Japan’s Okinawa is famous for its sunny beaches and is one of the most popular tourist attractions for Chinese tourists. However, a Japanese businessman on Miyako Island was criticized for renting umbrellas to Chinese tourists at ten times more than the normal amount, Japanese Kyodo news service reported on Thursday, Aug. 3.

According to the local tourism association, it should cost about 2,000 yen to rent an umbrella. However, tourists found a paper poster on the beach that read: "ARASOLS FOR RENT, 20,000 yen for Chinese."

The local government received complaints about it in mid-July. The businessman said the poster was meant to express an unwillingness to rent umbrellas to Chinese due to previous disputes. However, local officials pointed out that the expression would lead to misunderstanding and could result in discrimination.

Although the poster has since disappeared, Ikema Takamori, a senior director at the Okinawa Island Tourism Association worried that such behavior would harm the local image.