Job Discussion Forums

[Black_Beer_Man]

I have some Hong Kong dollars.

Would anyone know where I can get an honest exchange rate?

I imagine the foreign exchange shops would give me a poor rate. Am I right?

Thanks.

[currentaffairs]

Probably best to keep your dollars. All the banks and the post office offer similar poor rates:

https://tokyocheapo.com/business/financial/show-me-the-money-cheapest-places-to-exchange-your-cash-for-yen/

[Black_Beer_Man]

[victory7]

Especially avoid the smarta*** people in Shibuya. In the main shopping area there is a money exchange place, maybe called Sakura, but the service is quite rude.

I speak Japanese but at first asked the guy if they spoke English there. In polite, correct Japanese. Instead of being polite to a potential customer he replied abruptly that "Eigo wa dame". That is not nice Japanese - there are far better ways of saying it. He also didn't finish the sentence with a polite ending.

I recommend foreigners avoid such people. By the way another place to avoid is "Mode Off" in Euno. You can buy secondhand gents' and ladies' clothes/accessories there but the tall guy who may or may not be Japanese responded rudely to my polite request for a plastic bag "Chotto matte yo!". Snarled would be a better description.

Japanese people understand very well when their language is rude. Boycott rude service, then again the creep could have been a Jp speaking Chinese or Korean person.

[Black_Beer_Man]

The Japanese are, without a doubt. a proud people.

This pride surfaces in at least two ways in shops.

1. You'll get the finest and most professional service you have ever received. You feel like a VIP. We all have stories like this.

2. Some businesses are too proud and have a "our way or the highway" attitude. "If you don't like our service or want something different, please go somewhere else."

victory7, sounds like you have experienced the latter at least a couple of times.

What I don't understand is why some businesses here behave this way given the fact that Japan has been in recession for at least 20 years (and I would argue severe recession since the Lehman shock in 2008).

Part of it may be because these companies don't like dealing with gaijin. Gaijin represent a minuscule percentage of their sales. "Mendokusai kanna?"

I completely agree with you on boycotting them. You can share your bad experiences here on Dave's (and your good ones). Trip Advisor is another good website for reporting good / bad experiences with restaurants, bars, hotels and shops.

[victory7]

True about the 'mendona koto' aspect of how some Japanese businesses view dealing with non Japanese. Good business people the world over understand that even a small sale might bring the customer back again if they like the service and the goods.

Business people like the a$$$$$$$ I mentioned are simply xenophobic. They also feel very brave when the non Japanese is by themselves as I was on both occasions. I have also experienced wonderful service in Japan many times.

I don't care if the store owners/business owners are neutral or quiet but rude, dismissive language to people who are seeking to buy or actually do buy some of their products or goods just shows them up.

Tokyo lags behind cities like Seoul in English language use. Sometimes taxi drivers in Seoul can speak English, and currency exchangers nearly always will eagerly accommodate people who don't speak Korean and in fact expect people who look like Brits, Europeans, Americans etc to ask questions in English.

Again, the Shibuya prat's attitude was the problem. He would never answer a Japanese without masu or desu and he wouldn't do that to a Chinese tourist. The creep in Mode Off had no class whatsoever treating a paying customer speaking politely to him like that.