When you go out, booking a hotel is always a top priority. A comfortable hotel is very much the difference in the experience of this trip. But if you arrive at the hotel and are told that you can't stay as promised, I believe that many friends will be unhappy or even disappointed with this hotel and the city. Korean Internet celebrity kkujun encountered such annoyance when he was traveling in Japan. And the reason why he was turned away was because he didn't speak Japanese...
Kkujun is a well-known travel blogger in South Korea, and he recently uploaded a ** sharing his experience in Japan. He traveled from Fukuoka to Sapporo, using a scooter as a means of transportation along the way. 
Even though he doesn't speak Japanese, he relies on the translation app on his mobile phone as an important way to communicate with Japanese people, so he can stay at a capsule hotel or eat Ichiran ramen. 
The courteous and attentive Japanese service enhanced his travel experience.
On the way, he decided to stay in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, to take a break from Japan's "sento culture" (bathhouse culture) and eliminate the fatigue of traveling, but he did not expect to taste the closed-door soup from Japanese service for the first time. He booked a hot spring capsule hotel online very early, which is the branch of "Yu" in Yamaguchi Prefecture. On the one hand, the main reason for choosing this inn is that "Yu" is a Japanese-style chain sento brand centered in the Kyushu region, which can be found in Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Oita and Yamaguchi prefectures. 
On the other hand, this inn has a capsule hotel for men only, and you can use the hot springs and bathing facilities for free when you stay, so it is very cost-effective. 
Kkujun is looking forward to this hostel. As soon as he entered, he greeted the front desk staff in English as usual and indicated that he had booked a room, but he never expected that the curly-haired employee A in front of him would be embarrassed when he saw the foreign tourists, and he picked up the walkie-talkie and said a few words, he should have notified his superiors that such a "troublesome person with a mouth full of English" came. 
Soon, a staff member B with glasses came running to deal with it. B asked him bluntly in Japanese, "Do you speak Japanese?" ”
Seeing this, Kkujun immediately opened the translation software on his mobile phone to have a conversation, an action he repeated many times along the way. Even though the translation is sometimes skewed, I can communicate with Japanese people in general. He believes that language is not an obstacle when traveling in Japan. Kkujun used a mobile phone translation app to tell them, "I don't speak Japanese, but I booked a room." "Staff C tried to communicate with him in Korean. C said in broken Korean, "Ah, if you don't know Japanese, it's a hassle to live here." "The scene was very awkward at one point, and the three or four staff members didn't know how to solve the problem. At this moment, a person who appeared to be manager D came forward. With the help of the translation software on his mobile phone, D continuously sent a soul torture to Kkujun: "Have you ever been to a Japanese bathhouse?" Do you know what customs and etiquette you have to abide by when taking a bath in Japanese money? ”
He replied helplessly with a "no". He says he's never tried Japanese sento, which is why he wants to try it. D explained: "We're embarrassed, but we're sorry you still can't stay here. Foreigners who don't speak Japanese can't understand Japanese sento customs and etiquette. In addition, it was difficult for us to communicate with our customers how to use the bathing facilities in the store, and we were worried that communication problems would cause unnecessary trouble. ”
Kkujun was helpless and continued to use translation software to express his demands: "If I don't move in, I won't have a place to sleep." And if something happens, can we communicate directly with mobile apps like we do now? Unfortunately, the hotel still refused to let him stay. Kkujun said disappointedlyI made a successful reservation, and I have already received an email from the hotel to confirm the accommodation, why can't I check in? It's past 7 p.m., and it's hard to find a suitable place to stay for a while.
The hotel never responded to his request, so he had to pick up his scooter and go home. In the end, it took him more than 2 hours to finally find another place to stay.
He still doesn't understand:Why can't I stay at a Japanese hot spring inn if I don't speak Japanese? This incident sparked a fierce debate among Japanese netizens, and there were huge differences of opinion. Some netizens strongly supported the hotel, believing that it was understandable to refuse foreign tourists on the grounds that they "don't know Japanese". In Sento, you can't bring your mobile phone with you when you take a bath, so even if you have a translation app, it won't work, and foreign tourists who don't speak Japanese may cause trouble.
Some netizens vented their bitterness, saying that they had encountered such a troublesome foreign tourist who could not speak Japanese. "I also work in sento, and there are a lot of foreigners there, so it can be very troublesome to get into trouble with foreigners. Even though they said, 'English is common,' I just couldn't understand it, so I was helpless. Since it takes time to translate, I often neglect other customers in order to serve these foreigners. Just saying, 'Don't wear a bathing suit,' is a waste of time. That's why I understand the store's practice of turning away foreigners who don't speak Japanese. ”
Some netizens agree with the practice of hot spring hotels, and it is true that a considerable number of foreign tourists do not understand Japanese bathing culture, which affects the experience of other Japanese people. "Just the other day, I was staying at the famous Solalia Hotel in Kyoto. There is a large bath where foreign tourists from various countries go straight into the bath with their mobile phones, clothes on, and shoes. My sister reminded her, and she took off her shoes, but she was still dressed and taking pictures with her phone. It feels very annoying. The hotel staff doesn't stay in the large bath all the time, and even if they sometimes notice that they can't communicate with them in English, it's really frustrating. Please, please observe the Japanese bathing etiquette. ”
Japan has introduced the "Sento Bathing Etiquette" for foreign tourists, which lists 11 "sento prohibited behaviors" in Chinese, Korean and English, including using mobile phones and cameras, bathing in a shawl, bathing in towels, getting dressed in the bath, making loud noises, eating and drinking, and so on.
However, some Japanese people said that the popularization of science is not yet in place, and that these foreign tourists should be inspected when booking hotels, and an upgraded version of the "Sento Etiquette Guide" should be launched for foreign tourists. For example, when you make a reservation, ask them if they can communicate in Japanese without a mobile phone translation app. As for those who choose 'no', they will be forced to **1 minute or more Japanese bathing customs and etiquette**, more than 100 languages can be launched, otherwise you will not be able to book a hot spring inn.
And some netizens bluntly said that the problem of this Korean Internet celebrity is even greater. The rejection was not entirely due to language issues, but because he filmed without permission. "This foreign Internet celebrity has been filming ** all the time, and the store is actually just rejecting him on this ground to avoid unnecessary disputes. Instead of causing trouble to other customers, it is better to take responsibility for everything and protect customers. Because even if these foreign tourists do any harassing behavior, such as in conveyor belt sushi, if they flee back to the country, they can no longer be held accountable. If this is left unchecked, Japanese hotels will continue to be harassed by foreign tourists. ”
Some netizens complained that there are too many similar foreign Internet celebrities in Japan nowadays, who have been holding their mobile phones to take pictures everywhere since they checked in to the hotel, which will not only cause trouble to other customers, but also violate their privacy and security, especially in private spaces such as sento. "Although there are many similar Japanese Internet celebrities, I don't know if it's Korean Internet celebrities or Chinese Internet celebrities recently, they are always shooting around with camera equipment in the airport lounge, and some will turn on the flash in the hotel breakfast area, which is really annoying. Not only do they shoot films, but they also make live sounds. I think the hotel refused because it was afraid that such a situation would happen, and if the influencer said that he would not be able to shoot, he should be able to stay. ”
Some netizens believe that Internet celebrities like this who use skateboards as a means of transportation are very suspicious in their own behavior, and they deserve to be rejected. "Skateboarding itself is an "amusement ride" that is not allowed to be used on public roads, and foreigners who use this kind of thing as a means of transportation are suspicious people in a way. Regardless of whether his appointment is successful or not, as long as he is a suspicious person, he deserves to be denied. ”
Some netizens suspect that this Korean Internet celebrity has the intention of smearing Japan. Because this ** was filmed in May last year, after 9 months, it has only been released and listed on the hot search in Japan, with ill intentions. This is clearly a trap set by the South Koreans to crack down on Japanese tourism. "This ** seems to have been uploaded in May last year, and the camera is always slapping the staff's faces, trying to create their unreasonable image. In addition, the mosaics are so thin that basically people who know them can recognize them at once. Also, let's not talk about the question of 'can you speak Japanese', did this influencer get permission from the hotel before filming and uploading the video? I think we should protect the employees who are being siphoned off. ”
Contrary to the above views, many Japanese netizens believe that turning away guests on the grounds that they do not know Japanese is a discriminatory behavior against foreign tourists, which is not conducive to the healthy development of Japan's tourism industry. "It's discrimination to book and turn it away, it's really terrible. ”
Sharp-eyed Japanese netizens found that this hotel, whether it is on the official ** or in the major reservations**, does not have a rule that "you can't stay if you don't know Japanese", and the only place with a clear reminder is only on the Yahoo Travel page.
Some netizens said frankly that this matter cannot be avoided and trivialized, and the problem is that the hotel confirms the guest's reservation, but does not allow the guest to stay. "I don't know Japanese, so it's a natural thing to be turned away. However, this time the reservation was confirmed in advance, so it was problematic to turn people away in this way. I hope this hotel doesn't use the excuse of not managing its employees well and punishing itself three glasses like this. I hope they can find out the crux of the problem and improve it in a better direction. ”
The problem is not that he is an internet celebrity, but that he was denied a hotel reservation to check in on the same day. The reason that 'you can't use sento if you don't know Japanese' is understandable, but I couldn't find any tips after searching their official ** and all reservations**. Even so, when I saw the name of the customer's reservation, I must have known that he was a foreigner, and at this time, the customer's reservation was confirmed, which was the store's own problem, and it was very lazy. Therefore, I think it is appropriate for them to issue an apology. ”
On February 19, the hotel apologized to the Korean customer on its website, saying that it was sorry for the unpleasant refusal to check in on the grounds that foreigners do not speak Japanese. This misconduct was caused by a lack of professional training on the part of the staff. We will do our best to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
However, Japanese netizens pointed out that the hotel's practice this time clearly violated Japan's newly revised "Hotel Industry Law". Except for patients with infectious diseases, harassers, etc., accommodation cannot be refused for any reason. If there is no reason to refuse to stay, it will be recorded.
Just two months ago, in December last year, Japan promulgated a newly revised "Hotel Business Law", which reaffirmed that "in principle, major hotels and inns in Japan cannot refuse guest accommodation", and at the same time clarified that hotels and inns can refuse guest accommodation under certain circumstances.
These include: excessive requests for service from guests. For example, making unreasonable service requests to hotel staff; unreasonably demanded that the upper and lower rooms be vacated; Designate specific employees to serve themselves. Requests for unreasonable discounts, mandatory room upgrades, late check-outs, early check-ins, requests for pick-up and drop-off from hotels that are not eligible for pick-up, etc. Guests who are drunk or ask for extended hours of care that would cause trouble to other guests are likely to be turned away. The guest asked the employee to kneel down and apologize. Use **, email, or reprimand employees for long periods of time in person. It can be seen that these regulations are aimed at those unreasonable and unreasonable guests, because of ", that is, customer harassment.
According to a survey conducted by the Japan Association of Hotels and Hotels, 41% of hotels and inns have experienced employees being restricted in their personal freedom for a long time, verbally and violently intimidated by guests. There are 235% of hotels and hostels have been asked by guests for undue discounts and other excessive services. However, none of these regulations allow hotels to refuse accommodation on the grounds that they do not know Japanese. Since Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida proposed a "tourism nation" last year, coupled with the long-term depreciation of the yen, more and more foreign tourists have included "cheap and good-service" Japan as a travel destination, and have come to Japan from all over the world.
Many tourist attractions in Japan are crowded with foreign tourists. For example, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, which is known as "Little Edo", has seen a surge of 6 foreign tourists visiting the city2 times.
In 2023, foreign tourists visiting Japan will spend a record 5,292.3 billion yen on travel.
This makes Japan** see a huge business opportunity. This year, the Japan Tourism Agency has decided to promote "food tourism" with a focus on food tourism, in order to continue to attract more foreign tourists to Japan, especially those who can afford it.
Japan is targeting the wallets of foreign tourists, and it is more inclined to rack its brains to cut the leeks of foreign tourists than to find ways to improve the travel experience of tourists. Recently, various parts of Japan are planning to introduce an "accommodation tax" for tourists. Most of these tax-charged places are popular tourist destinations for foreign tourists, such as Hokkaido, Chatan-cho in Okinawa, Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, Urayasu in Chiba Prefecture, and Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture.
The specific "accommodation tax" varies depending on the region and the cost of accommodation per night, but most of them range from 100 to 200 yen per night, and some can be as high as 500 yen or more. Among them, the city of Sapporo in Hokkaido is considering implementing a "tiered fee". If you come to Sapporo to stay in Sapporo, you will be charged an "accommodation tax" regardless of whether you are a Japanese or a foreigner. In addition to school events and school trips for students.
If the room rate is less than 20,000 yen per person per night, an accommodation tax of 100 yen will be charged. 200 yen per person per night for 20,000-50,000 yen per room; If the room rate is more than 50,000 yen per person per night, 500 yen will be charged. A maximum of 1,000 yen will be charged. Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture, where Tokyo Disneyland is located, plans to introduce an "accommodation tax" to all guests staying in the city next year. In this regard, some Japanese women who often visit Dongdi have expressed their concern. She said that she is a big fan of Disney and basically comes several times a year, which would be a burden if she had to collect taxes for each stay.
Some Disney fans said that if they really want to collect taxes, they can only go back and forth for a day and do not stay.
According to the Chiba Prefecture Tourist Immigration Survey Report, there were 8 million overnight guests in Urayasu City last year, and if you charge 100 yen per night, you can earn 800 million yen a year from the accommodation tax. These "accommodation taxes" can be used to revitalize the local economy, childcare or pension and other aspects of people's livelihood, which is really good for them. Regardless of the right or wrong, turning away customers who have already made confirmed reservations on the grounds that they don't know Japanese is really a sign for themselves and the entire Japanese tourism industry. If Japan really wants to rely on tourism to build a country and revitalize its economy, it must come up with better services and supporting facilities to welcome visitors from all over the world.