I know everyone says don’t follow the touts that approach you on the streets.
I am in ueno and it seems like a good number of restaurants and izakayas have an employee with a menu outside trying to get you to come in. I’m guessing these people are probably legitimate and not trying to scam you? Maybe the food isn’t that great or they’re not getting good business so they’re trying to get more customers?
4 comments
Izakaya are fighting for customers in the bigger area. It’s normal.
Also in case you didn’t know, irasshaimase literally mean “come in”.
It does depend. There are genuine ones. If they’re wearing a company uniform or holding a board promoting the store, it’s legitimate. The ones to watch out for are the ones who approach you without any identifying information and are more persistent, often following you for a short time if you make the mistake of engaging them. In those cases, ignoring them entirely is the best approach.
If you do accept the invitation and they lead you away from the area they were at to a side street or some place, you know you’re about to be ripped off. At that point decline and leave **before** you enter.
Izakayas and restaurants are generally okay. It’s the bars you want to avoid.
It’s pretty normal for restaurants and izakaya to have an employee with a menu outside train stations trying to drum up business, especially if the restaurant is harder to find from the station (down a small street, up on the second floor and hard to see, etc.) But they won’t be pushy or put pressure on you— they’ll show you their menu and mention specials or whatever, but they’re not those touts that follow people around.