Somewhat funny story (at least one day it will be):
They say tips are considered rude in Japan. I'm staying at a high level Ryokan with a nakai-san assigned to our room. She just served us a beautiful, like 10 course meal (I wish I was kidding) and has been quite literally waiting on us during our time here. So of course, my husband starts talking about tipping custom but the internet is divided about the "rudeness" of leaving a tip. I say let's just leave 3k yen or so for her and he's reading that it's rude. There is another nakai-san here who is actually from Spain and speaks English, so I thought I would ask her to make sure we don't offend anybody.
Here's where the screw up starts. For one, I was walking to the reception desk to ask if this person was available to speak and somebody called my nakai-san to say I needed someone, so she approaches me in the hallway. I tell her I am hoping to speak to so-and-so and she seems curious about that but willing. We go to the front desk and she asks if so-and-so is available, and they bring out the ryokan proprietress instead and of course she wants to know if she can do anything for me. I start to try to back out at this point, saying oh it's okay don't worry, but she starts phoning so-and-so on her cellphone and with horror I realize they're calling someone who is done her shift for me. I quickly translate to tell them everything is fine and I just had a question but they literally won't stop trying to help me, so I finally just translated that I wished to leave a cash gift for my nakai-san and wanted to make sure it isn't rude to do so before offering it. I had to do this with my nakai-san standing right next to me. They immediately think I want to leave a cash gift for the other, English speaking nakai-san and I quickly translated that I wished to leave the gift for my nakai-san after which everybody laughs and tells me yes. Then my nakai-san, clearly embarrassed, tries to change the subject by showing me where to purchase sake I had enjoyed earlier when the PERSON I ORIGINALLY ASKED FOR SHOWS UP IN HER PYJAMAS and I have to do the entire embarrassing thing over again in front of my nakai-san who then walks me all the way back to my room.
Ughhhhhhhhhhhh I just want to thank this person for their hospitality without being offensive and I've possibly embarrassed myself more than ever before.
Hope you all enjoy my pain. :) just leave the tip if you wish to do so. That is all.
Submitted April 24, 2023 at 08:37AM by master0jack https://ift.tt/4T8ntIA
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