gaikoku land” employees at least TRY to communicate with foreigners (although I I realize I’m speaking in stereotypes, too). I’m glad many Japanese establishments DO like to be patronized by foreigners. Hope the “J.O.” trend doesn’t increase. It makes me pity them more than us.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Why is the Tsukiji sign going on the list? I thought that issue was cleared up. You even wrote:
Also, wasn’t the ballet school issue dealt with as well?
Does that mean the Rogue’s Gallery is all signs that have been up at any time in the past, even if they have been corrected? It seems like a very dangerous precedent to set if there is absolutely no way to have your place of business removed from this list even after taking steps to correct it.
–Read the Rogues’ Gallery. It’s explained under “What This Page is For”.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Unbelievable!!! I did not expect so many in Tokyo itself as “Int`l ” city This is Japan trying to make more visitors to Japan, but doing nothing to stop this kind of things. I have never seen such things in Europe (no black people, no Indians, no Asians etc.) OK, now what we need is addresses of those establishments. I would like to drop by close there and record it. I think int`l audience watching YouTube will be happy to change their holiday plans and Japanese Board of Promoting Japan would be delighted as well.
–Addresses and phone numbers when available are up on the Rogues’ Gallery as well.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Upss…I can see links to those shops. Sorry, I didn`t realized first.
Time to go there with video camera
October 14th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
For AWK: There are so many in Tokyo because Tokyo has so many dwellers. I mean, man it is world`s biggest urban area, and that makes it also world`s biggest conentration of stupid/ignorant/idiots. Add that to Japanese xenophoby, and, well, you got the picture. Anyway, do you have any IDEA why a newspaper shouldn`t accept subscriptions? That REALLY puzzles me
October 14th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I re-read the description after I posted my message, but I urge you to rethink this Gallery page - or at least rework it. By keeping businesses who have taken proactive steps to fix discrimination on the same page as businesses that actively practice it, it’s unclear which businesses are still discriminating or not, and it seems extremely damaging to those who aren’t.
Take a look at the following quotes from the page:
October 15th, 2008 at 1:08 am
I second Icarus’ opinion. Keeping reformed establishments at the same page as still actively discriminating ones is counter-productive. I can imagine myself in their shoes, saying: hey, we realised we were wrong, we corrected our policies and we’re trying to do better than before, but they’re still blaming us! What do they want from us, ittai?
Maybe you should consider making a separate page for them? It would be fairer.
October 15th, 2008 at 5:34 am
Debito, I have to agree with Icarus on this one - if we know that steps have been taken to remove or correct discriminatory language from a sign, such as the Tsukiji sushi shop and MAD, we should not be pointing out the sins of the past.
I’m also not quite sure about the wisdom of posting the Kabukicho adult shops, as these establishments are in themselves often pushing the bounds of legality. Maybe waiting to see if the signs spread to more legitimate businesses would be more prudent.
That said, I support the Rogues Gallery and believe that any business that displays discrimitory signage AND refuses to remove or correct it is fair game.
– Sorry, no. People should have the sense never to put up a “Japanese Only” sign in the first place. If they do, they’ll live with it, in perpetuity. I will update (and have done so) if the sign comes down, as I wrote. But there’s got to be some notice, recidivism or not, that this place has a history of xenophobia. People have to live with criminal records, especially in Japan, and there’s a very good reason for that — it acts as a deterrent to others. There’s no other way, since excluding people by race or nationality is not a criminal offense in Japan, for them to rue their decision and repay their debt to society, such as it is. After all the trouble one has to take to get Japanese Only signs down, just saying, “gee, I’m sorry, I’ll take it down, I guess” is not enough; them putting it up in the first place indicates that it’s legally permissible in Japan to do so and encourages others to copycat. And they do. That’s social damage that one has to counteract somehow. Which brings me to my next point:
As for the Kabukicho signs, just wait. Signs as generic as these these have a habit of spreading to businesses unconnected to the water trades (see Sapporo and Monbetsu cases). Those making them suddenly find themselves with a cottage industry.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Debito,
You should take the establishments that have redeemed themselves down or put them in a different section pointing perhaps, to what can be achieved with reasoned argument. They’re no longer “rogues”. Yes, they had no sense to put the signs up in the first place, but upon advisement, corrected themselves. They should be punished in perpetuity for that? Your point about criminal records is incorrect - in a forgiving society, even criminals slates are wiped clean after a few years.
Stevie.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I disagree that the shops that have “improved” should be taken down just because they remove the sign… They are taking down the signs due to pressure and the owner probably still have the same attitude. Besides, it is clearly stated on the site when a sign is taken down and what lead to them taking it down.
If a shop has had this type of sign up, I would like to know about it and I will take my business somewhere else.