Work with a smile? But that’s harassment, say nearly half of Japanese polled

45.7 per cent of respondents say they think asking store staff to smile is harassment, suggesting growing sensitivity to pressures on service workers

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Sales staff discuss specialty chocolates with shoppers at a chocolate store in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 5:15pm, 9 Apr 2025

In Japan, a nation famed for its high standards of customer service, a new survey has found that nearly half of those polled think asking store employees to smile is a form of harassment.

Kyoto-based customer support platform Helpfeel conducted the survey of 1,070 people nationwide in March, The Mainichi reported on Monday.

It found that 45.7 per cent of respondents viewed requests for store staff to smile as harassment, with no significant difference in views across age groups.

The results suggest a growing sensitivity to the pressures placed on service workers, signalling a shift away from traditional expectations of unwavering cheerfulness in customer interactions.

“Many people probably think that store employees feel resistant to being required to maintain customer service demeanour above a certain level,” a Helpfeel representative told The Mainichi.

An employee tends to customers at a jewellery shop in Tokyo, Japan. Omotenashi , the Japanese concept of hospitality, emphasises anticipating and fulfilling customer needs with utmost care and respect. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Omotenashi, the Japanese concept of hospitality, emphasises anticipating and fulfilling customer needs with utmost care and respect. When entering a store or restaurant in Japan, it is common to be greeted with a smile, a bow and an enthusiastic “irasshaimase!”, meaning “welcome” in Japanese.