BEIJING: Public outrage erupted in both Japan and China after a group of mainland Chinese tourists was found to have transformed an Osaka guest house into a “junkyard” following a three-day stay.
On Nov 23, a Japanese blogger using the handle @roketdan2 posted on X that five travellers from China left the guest house in disarray between November 18 and 21.
Photos shared by the blogger reveal empty food packages and other debris scattered throughout the three-bedroom homestay known as Shirakabanoyado Mutsuki, or White Birch House in English.
A screenshot of the Airbnb booking shows that a Chinese guest named Wang Yu reserved the property for five adults for three days.
According to the websites of Japanese homestay management companies, it costs between 5,000 and 15,000 yen (US$33 to US$99) to thoroughly clean a property.
Property hosts have the right to set cleaning fees at their discretion, but it remains unclear how much the host charged these Chinese guests.
The guests’ negligence has significantly impacted the host’s business, with several travel booking platforms indicating that the property was temporarily unavailable for reservations.
Booking.com lists the nightly rate for the property at around US$400.
The post garnered 3.6 million views on X, triggering fury among online observers in both Japan and China.
“Just because of these five people’s immoral behaviour, the whole Chinese nation will be viewed negatively,” remarked one Japanese commenter on X.
“They should be banned from coming to Japan again,” another user added.
One suggestion was, “Guest houses should charge foreigners 10 times the rate compared to Japanese guests.”
“Such uncivilised behaviour is not welcomed in China either. They should be held accountable for their actions and compensate the host,” commented a Chinese social media user.
In Japan, homestay guests and tenants are expected to clean the property and restore it to its original condition before checking out.
Some homestays also enforce strict rules regarding rubbish sorting. An experienced Chinese traveller shared with the Beijing News that she received a negative rating for leaving behind extra packaging at a Japanese homestay, despite having sorted her waste as instructed, as it resulted in additional cleaning work for the host.
The traveller advised guests to respect local rules and customs, communicate with hosts, and keep photographic evidence of the property upon check-in and checkout to avoid disputes.
In August, a Japanese hotel with a 140-year history in Nagano prefecture sought help on X to locate two foreign tourists who stayed for three days and two nights without paying the 57,000-yen (US$380) fee.
The hotel expressed initial excitement about hosting foreign guests, as 99 per cent of their clientele were Japanese. They did not request payment in advance or photocopy the guests’ passports, as was their usual practice, but did not anticipate the guests would evade payment.
The hotel did not disclose the nationality of the guests. - South China Morning Post
