The Rise of Customer Harassment in Japan: A Cultural Concern

The Rising Concern of Customer Harassment in Japan

The guests arrived a full 30 minutes ahead of their scheduled check-in time at a traditional hot springs inn located a couple of hours north of Tokyo. Upon noticing a sign instructing customers to wait in their vehicles until the official check-in time, they became irate and demanded to know why they could not obtain their room key early. The ensuing exchange, captured on a security camera, rapidly escalated into a scene of angry shouting. Ultimately, the situation culminated on the pavement outside, where the inn’s managing director found himself on his knees, bowing deeply in a sincere apology.

This incident serves as a striking illustration of what has increasingly come to be identified in Japan as “kasuhara,” an Anglicized shorthand for “customer harassment.” While no nation is entirely free from such behavior, the expectations for service in Japan are particularly high, often accompanied by the potential for deep dissatisfaction. A well-known Japanese saying elevates the customer to the status of a god, and this philosophy permeates the culture of hospitality. In upscale retail environments, for example, clerks bow respectfully to customers as they exit, and service professionals—including waitstaff, baristas, and hotel staff—employ honorific language when attending to patrons.

Determining whether incidents of abusive behavior are genuinely on the rise is a complex challenge. However, in the wake of the pandemic’s significant disruptions, there has been a notable shift in focus among company officials, labor unions, and even governmental bodies regarding the perceived epidemic of customer harassment. This heightened awareness is further underscored by ongoing labor shortages, which have empowered workers with more choices, allowing them to walk away from situations where they feel mistreated.

Guests arriving at Yumori Tanakaya are greeted with a sign on the door requesting that they remain in their cars until the check-in time of 3 p.m.

Credit: Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times