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Michelin Star Restaurants in Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka for an Asian American couple

Michelin Star Restaurants in Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka for an Asian American couple

Old Feb 23, 2018, 11:43 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by slawecki
we have eaten in about 50 or so 1* and 2* restaurants in tyoko, kirawasa
Reservations in those cities are always easy to come by.
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Old Feb 23, 2018, 12:52 pm
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by Pickles
Reservations in those cities are always easy to come by.
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Old Feb 24, 2018, 8:26 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by abmj-jr
we have not found restaurant reservations easy to come by in tokyo in nov-dec. i usually carry a list of 6 choices to the concierge. she goes down my list until someone will have room for us. as i have mentioned before. these reservations are for the next day.
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Old Feb 27, 2018, 12:30 pm
  #19  
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what??? lol this is hilarious when you guys are talking about non-food related issued.
1) You're in japan, people speak in japanese. They speak in japanese regardless (and if you are lucky, some english and/or french too). I'd rather go somewhere they speak japanese as opposed to something else. that said, I would return with a broken "I dont speak japanese" in japanese. That should give them sufficient cues you dont speak japanese. IF they still talk to you in japanese that's because either that's the heritage or they dont speak english. and 99% of them still serve you as proper guests like everyone else. in that case you can speak in any language you wish, how about some zulu? On the other hand, if they start talking to one in english but that said person return in japanese, that would be prejudice - what makes you think someone non-yellow do not speak japanese? Even with caucasian friends in japan (he's the only one speaking Japanese) we still get spoken to in Japanese.

2) I'd suppose most michelin-grade or similar restaurant will have someone speaking english; but otherwise when shops manage to talk to you in cantonese/mandarin/korean/thai... why would you want to go there? didnt someone say they got "unpreferential treatement"? You have to realize many shops are now run by chinese bosses and they dont care about anyone except for the profit.

3) I try to speak as much japanese as i could, and switching to english when i cant do any more. Usually both to impress them, or to let them know what the hell im onto and dont .... about with me (I can order quite a few things in japanese just from reading lots of menus over the years and some kanji). so I dont think i get to miss out much by not speaking in english (In fact, i impressed a few sushi chef by asking if what they are serving is what i think it is before they told us... and at that point they do try even harder to impress (lets be honest, there is always a very good and over the top impressive)

ANYWAYS....
4) You're in all those hotel they should be able to make recommendations to what you want. you've paid for it, use them. And since you wanted non-asian food in japan, i wouldnt recommend the eel restaurant i went and was very good. And if you want some good views, get your hotel to book Peter in the Peninsula overlooking the palace. in peninsula they probably have enough staff to speak to you in either of ur heritage tongue and english.
PS: Sorry, i misread someone else's post. there's only 1 eel restaurant in Gion that is on the michelin guide. It's some good eel served in a big "delivery" box but iirc they start with portions for 3. it's real good, and its real traditional (and i can tell why that's how they are served in). not the most spacious restaurant in japan but it would be good experience. And surely, if you order sufficient alcohol, they wouldnt send you the tea just yet when you finish the eel. (And you always have the excuse for "slowly finishing the rice" when you ordered the box for 3)

Originally Posted by beep88
For michelin star places in Japan, I only go to those that serve non-Japanese (French). I (Asian) was treated like most other Japanese guests. I often travel with a caucasian.

Some restaurant people and even strangers who were on the same airline maintenance tours would greet me in Japanese. When I told them I don't speak Japanese (much) they seemed shocked, and were curious to find out what my background is, etc. I don't look Japanese, and my Japanese friends also agree.

When I went back to my Asian home town where I grew up , on a few occasions people greeted me in English.
i never eat in western places in japan, except for ikinari steak having some good japanese steak cut.
When i want french/italian food, i go there. except chinese. a good chinese is always better in kobe or yokohama than anywhere else.

Originally Posted by ksandness
What I have heard from other Asian-Americans is that Japanese people will automatically assume that anyone with an East Asian face is Japanese and will address them in Japanese. A Cantonese speaker from Singapore once told me that when that happened, he just answered in Cantonese. This always convinced the Japanese person to try communicating in English.

But really, you shouldn't have a problem in a high-end restaurant, especially if your hotel concierge makes the reservations.

If anyone outside the high-end restaurants gives you grief (because you don't understand spoken instructions, so the speaker assumes you're stubborn or stupid) remember, just resort to your heritage language.
If you actually feel grief in a restaurant, i would just walk out - whatever the situation is.

tbh i'd rather have it this way than them talking to me in a funny language before i even started talking to them. a broken "Sumimasen Nihongo Naii desu" would probably make things fairly obvious.

Originally Posted by kevincrumbs
Is OP's assumption that they will be treated better since they are of East Asian descent versus Caucasian/African-American/Latinx? As someone from Hong Kong, I haven't experienced this myself but I have read before that with someone who is visibly non-Japanese, the native speaker can mentally prepare themselves for the fact that the other person most likely doesn't speak Japanese, whereas it's worse to think you may be able to speak Japanese with someone, only to be met with a "Sorry, I don't know Japanese" response and be caught off-guard/surprised.
Isnt it better to try to respect them and let them know you dont speak japanese with broken japanese lol? it's better than speaking in a language that maybe they dont understand telling them you dont speak their language. i myself feel that's the most embarassing thing ever (that you cant make them understand you dont speak their language - of course it would be obvious after a while.

That said, non china east asians are probably the next to bottom rung in hoping for preferential treatement, given some of our countrymen's behaviour (missing bookings etc). However, having a hotel helping to book tables help to mitigate things.

Originally Posted by codex57
I think that's the key. There are cues. My cues scream "American"! My aunt, having lived most of her life in Asia, and I think worked with Japanese for a significant amount of time as she can speak Japanese, most definitely passes as a local (haircut, clothes, etc). The times I've been in Asia, I've never been mistaken as a local. My sister can. It's in the cues.

Facial features can help too to a certain degree.

But still, if you're in Japan, I think it's reasonable that they start off speaking in Japanese as it's the native language. I think it would also be reasonable for them to see an Asian, assume they know about politeness and giving "face", and then assume the person would attempt to have learned a few phrases in Japanese. Well, some Asians...
its also that assuming a said non-asian (or even asian non japanese) dont speak japanese would be very unclassy of a (restaurant/shop).

Last edited by armagebedar; Feb 27, 2018 at 9:47 pm Reason: subsequent posts by same poster
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