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A Chinese tourist has recounted her traumatic experience in Japan, where she and a friend were allegedly verbally abused and forced out of a restaurant.
The incident occurred at Ban Thai Market restaurant in Kobe, Japan. (representational image)
Japanese people are known for their kindness and hospitality, which is deeply rooted in the cultural concept of omotenashi. It is the philosophy of sincere and sincere approach to serving guests. It goes beyond simple service to include anticipating a guest’s needs before they even realize them, emphasizing respect and thorough attention to detail and providing a positive, emotional, and comforting welcome.
Well, it seems that not everyone in Japan is inclined to follow this tradition. Recently, a Chinese tourist shared her ordeal in the Land of the Rising Sun, where she and her friend were verbally assaulted and forcibly removed from a restaurant. And the reason? Their clothes.
Two Chinese tourists were expelled from a restaurant in Japan
According to the South China Morning Post, the incident occurred in late August when a Chinese blogger went with a friend to a popular Thai restaurant, Baan Thai Market in Kobe, Japan.
By sharing her experience on a Chinese social media platform, she documented that they were verbally assaulted and kicked out of a popular restaurant simply for wearing sports jackets and baggy pants, which the owner considered “too revealing.”
According to the post, when they entered the restaurant, the owner made a disrespectful comment: “Summer is over. You don’t have to go out naked anymore.”
The situation worsened when they were still eating. The manager and staff hurried over, snatched their chopsticks, cleaned their plates, and carried the entire meal without asking if it was finished. “I went to pay the bill and asked the manager how much it was. He completely ignored me and only looked at the computer screen as if to say we should check it out for ourselves,” she wrote.
This was not the only case
Later, when the blogger reviewed the restaurant’s reviews on Google, she noticed that many other customers also had a similar experience at the restaurant and with the manager. “I checked the Google reviews and realized that multiple people were discriminated against by the same manager. The number of negative reviews is staggering,” the post added.
According to the South China Morning Post, Japan this year surpassed Thailand as the most popular overseas travel destination for Chinese travellers, thanks to loosened visa restrictions, a cheap yen, and growing interest in premium experiences such as food tourism.
The team of writers at News18.com bring you stories about what’s buzzing on the internet while exploring science, cricket, technology, sex, Bollywood and culture.
Delhi, India, India
28 October 2025 at 11:17 IST
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