Japanese store puts up sign criticising foreign customers for ‘bad manners’

A store in Japan has put up a sign imploring foreign customers to practice good manners.

The sign, written in English, was spotted in a second-hand video game store, and was recently shared on the Japan Moments Facebook page.

It contained a list of “requests for foreign customers”.

“We are very troubled by the many violations of manners by foreigners,” the sign read.

“These are bad manners.”

The sign took aim at tourists who picked up items and put them back in the wrong place, opened the packaging before purchasing an item, brought food and drinks into the store, and littered in the store.

The store also reminded customers that most staff didn’t speak English.

“Please prepare an image of what you are looking for or make an effort to speak Japanese,” the sign read.

On Facebook, the photo of the sign garnered more than 40,000 reactions and thousands of comments – which were mostly supportive of the store.

“Good for them,” one user wrote. “Frankly I wish all stores had a code of conduct to protect staff from abusive customers.”

Another wrote: “I always attempt to speak the language of the host country. It’s respectful and people are often more willing to help just by you making the attempt.”

It’s not the first time a Japanese store has called out the etiquette of foreign customers.

Last year, a Twitter user shared a photo of a sign at a convenience store in Japan, posted on the steamed bun display case.

While written in Japanese, the sign was addressed to foreigners, and asked them to stop pointing at the buns and saying “kore” (“this”), instead requesting they use the more polite phrase: “Nikuman kudasai” (“can I have a steamed bun, please?”).

Commenters were quick to point out the problems with the sign – that aside from it being discriminatory, it relied on foreigners being able to read Japanese to understand it.

According to SoraNews24, the sign was eventually removed and the convenience store apologised, saying it aimed to be a store where all customers could shop comfortably.