Don't let anyone convince you that the problem
isn't spreading nationwide in Japan...
www.debito.org
"THE ROGUES' GALLERY"
PHOTOS
OF PLACES IN JAPAN WHICH EXCLUDE OR RESTRICT NON-JAPANESE
CUSTOMERS
(Last revised April 2014)
Page
down to English explanation of this site's goals and modus
operandi
Page down immediately to index of
places with exclusionary
signs
「外国人お断り」のポリシーを実施する国内店舗・施設の『ギャラリー』
(北海道稚
内市(温泉、スポーツ店舗、理髪店)、紋
別市(レストラン、カラオケ店、温泉、バー)、小
樽市(温泉)、札
幌市(ラーメン屋、バー)青
森県三沢市(バー)、秋
田県秋田市(ディスコ)、東
京都新宿区と歌舞伎町(ホテル、バー)、東京都台東区浅草(レ
ストラン)、東
京都港区青山通り(女性専用エステサロン)、東
京都荻窪(ホテル、バー)、
東京都南麻布(バレースクール)、東京都秋葉原(雑貨
店)、埼
玉県
越谷市(バーなど)、埼
玉県戸田市(バーなど)、山
梨県甲府市
(温泉)、群
馬県伊勢崎市(バーなど)、群馬県太田市(バー)、静
岡県浜松市(雑貨店、宝石屋、バーなど)、名
古屋市(ディスコ)、岡崎市(インタネットカフェー)、北
國新聞石川県野々市(北國新聞のセールズ)、京
都府(ホテル)、大阪府大東市(眼鏡屋)、大阪市福島区(不動産屋)、神戸市西宮(バー)、岡
山県倉敷市(バー)、広島県広島市(バーなど)、北九州市小倉(レストラン)、沖縄県沖縄市諸見里とうるま市具志川(カラオケて店とビリヤード店)、その他、場所(東京都池袋、東京都築地、広島)・年月日が不明の看板)
そして、上記に反して『開放主義』に基づき看板を掲げる店舗(名護市、さいたま県)
看板の写真、連絡
明細などを掲示するサイト
(本サイトのテキストは主に英語だが、日本語のレ
ポートへのリンクがあります
Despite being a signatory (since 1995) to the UN
Convention on Racial Discrimination, Japan has taken no
legislative action to bar businesses and other public places
from
refusing entry to customers based on nationality and race.
Starting
from 1993
in Otaru, Hokkaido, and now running unchecked throughout
Japan, signs saying "JAPANESE ONLY" etc have gone up,
making an unspoken undercurrent of fear of the outsider into
clear,
present, and brazen exclusionism--following the best traditions
of
segregation and apartheid. The Japanese
government's steadfast refusal to
outlaw this
form of discrimination by nationality and race has only made the
situation worse, so the time has come for the grassroots to take
matters to the street. Or to the internet, as it were.
This
page will call for the sanction of public shame by putting up
photos
of those exclusionary enterprises, including name, address,
phone
number, etc. The photos have dates for when they were taken.
Some
signs depicted may (thankfully) no longer be up; however, the
photos
will stay up in perpetuity, as a record of past misdeeds that
should
not be allowed to fade into anecdotery (criminal records, after
all,
linger for individual miscreants). Contact the business in
question
to see if an exclusionary policy is still in effect.
Submissions to The Rogues' Gallery are welcome.
I ask the submitter to please send
a
reasonable-quality photo of 1)
the storefront (if
possible with name of the establishment clear and the
sign displayed)
and 2)
a closeup of the exclusionary sign,
dated, with the
name and
approximate address of the place. (Sorry,
we cannot "just take your word for it" that some place
excluded you--we need a sign of some sort or else there will
be libel
lawsuits). I
would
prefer that these places be open to anyone
(i.e.
that these places not be sex shops or enterprises specifically
catering to the prurient interest--because in these cases the
issue
gets blurry. However, bars, discos, etc are acceptible.).
Particularly
those which
are essential for daily life (hotels, stores, restaurants,
public
baths, housing etc.).
Your anonymity
will be respected. That's what the photos are
for--incontrovertible
evidence.
I recommend that readers tell their friends,
particularly their Japanese friends, to stay away from the
following
establishments, even register a complaint with the owner or
manager
for an unreasonable policy. Japanese yen coming from
foreigners has
the same value as if it came from a Japanese. There is no
justifiable
reason whatsoever, regardless of the business' past experience
with
some foreign custom, to apply a blanket exclusion to everyone
who
looks foreign. That is why there is an international treaty
against
it.
And why, if Japan would keep treaty promises made all the
way back in 1996, there should be a law against it.
-- Arudou Debito (formerly Dave Aldwinckle), Moderator, The Rogues' Gallery
LOCATIONS REFUSING OR RESTRICTING NON-JAPANESE CUSTOMERS
(click to page down)
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), Restaurant in Asakusa, Tokyo (Tokyo Taito-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 Kobe Nishinomiya (Hyogo Pref), Bar in Kurashiki (Okayama Pref), Nightclub and Bar in Hiroshima (Hiroshima Pref), Restaurant in Kokura, Kitakyushu City (Fukuoka Pref), Billiards hall and Karaoke hall in Uruma City Gushikawa and Moromizato (Okinawa Pref), Miscellaneous exclusionary signs (Tokyo Ikebukuro, Kabukicho, Hiroshima).
Moreover,
LOCATIONS WITH OPEN-DOOR POLICIES FOR NON-JAPANESE CUSTOMERS
Yes, there are places which publicly recognize
that
refusing customers on the basis of color of skin or passport is
not
cricket. They should be known about here as well to provide
balance.
The Nago Bar and
Restaurant Association in
Nago, Okinawa,
is bucking the trend with open-door signs (since Okinawan
refusals of
American soldiers--therefore all foreigners--are Legion). As are
realtors in Saitama
Prefecture with stickers saying they'll rent to anyone
regardless of
nationality. Well and
good. May
these businesses prosper.
Want
to do something about this rising exclusionism in Japan?
See my WHAT
TO
DO IF site and click on the
relevant
links! Or, if you have a store of your own:
INFORMATION
SITE FOR ORDERING
"WELCOME
NON-JAPANESE CUSTOMERS"
DEBITO.ORG
STICKERS FOR BUSINESSES WITH OPEN-DOOR POLICIES
And,
GET
THE
ISSUE ON YOUR CHEST
GET
YOURSELF A
GENUINE
"JAPANESE ONLY" T-SHIRT! DETAILS
HERE
ONSEN
YUNOHANA
(Address: Otaru-Shi Temiya 1-5-20, Phone (0134)
31-4444) EXCLUDES FOREIGNERS FROM ITS OPENING DAY, JULY
1998.
The tall photo on the left was taken on Sept 19,
1999
in front of Yunohana "Onsen" super-sento, the largest
family-oriented bathhouse in Otaru.
Note the red arrow. It
points to a doorside placard exclaiming in red orthography
"JAPANESE
ONLY" in English, Japanese, and Russian. Closeup of this sign is
directly below this text. (Photo Credits: Olaf Karthaus and
Dave
Aldwinckle)
However,
as the red sign in English proved highly photogenic in the
international media, it would be replaced (see
Olaf
in the yellow coat substantiating the date, January 3, 2000).
The new sign by Olaf still refuses foreigners by
saying, in translation by Arudou Debito,
"Due to various
circumstances, we are refusing entry to foreigners.
Furthermore, we
will be deliberating on this policy from now on."
This "deliberation period would stretch stretch out
for over a year--even for two and a half months after Arudou
Debito
went to the onsen on Oct 31, 2000 to be refused
as a Japanese citizen. It ended suddenly when a lawsuit
against
them for racial discrimination was made public on Jan 16, 2001;
within 24 hours, within the wee hours of Jan 17, 2001, the sign
was
down and replaced by two photocopies--outlining bathing rules
provided by the city, and four
conditions for entry for foreigners only. But only, of
course,
after sixteen months (Sept 1999 to Jan 2001) of fruitless
negotiations with Yunohana and hand-wringing by the Otaru City
authorities.
STATUS
REPORT: In April 2006, the
Otaru Lawsuit finished--the Supreme
Court
refused to hear the appeal, claiming it is "not a constitutional
issue". Read more about the Otaru Onsens
Case in book form here in two languages. Yunohana
still
refuses all foreigners "who do not speak Japanese" at all
(now three) of their bathhouses--in Otaru Temiya, Otaru Asari,
and
Sapporo Minami-ku Jozankei, one of Hokkaido's biggest onsen
resort
areas.
As of 2012, word has reached the Rogues' Gallery moderator that Yunohana no longer has exclusionary policies.
Monbetsu
City
(Hokkaido)
(click
on pictures to see larger image)
Photos
taken November 15, 2003, by Arudou Debito
LOCATION: "Yukemuri Monbetsu Tokkari no Yu"
bathhouse (Monbetsu-shi Saiwai-chou
4-1-1,
Ph. 01582-4-1726), opened April 2003 as a public-private sector
hybrid (dai-san sector). Photo taken Sept 16, 2003.
The
Japanese version of the sign translates as: "Because manners are
not observed, for the time being, we refuse entry to all sailors
of
foreign ships." The Russian version is much more direct: "Where
is, dear sirs, your respect for our rules? In the bath the
entrance
of STAFF OF FOREIGN SHIPS is temporarily PROHIBITED."
ロシア語で
この看板はもっと率直です(ロシア語が読める友人が出典、●●の間は強調のために
原文が大文字)。
----------------------------------------------------
「船員様よ、我々の
●ルール● に対する尊 敬はどうなりましたか?当分の間、我々の風呂には
●外国船乗り組み員● の入浴が
●禁じられています●」。
----------------------------------------
------------
According to the Japanese press, the bathhouse claims
Russian sailors have been making a mess and decided to ban their
entry. It joins the ranks of Hamanasu Shoutengai and Monbetsu
Onsen
(behind Monbetsu Prince Hotel), which have been refusing all
foreigners with "Japanese Only Store" signs ("nihonjin
senyou ten", in Russian, see below) and policies unabated since
2000 (http://
www.debito.org/lawsuitbackground.html#end-year), despite
government warnings and negative publicity.
FURTHER
SUBSTANTIATION: See Sept 8, 2003
Hokkaido
Shinbun and Mainichi Shinbun articles in
Japanese.
http://www.debito.org/
doshin090803.jpg
http://www.debito.org/
mainichi090803.jpg
STATUS REPORT: SUCCESS! Thanks to all the press coverage, as of January 23, 2004, "Yukemuri Monbetsu Tokkari no Yu" has taken its signs down (see photo above) and opened its doors to customers of all nationalities (However, they do explain the rules using multilingual notices at the counter to foreign-looking customers; so if you find that belittling, sorry. Politely express your discontent to the management. This is still progress.) (Photo taken by Arudou Debito on February 5, 2004. Click on photo to see larger image.) And as of January 4, 2005, a visit Tokkari no Yu revealed a sign that says, in Russian and Japanese, that rules must be followed or the police will be contacted. We were given no hassles at the counter, either. Three Russians we met inside were rule-abiding, of course.
(click
on pictures to see larger image)
LOCATION:
"JOY" Restaurant (a buffet
all-you-can-eat style family restaurant inside the
abovementioned
"Yukemuri Monbetsu Tokkari no Yu" bathhouse)
Sign
outside the premises (in Russian only) says:
English: "Please.
If you are not accompanied by a Japanese or by a Japanese
speaker,
you are not allowed to enter the premises."
Japanese:
「お願い。日本人あるいは日本語をしゃ
べれる人と一緒じゃないと入れません」
Photos
taken November 15, 2003, by Arudou Debito
UPDATE: Joy took their sign down in February 2004, and as of Jan 3, 2005, has menus in Russian, including a notice in Russian that they now serve vodka. Bravo! ジョイは04年2月に 看板を外し、05年1月現在、ロシア語のメニューを提示しています。ありがとうご ざいました!)(click here to see photo)
LOCATION: One of many eating and drinking establishments in Hamanasu Doori, Monbetsu, Hokkaido. Photo taken July 2000 by Hokkaido Shinbun. NHK reported on July 4, 2000, that the Ministry of Justice Division of Human Rights, Asahikawa Branch, issued a letter of warning (Japanese here) to a restaurateur's union (inshokuten kumiai) in Hamanasu Doori, a nightlife district in Monbetsu City, Hokkaido. This union, it is revealed, has since 1995 actively solicited, made, and sold signs which said, in Cyrillic, "Japanese-Only Store" (see photo at left)--ostensibly to shut out all Russian sailors visiting this seaport town. By year-end and despite the Ministry Justice, a February 28, 2001 broadcast of TBS TV Program "Koko ga Hen da yo, Nihonjin", about 50 establishments still have the exclusionary signs up. Examples (click on pictures to see larger image):
(Sunakku
"Don", Monbetsu Hamanasu Doori)
2005年1月4日
現在、看板は未だに掲げています。
(Karaoke
Parlor "O-edo", Monbetsu-shi Honmachi 5-chome, Tel
01582-3-1010. Click on picture to see larger image)
(2005年1月4日
現在、看板は外されています。ここをク
リックして ご覧下さい。)
Monbetsu
Onsen "Bijin no Yu", Monbetsu-shi Minato-chou 7, Ph
01582-3-7909
All Photos taken November 15, 2003, by Arudou
Debito
Signs still up as of January 5,
2006.
(2006年1月5日現在、看板は未だに掲げています)
Oden, Yakitori, and Ramen
Restaurant
"Torichiyo" (Monbetsu-shi Honmachi 6-chome 4-26)
Signs
are still up at these and fifteen other establishments in
Monbetsu Hamanasu Doori as of January 5,
2008
(2008年1月5日現在、この店舗とその他の15ヶ所に看
板は未だに
掲げています)
Note
that this is not a bar, with inebriation part of the
patronage, or a
public bath which can claim contagion or problems with
public health.
This is a restaurant. What's next? Supermarkets? Hospitals?
We
already have instances of refusals at a
sports
store and a barber in Wakkanai...
(注意
:これはレストランです。飲屋ではなく、公衆浴場ではありません。次ぎはスー
パーや病院ですか。稚
内市で
のスポーツ店や理髪店の ケー スは既にありましたが・・・)
Nov
15, 2003 Monbetsu Report available here.
STATUS REPORT:
Sept 2003 newspaper articles
indicate the problem is spreading, and a phone call to a
Monbetsu
journalist shortly afterwards by Arudou Debito reveals the signs
are
still up in some places, unabated, after nearly a decade. A November
15, 2003 Monbetsu
visit
report by Olaf
Karthaus and
Arudou Debito reveals that signs are up in bars, baths,
restaurants,
and even a karaoke parlor.
NEWS
FLASH: International
Herald Tribune (April 23,
2004), from
New York Times (May 12, 2004) on
discrimination in Wakkanai and Monbetsu, Japan: "Unwelcome Mat:
Bars in a Japanese port keep Russians outside".
NEWS
FLASH: (Feb 6, 2004) OLAF
KARTHAUS AND ARUDOU DEBITO SUBMIT PETITIONS TO MONBETSU CITY
HALL
CALLING FOR DRAFT ORDINANCES (jourei)
FORBIDDING RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN THEIR
MUNICIPALITY (see
text of petition and ordinance here).
IN
RESPONSE, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES FROM OKHOTSK SHINBUN (Jan
10, 2004) AND HOKKAIDO SHINBUN
(Jan
30,
2004) ANNOUNCE IMPENDING
SUBMISSIONS,
AND THE ABOVEMENTIONED "Yukemuri
Monbetsu Tokkari no Yu" BATHHOUSE'S INTENTION TO TAKE
DOWN
ITS SIGNS.
道新(1月30日
付)オホーツク版
「ロシア人入浴どうぞ 『お断り』撤去 受け入れ再開」へ
のリンク:
http://www.debito.org/
doshin013004.jpg
オホーツク新聞(1月10日付)の一覧表「人種差別撤
廃条例 陳情へ」へのリンク:
http://www.debito.org/
okhotskshinbun011004.jpg
2004年2月5~6 日に稚内紋別両市議会への人種差別撤廃陳情 提出に関する新聞記事はここです。陳 情書と条例案 はここです。
NEW
STATUS REPORT: (February 9, 2004) SUCCESS!
Thanks to all the press coverage and repeated entreaties to the
management by Olaf Karthaus and Arudou Debito to take the signs
down,
both Karaoke Parlor O-edo and Restaurant "Joy"
have taken their signs down (see photos below) and opened
its
doors to customers of all nationalities. (Photos taken by
Arudou
Debito and friends on February 6 and 7, 2004. Click on photos
to see
larger image.).
Restaurant "Joy" after removing its
"Japanese Speakers Only" sign from its menu stand. |
Karaoke Parlor "O-edo" has its
"Japanese Only" sign in Russian taken down by Olaf
Karthaus (left) and Arudou Debito. |
However, the signs still remain up at Sunakku
"Don" and Monbetsu Onsen, as well as 26 other places around
Monbetsu, according to local sources which went from bar to bar
on a
sign hunt on January 30, 2004. A cursory search by Rogues'
Gallery
Monitor on January 3-5, 2005 still found at least five in plain
sight.
Other Reference Materials:
Aug 22, 2000 Doshin, Yomiuri, and Mainichi Articles (Japanese)
Photo Substantiation of discrimination in Wakkanai and Monbetsu, and a April 2000 Report by Dave Aldwinckle.
A May 2001 on-site preliminary report of a follow-up visit by Arudou Debito, Olaf Karthaus, and Ken Sutherland is also available.
Nov 17, 2003 Hokkaido Shinbun Okhotsk Version article (Japanese) 「『外 国人お断 り』の 入浴施設問題 外国人船員受け入れて 拒否訴訟の大学高師訴え」北海道新聞オ ホーツク海版2003年11月17日(朝)
UPDATE AUGUST 2006:
Another
sign bites the dust:
(Click on photo for larger image. Photo taken August 28, 2006 by Chris Gunson.)
Location: Yakiniku Restaurant Mitsuen (Monbetsu Ph 01582-4-3656), just off Hamanasu Doori. Hear a sound file of how Rogues' Gallery Monitor Arudou Debito (pictured above in tip-top condition, having cycled 800 kms to get there negotiated to get the sign down (with Debito stuttering in surprise at how easy it was, and Chris giggling at the end)! Note the recording device on Debito's collar, and the cat to the back left. That cat was fed shortly before by the owners. Cats welcome, foreigners not. Luckily, when we asked them to take the sign down, they quickly complied! Pity it only took six years and a coaxing from us.
Wakkanai
(Hokkaido)
(2001
年4月和英ルポはこちらです。2001
Eyewitness report in English and Japanese here.)
Location:
YURANSEN ONSEN (Wakkanai-Shi
Suehiro 3-6, Ph
(0162) 24-2619--see sign at right), which actually provides separate
entrances for foreigners. There are
three
segregated facilities--the REGULAR
BATHS,
which as offically-recognized Public Baths (Koushuu
Yokujou) cost 360 yen to get into
(460
additional for sauna entry), and FAMILY
BATHS,
which cost 800 yen; both of these facilities are forbidden to
foreigners.
The third facility is the SAUNA
FOR FOREIGN GUESTS (see pictures
below),
where foreigners pay a flat fee of 2500 yen (including rental of
towel, trunks, and bathrobe). This is in violation of Section
Two,
Clause 1 of the Hokkaido
Public Bath Ordinance (Koushuu
Yokujou Hou
Shikou Jourei, Hokkaido Jourei No 3),
which
establishes that Public Baths are "necessary and essential"
(hitsuyou fukaketsu) enterprises for the public health of
"regional
residents" (chiiki juumin)--which
of course includes taxpaying foreigners. It is also unisex (not
divided between male and female sections), which is illegal.
Governmental awareness of this activity has been confirmed by
Mr Kouno, Wakkanai Hokensho Seikatsu Eiseika Kankyou Eisei
Kakari
(ph. 0162-23-6161), who acknowledges this exclusion of
foreigners but
claims they are powerless to stop it. Moreover, this flaunting
of the
law has an important impact on the atmosphere of enforcement. Mr
Ohshima, owner of the Wakkanai franchise of the Yuransen chain,
told
Dave Aldwinckle on April 9, 2000, "Everyone know's I'm doing
this, and nobody has stopped me. So it is not illegal."
Moreover, Mr Ohshima told Olaf Karthaus, fellow coordinator of
this
project, who was turned away at the door on August 10, 1998,
after
cycling 141 kms: "Well,
Otaru
is doing it, so so can
we."
Photo
proof follows (all photos in this
section
courtesy of Olaf Karthaus and Dave Aldwinckle, taken April 9,
2000):
Yuransen is a big place (the biggest in Wakkanai proper), and it opened on January 23, 1997 with segregated facilities, according to Mr Ohshima. Here is a picture of the front, showing a sign for all three facilities:
Understandibly this is a little hard to see, so let me guide you. The Blue Arrow points to the words "Kazoku Buro Iriguchi", or "Family Bath Entrance". The Yellow Arrow points to "Koushuu Yokujou Iriguchi", or "Public Bath Entrance". The Red Arrows point to the signs, at both the Family and Public Bath entranceways (in English and more detailed Russian only, not Japanese), which say "Sauna For Foreign Guests", with a separate entranceway around the corner. Here is a closeup of the signs by the Public Bath entrance in front for a better view:
Again, note the price difference. 360 yen for Japanese entering the front door, but for those deemed "foreign", their designated side door has a sign saying:
Yes, that's 2500 yen, over six times as much. Of course, it does say underneath (sorry it is so hard to read), "Including the fee for renting a bath towel, a bathrobe, and a pair of bathing trunks", which might sound closer to value for money. But foreigners don't get the choice--many certainly don't need to "rent" bathing trunks. Plaintiff Arudou Debito/Dave Aldwinckle went inside the Gaijin Baths with Mr Ohshima on April 9, 2000, and attests that the tubs and sauna are significantly smaller than the Japanese-only side (this was also confirmed by the manager, Mr Ohshima).
(2001 年4月和英ルポはこちらです。2001 Eyewitness report in English and Japanese here.)
Most
tellingly, the definition of "foreignness" for these
exclusionary onsen starts from puberty. This
was seen at Yuransen on July 30, 2000, 1pm, when Hokkaido
International School's basketball coach Adam Fraser cycled from
Teshio to Wakkanai (a distance of 110 kms) accompanied by four
of his
male international students. One Japanese/American student was
14
years old and living in Japan eight years, another
Japanese/American
was 16 years old living in Japan five years, one American had
lived
in Japan twelve of his 16 years, and one South African boy was
born
in Japan and lived here all his life. All students spoke fluent
Japanese and knew Japanese bathing customs from a very young
age, yet
all were refused at Yuransen's door and told to go the Gaijin
Bath.
The two Japanese-American students eventually mentioned their
dual
nationality and were let in, but the Caucasian coach and his two
other Caucasian students were left standing outside until they
finished. There is no other onsen within 15 kms (i.e. a long
bikeride) of Yuransen (NB: there are bathing facilities at
downtown
hotel, but it is not an official public bathhouse), the stranded
three eventually got the sweat off their bodies by bathing in
the
salty sea.
This silliness must stop as it is thusly affecting
our children, the ultimate innocents under these policies.
NEWS
FLASH: International
Herald
Tribune (April 23, 2004), from New York Times (May
12,
2004) on discrimination in Wakkanai and Monbetsu, Japan:
"Unwelcome Mat: Bars in a Japanese port keep Russians
outside".
STATUS
REPORT (August 2006):
Public Bathhouse
Yuransen went bankrupt in March 2006, maintaining its
exclusionary
rules all the way to the bitter end.
(Photo taken by Arudou Debito August 26, 2006. Click on photo to see larger image.)
公衆浴場「湯らん銭」06年3月倒産。「外人お断りをしないと我 らは潰れる」という主張はどうなりましたか。ライバル最北の温泉「どーむ」は外国人をお断りしなくても繁盛しています。教訓 は何でしょう。
The front door bearing all the signs above is behind the pillar and boarded up. The "Gaijin Bath" segregated entranceway is along the wall to the right, between the boarded-up windows. So much for its claim that foreigners, if let in, would drive them out of business.
It's rival onsen, "Doumu" (the northernmost onsen in Japan), is no doubt taking up the slack. And it does not refuse foreigners entry. Anybody hearing any lessons here? Ii kimi da.
LOCATION: SHIDOU SPORTS SHOP
(Wakkanai Shiomi 2-6-28)
Here is a photo
of the storefront.
It has a sign on the front door, in Russian, which we could not read because we are not Russian speakers (see Red Arrow). A Russian friend sent us a translation later. The sign reads: "They ask Russians no enter" (sic)
Karthaus and Aldwinckle entered Shidou Sports in
April 2000 and asked about what the sign meant, and if we as
foreigners were permitted to be in here. The staff said, "It
means no Russians may enter," and then went on to indicate that
we should not be in here. When we asked about our friends in
Wakkanai
who said they were excluded from this store, yet were not
Russian and
spoke Japanese, the staff said that foreigners should be
accompanied
by Japanese who will take responsibility for them. Why?
"Russians
shoplift, throw cigarette butts on the linoleum floor, try on
clothes
and leave their body smell (taishuu)
on them, and generally scare the Japanese
customers."
That may indeed be a problem, but store's anti-Russian policy is
also
applied to all unescorted white foreigners.
STATUS
REPORT: (As of April 2000)
Shidou
Sports took their sign down.
NEWS
FLASH: (Feb 5, 2004) OLAF
KARTHAUS AND ARUDOU DEBITO SUBMIT PETITION TO WAKKANAI CITY
HALL
CALLING FOR DRAFT ORDINANCES (jourei)
FORBIDDING RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN THEIR
MUNICIPALITY (see
text of petition and ordinance here).
IN
RESPONSE, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES FROM OKHOTSK SHINBUN (Jan
10, 2004) AND HOKKAIDO SHINBUN
(Jan
30,
2004) ANNOUNCE IMPENDING
SUBMISSIONS,
AND THE ABOVEMENTIONED MONBETSU DAI-SAN SECTOR ONSEN
"Yukemuri Monbetsu Tokkari
no Yu" BATHHOUSE'S INTENTION TO TAKE DOWN ITS
SIGNS.
道新(1月30日付)オホーツク版「ロシア人入浴どうぞ 『
お断り』撤去 受け入れ再開」へのリンク:
http://www.debito.org/
doshin013004.jpg
オホーツク新聞(1月10日付)の一覧表「人種差別撤
廃条例 陳情へ」へのリンク:
http://www.debito.org/
okhotskshinbun011004.jpg
陳
情書と条例案はここです。
In response to both police-stoked fears of foreign
hooliganism and the profit motive (with the publisher of
Sapporo's
bilingual information magazine, XENE, offering translation
services
to xenophobes), "Members Only" signs (Japanese are
automatically "members", naturally--especially since the
signs are not even in Japanese) proliferated around Susukino and
downtown Sapporo during the 2002 World Cup.
SUSUKINO
EXCLUSIONARY SIGN
(displayed in various bars, nightlife
establishments, and even a ramen shop)
EXCLUSIONARY SIGN IN FRONT OF SAPPORO STATION
Pachinko Donkey Ekimaeten Hall
Sapporo Ekimae
Doori, Kita 4 Nishi 4 PH (011) 219-4141
June 3, 2002, 8:30 PM
STATUS REPORT:
(As of November 2002) The signs soon disappeared after
complaints,
some press coverage, and the end of the World Cup. Some
"soaplands",
however (as of January 26, 2004), still have them up--which
means
this "Members Only" policy has nothing to do with
"hooligans". For causing replicable social damage by giving
discriminators the tools to ply their trade, Xene issued the
following apology:
Reference Materials:
On
the signpostings in Susukino, Sapporo
http://www.debito.org/
susukinosign.html
On the 2002 World Cup and Japan's unfounded
fears of hooliganism
http://www.debito.org/
worldcup2002.html
LOCATION:
Sunakku "Globe", Misawa-shi
Chuo-chou 1-Chome 5-28, Miyabe Bldg 3F, ph 0176-52-2416.
Photo
taken March 28, 2002.
Seven cheap hostess bars which hire foreign
hostesses
kick out any other foreigner (including naturalized Japanese
citizens) which darken their doorstep. There is too much
information
for this site, so CLICK
ON THIS LINK to go to a
special reference
page in English and Japanese.
STATUS
REPORT: (As of December
2003) Three of
the seven stores still have their signs up, and have refused
this
(caucasian) website author on three separate occasions despite
his
displaying a Japanese passport. CLICK
HERE
FOR DECEMBER 5, 2003 UPDATE
Follow-up article:
「秋田市に てディスコの啓発が成 功、三沢市にて排他的ポリ シー撤廃失敗」特定非営利活動法人 多民族共生 人権教育センター(MEHREC-PE )出版 メ−レック通信 Vol. 33, 2003年12月31日(朝刊 pg1)有道 出 人著
Akita
Disco
"Honeybee"
Akita-ken Akita-shi Sanno
3-5-15
秋田県秋田市山王3丁目5ー15Phone:
018-864-1725
(click
on pictures to see larger images)
Photos
taken April 2003
STATUS REPORT (as of November 28, 2003): Rogues' Gallery Coordinator Arudou Debito convinced the proprietors to take town their sign. Here is a picture of that momentus event. FULL REPORT DATED DECEMBER 5, 2003, HERE.
(Photo
taken November 28, 2003)
Follow-up articles:
「秋 田市にてディスコの啓発が成功、三沢市にて排他的ポリ シー撤廃失敗」特定非営利活動法人 多民族 共生人権教育センター (MEHREC-PE )出版 メ−レック通信 Vol. 33, 2003年12月31日(朝刊 pg1)有道 出 人著
「外 国人お断りはダ メです 門前払いよりルール マスター納得 はり紙消える」(秋田さきがけ新聞 2003年12月7日記載 )
Shinjuku
(Tokyo Shinjuku-ku)
Hotel
Tsubakuro
ホテルつばくろ
Tokyo
Shinjuku-ku Hyakuninchou 1-15-33
東京都新宿区百人町1-15-33
Tel
03-3367-2896
Hotel
Tsubakuro
website
here
If this has been
removed, click here for a scanned print of this page on the
debito.org site.
Where it
says
「中学生以下の方・外国人のご利用は不可(日本在住の方は
OK)」
i.e.
people younger than Jr High school and foreigners are not
permitted
lodging (although foreigners who live in Japan are
OK).
これは旅館業法第5条違反で、違法行為です。
旅館業法
第五条
営業者は、左の各号の一に該当する場合を除いて
は、宿泊を拒んではならない。
一
宿泊しようとする者が伝染性の疾病にか
かつていると明らかに認められるとき。
二
宿泊しようとする者がとばく、
その他の違法行為又は風紀を乱す行為をする虞があると認められるとき。
三
宿泊施設に余裕がないときその他都道府県が条例で定める事由があるとき。
http://
list.room.ne.jp/~lawtext/1948L138.html#5
This is against the law, i.e. the Ryokan Management Law (Ryokan Gyouhou, Article 5, see above link in Japanese). As it says above: an establishment cannot turn away lodgers unless there is a health issue involving contagious disease, a clear and present endangerment of public morals, or because all rooms are full. It even has signs up to this effect:
"For
the present, Foreigr [sic] use cannot be performed. Very sorry
for
this. HOTEL TSUBAKURO"
「大変申し訳ありません 当分の間
外国人の方の利用は出来ません。ビジネスホテル つばくろ」
(Photo
Credit: Declan Murphy,
July 21, 2003)
NB from the Rogues' Gallery site manager:
I called them on Feb 24, 2005 to confirm that yes,
their
signs are still up and the policy is still in place. "We refuse
people who cannot speak Japanese." When I told them that this
was not sufficient grounds for refusal, as per Hotel Management
Law,
Article 5 (I even read it to them over the phone), the clerk
begged
off, said the policy is in place and that's that, and the
manager is
not in, etc.
This is a pretty egregious case, since for once
there is a clear law against this. It's all a matter of
enforcement.
So, print
up
the law in Japanese from this link and show Article Five
to
the hotel management. If they still flaunt the law, try going to
the
cops, law in hand, and see what happens. Good luck.
HOTEL SANREMO
Tokyo
Shinjuku-ku Hyakuninchou 1-3-5 (新宿区百人町1-3-5)
Phone 03-3200-9711.
Photo
date unclear, but the Gallery monitor visited the premises in
March
2005 and confirmed the sign's existence. It's a love hotel, and
as
such also subject to laws governing hotels. As for the
meaning
of the English, enjoy the puzzle. In Japanese, it warns guests
not to
bring in foreign lady touts (i.e. "waiting on the road"). I
guess Japanese prostitutes are okay, then.
BAR "WORD UP"
Tokyo
Shinjuku-ku Shinjuku 2-chome
Photo credited to Vince Ting,
courtesy of Mainichi Daily News Website
"My
Japan Photo Contest--May 22 to May 28"
2006
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/photospecials/graph/0528myjapan/7.html
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 snaps taken March 16, 2008 by Rogues' Gallery
Moderator
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?
Asakusa
(Tokyo Taito-ku)
Tenpura Restaurant "Ten-take"
天健 (てんたけ)
ジャンル 天ぷら、天丼・天重
住所 〒111-0032 東京都台東区浅草2-4-1
TEL・予約 03-3841-5519
Tokyo-to Taitou-ku Asakusa
2-4-1, Phone 03-3841-5519
(All photos taken April 4,
2014, courtesy of Yoshio Tanaka)
(NB: The Japanese below the JAPANESE ONLY text on
the sign reads, “The inside of this restaurant is very
small. In order to avoid accidents, we are sorry, but we
refuse entry to all children below the age of 5. We ask
for our customers understanding and cooperation.”)
Information on and
reviews of the restaurant in Japanese: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1311/A131102/13010522/,
last updated January 2014, with no mention of its “Japanese
Only” rules. (It does mention the no children under
five rule:
店内が非常に狭いため、事故防止の観点から5歳未満の子連れ不可の張り紙あり」. Interesting how
a “no foreigners” rule somehow escapes mention.)
Aoyama
Doori (Tokyo Minato-ku)
Este "Hawaiian Style" relaxation
parlor for women customers
Princess
Plumeria
プリンセスプルメリア
東京都港区青山 3-10-41 ジュエル青山903
By
Appointment (03) 5771-0323
NB from the submitter of the photographs:
"Last weekend, I saw a sign on Aoyama Dori advertising an
"estee" salon for women. The sign and the salon are located
next to the temporary Kinokuniya supermaket building. What made
the
advertisement unique was that it explicitly stated in English
that
the services provided by the salon are for "Japanese
Women Only" (attached
for
your reference is a copy of the store's pamphlet advertising the
subject services). I found the advertising offensive and called
the
store owner to ask for an explanation of the exclusionary
statement.
The owner explained that the salon would not provide services to
foreigners, including Koreans living in Japan. I think that you
may
find it interesting that a store located in the center of Aoyama
is
openly and blatantly engaging in discriminatory advertising and
practices."
NB from the Rogues' Gallery Manager: I
called Princess Plumeria to confirm the reasons for exclusionism
on
Feb 24, 2005. The manager told me that yes, all "gaijin-sans"
are refused because their facilities are "too small" (How
big do they think feet can get?). And they want to avoid a
language
barrier should anyone feel unwell during the footbaths. When I
asked
about the Zainichis (Japan-born ethnicities, such as ethnic
Koreans
or Chinese), she said that they would be refused too. Even
though
Zainichis have no language barrier? That was where she said she
was
now too busy to talk...
)
(click
on photos to see larger images)
(Photos taken February
2005)
What's even more ironic? That this
is done in a Hawaiian motif. Hawaiians are one of the more
mixed-race
peoples in the world! Alas, Hawaiians are forbidden entry too,
naturally. Aloha yourself.
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
(Click
on
images to expand in your browser)
Update:
The school apologized, the aggreived parents are satisfied
with
the outcome.
Full
report
here
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.
Ogikubo
(Tokyo Suginami-ku)
Pub "Rizal"
Tokyo
Suginami-ku Ogikubo 5-30-6
杉並区荻窪
5ー30ー6Phone:
03-3220-4761
(Photos
taken January and March 2004)
STATUS
REPORT: (MARCH
2004): Arudou Debito and friend Ben visited Rizal on March 27,
2004.
Ben was refused entry, until he pointed to me and said that he
was
with me (a Japanese citizen). The person on duty confirmed my
Japanese ability with two questions of "Hontou
ni
nihonjin desu ka?" (Are you really
a
Japanese?), which I answered in the affirmative. Without even
asking
for further ID, he let us in, where we dropped about 17,000 yen
on
pleasant chat, beers with two very friendly Filipina staff, and
a
rousing round of karaoke on the stage (Ben sang Bowie's "Let's
Dance", I sang Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"
extremely nasally). I asked them to remove the sign. They said
they
would take my suggestion under advisement. A degree of progress.
Koshigaya
City (Saitama Prefecture)
Nightlife
"Eden"
埼玉県越谷市越谷2−3
www.k-eden.com
2-3
Koshigaya, Koshigaya, Saitama
Phone: 048-964-8852
Yes,
you are reading that sign correctly:
"Entry
absolutely forbidden to Chinese and Naturalized Citizens,
Chinese War
Orphans (zanryuu
koji),
and
people with Chinese blood mixed in. ONLY PURE-BLOODED
JAPANESE MALES
PERMITTED."
Only
pure-breeds? They've really thought this policy out to be
as
exclusive as possible.
Not even naturalized
citizens? That deals the moderator of the Rogues' Gallery
out
too.
Now we're separating customers specifically by blood?
The signs are getting
worse...
Storefront:
(Click
on photo for larger image)
(Photos
taken 6pm, March 6, 2007)
Pub
"Funtasy"
(West exit of
Shinkoshigaya Station. No phone listing.)
(photos
taken March 2004)
Pub "Audition"
(East
exit of Koshigaya Station, Unlisted in directory assistance, but
phone 048-960-3500)
(photos
taken March 2004)
Progress
Report: As
confirmed by a friend in March 2007, Pub Audition no longer
has their
exclusionary sign up.
Pub
"Lucia"
(West exit of Shinkoshigaya
Station, unlisted in phone directory, but phone
048-987-0432)
(Note
to those who cannot read Japanese:) The
English
and the Japanese versions of the above sign differ, in that
the English requires an escort, but the Japanese says "Gaikokujin
no nyuuten, okotowari itashimasu",
or
"We refuse foreigners entry to this establishment."
Which
version is to be believed? The Japanese, as a blanket refusal
was
enforced upon the source of these photographs.
(photos
taken March 2004)
PROGRESS
REPORT
(April 2004): The person refused at these places
has
sought redress at the local Ministry of Justice, Bureau of Human
Rights, which apparently will inquire about having the signs
removed,
but have stated quite clearly that they consider these refusals
to be
a managerial decision, not an issue of human rights. Great
sentiment
from the agency entrusted with protecting people from
discrimination... The person refused is currently considering
legal
action.
The Japan
Times released an article
on the issue
and discriminations in Koshigaya (March 25, 2004), entitled "DOWNSIDE
OF BEING FOREIGN: Discrimination's blatant signs, not roots,
easy
target". The
text can be seen here, and the original website link to
the Japan
Times site at
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040325b1.htm
Toda City
(Saitama
Prefecture)
Hostess Bar "Kurabu
Sepia"
戸田市美女木8ー2ー5
Saitama-ken
Toda-shi Bijogi 8-2-5
Ph (048) 422-9333
(West
side of the Omiya Bypass, Highway 17)
(Photo
Courtesy Michael Cash, March 4, 2005)
Click on photo to see larger
image.
Hamamatsu
City (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Nightclub "Abend", et al
Karaoke bar
LOCATION: Music Lounge
Abend ("Aabendo"--a nightclub) Shizuoka ken, Hamamatsu Shi,
Sunayama Cho 330-6, tel : 053 451 3361)
(Photos
Taken 1998)
STATUS
REPORT:
(As of May 2003) Signs are down, thanks to Ana Bortz winning her
anti-discrimination lawsuit against Jewelry Store Seibidou in
1999.
More information on the Bortz Case here
in Japanese, and a 1999
report on the situation in English here.
LOCATION:
Isawa Kenko Land (Yamanashi-ken Higashi Yatsushiro-gun
Isawa-chou Matsumoto 868, ph 055-263-7111)
IKL is a large
private-sector bath and hotel complex, the flagship business of
a
local chain of "super sentos" (information from back of IKL
Assistant Manager Mr Onodera's business card):
You can find out more about IKL in
English at http://
www.bornplaydie.com/japan/kofuguide/onsen/onsen.htm or in
Japanese at http://www.kur-hotel.co.jp/
frameisa.htm
Neither site mentions the fact they bar entry to
all foreigners who are illegal, or who do not speak Japanese.
(All
photos taken June 7, 2004, courtesy of an accompanying
Yamanashi
Nichi Nichi Shinbun reporter.)
Practice of this policy in fact
violates
the Foreign Registry Law and the Ryokan Management Law (see
report).
The particularly disappointing thing about this
case is that it is a repeat of a foreigner exclusion campaign,
due to
panic about AIDS transmission from foreigner-tainted bathwater,
which
occurred around Kofu in 1992. Local public baths put up
exclusionary
signs, encouraging others in Nagano and Saitama to follow suit,
until
one lone local sento defied pressure from its Japanese
clientele, got
the facts about AIDS from the Kofu Department of Public Health,
and
stayed open to foreigners, turning back the tide--until
bathhouses in
Otaru took up the slack from 1993 to 2001.
Full
report with photos, newspaper articles, and legal
documentation HERE.
Isesaki
City (Gunma Pref)
Este Club "Po Po"
戸田市美女木8ー2ー5
Ph.
0270-70-5691
(NB: Submitted May 2004 by anonymous poster. This is a shady establishment, yes, but signs like these encourage copycatting by more innocuous establishments, and is discrimination nonetheless.)
Ohta
City (Gunma Pref)
"Pub" Aliu
群馬県太田市飯田町、JR太田駅からお
よそ300メートル
Ohta-shi
Iida-chou. Three blocks from JR Ohta Station.
This in a town
full of Japanese-Brazilians, and a Filipina pub to boot (looking
for
foreign arubaito, by the looks of the sign on the lower part of
the
door--in English!). No foreigners allowed--unless they
work
here!
Nice lettering on the exclusionary sign, though.
Nothing like being told "Get lost Gaijin!" in a nice
font.
Nagoya City
(Aichi
Pref)
Cafe
Abime
〒460-0003 名古屋市中区錦3-23-6
宝塚ビルB1F
Tel.052-951-4155
Website:
http://www.idx-net.com/abime/
(Photo
Courtesy Ian Brown, Taken February 12, 2005)
Person
refused entry to the nightclub comments:
"Myself and four of my friends were refused access to two different clubs in Nagoya consectutively on Saturday night [Feb 12, 2005]. The first, 'Club Ozone' in Sakae did not have a sign, they just told us 'No Gaijin on Saturday Nights'. The second, 'Club Abime', had a sign and we took a picture... I find this particulary unfortunate due to the fact that this is the city that is hosting the 2005 World Expo [starting March 25, 2005, and running on until September]. We spoke to the manager of Abime and point out the large billboard across the street reading 'Harmony Between Nations'. He didn't seem to care. We questioned the bouncer at Club Ozone and he claimed that there was an incident involving a foreigner a few weeks prior. I mentioned the Expo and he claimed that it was another reason they would not be allowing foreigners on Saturday nights. When asked how long this policy would continue, he said 'forever'... Publicity of this nature does not reflect well in the host city of an international event, paticularly an event poised at fostering 'Harmony Between Nations'"--Ian Brown, Nagoya
Nonoichi
City
(Ishikawa Prefecture)
Dealer for Hokkoku Shinbun
日本語のレポート
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.
Okazaki
City (Aichi Prefecture)
Internet Cafe "Dragon
BOZ"
Aichi-shi Kakemachi Amigasa 5-1
ドラゴンBOZ
444-0011
岡崎市欠町網笠5-1(かけまちあみがさ)
Ph
0564-22-2051 or 0564-66-1156
http://www.dragonboz.com/main.html
info@dragonboz.com
(Photos
taken December 10, 2006, Courtesy of Jonas Svensson)
COMMENT FROM THE SUBMITTER: "This Sunday (December 10th, 2006) I went to an internet café relatively close to where I live, since I have no access to the internet during Sundays and I had an urgent mail to send. I translate Japanese children's books into Swedish in my spare time, and I had a deadline. Lo and behold, a true "foreigners only" at the desk. I was there with a japanese friend, so they said it would be OK for me to enter anyway: they had had some problem with a foreigner who didn't speak Japanese two months ago, and felt that the sign was in good order to avoid further problems.
"Being a social anthropologist, I chose not to make a fuss over it in their face and instead came back with at tape recorder and actually got an interview with some middle-management boss about the reason for the rule, the café's view on it and his personal (at least he said so) view. Surprisingly enough he even managed to come up with the "I realize that I would feel bad if I saw a 'no japanese' sign abroad" argument himself, but whether or not he was just being polite or not, I don't know.
"Talking about it with a friend, I got the link to your homepage. It was quite a shock for me to see such a sign for the first time, and it made me feel much worse that I would have guessed."
UPDATE DECEMBER 23, 2006:
The
Internet cafe manager realized that what they were doing was not
very
nice, and took the sign down shortly after Jonas reported the
situation. They have since instituted an ID membership
system
for all customers regardless of nationality (which is what they
should have been doing all along, of course). More
information
and updates on my blog at http://www.debito.org/index.php/?p=117.
Anyway, the sign is down and the rules are changed.
Good.
Kyoto
City (Kyoto Prefecture)
Onsen Hotel Yamazaki Ryokan
Address: Kyoto-shi Sakyou-ku
Umegahata Takahana-cho
住所
京都市右京区梅ケ畑高鼻町
T E L(075)881−2303
F A X(075)862−6187
メールアドレス
info@ryokan-yamazaki.co.jp
http://www.ryokan-yamazaki.co.jp/index.html
(Original notification, dated November 28,
2005)
"Hello
Debito-san, I thought you might appreciate pictures of a
ryokan
I stayed at on the night of Saturday, November 26, 2005. The
establishment in question is called "Yamazaki Ryokan"(
http://www.ryokan-yamazaki.co.jp/index.html
), and is located in north-west Kyoto, on the
number
8 bus line, just south of the Takahana-cho bus stop.
"Upon
arrival, I noticed two doors near the entrance, one marked for
Japanese and the other for Foreigners. Upon inspection,
I saw
that it was a segregated bathing area. This was not a problem
for me
and my girlfriend, since we had a bath in our room. It did,
however,
taint my image of the elderly woman who seemed to run the
place, who
otherwise provided us with reasonable service. Interestingly,
this
ryokan is a member of the "Japanese Inn Group Kyoto". I
wonder if they endorse this type of segregation.
"In
my three and half years of living in Japan, this was my first
time to
see such a sign. I was particularly surprised to see it in
Kyoto, a
major city which tourists visit, and home to many non-ethnic
Japanese. While this incident did not diminish my esteem for
Kyoto as
a wonderful, culturally rich place to visit, it certainly made
me
qustion the motives of the ryokan owners.
"Find
attached two pictures of said ryokan. The first is of the
bathhouse
doors showing the attached signs, and the second includes one
of the
doors and the ryokan's signboard. Keep up the good
fight, David
Woods, Mie-Ken, Japan."
(Click
on photos to see larger image)
Update from list monitor: Calling the ryokan on November 28th, 2005, 2PM, and talking to an elderly Mr Yamazaki, the manager, he confirmed that there were signs up "because of the large number of foreigners attending". When I asked if women and men, separated by nationality, were now forced to bathed together, he said, "no, women get their own baths in individual rooms". I asked him why he was segregating people by nationality, and he repeated the large rush of foreigners and their big bodies somehow justified separate baths. I told him that he should take the signs down, and he said he would take my request under advisement.--Arudou Debito
Daitou
City (Osaka Pref)
Eyeglass Store
"G-Style"
眼鏡販売店「G-スタイル」
大阪府大東市野崎1丁目6−22
Ph:
072-878-1168, FAX 072-803-4555
(Osaka-fu
Daitou-Shi, Nozaki 1-6-22, mail: info@gs-gstyle.jp)
Photo
courtesy of http://gs-gstyle.jp
On September 4, 2004, Steve McGowan, an African American and resident of Kyoto Prefecture, was recommending "G-style", an eyeglass store he had frequented before to a black South African friend. They were standing outside the shop when the owner, a Mr Narita Takashi, came outside and told McGowan and his friend to leave: "I don't like black people! Don't touch the door! Don't touch the shop window! Get over there!" [shooing them away and pointing across the street]. These statements are part of the court record in a lawsuit for racial discrimination filed in 2005. So is Narita's claim that shooed them because a neighbor phoned his store to warn him about two scary blacks outside his premises. Subsequent visits to the G-Style by both McGowan's wife (as well as Arudou Debito and other human rights activists; the conversation was tape-recorded) got Narita on record saying that he doesn't like black people, as he'd had a bad experience in Germany (involving a stolen bag and a prurient proposition) many years ago. When the owner refused to apologize (instead justifying this behavior to the press (Tokyo Shinbun Nov 4 2005, see website) as merely part of his personality), McGowan took Narita to Osaka District Court for 5.5 million yen damages. McGowan lost in Osaka District Court in January 2006 due to "insufficient language ability" on his part and for suing for the wrong thing--"racial discrimination" instead of "foreigner discrimination". The decision was overturned on appeal in McGowan's favor in October 2006 by the Osaka High Court, but with a nominal severance and no acknowledgement of racial discrimination being the specific cause of the refusal. Full details in English and Japanese at http://www.debito.org/mcgowanhanketsu.html. This case is included on the Rogues' Gallery as it has been confirmed both officially in court and by Arudou Debito in person that a refusal took place, and it was on the grounds of a customer being "a black person" and thus objectionable. --Arudou Debito
Fukushima-ku, Osaka City
Realtor
"Heartful" Fukushima, part of Kansai Kensetsu KK
Osaka-shi
Fukushima Ku Fukushima 7 chome 5-1 Ph
06-6455-7101
大阪市福島区福島7丁目5番1号 株式会社 関西建設福
島店 Ph
06-6455-7101
(More detailed scan in 300 dpi here)
Entry dated November 14, 2007. Notice the very clever logos at the bottom, for "Auto Lock", "Satellite TV", "Students Allowed", "Pianos Allowed", "Children Allowed", "Sink for Shampooing", "Pets Allowed", "Toilet and Bath Unit Separate", "Shower Included", "Flooring", "Piped in Radio", "Specially for Women", "Hot Water Pot Included", "Staff Constantly On Duty", "Cable TV", "Parking Allowed", "Handicapped Access", "Contract with Legal Entity", "Air Conditioning", "Elevator", "Rentable in Portions", "Furnished", "Phone Included", "Refrigerator Included", and finally... "Foreigners Allowed".
The logo
is
even abbreviated in the visual to "'Gaijin' allowed" for
your convenience. Thanks for making it so clear, I guess.
Very
Heartful.
You'll also notice that there is only one apartment
of the twelve on this page which will deign to take "gaijin"
(the very first one in the top left hand corner). And it's
nearly the cheapest and quite possibly the crappiest one on the
entire page–only a one-room (1R). What a coincidence.
What a
lovely way to welcome newcomers who have enough hurdles to jump
over
in this society, without having the most fundamental thing they
need
in their life–a place to rest their head every day–denied them
when they first arrive or need to move. Moreover relegate them
to
lousy housing regardless of income.
The fact that this company
is bold enough to make exclusionism so explicit (the realtor
will no
doubt counterargue that this is done by the landlord's wishes;
they're just following orders) makes them an accessory to the
discrimination in black and white. Debito.org wishes to
discourage this type of systematic discrimination in any way
possible, so the realtor gets put up on the "Rogues Gallery of
Exclusionary Establishments".
If you're looking for
apartments in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, I suggest someplace less
tolerant
of intolerance.
(More discussion of this entry on the Debito.org Blog, including answers to potential critics, at http://www.debito.org/index.php/?p=723)
Kurashiki
(Okayama Pref)
Bar Santa Monica
(岡山県倉
敷市阿智3ー4ー16、Ph.
086-434-8551)
(Rogues'
Gallery Monitor Arudou Debito displaying his proof of
citizenship
after being refused entry, in front of Santa Monica Bar,
Kurashiki,
July 11, 2004) (Report and
photos
courtesy Chad Edwards,
revised by Arudou Debito)
The author, a long-term Kurashiki
resident, and Rogues' Gallery monitor Arudou Debito, visited
nearby
port town Mizushima during the afternoon of July 16, 2003.
During
that trip, the ailing industrial/port town of Mizushima had
drinking/entertainment establishments with vaguely-worded
exclusionary signs posted outside. When Arudou Debito asked
about
possible entrance, even with proof of Japanese citizenship, the
establishments made clear that all foreign-looking customers
were in
fact not welcome.
On July 12, 2004, at
around 1:30 AM, I accompanied Arudou Debito to hankagai
Achi in Kurashiki City (a 2-minute walk from the
station). This is an international tourist destination,
featuring the
famed Bikan-Chiku
and the new Tivoli
Park (a copy of its
European sibling).
'...some 7 million people from all over Japan and abroad visit
Kurashiki every year--with good
reason"-
according to the Kurashiki
City
website.
The author was refused
from entering a drinking establishment about eight months
before, but
when we returned to the scene the shop was closed. So we went to
adjacent "Santa Monica", which had been until now known for
being open to foreigners. I entered alone and waited at the
admission
desk, but the manager didn't even acknowledge my presence. He
had a
Filipina hostess tell me in English, "Sorry but this
establishment is for Japanese only". After returning outside,
both Arudou Debito and I decided to re-enter Santa Monica
together
with Debito's Japanese passport in hand (see photo below). After
acknowledging that only Japanese may enter, the manager then
inspected Debito's Japanese passport, acknowledged that he was a
Japanese, then told him that there was neither enough staff nor
space
to accomodate us (on a slow Sunday night, no less). In reality,
two
large booths were open and most of the staff were assembled at a
nearby table--apparently waiting for customers. In any case,
entrance
was denied us.
(Arudou
Debito having his Japanese passport inspected by Santa Monica
manager, who refused to give his name, shortly before being
refused
entry. Monday, July 12, 2004, 1:30 AM)
(NB from website
monitor
Arudou Debito: This is not signposted
discrimination per
se, but as we have photos of us on the premises, and we can
attest
with photo evidence and as primary sources that this exclusion
happened, I have included this case on the Rogues' Gallery.)
STATUS
REPORT: Confirmed by Chad Edwards in December
2004, Santa
Monica no longer refuses foreign customers. Well, good.
After
all that.
CLUB "SAMA
SAMA"
Hiroshima-Shi Naka Tenchi 1-2, Hiroshima Dai Bldg
3F
CLUB サマ サマ 住所 広島市中天地1−2 広島代ビル3F 082−246−
2320
(The
sign is hard to see, but translating:
"NOTICE: WE
STRICTLY REFUSE ENTRY TO ORGANIZED CRIME AND THEIR AFFICIATES,
PEOPLE
IN THE WATER TRADES, OVERLY INTOXICATED PEOPLE, MINORS UNDER THE
AGE
OF 18, PEOPLE WHO HAVE CAUSED TROUBLE ON THE PREMISES, FOREIGNERS,
AND 'PROMOTERS' (SCOUTS FOR FEMALE TALENT). IF WE FIND YOU
ON
THE PREMISES, WE WILL ASK YOU TO LEAVE. YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE
A
REFUND.
WE ALSO RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE WE
CHOOSE. --CLUB SAMA SAMA)
(Photos
taken March 7, 2007, with a manager interfering with the photo
quality. Better res photos on their way.)
(入店拒否された東南アジア系帰化した日
本人よ
り本文:)
「ご無沙汰しております。昨日、広島で人権講演の仕事があって(2007年3月
8日)、その前の日(7日)から入っていました。男性友人(いわゆる日本人)二人と食事をしてその次に広島の繁華街に
あった紹介所を訪れました。紹介所で
は「インドネシアの女性がいる店でも良いか」と聞かれて「良い」と返事をしました。しばらくすると、そのインドネシアの女性
などがいる店【サマ サマ】の
従業員が来て私たちを案内してくれた。そしてお店の中に入りました。
「入って座るやいなや奥の方から男性が走って来て「すみなせん、外人は駄目なん
です」って言いました。私はたまたまパスポートを持っていたので「国籍は日本人なんですよ」って言いました。でも「見た目が
外国人なので退室してくださ
い」って言われました。そして店の外に出された後に、店の外に書いてあった看板を見せられました。そこには、外国人が断りと
書いてあった。写真を取ろうと
したときに邪魔されましたで少しぶれていますが、その写真も添付いたしました。いかがいたしましょう。」
REPORT
FROM
THE PHOTOGRAPHER (A Southeast Asian
naturalized
Japanese citizen. Japanese original, translated by Arudou
Debito):
"Long time no see. Yesterday I had a
speech in Hiroshima on March 8, 2007, but I arrived in Hiroshima
the
night before . I met with a guy friend (Japanese by
birth), and
went for dinner, then a night out on the town. The place
he
introduced me to would have Indonesian hostesses, and he asked
me if
that would be okay. Yes. We went inside SAMA SAMA
and
were shown to a table by the management.
"As soon as we had sat down, one of the male staff came up to us and said, 'Excuse me, Gaijin are not allowed in here.' I just happened to have my passport on me and explained that I am in fact a Japanese. However, he replied, 'You look foreign, so kindly leave.' After he kicked me out, he pointed to the sign outside with said exclusionary policy. When I tried to take a picture, the manager got in the way, so they're a little shaky. Enclosed. What should I do now?" [NB: I recommended a lawyer. Probably more news to come.]
BAR SUMATRA TIGER
Hiroshima-shi,
Naka-ku, Yagenbori 7-9. Sanwa Bld
2F
広島市中区薬研堀7−9、さんわビル2F
http://www.sumatratiger.com/
Storefront
photo:
http://flickr.com/photos/39096278@N00/391050530/in/photostream/
(Photo
taken around March 3 2007)
REPORT
FROM
THE SUBMITTER (edited): "I don't
know if
this is a new one for your wall, but I couldn't find any mention
of
it online. First, some background:
"Hiroshima has
seen its share of suspicious behavior from the police in recent
months; dance clubs were shut down in violation of a
never-enforced
dancing permit. Almost all clubs in Hiroshima allow
dancing,
but only one club holds such a permit.
"When these raids were conducted,
"gaijin bars" and clubs were a particular target. The
police often sorted the club patrons into three groups:
Japanese,
military, and foreigner. The Japanese were "released"
immediately, the others often required to stay for
questioning.
http://www.gethiroshima.com/en/gethiroshima/Hype/2006/05/18/barcoraid
http://www.gethiroshima.com/en/gethiroshima/Hype/2006/09/09/coverraid
http://www.gethiroshima.com/en/gethiroshima/Hype/2006/10/29/andthatsofficial
http://www.gethiroshima.com/en/gethiroshima/Hype/2006/07/12/barcoraid_videos
http://www.gethiroshima.com/en/gethiroshima/Hype/2006/06/06/barcostatement
"Being
so close to Hiroshima, US military soldiers often come into the
city
on Fridays and Saturdays to the less reputable parts of
town. I
will be the first to admit I find their presence a little
intimidating at times: - they don't speak Japanese or bother to
learn
the customs - often they only come to have one-night stands with
whatever Japanese girls they can find - many are agressive when
drunk
- a foreigner was assaulted last night by a member of the
military
while talking on his keitai to his mother (just standing on the
side
of the street).
"El Barco, an advertised "international
bar", was probably most affected by these raids. Its
clientele consisting mostly of eastern European girls and US
military
forces, it was an easily identifiable target for the koban in
these
raids. I will be the first to admit I find this area a
little
seedy, and the military personnel a little scary at times.
"I don't know when it was posted, but I discovered this sign (picture attached) on a club, Sumatra Tiger, adjacent to El Barco. Wouldn't such a sign demand that all foreigners (at least, "American-looking" foreigners) present their gaijin cards as proof that they are civilians working in Japan, and not affiliated with the US military? And of course, I assume no private club has the right to make such a demand, only the koban or government officials."
COMMENT FROM GALLERY MODERATOR: I rather agree that a bar is not the best place to face drunk young military types, and can understand a certain degree of trepidation both from bar owner and client. However, this is a place which is restricting entry to non-Japanese, which falls under the purview of the Rogues' Gallery. It is also important, as the submitter says, to see how this policy is actually enforced--and if all "foreigners" will be treated as "military" on appearance alone. Anyone want to drop by this place and find out?--Arudou Debito
Kokura,
Kitakyushu
City (Fukuoka Pref)
Restaurant
"Jungle"
レストラン「ジャングル」
@(有)ピー・ケイ・ティー
北九州市小倉北区鍛冶町1-7-4 かじまち会館3F
Kitakyushu-shi
Kokura Kita-ku Kajimachi 1-7-4, Kajimachi Kaikan 3F
Ph:
093-512-7123, FAX 093-512-7124
(Photo
taken by Arudou Debito November 5, 2006)
On November 3, 2006, during the JALT National Conference at Kitakyushu, a JALT member was refused entry to the above restaurant. Reason given was that the establishment was full, even though to the refusee it visibly had open tables. The person who was refused informed Rogues' Gallery moderator Arudou Debito at the conference after one of his presentations, and volunteer Jessica tracked down the site.
On November 4, at around 9PM, Arudou Debito, Jessica, and four other friends (including Ivan Hall, author of CARTELS OF THE MIND) went to the restauant in question. Arudou first went in alone and the manager, a Mr Matsubara Tatsuya, indeed tried to refuse him entry by claiming the restaurant was full. A quick walk around the restaurant confirmed that the establishment, with at least eight large tables plus counter space, was in fact almost completely empty. When it was clear that Arudou and Matsubara could communicate in Japanese, Matsubara then switched tacks and offered him counter space. Arudou then brought in his friends and confirmed that they could have a table.
Arudou and friends then confirmed (after being seated and ordering drinks) that a) Matsubara did refuse foreigners entry, b) because he cannot communicate in English--he finds it his "nemesis" (nigate), c) and because he finds foreigners frightening (kowai). When asked if he had ever had any bad experiences or altercations with non-Japanese customers, Matsubara said no. He just (for reasons never made very clear) did not want to have to deal with them. When Arudou and friends softly and calmly pointed out that a) non-Japanese are customers too, with money, not to mention language abilities (or at least forefingers to point to items on the menu), b) refusing them entry hurts their feelings, as it did the person refused the previous evening,c) that welcoming customers was part of the job description of his line of work (kyaku shoubai), he apologized and said he would try harder not to refuse non-Japanese customers in future. The irony of the situation was that at the end of our drinks, one of the waiters who attended us (a student at the local technical college) talked to us in very good English. Why couldn't Matsubara just have passed any customer with whom he was unable to communicate on to his staff?
We look forward to future reports from readers of this website who might wish to investigate this restaurant in future to see if Matsubara keeps his promise.
(NB from website monitor Arudou Debito: This is not signposted discrimination per se, but Rogues' Gallery monitor Arudou Debito personally confirmed the exclusionism (and was witnessed by third parties), I have included this case on the Rogues' Gallery.)
UPDATE
DECEMBER
22, 2006:
Status: On
hold. The Fukuoka Bureau of Human Rights (jinken
yougobu) is giving me the
runaround. Nearly
two months later, they have still not called JUNGLE to confirm
whether or not they refused us. He wants to hear the story
directly from the person originally refused before proceeding
further... Useless organization! The Kitakyushu City
Tourist
Board, however, has since phoned the place and told them to
stoppit.
Fine.
UPDATE JANUARY
2007: The person who was
refused
has talked to the BOHR directly about what happened to him.
But
we have heard nothing from them since.
More on my blog at:
http://www.debito.org/index.php/?p=81
Uruma City
Gushikawa
(Okinawa Pref)
B-BALL Billiards Hall
(うるま市具志川緑町4-8-10 Ph
(098) 975-0205、ビリヤードの店舗)
(Photos
taken May 13, 2006, courtesy Jeff Norman)
Jeff Norman reports: "I ran into the manager of this store and asked him about this policy... He stated that it wasn't discrimination just that no one was able to speak English there. When I asked him if there were a large number of foreign pool players, he said no and that there had never been a problem with any foreign patrons. He went on to add that he had spoken with an American relative by marriage and that relative had suggested to him that he do this to avoid any trouble. He claimed that he would consider my opinion on the matter. The amazing thing here is that there really doesn't appear to be any need for this sign or discriminatory policy at all, but yet it exists. Lastly, the question that is always left in my mind is how can a 'Japanese Only' sign not be considered discriminatory?"
Okinawa
City
Moromizato (Okinawa Pref)
Karaoke Hall Maimu
(沖縄市諸見里1−1−2 Ph
(098)
931-9114、カラオケの店舗)
Website: http://www.top-music.co.jp/sub_30.html
(Courtesy
Maimu Website)
(Note exclusionary sign on left wall before the staircase.)
(Photos taken July 14, 2013, courtesy of Justin. Click on photo with sign to expand in browser)
Submitter Justin notes: “Shop is located near Kadena US Air Force base. While these signs are a step up from completely discriminating against all NJ, it is ridiculous that they can get a sign saying people who can't speak Japanese are not admitted, but can't have someone translate a paper listing the 'rules and regulations of the shop' in English.” Quite. And the English translation is quite good too, so this “language barrier” feels more like an excuse just to exclude like the ones proffered by Onsen Yunohana back in 2001. The Moderator also wonders how Maimu will be testing customers' language ability, what the sufficient linguistic thresholds are to “pass”, and if it will be only be enforced on people who “look foreign”.
MISCELLANEOUS
EXCLUSIONARY SIGNS
Photos
of these signs were taken by well-meaning people, some with hazy
memories of time and place, or difficulty in reconfirming.
I
still include them in the Rogues' Gallery to show that the
problem is
more widespread than many people (some of whom claim that this
discrimination is a non-issue, because these are isolated
incidents
or the sample size is too small) might think. How bad do things
have
to get, how many places have to put signs up and refuse
customers by
race and appearance alone, before people admit there is a
problem of
racial discrimination in modern Japan?
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 sign is now down as of February 2008, thanks to others contacting the restaurant and encouraging the management to reconsider.
Above:
Hotel sign, location unclear (probably Tokyo)
Sign
refuses all foreigners, drunks, and organized crime members--in
that
order. Pity that being drunk or a hitman are a matter of
personal
volition.
In any case, keep in mind that refusals
at hotels in Japan are violations of Article 5 the Hotel
Management
Law (ryokan gyouhou),
which clearly
states that people can only be refused
on the
grounds of all rooms being full, a clear threat of contagious
disease, or a threat to "public morals" (fuuki).
Visa status or language ability are not adequate grounds. Thus
refusing people accommodation (unlike refusing them, say, a bath
or a
meal) only because they are foreign is clearly illegal in Japan.
Download
the letter of the law in Japanese here and
present it at any exclusionary hotel in Japan. If even then they
flout the law, try going to the police if you like, law in hand,
and
see what happens. Good luck.
Above: Nightlife in Tokyo
Ikebukuro (Toshima-ku Ikebukuro 1-3).
The
website monitor tracked down the organization listed in subtext
as
sponsoring this sign, the Tokyo
Bouhan
Kenzen Kyouryoku Kai (Tokyo Crime
Prevention
and Health Association), because it sounds like a government
organization (and the Japanese government had better not be
using
taxpayer money on something like this!). After a Google
search,
calls to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the National Police
Agency, and the organization itself revealed that it is a
private
organization without public funding.
When asked to take the
signs they sponsored down, the group refused, claiming "Gaijin
don't obey our rules. They cause trouble."
This
photo has been relegated to the "Miscellaneous" section
because it was found in front of a business not quite catering
to the
general public, something we generally don't like to touch
because it
blurs the issue. Nevertheless, it is still an exclusionary
sign, displayed in violation of international treaty, which
will, as
history has shown, encourage copycatting in other, more
everyday
industries if left unchallenged.
(Photo
taken April 30, 2006, courtesy of Mr Perkins)
Above:
Sign in unconfirmed place, allegedly a bar in Hiroshima.
Until
the Rogues' Gallery monitor can confirm the exact location
(bar's
name and address) of this sign, it will remain in the
"Miscellaneous"
section, alas.
(Photo taken March
23, 2006, courtesy of KD)
LOCATIONS
WITH OPEN-DOOR POLICIES FOR NON-JAPANESE CUSTOMERS
Yes,
there are places out there which publicly recognize that
refusing
customers due to the color of skin or passport is not cricket,
and
they should be known about here to provide balance. The Nago
Bar
and Restaurant Association in Nago, Okinawa, is bucking
the trend
with open-door signs (since Okinawan refusals of American
soldiers--therefore all foreigners--are Legion). Well and good.
May
these businesses prosper.
Nago (Okinawa
Prefecture)
(click
on picture above for enlarged image)
Photos taken October
2003. The business displaying it:
The
"77 Cafe Bar" has the open-door policy sign in the top
left-hand corner of the front door. Bravo!
Thanks very much!
Wishing you great prosperity.
Saitama
(Saitama
Prefecture)
Open-door realtor signs sponsored by the
prefecture. Bravo!
Courtesy of the LetsJapan Blog,
August
2008
http://www.letsjapan.markmode.com/index.php/2008/08/25/foreigner-friendlier-area/
and
http://www.debito.org/?p=1882
Want
to do something about this rising exclusionism in Japan?
See my WHAT
TO
DO IF site and click on the
relevant
links!
Are you tired of "JAPANESE
ONLY" signs appearing on businesses nationwide?
GO
TO INFORMATION SITE FOR ORDERING
"WELCOME NON-JAPANESE
CUSTOMERS"
DEBITO.ORG
STICKERS
FOR YOUR BUSINESSES WITH OPEN-DOOR POLICIES
|
Show how internationally-minded some
of your neighbors are! Get yourself a |
NOTE: This offer is completely independent of my book "JAPANESE ONLY" (Akashi Shoten 2006), but it is a good way to raise awareness of the issue. Most people would rather pretend these signs don't exist. Too bad. They do. Keep the issue alive in the public eye in the best of satirical traditions by wearing your heart on your sleeve, and the sign on your chest! |
|
mentioned
abovementioned abovementioned
above
And
while I'm at it: If you want to read more about one of the
cases mentioned abovementioned
above:
"Japanese
Only--The
Otaru Onsen Refusals and Racial Discrimination in Japan"
By
Arudou Debito
ISBN
4-7503-2005-6
(Click
here-- or on the Book Cover above --to visit a special site
with
news, book reviews, and more!)
SAMPLE REVIEWS:
"A reasoned and spirited denunciation of national prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry. It's not that the Japanese have all that much more of it than anyone else, but that they lack an interface to fight it. This lively accounting will help them find it." ---Donald Richie
"An important, trailblazing work that will go down in the annals of civil activist journals... Will be the book of reference on the subject for decades to come and should be required reading for anyone studying social protest." --Robert Whiting, author, The Meaning of Ichiro, You've Gotta have Wa, and Tokyo Underworld.
"A powerful, poignant, and path-breaking docu-narrative." ---Ivan Hall, author, Cartels of the Mind and Bamboozled.
(More reviews and ordering details at http://www.debito.org/ japaneseonly.html)
NEW!
HANDBOOK
FOR NEWCOMERS, MIGRANTS, AND IMMIGRANTS TO JAPAN SECOND
EDITION (incorporating the 2012 changes to the Immigration
Law)
(ARUDOU Debito and HIGUCHI Akira,
Akashi
Shoten Inc, English and furigana
Japanese, March 2008)
Table
of Contents, reviews, ordering procedures, and book excerpt
here.
ISBN 978-4-7503-2741-9, 372 pages, price 2300 yen plus
tax
TWO OF SEVERAL REVIEWS (more at link immediately above):
"In this important and necessary book the authors address migrants and immigrants to Japan in saying that "we believe that your life in Japan should be under as much of your control as legally possible." That it sometimes seems not to be, is the reason for their having written this handbook... The wise newcomer, be he or she nascent migrant or not, is hereby counseled to acquire this valuable volume and render life in Japan not only possible but practical and pleasurable as well." (Read full review)
--Donald Richie, The Japan Times Asian Bookshelf column, April 20, 2008.
"Higuchi
and Arudou's HANDBOOK promises to be the second passport
for foreigners in Japan. It provides a map to
navigate the legal, economic, and social mazes of
contemporary Japanese life. Practical and
affordable, clear and concise, the Handbook should
contribute not only to a better life for newcomers to
Japan but also to a more humane society in Japan."
--Dr John Lie, Dean
of International and Area Studies, University of
California at Berkeley, and author of MULTIETHNIC JAPAN. More reviews here....
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