A ramen shop in Osaka, Japan, has sparked controversy after introducing a "dual pricing" system that charges different prices for foreign tourists and Japanese customers.
According to Japan's TV Asahi on Jan. 8, a ramen shop near Namba Station in Osaka is implementing dual pricing by displaying different menu prices on the kiosk's Japanese screen and on its foreign-language screens, including English and Korean.
The shop listed the same ramen menu at 1,000 yen (about 10,000 won) on the Japanese screen and at a price close to 2,000 yen (about 20,000 won) on the English screen.
This led online users to allege that the restaurant charged higher prices to foreign customers.
On the 4th, a Chinese tourist protested the dual pricing and demanded a refund, sparking a dispute between the restaurant and the customer. The shop owner wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on the 4th, saying, "A Chinese customer caused trouble in the store, so we called the police," and added, "Based on the judgment that about 90% of such foreign customers are Chinese, we will ban Chinese customers from entering going forward."
According to TV Asahi, the tourist ate an "inbound (tourist) special ramen," then pointed out the issue to the shop and requested a refund of the difference. The shop explained, "We cannot issue a refund because the ramen specifications are different," but the tourist did not accept this, leading to conflict.
Meanwhile, regarding the "dual pricing" controversy, the owner stressed, "This is not discrimination against foreigners." The shop is said to have explained that the higher price reflects special specifications tailored to foreign tourists' tastes, such as seasoning or ingredients.