Destinations › Japan › Osaka › Scams
Osaka, Japan
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Osaka, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Street touts for bars and clubs promising a fixed all-in price that bears no relation to the eventual bill. Entering a venue with a tout is the common factor in almost every case.
Bottakuri bars in the nightlife districts: touts bring visitors in on a cheap drink offer, then present a bill of tens of thousands of yen with undisclosed seating, hostess and service charges.
Unlicensed 'massage' touts in the nightlife districts advertising services with charges that escalate once inside.
Pickpocketing in the dense crowds of the main entertainment and shopping streets on weekend evenings.
Dating-app contacts steering matches to specific bars where a heavily inflated bill is produced and departure obstructed.
Taxis taking extended routes with visitors, particularly late at night between entertainment districts.
Card machines run out of sight in nightlife venues, with amounts charged that differ from the bill presented.
Short-let listings taking deposits for properties that are unlicensed and unavailable on arrival.
Resold attraction tickets offered below face value that are already used or non-transferable.
Counterfeit branded goods sold in the tourist shopping arcades as genuine.
