What it does
NamiFlow lets you agree on the price with a venue before you go in, and keeps a record of what was agreed. It's a private record — it does not guarantee any outcome, but it makes the agreed price clear to both sides.
How to use
- Set your price — a flat total or a cap — and pay ($7 once, or a $19 Stay Pass for 14 days).
- Show the QR code to the staff and ask them to agree.
- The staff press and hold (3s) to agree. Their consent is recorded with the time, place, and device.
- You're protected. Your evidence PDF is emailed to you.
The litmus test: If a place won't confirm a fair price before you go in — especially one pulling you in off the street — it's often better to find another spot. Most honest bars are happy to agree.
Street-smart tips — before you go in
- Point Google Lens (your Google app camera) at the shop sign — it translates it and shows the place's reviews.
- No prices shown anywhere? Be a little cautious.
- Pulled in by someone on the street (a "catch")? That's a reason to be extra careful.
These are just guides — you decide. / あくまで目安です。判断はご自身で。
What's normal in Japan
Some extra charges are normal in Japan — as long as they're shown up front. Knowing the typical range helps you tell a fair bill from a rip-off:
Cover / お通し
(a small dish or seat charge, per person)
~¥300–500 casual izakaya
~¥500–1,000 bars
Service charge
usually 10% (up to ~15% upscale)
often none at casual places
Late-night surcharge
usually +10%, after 22:00
Together these can add roughly +20–30% — still normal if you were told up front. But a surprise ¥30,000+ bill, or charges you were never shown (huge seat fees, mystery “set” or “nomination” charges), is not — that's when to walk away.
These are typical ranges, not fixed rules — each venue sets its own, and prices are usually higher in nightlife/tourist areas.
If things go wrong
If you're in it right now — these three first:
- Stay calm. Don't shout, don't break anything.
- Kept inside, threatened, or walked to an ATM? Call 110 — now.
- If you do pay, pay by card and say “under protest”. Card charges can be disputed later; cash almost never comes back.
The full version, and what to do tomorrow, is below.
NamiFlow keeps a record of what was agreed, but we can't step into a dispute for you. Here is what actually helps, in order. Getting out safely matters more than the money.
- Stay calm. Don't shout or break anything. In Japan that can turn you into the accused (property damage / obstruction of business), even if you were overcharged.
- If you're being kept inside, threatened, or walked to an ATM — that is a crime. Call 110 (police, free, 24h). Refusing to let you leave is unlawful confinement.
- Need an excuse to get out? Say you'll go to a convenience store to withdraw cash. Inside the store, ask the staff to call the police — venue staff rarely follow you in, and there are security cameras.
- If you do pay, pay by card, not cash. A card payment can be disputed later; cash almost never comes back. Say clearly that you are paying "under protest".
- Keep the evidence: the itemised receipt (or a photo of the bill), your NamiFlow record, and any photos of the price board outside. Send them to a friend on WhatsApp / LINE straight away — a message that is timestamped by the app is far harder to dispute than a photo sitting on your phone.
- Go to a police box (交番 / kōban) or a police station as soon as you can and report it. The police keep their own record, but they won't hand you a certificate and your card company can't look it up — so make your own record, at the time:
- Write down the date and time, the station, the officer's surname, and the number on the badge on their left chest (two letters and three digits, e.g. "NP215"). Officers wear that badge so they can be identified, so noting it is normal — just ask politely, and don't photograph the officer.
- Then send that note straight to a friend (or to yourself) on WhatsApp, LINE or email, with a photo of the bill and of the venue. The app stamps the message with the time it was sent, which shows you recorded this at the time rather than writing it later. Screenshot that thread for your card company.
Don't expect a signed or stamped document — Japanese police don't issue one. A case number exists only if they accept a formal criminal complaint (被害届), so ask for it if they do.
- Then contact your card company and tell them the charge doesn't match what was agreed. Send them the receipt, your NamiFlow record and the police details.
Official help lines
- Police: 110 — free, 24h. For danger, threats, or being kept inside.
- Japan Visitor Hotline: 050-3816-2787 — 24 hours, every day (EN / 中文 / 한국어 / 日本語). Run by the Japan National Tourism Organization. Best choice at night when nothing else is open.
- Consumer Hotline for Tourists: 03-5449-0906 — for disputing an unfair bill. Run by Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center in 7 languages (EN / 中文 / 한국어 / ไทย / Tiếng Việt / Français / 日本語). Weekdays only, 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:00 (closed weekends and holidays) — so this is the one you call the next working day, not during the night.
www.cht.kokusen.go.jp
has FAQs on dining and billing trouble you can read in your language at any hour — useful for working out your options, though you can't reach a person there.