A Japan restaurant bans couples for Christmas to make single patrons less lonely.

Telegraph reported that the pasta restaurant, PiaPia, is located in west Tokyo in the Hachioji suburb. Its owner reportedly placed a handwritten sign on the window, stating, "We will be refusing entry to all couples on December 24, with no exceptions!"

In addition to the message, there is an image of blue and red human figures with a small heart in between, representing a couple, with a big red cross over it, to serve as a translation to those who might not read Japanese.

According to one employee of PiaPia, the sign was put up by the owner because single customers might realize that they are dining alone when looking at other couples and may feel lonely during the holiday.

He added, "To start with, someone said we should ban couples as a bit of a joke, but then we realised that it's true. If you are single on Christmas Eve, then it's easy to get down."

Japan does not normally celebrate Christmas and it is actually a regular working day, but in the past few years, several young couples started the practice of dining out and exchanging gifts during Christmas, even if they are not Christians.

The Japan restaurant that bans couples on Christmas Eve apparently feels sympathetic towards loners, hence, the sign. A lot of social media users actually complemented the owner for being sensitive. Some even hoped that all restaurants in Japan would ban couples on the Christian holiday.

PiaPia, banning couples on Christmas, is not actually the first restaurant in the country to impose ban on certain people, things or conditions.

Japan Today wrote that Restaurant Riki in New York banned its customers from tipping because it is not customary in Japan for patrons to leave tips. Other restaurants in Japan ban smoking, bringing of pets and wearing of revealing garments.

These are reportedly all intended to maintain the integrity of the Japanese culture as well as to show some concern to other diners.

Japanese restaurant PiaPia's ban on couples for Christmas continues to make waves on social media.