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Reserved but often no-show: Kyoto’s renowned restaurant “Hirokawa” refuses reservations from Taiwanese customers

Published: 2026-09-25 👁 101 views
Last updated 2026-09-25 — Are the most beautiful scenery in Taiwan really its people? Following last month’s incident where Taiwanese tourists rented a car on Japan’s Ishigaki Island, got into an accident, and then abandoned the vehicle and fled—prompting local rental shops to consider no longer lending cars to Taiwanese travelers—another report has emerged. Kyoto’s famous Arashiyama restaurant “Hirokawa” and “Sanshoku-ya” have reportedly stopped taking reservations from Taiwanese customers because many book but fail to show up. Now, these establishments are gradually ceasing to accept reservations from Taiwanese, and even those that still do have implemented special staff rules regarding Taiwanese guests. The term “ugly Taiwanese” or “no rules” has almost become synonymous among Japanese people.

▲ Kyoto Arashiyama’s famous “Unagi Restaurant Hirokawa” unagi don (Photo / Reposted)tripadvisor.jp)

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Are the most beautiful scenery in Taiwan really its people? Following last month’s incident whereTaiwanese tourists rented a car on Japan’s Ishigaki Island, got into an accident, and then abandoned the vehicle and fled—prompting local rental shops to consider no longer lending cars to Taiwanese travelers—another report has emerged. Kyoto’s famous Arashiyama restaurant “Hirokawa” and “Sanshoku-ya” have reportedly stopped taking reservations from Taiwanese customers because many book but fail to show up. Now, these establishments are gradually ceasing to accept reservations from Taiwanese, and even those that still do have implemented special staff rules regarding Taiwanese guests. The term “ugly Taiwanese” or “no rules” has almost become synonymous among Japanese people.

A netizen shared on PTT Japan Travel Board that the well-known unagi restaurant in Arashiyama, “Hirokawa,” no longer accepts reservations. (Photo / Screenshot from PTT, the same below)

“Hirokawa,” famous for its refined and delicious unagi dishes, along with its cozy, traditionally Japanese dining environment, is one of the must-visit spots in Arashiyama recommended by many Taiwanese travelers.

But recently, a netizen posted onPTT Japan Travel Boardthat they had planned to visit Hirokawa during their trip to Kyoto. After asking their platinum secretary to help make a phone reservation, they were told by the restaurant that reservations could not be made. Upon further inquiry through the secretary, they were informed: “Because many foreigners, especially Taiwanese, reserve but don’t show up, we can no longer accept reservations—we only take walk-ins.” This left them feeling helpless.

%There were also similar complaints about another long-standing restaurant.

And it’s not just this one restaurant refusing Taiwanese reservations. Another netizen replied below, mentioning another must-eat spot in Kyoto—the century-old sukiyaki restaurant “Sanshoku-ya” in Nishiki Market—which has also not accepted reservations since this year. They explained that although they previously allowed group reservations for Taiwanese tourists, lately, the situation has been that the reserved Taiwanese guests did not show up, resulting in empty seats and causing visible disappointment. There have even been instances of no-shows.

Aside from the frequent issue of making reservations and not showing up,travel etiquetteamong Taiwanese tourists may still need improvement in other areas.The well-known Japanese-learning fan page “Speed Learning Languages (Japanese)” also shared a photo on the 6th, showing a notice posted at the ticket machine in Okinawa’s monorail station that read: “To Taiwanese travelers, one-day passes cannot be purchased in bulk by one person. Each person can buy only one ticket at a time.”

The page suggested that this might be to prevent travelers from occupying the ticket machines for too long, or from buying too many tickets at once, which could lead to a shortage and affect other passengers in a hurry. Therefore, the notice kindly advises those needing to buy multiple tickets to inquire directly at the service counter.

%The image shows the actual sign. (Japan, sourced by the user)

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