A ramen restaurant in Osaka, Japan, made headlines after it was found that its prices were higher when a non-Japanese language was selected on its ordering kiosk. On one occasion, the police were called in after a disgruntled Chinese tourist kicked up a fuss at the eatery. The restaurant in question is the Osaka outlet of Iekei Kansai Ramen Gadouya, located in Minatomachi. Citing TV Asahi, 8world reported that prices varied between the English and Japanese menus of the ordering kiosk. A bowl of ramen that goes for 1,000 yen (S$8.20) on the Japanese menu doubles to 2,000 yen (S$16.40) on the English menu. According to the restaurant manager, different ingredients go into meals made for tourists, compared to those for locals. The price difference is meant to cover the costs of the ingredients. The restaurant manager explained that the language setting appears on the first page and separates those who know Japanese and those who don’t, TV Asahi reported. If patrons select something outside of Japanese, they will be notified that the price and product will be different. He also said that in setting different prices, the restaurant was taking on a risk. However, one tourist found it hard to stomach the price difference based on Japanese proficiency. On Jan. 4, a tourist from China ordered from the tourist menu, but claimed that they had made a mistake and asked for a refund on the price difference. In response, the restaurant explained that the ramen was different, and so they could not provide a refund. Both parties then got into a disagreement. The restaurant shared on X that the police were called in to assist, 8world wrote. Following the incident, the restaurant said that they were considering banning Chinese tourists from the eatery, but have not made it clear if this would be implemented, TV Asahi reported. Top image via @japanloveryman / X
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