The guests arrived 30 minutes before check-in time at a traditional hot springs inn a couple of hours north of Tokyo.
When they saw a sign asking that customers wait in their cars, they demanded to know why they could not get their room key early.
The exchange, captured on a security camera, quickly exploded into angry shouting.
Eventually it ended on the pavement out front — with the inn’s managing director down on his knees, bowing deeply and apologizing.
The tradition of hospitality is such that retail clerks in upscale stores bow to customers on their way out the door, and waiters, baristas and hotel clerks use honorific Japanese when serving.
Persons:
“, ”
Locations:
Tokyo, Japan