The incident occurred in late August at the popular Thai restaurant Baan Thai Market in Japan’s Kobe when a Chinese blogger and her friend dined there.
The blogger recently shared her experience on Chinese social media, where the post garnered over 2,100 likes as of Oct. 28, the South China Morning Post reported.
The pair was met with a remark from the owner as soon as they entered the restaurant, “Summer is over. You don’t need to come out naked any more.”
The blogger defended their choice of attire, noting that their casual outfits—sports vests and loose trousers—were normal and appropriate.
Things quickly escalated.
While they were still eating, the staff abruptly approached, took away their chopsticks, cleared their plates, and removed all their food without asking if they had finished, according to their post, Indian news site NDTV reported.
The blogger claimed that she found numerous similar complaints about the same manager on Google reviews. Many reviewers reported facing rude and discriminatory treatment, with some accusing the owner of racist behavior.
Many Japanese netizens criticized the restaurant and supported the Chinese tourists following their post.
“That manager is genuinely rude. His reputation has been bad for a long time,” a netizen wrote.
“Discrimination only damages the country’s image. The owner doesn’t understand that his business relies on tourists,” another wrote.
However, some netizens said Japan has unwritten rules that tourists should follow.
“Anything that shows the shoulders is deemed revealing in Japan, it’s rare for Japanese girls to wear sleeveless tops, a netizen wrote.
“Good, they should dress Kimono. That way you can respect the culture,” another wrote.
This year, Japan became the top overseas destination for Chinese tourists thanks to relaxed visa policies, a weak yen, and a growing interest in unique experiences such as food tourism.
Japan welcomed 31.65 million foreign visitors between January and September, up 17.7% year-on-year, Kyodo News reported.
Mainland China topped the list with around 7.49 million visitors, up 42.7% from a year earlier.
