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“Hello World, This is what Japanese Service is” – The Unforgettable Service Received by a Chinese Girl in Japan

Date published: 22 September 2019

Do you know which country had the largest number of visitors to Japan last year? As expected, it was China, with a 15% increase compared to the previous year (statistics from Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO)). Be it for leisure or business, from here on, the number of Chinese visitors to Japan is projected to increase.

At any rate, you must be curious to know what kind of image Chinese visitors hold about Japan! We asked Lin, a Chinese lady in her 20s working in a Japanese company, about her thoughts on service standards in Japan, based on her experiences in staying at hotels and shopping.

Between work and leisure, Lin visits Japan almost 10 times a year, making her a repeat visitor. As a Chinese familiar with Japan and its culture, she has a keen eye and a wealth of insider knowledge! (The comments below are responses from a survey, and are held solely by the respondents)

One of the main reasons why Lin comes to Japan almost 10 times a year, is to go to the salon.

“If I need to go to the salon, I’ll definitely go in Japan. There are no exceptions. In China, there are beauticians and stylists who don’t get their licenses properly, and their skills are somewhat lacking. But in Japan, the stylist only cuts or perms my hair after discussing about the style I want, and it comes out perfect! They also give me a massage, and it’s pretty great (lol). As the salon I visit has staff that can speak English, I can communicate with them quite easily.”

Recently, beauty salons have also started to implement translation services, lowering the hurdle for foreign visitors to beauty salons in Japan. The number of people who will get to experience the skills and service of Japan’s salons looks set to increase from now on.

“If you speak of service in Japan, the beauty advisors for cosmetics in department stores are a prime example. Though I only go once every six months or so, they make sure to remember who I am. They’ll check my skin condition, and recommend me products that are suitable for the current season. Though Japan’s cosmetics are very high quality, I feel that their sales service is even better.”

Japan’s cosmetics products have received critical acclaim overseas, but the quality service from sales staff is another plus point. As the products aren’t cheap, receiving great service encourages repeat customers, which is a great benefit as well!

Moving on from her passionate appraisals of the service she received from the beauty industry, Lin was surprised by “that place” as well.

“There are toilets everywhere, and no matter where you go they’re always clean. Though service standards in China have improved compared to the past, the toilets still aren’t clean. On top of that, many stations and convenience stores don’t have toilets. Though I’m rather overwhelmed and perplexed by the multitude of functions in Japanese toilets, I’m really happy that I can use this service with peace of mind.”

There are many who comment on the cleanliness of Japanese, and their wide availability is also often praised. When you really have to go, being able to run to the station or convenience store makes you really grateful for this service (please use the toilets cleanly!).

On top of that, as a Chinese, Lin also speaks up about this type of service.

“When I go to large shops in Tokyo, I’m happy that most of them have at least Chinese staff, or staff that can speak Chinese. When buying items such as electronics, having someone who understands the living situation in China is very persuasive.”

It’s a given at tax-free shops, but department stores and home electronics shops have many staff that can speak Chinese as well. There’s evidence that there are Chinese who come to Japan just to shop. “Binge-shopping” is just a nice way of putting it, but it’s great if they’re satisfied with the service standards!

Though Lin had nothing but praise for many aspects of Japan’s service culture, there are areas which she feels unsatisfied with as well.

“There are too few places in Japan that allow for smartphone payments, and that’s inconvenient! Though there are many convenience stores, neither WeChatPay nor Alipay can be used. I don’t have a habit of using cash payments, and it’s only in Japan that I walk around with Japanese yen with me, it’s so troublesome. It’s very convenient, so I hope that more places in Japan will adopt smartphone payment options.”

WeChatPay and Alipay are China’s largest smartphone payment services. Though the number of places where they can be used in Japan is increasing, it still can’t be said to be the norm. In Japan where the usage of hard cash is still prevalent, how long will it take for us to switch to smartphone payments...?

Lin has come to Japan multiple times because she likes Japan, and she has expressed many of her opinions about Japan’s service culture from her experience. Let’s hope that high service standards will come to become the norm in China, just as smartphone payments have!

Written by: Ran Tanaka