JAPAN HAS CHANGED | 10 Tourist Traps in Japan to Watch Out For & New Scams

Japan Travel Updates! Tourists Scammed? This video provides 10 scams in 2024 to watch out for. Be sure to take note of these important Things to Know Before traveling to Japan for foreign tourists. #japantraveltips #travelguide #japan #tokyo2024 travelupdate #thingstodo #thingstoknow

0:00 Introduction
1:03 Trap 1
2:00 Trap 2
4:02 Trap 3
5:12 Trap 4
6:17 Trap 5
7:33 Trap 6
8:53 Trap 7
9:51 Trap 8
10:43 Trap 9
11:57 Trap 10

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❤️ MegLog Travel from TOKYO ❤️
My channel focuses on the Japan Travel Guide and suggests Spots, Food and Hotels.

🌸 Meg’s Profile 🌸
Local Japanese woman living in Tokyo. I am suggesting a lot of Spots, Foods and Hotels in Japan for travelers from all over the world through Youtube channels.
#travelguide #japan #tokyo2023 #japantraveltips #thingstodo #JapanHasChanged #thingstoknow #update

Please note as follows:
*The prices might be different from this video upload.(価格は当時のものですので、変動する場合があります。)
*Business hours might be different from this video uploaded as well.(営業時間も当時のものと異なる場合があります。)
*We do NOT take any responsibility or liability for any damage or loss caused through our video. (当動画によって生じたいかなる不利益、損害に関しても一切の責任を負いません。)

Reference

Fake Monk
https://www.uenotoshogu.com/en/
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/681260
Shinjuku Kabukicho Rip Off
https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/46191?page=6
https://www.kokusen.go.jp/e-hello/news/data/n-20160317_2.html
https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/safe_society/victim_of_crime/sakariba_topics.html
Affiliated Store Scam
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240208/p2a/00m/0na/034000c
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15138037
Romance Scam
https://www.kokusen.go.jp/e-hello/news/data/n-20200213_2.html
Model Scout Scam
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220616/p2a/00m/0na/034000c
Photo Shoot Scam
https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/546282
Donation Scam
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15203327
Brand Scam
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e43de794625af174cf318e9b0ee2c94f7c09e983

hi I’m Meg from Tokyo have you ever been a victim 
of scam not only while traveling in this video I  
will show you the top 10 scams that you should 
know before traveling to Japan before I get into  
the main topic I’d like to share my own experience 
I’ve traveled to dozens of countries around the  
world and have been scammed several times while 
traveling abroad for example in Vietnam I took  
a cab whose fair meter went up at abnormally 
high rate in Thailand I took a cab introduced  
to me by a hotel doorman but it turned out to be 
a scam a local tour later told me that the a hotel  
Doorman and a cab driver were working together 
to charge tours like us three times the normal  
fear what about in Japan don’t you think Japan 
is safe it is true that Japan is relatively safe  
from a Global Perspective but it is not uncommon 
to be the victim of a scam let’s take a look at  
some actual scams that tourists should be aware 
of before traveling to Japan okay then let’s go  
number one fake monk scam recently in Japan there 
has been an issue with people pretending to be  
monks and fiercely begging for money begging 
for owns is a traditional Buddhist practice  
in which monks walk around the community and ask 
for food and daily Necessities for households this  
practice is especially important in theab Buddhism 
because it shows how monks and Believers depend on  
each other and helps deepen their spirit spiritual 
connection recently however fake monks have become  
a problem in the W Shrine area of Tokyo fake 
monks dressed in Orange robes and white hats have  
been approaching forign T Earth trying to sell 
questionable amulets and prayer bets and asking  
for money they often work in groups divided into 
performers and Watchmen real monks never ask for  
money or exchange money for bills or prayer bets 
be careful not to be scammed by these fake marks  
number two pout old type and new type in 
entertainment districts such as Shinjuku kabukicho  
and Roppongi many scams Target foreigners you 
may have already heard of the scam which become  
popular some time ago TOS of approach people on 
the street and they usually Target young skyl  
looking Japanese men or foreign tourists if the 
target is Japanese they often approach in Japanese  
on the other hand if the target is a foreign 
tourist The Tout is often a blackmail although  
they may offer an affordable price by saying 2,000 
y with all you can drink they force customers to  
consume drinks with high alcohol content then C 
their Consciousness and make them pay a high bill  
that they do not remember recently I’ve noticed 
a slight decrease in stretch house in Shinjuku  
this change is due to increased police patrols 
enhanced monitoring by local authorities and  
greater awareness among foreign tourists however 
a new problem has emerged in Tokyo Shinjuku  
kabukicho district just below the Godzilla statue 
you can see a line of men and women standing in  
costume holding signs these individuals employees 
of concept cafes advertising offers such as all  
you can drink for 1,600 concept cafes which are 
now particularly popular among young women in the  
area very widely they include not only made cafes 
but also cafes featuring handsome men dressed in  
kimono and cafes themed around beautiful women 
dressed like do it is said that there are about  
50 concept cafes in Shinjuku kabuk alone some 
of these cafes have become a social issue due  
to the practices of forcing customers to pay 
high prices or offering sexual Services it’s  
hard to tell which cafes are trustworthy just 
by looking at their signs so never follow them  
without careful consideration always check the 
Cafe’s reputation on Google or other reviews  
site before your visit number three affiliated 
store scam this is a dis owner practice where  
customers are misled into going to different 
restaurants or places being told falsely that  
they affiliated restaurants in an actual case that 
occurred in February of this year a local izakaya  
was falsely introduced as an Affiliated of the 
popular izakaya torikizoku the company is said  
to have been guiding customers to an izakaya 
that charged high prices according to a major  
Japanese media report the police had received 
about 20 similar complaints about high charges  
this time it was for obstructing the business of a 
well-known izakaya chain called Tori kizoku which  
everyone knows the incident came to light and 50 
men and women involved have already been arrested  
by the police if you visit a place that’s popular 
with tourists watch out for people who might claim  
their restaurants are connected to famous spots if 
they say the place you’re about to visit is full  
so I will introduce you to another Affiliated 
restaurant it may be a scam do not just follow  
them use your own information or a map to find 
your way to your destination number four romance  
scam in Japan matching applications have become 
one of the most popular ways to meet new people  
however in recent years more and more people have 
been tricked by scams on these apps men are often  
the primary targets after it’s publishing a 
trusting relationship on the matching app the  
scammer proposed a date and suggest visiting a 
specific bar claiming there is a bar I want to  
go to this bar is typically one where the scammer 
is involved or employed and they often charge exor  
than fees because the location is enclosed it can 
be difficult to escape moreover since these Scouts  
playing on romantic feelings victims often think 
they are willingly pain which makes it hard for  
the police to step in and help another barrier to 
addressing the issue is that victims May hesitate  
to report the scam due to embarrassment and the 
sense of personal responsibility although foreign  
tourists may not frequently use these apps they 
should still be cautious and avoid falling prey to  
such scams number five model Scout scam in Japan 
it is not uncommon to scout good-look people to  
become celebrities and many individuals including 
foreign models have opportunities to work as model  
and celebrities however this kind of scouting can 
be risky with the biggest dangers being Financial  
exploitation and sexual abuse for example 
regarding Financial issues excessive fees  
are charged in the name of lessons of the purchase 
of Goods open without that providing appropriate  
support or sometimes even losing contact on 
the other hand sexual victimization can include  
serious cases where people are forced to appear in 
adult videos sometimes even if the performance set  
know they were surrounded by several people 
and forced to perform young women have been  
particularly affected leading the government to 
make LS about adult videos to prevent further  
harm the Japanese government is aware of these 
problems and is addressing them on the other  
hand the new law has created issues for currently 
active AV actresses such as a decrease in work  
opportunities if a modeling agency offers you 
a chance while you’re in Japan make sure to  
read the offers terms and conditions carefully 
and check the agency’s name number six donation  
scam one scam that became briefly popular in 
Japan involved asking for money by pretending  
it was for donations for Filipino children this 
scam primarily occurred on street corners and in  
front of train stations where scammers approached 
ordinary passer by soliciting donations to support  
poor children in the Philippines in reality 
however the collected money never reached the  
Filipino children but went entirely into 
the pocket of the scammers recently I’ve  
noticed a decrease in this type of scam but 
a new problem has emerged Cam’s disguised as  
donations for earthquake disaster relief as you 
all know a major earthquake struck Japan’s Noto  
Peninsula in January this year claiming over 200 
lives it was a tragic start to the new year and  
various malicious business scamps have exploited 
the disaster in one instance a young man made a  
suspicious phone call claiming that the city 
was collecting donations for the nor Peninsula  
earthquake usually organizations do not ask for 
donations over the phone so if someone call you  
for donations it might be a scam the police and 
local authorities have been alerted to this issue  
since this information was not widely known 
in English I took this opportunity to inform  
you about what was happening number seven 
photo shooting scam photography scams are  
common especially at at tourist attractions and 
popular spots scammers offer to take pictures of  
tourists with their cameras after the photo is 
taken they suddenly changed their attitude and  
strongly pressure the tourists to pay a fee 
a recent example occurred at Nanzenji Temple  
in Kyoto According to the official website of 
Nanzenji Temple tourists were approached within  
the temples present with offers to have their 
pictures taken the suspect then took pictures  
using either a smartphone that was entrusted 
to him or his own camera after the photo was  
taken he charged between 500 and 1,000 for the 
photos it is important to be wary of offers for  
free photography and strangers and to have 
the courage to refuse them be careful with  
offers of free photography from strangers and 
don’t be afraid to say no number eight closing  
down sale first of all telling people that you’re 
having a clothing sale is not in itself a problem  
for example it’s not always a problem if someone 
claims their closing in the month on the other  
hand what do you think if some stores display 
a clothing s sign every day despite having no  
PL to shut down this is a very gray area under 
Japanese low you may encounter this practice  
on a busy shopping street like ueno amoko the 
store’s argument is that there’s no problem  
because they’re holding the sale until the store 
actually finishes its business hours how however  
consumers might think they are probably selling 
at the discount to clear out their inventory  
which can be misleading while everyone L to find 
a bargain keep in mind that some stores seem to  
have a closing sale every day number nine fishing 
scam fishing scams are when scammers pretend to  
be legitimate organizations to trick people into 
giving away their personal information one such  
scam involves a fake visit Japan web application 
visit Japan web is an online platform provided  
by the Japan National tourism organization JN 
for foreign visitors to Japan when entering  
Japan you are required to go through immigration 
and tax inspection with visit Japan web you can  
easily complete these inspections online before 
entering Japan however apps that misuse the visit  
Japan web name have been appearing frequently 
currently there are no official visit Japan  
web apps for either iOS or Android in fact if you 
search for visit Japan web you will find similar  
apps but no official apps have been released the 
government has issued the warning regarding visit  
Japan web if you have accidentally downloaded it 
delete it immediately when entering credit card  
information or personal information not only for 
visit Japan web but as a general precaution make  
sure to properly check in advance whether it is 
from an official Source number 10 knockoff product  
Takeshitadori Street in Harajuku Tokyo is a 
popular area for young people but recently  
there has been an increase in touts selling fake 
brand Goods according to a report by FNN media  
a major Japanese media Outlet the method involves 
creating a welcoming atmosphere to easily talk to  
potential buyers finding a personal connection 
to start a conversation and making it hard for  
them to say no before guiding them into the store 
for example when a to posing as a Japanese high  
school student approaches someone and asks hey are 
you here on a trip brother and the person responds  
that he is from shizuoka the town then claims 
to have also lived in shizuoka this creates a  
friendly atmosphere and makes it difficult for 
the person to refuse the purchase many Junior  
High and high school students have been pressured 
into buying fake brand products by these sellers  
in fact a Ginia National was recently arrested in 
connection with this although Takeshita Dori is  
well known for this issue counterfeit goods could 
be sold in other places too not just this shopping  
street the best way to deal with this is to ignore 
the touts even if they approach you in a friendly  
manner don’t forget to subscribe to my channel and 
like button I’m offering Private Tours as well if  
you’re interested please contact me through the 
link below see you at the next video [Music]