So… tipping.
Tipping is a big deal in the U.S., as many of you know. Most restaurants pay what can only be described as slave wages (the server minimum wage is just $2.13 per hour[1]) so it basically falls on customers to cover the difference. As a result, an entire culture has arisen where everyone is pressured to pay at least 15%, even for mediocre service, and 20% or more for good service.
As always, everyone wants a piece of the pie. These days, even people in jobs that already pay a reasonable wage (reasonable compared to servers, anyway) are jumping on the tip bandwagon. Go to Starbucks, and there’s a tip jar. Pick up a sandwich at Subway, and the digital pay screen prompts you for a tip. I’ve heard from several people that on some of these screens, the “no tip” option is covered with a sticker — an obvious attempt to trick the customer into paying up when social pressure doesn’t do the job.
What a mess, eh?
When I was a kid, it felt like most people defended this system. But these days, Gen Z seems to be pushing back hard; with the price of everything skyrocketing, even older generations are increasingly fed up. I don’t think anyone has a problem with tipping as a reward for exceptional service. But mandatory tipping? That rubs nearly everyone the wrong way.
Now, let’s jump across the ocean to Japan, where the situation is the exact opposite.
Tipping isn’t just unnecessary here — it can actually be considered rude. It gives the impression of a bribe, or suggests that the server is only being polite in hopes of a kickback. In Japan, good service is part of the job. No strings attached.
But… that may be starting to change.
A few recent news stories have highlighted a growing trend in Tokyo: restaurants quietly slipping tip requests into their checkout screens. The businesses implementing these systems claim that American tourists pressured them into it. Too many foreign guests, they say, insist on tipping, and the restaurants finally caved.
Is that an excuse?
Honestly, as an American who’s seen firsthand how rude and entitled many U.S. tourists can be in Japan, I wouldn’t be surprised. But at the same time, it also wouldn’t shock me if some of these businesses just saw a convenient opportunity to squeeze a little more revenue out of customers — and blamed the Americans to dodge responsibility.
Some reports go further: the tips aren’t going to the servers at all. They’re going straight into the restaurant’s profits.
It probably won’t surprise anyone to hear that this has stirred up a fair amount of hatred — mostly directed at Americans. Not so much from the Japanese (I’ve heard some light complaints, but no direct blame — at least not to me[2]), but from other foreigners. A lot of them are angry that tipping culture is infecting Japan, and they’re placing the blame squarely on U.S. visitors.
There’s plenty of online chatter about this. For example, check out this recent Reddit thread, which is basically a flame war against American tipping norms.
Of course, keep in mind that my sample is skewed. I’ve talked to a few handfuls of Japanese people about this in real life, but most of the foreign opinions I’ve seen come from online discussions — where people are often more extreme in what they say. So take it all with a grain of salt. Still, it’s an interesting data point.
What’s tipping like in your country? Do you think the U.S. system is out of control? Would you welcome tipping in Japan, or fight it tooth and nail?
Let me know what you think in the comments.
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David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Mastodon. |