Quote:
Originally Posted by tazzy
The sneaky extra surprise charges in Japan annoy me so much.
Last night with some friends we went to some restaurant which we've been to before, whilst we're waiting for our food what should appear but some random small tubs of fishy stuff...we expect the worst and sure enough when the bill appears they cost 400 yen a piece.
Afterwards we decide to go exploring and find a small pub somewhere. We do this and sit down and all seems good until the woman starts bringing us snacks....what? We never asked for this?....there's some mad 1200 yen fee just for being in the place- a normal little pub, not a live music venue or a club or any of that.
This is madness. Why is this so? In particular why is it done via the medium of crappy bits of food you never asked for instead of just an entry fee? Is there some Japanese law against such charges and they get around it by giving the food? Why are these little pubs always so full despite the gouging- is there some sort of yearly membership people buy?
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Where are you going that this happens? Feel free to ask before you sit down if there is a "charge". The second place sounds like a snack bar. The fact you have a woman running a "small pub" should have been a hint.
It's not madness, just business. Learn which places "charge" and which don't. Don't be too shy to ask.