Service and Tipping in Japan
One of the most pleasant aspects of living in Japan is getting excellent service wherever you go, whether it's at a restaurant or having your tank filled by cheerful employees who will wipe your windshield and get rid of any trash in your car for you. At the hot springs hotel I stayed at last weekend, I was impressed with the amount of effort the staff put in for us, bringing the multi-course meals and laying out the futons and making sure we knew where all the baths in the hotel were located. One might be tempted to think that the staff was going out of their way because we were foreign visitors, but that wasn't my impression: if you are the okyaku-sama (the word that covers the English concepts of guest, visitor and customer) you will be treated well. Ironically, no matter how good the service is, you can't show your appreciation by tipping. Although the Japanese have imported many customs from the West, from Western furniture and clothing to medicine, the custom of tipping doesn't exist in Japan at all.
The year 1955 is alive and well at Japanese gas stations.
posted by Peter in Japan at 7:26 PM
10 Comments:
I prefer it without tips. In America, tips don't show appreciation for good work any more, but instead are expected by even those who give the worst service.
1:30 AM
That seems so strange, but nice, about the gas stations. The one "full-service" station I knew of closed a long time ago in my town. Do you have the choice of self-serve and full-serve in Japan? Pics I have seen of "gasorin-sutando" look like American self-serve places.
1:31 AM
Peter,
About the word "okyaku-sama", is the "u" pronounced silently like it is in "suki"? I often here that word on the Tokyo Metro announcments, but I never here the final u...
2:08 AM
Yes, PeterD, and I really hate it when the tips are part of the bill, whether you want to pay or not.
Timo, about 80% of the gas stations are full service, and you pay the same almost all the time, so I prefer full service.
2:20 AM
Katchuu, it's one of those words that you say all at once, e.g. o-KYAKU-sama, even though my rights it each syllable should be pronounced. I guess like "suki" or "desu," it's shortened since it's said so often.
2:23 AM
Is there something a guest/customer does that's parallel to tipping, then? Gifts or something? I know gifts are a big Thing....
(PeterD, I think that's because the minimum wage for table-waiting et al. is so abominably low, they half-live off the tips and are desperate, if clueless.)
Corgi
9:28 AM
I agree with PeterD. There was a time when a restaurant server told a family friend of mine that she was missing $1 of tips. Service weren't that great either. Tips shouldn't be an obligation. I would have be glad to pay tips to anyone that give great service.
9:30 AM
In the UK we seem to be halfway between Japan and the US when it comes to tips - unless you're at a really posh restaurant or hotel, generally workers don't expect a tip. But it's a nice surprise for them if they get one.
I don't think we really have any kind of "obligation" to tip people who serve us. It does come down to what kind of service you get and how you feel about the person who is serving you.
3:24 PM
That's nice, you still have the option to make their day with an extra large tip if they went out of there way to do their job well. I remember being surprised in Italy, the old women who wouldn't let you leave the men's room until you'd plopped down your tip.
4:42 PM
An onsen hotel I stay at often (on business) is so dedicated to good service that they keep track of what I do and eat during each of my visits. Last time I was there, they changed my dinner menu slightly and informed me that this was to make sure that I didn't eat the same things again and tried some different local flavours. They remembered that even though all gaijin get L-sized yukatas by default, I had once asked for an S and so they always keep an S-sized yukata in my room now. They even suggested I try the one onsen that I hadn't tried yet to make sure that all that travel and business stress just washes away. Two-thumbs up for Japanese service at ryokans!
9:52 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home