Stop Being a Disgraceful Traveler: A Countdown of 8 Shameful Incidents by Taiwanese Tourists in Japan in Recent Years

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Wang Cunhuang, CEO of the renowned landscape restaurant "Lavender Cottage," posted on Facebook on the 5th that a year ago at the "Forest Clock" café in Japan, he overheard a veteran employee complaining about the unruly behavior of Taiwanese tourists, including loud talking and letting children create a disturbance, which sparked heated discussion. In fact, in recent years, as the number of people traveling to Japan has surged, incidents involving "disgraceful travelers" have never ceased. ETtoday EBC has compiled a list of "shameful" incidents involving Taiwanese tourists in Japan over the years.


▲ The "No Entry" sign next to a farm in Biei, Hokkaido, is written in traditional Chinese characters. (Photo provided by Wise Lee)

Biei Farmland No-Entry Sign in Traditional Chinese: Is It Aimed at Taiwanese? (2013)

A no-entry warning sign next to a farmland plot in Hokkaido’s Biei area seemed to suggest that those lacking public decency might include Taiwanese tourists—because the sign was written entirely in “traditional Chinese,” not the “simplified characters” commonly used in mainland China. The sign, featuring ten large red characters reading “Absolutely do not enter the farmland,” was placed beside a lush green field, with two smaller lines of text below: “Farmland is private property of the farmer” and “Biei Town · Biei Town Tourism Association.” Since the sign was neither in simplified characters nor included English, it was clearly directed at Taiwanese travelers. Many netizens’ first reaction was one of shame—they had not expected Taiwanese people to have such poor public decency that they would provoke such disdain from Japanese farmers.

150 Bookings Canceled in a Year: Kyoto’s Nishijin Hayashiya Says Taiwanese Are Driving the Inn Out of Business (2014)

Nishijin Hayashiya, a small youth hostel with just 10 beds located near Kyoto’s Nijo Station, dealt with 150 cancellations by Taiwanese travelers within a single year. The inn’s owner, Nakagawa, couldn’t help but exclaim, “Are Taiwanese trying to put me out of business?” For example, the two largest cancellations involved an eight-day stay for four people in April of that year, and a seven-day, four-person booking in December of the previous year (2013). With limited beds and bookings being canceled too close to check-in dates, the inn had no choice but to accept the unsold inventory.

Fled After Accident: Ishigaki Rental Car Company Announces No More Rentals to Taiwanese (2014)

A group of Taiwanese tourists on a cruise rented a car in Ishigaki for sightseeing, but after an accident in which they damaged the vehicle, they fled the scene without paying for repairs. In response, the Ishigaki car rental company issued an urgent notice on its official website: “We will consider no longer renting cars to Taiwanese people in the future!” The statement also used harsh language to condemn irresponsible Taiwanese tourists, calling their behavior “a disgrace to all Taiwanese citizens.”

Although the notice stating “We will consider no longer renting cars to Taiwanese people in the future!” has since been taken down, due to the disproportionately high rate of accidents involving Taiwanese drivers—ten times that of other customers—the rental company has urged Taiwanese guests to drive carefully to avoid causing traffic incidents.


▲ The popular queue-worthy spot “Hirokawa” in Arashiyama is a Michelin one-star Japanese eel restaurant. (Photo provided by Kavanah)

Frequent No-Shows: Kyoto’s Famous Restaurant “Hirokawa” Refuses Taiwanese Reservations (2014)

Located in Kyoto, “Hirokawa” is known for its refined and delicious eel dishes, along with a cozy, traditionally Japanese dining atmosphere, making it one of the must-visit spots in Arashiyama recommended by many Taiwanese travelers. However, one netizen posted on the PTT Japan Travel board saying that when planning a trip to Kyoto, they asked their executive secretary to call and make a reservation at Hirokawa, only to be told reservations were not possible. Upon further inquiry, the secretary explained: “Because many foreigners, especially Taiwanese, make reservations but don’t show up, we can’t accept reservations anymore—only walk-ins.” The customer was left feeling helpless.

Note: This incident later became a controversy, as Hirokawa later denied having refused Taiwanese reservations.


▲ The shoji paper doors in a Japanese-style room at a hot spring inn in Nasu, Japan, were severely damaged by Taiwanese tourists. (Photo captured from MiKi Juan’s personal Facebook)

Shoji Doors Treated Like Dartboards, Completely Destroyed: Japanese Inn Tells Taiwanese to Behave (2014)

“Taiwanese people, do we still have any manners or standards? Please behave yourselves!” Netizen MiKi Juan angrily wrote on their personal Facebook page. They were working at the “Grand Hotel Aiso” hot spring inn in Nasu, Japan, when two young Taiwanese tourists in a tour group arrived. The pair proceeded to poke numerous large holes in four traditional Japanese shoji doors meant to ensure comfort and privacy, as well as two ventilated transom windows, leaving the doors completely ruined and the room in shambles. The netizen added sadly that the inn’s owner broke down in tears upon hearing the news.

Taiwanese Tourist Crashes Car in Hokkaido, Boasts “Will Keep Playing,” Netizens Condemn as Disgraceful: Stop Promoting Car Rentals (2015)

A well-known independent Taiwanese traveler recently posted in the Facebook group “Japan Independent Travel Addicts,” sharing their “car crash” experience during a nine-day car rental trip in Hokkaido. They claimed to have accidentally hit a utility pole on the second day but, not wanting to ruin the trip for their spouse and kids or affect their plans, decided to continue traveling and only arranged to pay for damages and return the car before flying home. The post was met with outrage in the group, with members calling the traveler shameless and low-class, ultimately voting to ban them—and the car rental dispute sparked widespread online discussion.


▲ The hotel lobby piled high with packages ordered by a single guest. (Photo provided by a netizen)

Abuse of Package Delivery Services? Japanese Hotels Flooded with Taiwanese Online Shopping Deliveries (2015)

In 2015, thanks to the depreciation of the yen, buying local electronics became more affordable, sparking a shopping frenzy for items like rice cookers, induction stoves, hair dryers, and vacuum cleaners. In addition to shopping in person, more and more people began ordering online and having items delivered to their hotels. However, the hotels’ free package handling services appeared to have been abused by some Taiwanese tourists. One photo showed the hotel lobby stacked high with deliveries—all belonging to a single person—who even proudly claimed to have had an “impressive first day of shopping.”

Unpaid Hotel Bills and No Contact: Disgraceful Couple Taunts: Also Posted Online, Caught Enjoying Tokyo (2016)

A Taiwanese woman surnamed Zhang and her boyfriend traveled to Japan in July and stayed at the “Osaka Minpaku Kansai Trip Shinsaibashi.” They claimed to have “lost their wallets,” and the guesthouse owner agreed to let them pay after returning to Taiwan. But the couple then avoided all contact and have yet to pay, even going on to eat and play in Tokyo. The owner expressed outrage by posting on Facebook. Unexpectedly, the long-missing Ms. Zhang suddenly resurfaced, calling the Japanese owner overseas and yelling, “Why did you post this online?”
 
Note: The disgraceful couple posted an apology and have since donated to charity to make amends.