January 16, 2020

Summary of the Year Since the Launch of the "Consumer Hotline for Tourists"- 65% of the inquiries are in Chinese -NCAC launched the Consumer Hotline for Tourists in December 2018 to offer telephone
consultation that overseas visitors to Japan can use if they experience consumer detriment
while visiting Japan. The Consumer Hotline for Tourists is accessible in six different languages(i.e. English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese) with use of interpretation
service through a three-way call system.
One year has passed since the launch of the Consumer Hotline for Tourists. NCAC would
like to introduce what kinds of inquiries have been received so that it may be helpful to those
who are going to visit Japan.
1. Overview of inquiries by PIO-NET 1(1) Number of inquiries
The number of inquiries received since the Consumer Hotline for Tourists opened on
December 3rd, 2018, has reached 283 inquiries 2 in 12 months since the end of November
2019.
Breaking down the number of inquiries by month, it can be seen gradually increasing, andsince the 2019 fiscal year, more than 20 inquiries have been received every month. October
2019 in particular was the period when the Rugby World Cup was held, which seems to be oneof causes that increased the number of tourists visiting Japan (Fig. 1)
Figure 1 Number of received inquiries by month
50
40
30
20
10
0

43
18

17

12

15

22

20

25

27

29

28

27

1 PIO-NET (Practical Living Information Online Network System) is a database that connects NCAC, the consumer
affairs centers throughout Japan and others and store information of inquiries related to consumer life.
2 From the records up until November 30, 2019, includes “Inquiries”.

1(2) Number of inquiries by language
Breaking down inquiries received by the helpline into languages available for interpretation,
168 (59%) of all the inquiries were in Chinese, 74 (26%) inquiries were in English. Thisaccounts for about 85% of the total inquiries. Inquiries in Japanese were also received. This
includes not only cases with a Japanese speaking person asking for a consultation but there
are also cases in which a friend (a Japanese national) of a person asking for a consultation
makes an inquiry. (Fig. 2)
Figure 2 Number and ratio of inquiries by languages (n = 283)

(3) Attributes of inquirers
In principle, the Consumer Hotline for Tourists is intended for tourists to Japan, but
inquiries from foreign nationals residing in or out of Japan are sometimes received. The totalof 283 inquiries consists of 195 (69%) from tourists to Japan (69%), 74 (26%) from foreign
nationals living in Japan, and 14 (5%) from foreign nationals outside of Japan. When receiving
inquiries from people other than visitors to Japan, the helpline staff listens to the contents of
the inquiry and introduces an appropriate consultation service.
2. Overview of inquiries from inbound tourists to Japan(1) Breakdown by timing of inquiries
Categorizing the number of inquiries from tourists to Japan (195 cases, the same applies
hereinafter) by the timing in which inquiries were received: before, during or after tourists
visit Japan, 118 (60%) were received from tourists during their visit to Japan, which is thegreatest number. However, the number of inquiries received after the person’s visit to Japanwas 70 (36%), and they include cases in which the issues were not resolved while the tourists
were in Japan and cases in which inquiries were received from those who found issues after
leaving Japan. Inquiries received before the person’s visit account for 4%, and they include
problems such as cancellation charges when they cancelled the hotel they booked on areservation website. (Fig. 3)

2

Figure 3 Number and ratio of inquiries by

Figure 4

Number and ratio of inquiries

consultation timing (n = 195)

by supported language (n = 195)

(2) Breakdown by language
Inquiries from tourists to Japan are received in Chinese the most frequently, followed by
English, but the percentage of Chinese is slightly higher than the total number of inquiries
received at the Consumer Hotline for Tourists. (Fig. 4)(3) Breakdown by country/region of residence
The inquirers can opt to mention their country/region of residence. The breakdown showsthat China has the highest number at 93 inquiries, followed by Taiwan and Korea. Australia
has the highest number in English speaking countries at 11 inquiries. In addition, inquiries
are also received from countries and regions with native languages other than the five
supported at the Consumer Hotline for Tourists, but most of them are dealt with in English.
(Table 1)
Table 1 Number of inquiries by country of residence / region (n = 195)
Country of
Residence

No. ofinquiries

Country of
Residence

No. ofinquiries

China

93

Canada6

Taiwan27

Thailand

6

Korea

13

Philippines

2

Australia

11

Belgium

2

Hong Kong

11

United Kingdom

2

United States

7

Others (*)

7

Singapore

6

Unknown2*: One each for Israel, India, Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand,
France and Malaysia

3(4) Breakdown by type of products/services
Breaking down inquiries by type of products/services, accommodation facilities was the mostcommon at 49 cases, with many trouble cases related to hotels, traditional Japanese inns, andprivate lodging house (Accommodation field). Next, 24 cases are related to eating out and mealdeliveries, and they include problems about menu descriptions and billed amounts (Eating-out
field). In addition, inquiries related to health foods, cosmetics, bags, watches and others werereceived as trouble cases related to shopping such as quality, returns and refunds (Shopping
field). Rental, lease and lending and borrowing are mainly inquiries about car rental.
Furthermore, several inquiries about passenger transport services including railways, buses,
and air navigation have been received (Transportation field).
There are also complaints about the effects of cosmetic surgeries performed in Japan in thefield of Medical care and complaints about guides of sightseeing tours belong to the field ofTravel agencies. (Table 2)(5) Breakdown by products/services and language
Breaking down the number of inquiries by products/services and supported languages, it
seems that there is not much difference among countries and regions regarding
accommodation facilities and eating out / meal deliveries.
However, the number of inquiries related to shopping such as health foods, cosmetics, bags
and watches is mostly in Chinese, so you can see that shopping-related problems mainly occur
to Chinese tourists visiting Japan.
Table 2 Number of inquiries by products/services (top 10 items) (n = 195)
No.
ofinquiries

Goods & Services
1

Accomodation facilities

49

2

Eating out & meal deliveries

24

3

Health foods
Rental, leaseborrowing
Medical care

16

4

&

lending

&

10
10

6

Cosmetics

9

7

Travel agencies

8

Bags

7

Watches78

10 Passenger transport services*: □: Shopping field.

4

6

Accomodation
facilities

Eating out &meal deliveries

Health foods
Rental, lease &lending &borrowing

Medical care

Cosmetics

Travel agencies

Bags

Watches
Passenger
transport
services

Table 3 Number of inquiries by products/services and languages (n =195)

English

14

8

0

3

1

0

2

0

1

3

Chinese

26

13

16

7

6

8

4

6

6

1

Korean

3

2

0

0

2

0

1

0

0

1

Thai

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

Vietnamese

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Japanese

4

1

0

0

1

1

1

1

0

0

*: □: Shopping field.
3. Sampling of common inquiries
Inquiries from tourists in Japan are mainly related to consumer problems on a trip, andmainly the four categories of accommodation, eating-out, shopping and transportation are thetypical contents of inquiries from tourists in Japan.
(1) Accommodation field[Case 1] I found a hostel with good reviews and booked the hostel. Actually, the room was too
dirty to stay.
I booked a hostel, which was highly rated on the hotel reservation website, for seven nights
with six family members. However, as soon as we arrived in Japan and entered the room, wefound it had a strong smell of cigarettes and sewage, the sofa was torn, and the electrical outlet
was defective. I immediately informed the reservation website and contacted the owner. The
owner said that a discount would be applied and asked us to stay. However, the room was muchdirtier and smellier compared to what was shown on the reservation website and the condition
was not good enough to stay. We did not stay even for one night there and found another hotel.
We would like to be refunded the fee for an accommodation that we actually did not use.
(Received in October 2019, Thai)[Case 2] When we arrived at a private lodging house, the owner was out and there was no way
to enter the house. We had to sleep outside.
I booked a private lodging house on a reservation website for a trip of a group of five. The
appointed check-in time was between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., but we arrived past 8:00 p.m.
due to flight delays. We had informed the owner that we would be late in advance, but when
we arrived 30 minutes late, the owner was absent so we could not get the key or contact
them. When I contacted the reservation website, I was told that I had to visit there at the5same time the next day so I was forced to sleep in the open that night.
(Received in July 2019, English)(2) Eating-out field[Case 3] At a restaurant, I was charged for an expensive cover charge, which was totally
unexpected.
After we had dinner for two at a restaurant, we checked the total bill for food and drink,
and we found that we were being charged 4,300 yen even though we ordered only for 2,500
yen. I was suspicious and asked for the store manager, and the manager explained that it
was for a starter (compulsory). I was familiar with starters, but nothing was explained when
I ordered, and it was not listed on the menu. I thought it was quite expensive, but I did notwant to have an unpleasant experience while travelling, so I paid and left. However, I reallycannot accept that the starter was more expensive than the food expenses, nothing was
explained to me and I was charged one-sidedly by them.
(Received in September 2019, Japanese (the country of residence is Korea)[Case 4] At a Japanese-style bar (izakaya), we ordered 4 portions of hot pot dish, but we werecharged for 8 portions.
Last night, I visited an izakaya with a total of ten people and ordered 550-yen hot pots.
Before ordering, I asked a floor staff member to confirm if it was okay to have one pot for two
people, but my question was not understood because of the language barrier. A Chinesespeaking staff member came from the back and said, "OK." That is why I ordered four hotpots
with the total price of slightly more than 2,000 yen. This hot pot dish can be ordered by two or
more people at 550 yen per person, and the actual billed amount was 4,400 yen, the amountfor eight people. It is unreasonable to be charged the amount for eight people, even after I
confirmed with the staff member in Chinese before ordering. Moreover, I feel that the menu inforeign languages at the restaurant shows higher prices than the Japanese one.
(Received in May 2019, Chinese)[Case 5] After drinking alcohol at a bar in downtown, I was charged a hefty fee.
I visited Japan to watch the Rugby World Cup and was guided by a woman I had just met
and visited a bar. I tried to pay by card when leaving the bar, but I was told that there was anerror so I paid in cash. I was later charged about 2 million yen by my credit card company.
(Received in October 2019, English)(3) Shopping Field[Case 6] I wanted to return a luxury watch to a shop because I found the same product soldat a lower price in another shop, but the seller didn't accept product return.
6

I bought a luxury watch at a duty-free shop, but I found the same product sold at a lower
price at a different shop, so I went back to the shop where I bought the watch the next day
and tried to return it, but the shop said that it was impossible to return it at my own
convenience.
(Received in January 2019, Chinese)[Case 7] At a duty-free shop which I was taken to during a packaged tour, a tour guide gave
me false information.
A guide in a tour bus gave explanations such as "all Japanese people use this", "the prices
are the same no matter where you buy them in Japan", and so immediately, at a duty-free
shop I was guided to, I purchased goods including nutritional supplements, an electric facialmachine, and facial masks, which are worth about 14,000 yen in total. Later, I found out thatmost of the products I purchased were sold at much lower prices at other stores than the
duty-free shop and that these products are rarely sold to Japanese people but mainly totourists in Japan. I told the guide that I wanted to return the products, but they told me that
it was impossible. What can I do?
(Received in June 2019, Chinese)[Case 8] A brand cosmetic product I bought seems to be fake. I want to return the product, but
the seller doesn't accept product return.
I bought four cosmetic products from a famous Japanese brand at a store in a downtown
area that I happened to visit, but two of them were similar to examples of fake products shownon the brand's official website. I was not sure about the remaining cosmetics, but they also
seemed to be fake, so I revisited the store and told them that I wanted to return all thecosmetics that I purchased, but they told me that they could not accept the request.
(Received in October 2019, Chinese)(4) Transportation field[Case 9] Although I bought rental car insurance, I was told that car damage was not coveredby the insurance.
When I returned a rental car I had booked on the internet after using it, I was told that the
car had a scratch and I would be charged 30,000 yen for the repair. I told them that I wanted
to cover it with the insurance I enrolled into when I signed up for the contact, yet they said
that it was impossible as I did not contact the insurance company and the police when I
found the scratch. They told me that the content above was explained on the internet.
However, there was no face-to-face explanation and the contract was in Japanese, so I could
not understand it. I do not want to pay for it.
(Received in June 2019, Chinese)7(5) Others[Case 10] I received acne scar treatment at a beauty clinic. Even one month thereafter, thescar remains.
I had an operation to treat acne scars at a Japanese beauty treatment clinic, but my face
was still scarred. The doctor told me that it would heal in about a month, but dent-like scars
on my forehead haven’t. I made an inquiry to the clinic via an interpreter and by e-mail, and I
was told that I needed to wait another month. In addition, I was told that I could have atreatment again if it did not recover after a month. I think that the remaining dent scars on
my forehead may be regarded as a medical accident. I am not convinced with the clinic's
insincere attitude.
(Received in September 2019, Chinese)
4. To those planning to visit Japan(1) Advice on accommodation
Carefully read description on the booking site. Also check the official site and reviews fromusers.
[Making reservations from accommodation reservation websites]
A lot of inquiries seemingly stem from information displayed on accommodation reservation
websites such as cases in which the information displayed on the website and the actual facts
were different. When booking an accommodation online, make sure to check caution points,
check additional sections which only appear when you click them several times and read themcarefully, and reserve it after checking the content of contracts and terms throughly. In
addition, it is important to keep a screenshot of the reservation page in case you there is aproblem about the contents displayed on the website and you need to make a claim for it. If
you receive a notification that your reservation has been completed, check the contents
carefully.
Inquiries related to cancellation fees are received too. Cancellation fees vary depending on
accommodation reservation websites and accommodation terms, so please check thecancellation policy and such before confirming a reservation.
[Guest houses (simple lodging house)]
Multiple inquiries were received in which tourists thought they had booked a hotel but it
was actually a guest house, and when they went there, they found that it was a very old
building without amenities that general hotels would have, it was too small to stay, it was dirtyor there was a sense of unsafety. Unlike hotels, guest houses (simple lodging house) may notoffer services that regular hotels would have. If you you make a reservation through anaccommodation reservation website, we recommend you to check several websites, their official
websites and user reviews before completing your reservation.
In addition, it is impossible to unilaterally cancel your reservation only because the reserved
8guest house was dirtier than you imagined. In such cases, file a complaint to the owner of theaccommodation first, and if it does not help, ask for help from the accommodation reservation
website.
[Minpaku (private lodging house)]
Regarding private lodging house called “Minpaku”, inquiries related to quality have been
received such as cases in which dirt and smell were so intense that tourists could not stay at
all or the heating system was not working in winter. If you use a reservation website, checkthe information by referring to multiple reviews. Furthermore, there are cases in which
tourists could not stay because they could not get in contact with the owner or receive a key.
When it is difficult to solve a problem as you cannot get in contact with the owner, pleasecontact the reservation website. It is also important to contact the owner beforehand andconfirm contact means to get in touch with them.

(2) Advice on dining out① If there's any unclear point at an eating place, confirm it with staff.
[Otoshi (compulsory appetizer)]
In Japan, small dishes may be served before ordering at an izakaya and other types ofresturants. This is called "otoshi" and may be charged when you pay. “Otoshi” works as aseating charge, but if you are charged for anything in addition to the "otoshi” charge or there
is any doubt about the charge, confirm with a staff member before paying.
[Ordering hot pot dishes, grilled meat, etc.]
Dishes in which multiple people eat from one plate such as hot pot dishes and grilled meat orcourse menus may require to order for two or more people even if the menu says "〇 yen for a
portion for one person". Such notices are often written in small letters, so check the menu
description carefully and ask the staff if you have any questions. Also, photos of these dishes
may be displayed on the menu, but they do not always show a portion for one person, so you
should check it as well.
② Don't follow any tout or puller-in.
[Rip-off bars]
Some inquiries were about tourists paying by credit card at a bar in a downtown area andbeing charged a very large amount at a later date. Most of these tricks include cases in which
tourists were introduced a bar by touts or starangers they just met. In such cases, it is very
difficult to recoup the damage amount. Do not enter any bar introduced by touts or strangers
in downtown areas under the assumption that Japan is perfectly safe.
9(3) Advice on shopping① Remember that product return is not accepted just for your own reasons.
[Return/refund of products]
In Japan, products purchased at stores cannot be returned or refunded just because you findother stores selling them at lower prices or they look different from what you imagined. You
can return a product or get a refund only when there is a problem such as a defect or a false
explanation about the product. Please check the quality and price before purchasing something,
and ask a staff member if you have any questions or concerns.
② If you want to buy something, it is helpful to check prices of the product beforehand.
[Duty-free shop]
Received inquiries include cases in which a tour guide told tourists that the price was thesame wherever they buy it in Japan, and took them to a duty-free shop but later they foundthat the explanation was false. In Japan, the price of the same product varies from store to
store, so you should check other stores as well, search on the internet and compare prices
before purchasing it.
[Japanese cosmetics and brand goods]
We have received several inquiries about the authencity of products. Tourists bought
cosmetics made in Japan or brand bags from secondhand shops but they are not sure if they
are genuine. Some manufacturers do not sell at non-official retailers. Only manufacturers canjudge the authenticity of products, but they do not usually accept requests to verify theauthenticity, and it is not easy to actually check if a product is genuine. You need to check thequality of goods carefully before purchasing them at reputable retailers.

(4) Advice on means of mobility
When using a rental car, carefully read a contract beforehand. If there's any unclear point, ask
the rental car company about it.
[Car rental]
In the field of car rental, many of the received inquiries are regarding the insurance theyenrolled into rent a car and its coverage. Requirements to be covered by insurance andapplication for compensation are decided by the terms of each car rental company. For example,
a requirement may dictate that in case of an accident, you should contact the police and the
car rental company immediately on the spot. If you fail to follow the rule, insurance orcompensation may not be applied and the actual cost may be charged. The requirements to becovered by insurance, application for compensation and other information are usually
explained when you sign up for a contract. If a car rental company does not explain them or
you have any questions, ask the company. In addition, there are problems regarding
10

cancellation fees as well. When renting a car, read the contracts, lending agreements andusers' guides thoroughly.

5. Consumer Hotline for Tourists
If you experience consumer detriment while visiting Japan, call the Consumer Hotline forTourists.
If you see any inbound visitor facing consumer detriment, tell the person to call theConsumer Hotline for Tourists.
Accessible hours:
10:00 to 16:00 on weekdays (closed weekends, national holidays, and Dec. 29 - Jan. 3)
Available languages:
English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese
http://www.kokusen.go.jp/tourists/index.html

11<title> Summary of the Year Since the Launch of the "Consumer Hotline for Tourists" - 65% of the inquiries are in Chinese -</title>