Uchikura & Co., LLC

The Difference Between Restaurant Sanitation Systems in the U.S. and Japan
In King County, Washington, where I live, there’s a clear and easy-to-understand restaurant food safety rating systemmanaged by Public Health – Seattle & King County. Every restaurant is inspected regularly, and the results are posted both at the entrance and online.

 

The ratings are divided into four levels:
Excellent, Good, Okay, and Needs Improvement.

 

This system helps customers immediately understand how clean and safe a restaurant is before they even step inside. Personally, I only eat at restaurants rated Good or Excellent. Some Chinese restaurants are often rated “Okay,” but I tend to avoid them—especially since I had a kidney transplant. My immune system is weaker now, so getting food poisoning could become a serious issue. After working so hard to maintain my health, I simply can’t take that kind of risk.

 

In contrast, Japan doesn’t have a unified restaurant sanitation rating system like the one we have here. While some cities and prefectures recognize “Food Safety Excellence Awards” or similar programs, these are mostly commendations, not public ratings that customers can easily see.

 

Since 2021, Japan has required all food businesses to implement HACCP-based food safety management, an international standard for hygiene. However, this is an internal management system, not something displayed to the public. A few cities, such as Tokyo and Fukuoka, have experimented with star-based or color-coded hygiene ratings, but these efforts remain limited and are not yet implemented nationwide.

 

I believe Japan could truly benefit from a more transparent system like King County’s—one that allows people to quickly and confidently choose safe places to eat. After all, good food should always come with good peace of mind.

 

It’s rare, but in this case, Japan can learn something valuable from the United States. That’s my personal opinion.