OSAKA - A ramen shop in Osaka’s Minami district has found itself at the center of controversy after introducing what is known as “dual pricing,” setting different prices for Japanese customers and foreign visitors, prompting questions over fairness as similar pricing structures are increasingly debated at tourist destinations across Japan.
The shop, popular for its rich tonkotsu soy sauce “Iekei”-style ramen, draws large crowds daily, but a dispute emerged on January 4 when a foreign tourist objected to the price charged for a bowl of ramen.
According to Yusuke Arai of the Wagoya Group, which operates the restaurant, the customer ordered from the menu designed for inbound tourists and ate the meal without issue, but became angry afterward and demanded a refund. The standard ramen listed on the Japanese-language menu costs 1,000 yen, while the foreign-language menu offers a version with additional toppings priced at 2,300 yen.
Arai explained that the restaurant intentionally limits options on the foreign-language menu, offering only carefully selected combinations to avoid mistakes with toppings and ensure consistent quality. Because the customer had ordered a different menu item, the shop refused a refund, which escalated into a dispute. After staff warned they would contact police, the tourist apologized and left.
Arai said the decision to introduce dual pricing was made with full awareness of the risks. “I knew that charging different prices is common overseas, and I expected issues like this to happen sooner or later,” he said, adding that the restaurant plans to continue the system and use the additional revenue to improve employee wages and working conditions.
Reactions among foreign tourists have been mixed. An Australian visitor said the practice was unfair and argued that the same price should apply to everyone, while a tourist from Canada said higher prices for visitors were acceptable given their status as tourists.
The issue was further explained by broadcaster Shinobu Nakatani, who noted that dual pricing typically means charging different prices for the same product based on nationality. In this case, however, the ordering system clearly states, in Japanese, that selecting a non-Japanese language results in different product specifications and prices. Customers choosing Japanese can customize noodle firmness and flavor strength for 1,000 yen, while those selecting other languages are offered a fixed, pre-customized bowl for 2,300 yen.
Restaurant staff said accommodating non-Japanese speakers can slow operations at ramen shops, where turnover speed is crucial, and that simplifying the menu helps ensure quality while reducing communication difficulties.
Similar pricing systems exist overseas. At the Louvre Museum in France, admission fees will rise from January 14 to about 4,000 yen for visitors from Europe and roughly 5,900 yen for those from outside the region to help fund maintenance work. At Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, Cambodian nationals enter for free, while foreign visitors pay around 5,800 yen to support conservation efforts.
In Japan, discussion of dual pricing is also advancing. National museums and art galleries have considered higher admission fees for foreign visitors, citing the cost of multilingual services and the fact that public funding covers more than half of operating expenses. Some estimates suggest charging foreign tourists around 5,800 yen.
There have also been cases where such plans were shelved. Himeji Castle considered raising admission fees for foreign visitors by nearly four times in 2024 as an overtourism countermeasure, but dropped the idea amid opposition to distinguishing prices by nationality. Instead, from March this year, the city will charge 1,000 yen for residents and 2,500 yen for non-residents.
Experts say that if dual pricing is introduced, operators should clearly explain price differences and provide added value that makes the higher cost understandable.
Source: YOMIURI
