"Ken Blake" > wrote in message
...
> D. Lutjen wrote:
>
> > My rule for eating out when not with locals is to never go down or up
> > steps . . . always eat in a shop/restaurant at street level.
>
>
> I'm curious as to why.

Two reasons:

1). You can end up paying far more than you should . . . food might be
reasonably priced but that was a ¥5,000 glass of beer you just gulped down
and then there is another ¥2,000 for the girl who brought it to you. And
your waitress has been replaced by a Yakuza-esque bouncer.

2). Many of the buildings in Japan were built under older building codes so
egress in an emergency would be difficult. Visualize narrow hallways,
staircases with incredibly steep rise, 3-person elevators, etc. Some may
say this is silly but I have come to close to disaster in my travels in East
Asia.