Erm… OK…. in Japan, as is mentioned above, just over 10% of the room charge is a service charge to the hotel. This takes the place of any tips, whether it be to the maid, the concierge, the door staff or the bell’people’ who carry your luggage.

Although you will find most staff will refuse any money – or the maids will leave an envelope meant for them with a tip untouched – nevertheless, I have seen some staff (all non-Japanese and all at NRT hotels) gratefully receive gratuities. So I would add, if you did want to give a tip, and you suspect that the person would like to take one, be particularly discreet. I have a suspicion that in some places accepting them might lead to some kind of disciplinary action.

I think almost everyone who contributes to this forum knows that tips are customary in the USA, so I’m still puzzled as to where you’re hoping to take this.

This has been discussed at length in Travel Buzz. If "Search" was ever working, you could find several threads. Consensus broke three ways -

1.) Tip the MAID?? Are you nuts?
2.) Leave a tip after the first night to encourage good service for the stay.
3.) Leave a nice tip the last day, when leaving, if the service has been good.

I'm usually in #3, but won't leave anything if the room hasn't been kept inobtrusively neat and very clean.

On this note, I have actually left something for maids in Japan in a few cases where the service was exceptional. I always wrap the bill/bills - usually 1,000 yen or so - in a note thanking them in kana, since I can't handle kanji.

JR

I was wondering what I should do about this for Xmas in Tokyo.

Leave a tip on Xmas day? The maid will know I’m foreign and that this is a traditional day for gifts in my culture.

Leave a tip on the 30th Dec? (when I check out) as an early New Year gift.

Either way, it’s my way of conveying thanks for their hard work during the holidays.

And should I leave money? Or would a token gift from the UK (shortbread, chocolates) be more appropriate? (especially for Xmas)

Presenting a small, nicely wrapped, item as a gift might well be understood better than a tip.

The only time I have ever left a gratuity of any type at a hotel in Japan was a few years back. I offered to buy dinner for the whole staff of a hotel at which I stay regularly. When I told the GM of the hotel what I was thinking, he combined it with the annual employee dinner and it turned out to be a heck of an event for me and my family as well as the staff.

Rather more pricey than a normal gratuity, however.

Does sound like wonderful evening though!!!

Good for you! ^

This is probably the best idea - much easier for the recipient to accept.
I would advise giving it on Christmas Eve - that seems to be the day that people here think of as Christmas...

I'm actually arriving on Christmas Eve, so Xmas Day will be a compromise.

Thanks for the tip. Now to find some nice sweets that aren't too sweet!

It's hard to call some of these situation tips. Probably more as traditional forms of gratitude, congratulations or "onegai".

Like RichardinSF, I have never given a "tip" here in Japan. Even the situation of giving some money to the aforementioned "tea house" guy who brings you your food and drinks during the tournament and afterwards presents you with a few bags of souvenirs to take home, is more of a traditional and accepted form of "onegai shimasu" to me (I give the money after the guy first shows me to the booth.)

When I attend the tea ceremony of my old tea master, it's customary to give an envelope of cash as a congratulatory gift, though it's also as a show of thanks for the past year.

Doctors, especially before a major operation, used to be unobtrusively given an envelope containing a considerable amount of money either before (as an "onegaishimasu") or after (as a thank you) the operation. I now think this custom is less common. When my daughter had an operation about 10 years ago, the doctor clearly stated (without my even bringing it up) that it was not his policy to accept this kind of money.

Teachers? What??? No one ever gave me a tip! Seriously, I have had instances where students or parents have sent me an expensive gift (bottles of whiskey, for example), forcing me to go through the trouble of having to send them back. I see gifts like these as almost a bribe, especially before the final exam/final grading season. I did take part in the tradition of having a nice gift sent to a teacher who helped me to get a job at their school, as a thank you (as I was informed by more experienced teachers), but I don't see this as being much different than the Oseibo (New Year's) and Ochugen gifts sent out (and a big business) to all those you wish to thank (or stay in the good favors of) during the year.

Politicians. Bribes. 'nuff said. The small business school I used to work for used to have four "daijin" (government ministers) attend their opening ceremony. I can only think of one reason why...

If you do want to show your appreciation to the room maid, I also think that the small, nicely wrapped gift of food or chocolate from home is the better gesture.

Giving money is not the only way to say thank you.

Even those who refuse cash tipping will happily accept a post card or two from your home town.


Tipping at a ryokan is not for tourists to worry about.
If you become a regular guest at one of the better ryokans, then you could.

Welcome to FT and the soon to be "Japan" forum!

I left a tip in my hotel room as I was checking out. It wasn't much, mostly loose change (esp. those damn little aluminum 1 yen coins), but I'm a creature of habit.

And yes, I always tip the maid in an American hotel. Only seems right.

And FWIW, when I stayed at the New Otani the young-ish bellboy rolled my bag from the front desk up to my room (just the one bag which I could have handled just fine), he wanted to chat about America. I slipped him a 100 yen note and he didn't flinch, just took it.

I found the non-tipping in restaurants to take a lot of un-training. I kept thinking they would run down the street after me with a knife. Once you get used to just paying "sticker price" for a meal, it's very liberating. I think a lot of bowing and thanking from a gaijin gets you a lot of brownie points.

It sounds like the kind of money available in Smidgen's alternate universe. In his universe, tipping is also common in Japan.

So tell us, did you:
1) really slip him a 100 yen note, therefore 100-year-old currency and either a collector's item or a worthless piece of paper.
2) slip him a 100 yen coin. (Slip?)
3) slip him a 1000 yen note. (Essentially an $8 tip for a bag.)

Where can you use those brownie points?
Is it possible to convert them into Starwood points?

Now, now, jib71... or you'll lose some of the ones you've been steadily accruing over the past few months!