…and by you I mean the gaijin contingent of our readership. Which is most of you, I presume. Most of the stuff we publish here probably isn’t news to the Japanese (is there some lonely otaku out there running ‘Gaijin Menace‘? I wonder…).
Anyway, if you’re planning a trip to Japan, you might want to steer clear of any quaint Japanese bed-and-breakfast operations you find in the sticks - turns out they don’t like us hairy, smelly Westerners.
Japan’s countryside is dotted with thousands of small, old-fashioned lodgings called “ryokans.” Many are family run and offer only traditional Japanese food and board, such as raw seafood delicacies, simple straw-mat floors and communal hot spring baths.
Some such establishments have barred foreign guests in the past, leading to lawsuits and government fines for discrimination.
The survey carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs shows that 72 percent of establishments that didn’t have foreign customers in the past year don’t want any, and the majority are ryokans and hotels with fewer than 30 rooms. Such businesses said they are unable to support foreign languages and that their facilities are not suited to foreigners.
If you are going to the Olympics (you lucky bastard!) or if you just plan to visit Beijing anytime soon, the ever-helpful BBC has gone and made a guide for stupid tourists so they don’t get too lost. Our British friends have made a list of the best places to buy food, eat out, get plastered, and provide useful advice on riding the subway and how to tell if you’re eating good Peking duck. All of which is vital to having a good time in China.
