Nagano hotel association told to check foreign guest IDs ahead of torch relay

Wednesday 23rd April, 05:47 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 17 Total Comments Show All

Ultradude at 08:10 AM JST - 23rd April

Yokoso!!!
papasmurfinjapan at 09:55 AM JST - 23rd April

Yes some of those names on the guest list must have them worried.

Ivana Humpalot, I.P Freily, Pussy Galore...
Proffessor at 09:59 AM JST - 23rd April

what's the fuss here?
wanderlust at 10:14 AM JST - 23rd April

They ask for ID anyway, whether it is a passport, ARC, NHI Card, driving licence, or other form of ID - what's the fuss about? Could they really spot suspicious people?

All the major incidents on Japanese soil have been conducted by Japanese nationals, not foreigners!
jerseyboy at 10:35 AM JST - 23rd April

Professor...the "fuss" as I see it is two fold. First, why are just foreigners being given increased scrutiny? These folks may simply be going to Nagano for Golden Week, and did not even realize the torch relay was being held there. Why are they assumed more likely to cause a disruption than Japanese citizens? Second, what is this "recording whether they are cooperative" nonsense? Now us foreigners have to be subject to inn keepers filing reports on us because they judged us not cooperative? Talk about spreading unnecessary fear of foreigners. Does the xenophobia here know no bounds?
Beelzebub at 11:38 AM JST - 23rd April

Japan residents should know about this (from Debito's website)

WHAT TO DO IF... ...you are asked for your passport number at a hotel, despite having an address in Japan.

http://www.debito.org/whattodoif.html#refusedhotel
DeepAir65 at 11:46 AM JST - 23rd April

but don't hotels do that any way?

Several years ago I went to Kyoto to meet up with a friend who was on a stop over and they could not understand why she had a passport to show them and I did not. It took me some time to explain to them that as a resident I did not need to carry my passport and could they please accept my gaijin card as ID.

Turned out as above all they wanted was the passport number.

BTW - this is not unique to Japan and is standard procedure here and in many other countries.
gogogo at 12:11 PM JST - 23rd April

Screw you hotel, they have no rights to ask for this type of ID of a foreigner. Only the police (while I hate it as well) have the right to ask for ID.
GW at 12:13 PM JST - 23rd April

I live outside Tokyo & often when I head to the big smoke I will book a htl to crash, they always ask for my passport, I point out I live in Jpn, hence dont carry it, then I show them my drivers licence & 50% of the time they ask to copy it & I politely refuse saying they have confirmed I am me, they have my address when I booked on the net & have again written it down when checking in, only a couple of staff have insisted they need a copy, then I politely ask for the manager & they come over we exchange a few words & then they do a quick gomenasai, hand me my key & i am good to go.

As long as yr polite you shud be fine
WhatJapanThinks at 12:15 PM JST - 23rd April

papsmurf: whilst I'm no Debito fan myself, the information on that page is factual, although it could be more useful than just saying run to the cops if you get refused.
USNinJapan2 at 04:07 PM JST - 23rd April

Great, no ID needed to fly around the country but you need one to get a room for the night. Talk about getting your priorities wrong...
outofmydepth at 06:12 PM JST - 23rd April

oh my gosh!!!! hotel reservations in foregin names. so much for yokoso. head for the hills!!! what a crock. and at the same time they want to boost tourism. they should also check the j nationals for any crimes they have done.
Nessie at 07:50 PM JST - 23rd April

but don't hotels do that any way?

Yes, exactly. The hotels are required to check. This story is just to show the nervous nellie j-troglodytes that the coppers have us uppity outsiders well in hand.

When I'm asked for a passport and I produce a gaijin card, hotels just wave me in without checking. I think they regard it as a nuisance. They only fuss when a passport is involved. When I saw The Police (the band, not the j-satsu) in Tokyo, the reservation was in my j-friend's name and the front desk didn't ask me for any ID at all.
usaexpat at 11:38 PM JST - 23rd April

What nationalities are they looking for Hmmm.... Seems to me pretty much every country that the torch has passed through had a protest so everyone is suspect even Japanese. Are they looking for Tibetans maybe? What a load of crap, I've never had an innkeeper ask me for anything other than payment and I doubt many will bother in this instance either.
DenshaDeGO at 08:53 AM JST - 25th April

It's 2008 and the Japanese still have this "Foreigner = trouble" mind set. It's pathetic.