Safe night out in Japan
Bars, izakaya and hostess bars — the protections below fit them all.
Optional — you can just tap Continue.
Ask these before you talk about money. If the answers don't suit you, you can walk away without ever showing your budget.
1. Will they give you a receipt?
2. Do they take credit cards?
3. Will they settle up once you near your cap?
Time-based bars already come round at each time block to ask about extending, so this is a normal thing to ask for in Japan. At an ordinary izakaya it is less usual — a “no” here doesn't mean anything is wrong with the place.
This is the all-in ceiling — tax, cover (お通し), service and late-night charges all count towards it. A bar or izakaya is often ¥3,000–5,000 per person. —
Used to show per-person charges (e.g. cover / お通し) clearly.
This is where it matters most: a ¥15,000 course can become ¥20,000 once tax, cover (お通し) and a late-night charge are added on. Agreeing an all-in ceiling up front stops that.
Hold your phone up to the staff. The message below is written in Japanese for them.
If they want a different number, come back and change it — then show it again. Nothing is created or charged yet.
Your $7 is only used when a venue agrees. If they won't, you can try another bar free for 7 days.
Charged in US dollars. Digital service, delivered instantly — no refunds for change of mind (we fix our own billing errors). See
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