Guides for shop owners
What should be different about a website for Japanese customers?
Japanese customers tend to check carefully before they go. Above all they want to know ahead of time: can I book, can I pay by card, and is it fine to come alone?
Must-haves on your Japanese page
- 予約 (how to book) — if it can be done by message or form instead of a phone call, make that prominent
- クレジットカード・電子マネー利用可 (cards and e-money accepted) — if you’re cash only, say 現金のみ clearly
- お一人様歓迎 (solo guests welcome), and the number of seats
- A 日本語メニューあり (Japanese menu available) note
Tone
- Polite form (です・ます) is the baseline in Japanese. A translation in casual speech reads as rude
- Going easy on exclamation marks and emoji builds trust
To help them find you
- Add your website address to your Google Maps listing
- Reply politely to reviews from Japanese customers (Google Maps, Instagram, X and so on)
This guide was written by Gyeol, a website service for small shops. Use it as it is, whether or not you use Gyeol.
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