150 cancellations in one year: Kyoto’s Nishijin Haya-ya says Taiwanese travelers are driving the hostel out of business

Reported by You t-r / Taipei–Kyoto cross-reporting

Another case of "unqualified traveler" behavior by Taiwanese people has emerged. A Kyoto youth hostel owner recently posted a "heartbreaking message" on social media, stating that Taiwanese tourists canceled 150 bed reservations within this year (Heisei 103). The large number of cancellations left most beds unoccupied, causing operational difficulties for the hostel. In the future, they will mandatorily require Taiwanese guests to pay a reservation deposit. Those who do not pay will be denied accommodation.


▲ Kyoto has many youth hostels housed in old buildings, mostly offering dormitory-style rooms. To accommodate foreign guests, most allow reservations without deposits. (Photo/Stock image, from Gojo Guesthouse)

Taiwanese visitors to Japan number up to 2 million per year, with most choosing popular cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. However, some guests book accommodations and then no-show or cancel large numbers of reservations. Nishijin Haya-ya, a small youth hostel near Kyoto’s Nijo Station with just 10 beds, handled 150 cancellations by Taiwanese guests in one year. The owner, Nakagawa, couldn't help but exclaim, “Are Taiwanese people trying to put me out of business?”

In an interview with ETtoday ETToday Dongsen News Cloud, Nakagawa said the cancellation rate among Taiwanese guests was shockingly high. “I really don’t know how to trust Taiwanese people anymore.” He cited two of the largest cancellations: an eight-day booking for four beds in April this year, and a seven-day, four-bed reservation last year (Heisei 102). Due to the limited number of beds and the short notice before check-in, the hostel had no choice but to accept the loss of unsold rooms.

“My hostel only has 10 beds. When someone books for a long stay and then cancels, it means other guests can’t make reservations, and it also makes it hard for us to find new customers quickly,” Nakagawa said. Because he wanted to operate on trust, the hostel did not previously charge any reservation deposits. However, going forward, they will begin requiring deposits from Taiwanese guests. “I don’t want to do this, but it really breaks my heart.”

Nakagawa gave an example: the hostel opened in 2006, and every year there have been cases of Taiwanese guests canceling after booking. In the past, the average was about 80 to 100 beds canceled per year, but within the past year alone, there have been 150 cancellations. “The large number of cancellations by Taiwanese guests is really putting a lot of stress on me,” Nakagawa said, adding that while guests from other countries also cancel, it’s not as frequent as with Taiwanese travelers.