Review culture differences between Japan and home

In my first year here in Japan when I was living in Tokyo, I had a friend visit from Australia. That friend is a chef back home, and he was super keen to visit a Michelin-starred restaurant as one of his bucket list items for his trip. We went to a spot in Ginza, and he couldn’t stop raving about it. Everything from the presentation to the ambience to the taste of the food…it all got his highest praise. All that to say, on the Tabelog site the rating for this spot isn’t even at a full four stars.

In Western review culture, I feel like five stars are tossed around pretty generously. Good service? Five stars. Cozy, photogenic interior? Five stars. Water refilled quickly? Five stars! Here, though, I feel like ratings are a lot more conservative. The cultural tendency toward more reserved praise means a rating in the 3s can reflect a great experience, especially if the reviews themselves are written with care and detail.

Local platforms like Tabelog or Jalan (for travel) tend to reflect Japanese expectations and cultural norms. Meanwhile, Google Maps and TripAdvisor seem to be more influenced by tourists and international reviewers, so you’ll often see higher ratings and more familiar Western-style commentary there.

Long story short, if you see a review on Tabelog that only has reviews in the 3-ish star range, don’t discount it! It’s more than likely extremely good, just without the Western-influenced reviews that are often inflated.