‘Israeli’ tourists denied reservation in Japan’s Nagano

• A lodging facility in Hakuba, Japan, was issued a verbal warning by authorities after refusing to book ‘Israeli’ citizens in protest of the assault on Gaza.
• The incident sparked a formal diplomatic protest from the ‘Israeli’ Ambassador to Japan, following a similar 2025 occurrence in Kyoto where a hotel required an ‘Israeli’ guest to sign a "war crimes declaration."

A lodging facility in Hakuba, a renowned snow resort area in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, declined a reservation inquiry from an ‘Israeli’ travel agency, according to a recent report by Yomiuri Shimbun of the incident that happened in October.

The incident involved the Hakuba Lodge Co-op, which manages multiple lodges and ski resorts in the region,

The ‘Israeli’ agency, specializing in customized trips to Japan, contacted the facility to arrange accommodations for the winter season.

In response, the manager, who is noted as a non-Japanese citizen, informed the agency that the company had decided against accepting bookings from ‘Israeli’ citizens.

The decision was explicitly stated to be in response to ‘Israeli’ conduct towards Palestinians.

The manager's message elaborated that the facility was uncomfortable facilitating holidays for ‘Israelis’ while Palestinians faced homelessness and starvation.

Following the refusal, the ‘Israeli’ agency severed contact and secured lodging elsewhere in Japan.

Under Japan's Hotel Business Law, accommodations are prohibited from denying services based on nationality without justifiable reasons, as this constitutes discrimination.

In response, ‘Israel's’ Ambassador to Japan, Gilad Cohen, sent a formal protest letter to Nagano Governor Shuichi Abe on Oct. 21.

The Prefecture of Nagano conducted an inquiry, reviewing social media exchanges and guest records, which revealed no prior refusals of ‘Israeli’ visitors.

Consequently, the authorities issued a verbal warning to the operating company in October, instructing it to prevent future occurrences and commit to "non-discriminatory" practices.

No further penalties were imposed, given the facility's history of welcoming ‘Israeli’ guests.

It follows a similar occurrence earlier in 2025, where a Kyoto hotel required an ‘Israeli’ guest to sign a war crimes declaration.