As the popularity of social media increases, it gets easier to demand accountability from the businesses we interact with on a daily basis. Recently, public figures in Japan have been taking to the internet to express their dissatisfaction as customers, with varying results.
For example, Author Ototake Hirotada used Twitter to vent frustration about a restaurant in Tokyo that refused him due to his wheelchair, and the netizen community rallied behind him. On the other hand, politician Koizumi Mitsuo’s recent blog post about his dehumanizing experience at the hospital earned him widespread ridicule. Clearly, airing greivances on the internet can be a double-edged sword.
Last month, celebrity chef Kawagoe Tatsuya attempted to fight back against similar internet complaints about his restaurant after it received negative reviews on restaurant review website Tabelog. Most notably, customers complained about finding an 800 yen charge for water on their receipt without any warning or explanation. Instead of apologizing, Kawagoe claims reviewers on the internet must be too middle-class to understand the true value of his restaurant. Although the article cites reactions both in support of and against Kawagoe’s statements, it looks like Kawagoe’s elitism has largely turned netizens against him.
From Yahoo! Japan:
Chef Kawagoe Enraged at Tabelog Posts: “800 Yen For Water Is Reasonable”
Chef Kawagoe Tatsuya, famous for his appearances on variety shows, is furious about the insulting reviews of the restaurant he manages that were posted on restaurant review website Tabelog.
The review said that the water served at Kawagoe’s restaurant was too expensive at 800 yen [approx. $8.50]. Kawagoe said that it’s a natural price because he is serving high-quality water, and complained that it was ridiculous for people with a yearly salary of only 3 or 4 million yen [approx. $32,000 — $42,000], who are unaccustomed to high class establishments, to write critical reviews.
“It’s ‘cause I’m serving high-quality water”
An interview with Kawagoe was posted on May 19 on Cyzo magazine’s website. When asked what he thought of review websites like Tabelog, he immediately replied, “They’re worthless.” People with annual salaries of 3 or 4 million yen go to high class restaurants and then post criticism to the website, but people like that don’t understand the history or business endeavors of high-class establishments. Previously, his own restaurant was criticized for “charging 800 yen for just water,” but he said, “That’s reasonable! It’s ‘cause I’m serving high-quality water. There are restaurants that charge 1,000 or 1,500 yen. They haven’t been to restaurants like that, so they have the sense that they were ‘robbed of 800 yen.’”
If you look at the posts on Tabelog about Kawagoe’s Italian restaurant, there are indeed two complaints about the water. One person got a meal that cost 8,470 yen per person including the service charge, and ordered a 800 yen bottle of beer in addition. A glass of wine or a cocktail was 1,200 yen. He said that when he paid the bill, he was horrified. He was thrown off by the 800 yen water charge. “I freaked out. It’s ok, charging a fee for water is fine. If I specially requested it. But freely serving the water without asking us anything, when the two of us didn’t even drink it, 800 yen?” He said that the water was served after the meal.
Another person wrote, “Since they charge 800 yen when they offer you water, I had hoped to refuse it, but I suddenly realized they had already given me water. Of course, when I looked at the receipt it said ‘Aqua, \800.’ I’ll think of this place as a foreign restaurant instead of Japanese.” It seems like it’s not just the high price of the water, but the way they serve it to you without asking and then charge a fee also really offends people.
“Why don’t they reject poor people who aren’t qualified to write posts?”
Now, the contents of Kawagoe’s interview have brought out comments on the net, such as “I’d complain if I had 800 yen taken from me for water,” “I’m just writing the way I felt, but why don’t they reject poor people who aren’t qualified to write posts?” and “He’s telling us not to arbitrarily apply our poor people’s reasoning to a place where people with salaries so high that they don’t have a problem paying 800 yen for water come to eat delicious food.”
However, a lot of people are wondering why high-class restaurants collect payment for drinking water. It’s strange because it’s overwhelmingly common for family restaurants and places with set meals to serve water and tea for free.
When we tried asking a restaurant and hotel consultant, his point of view was that the high cost in itself was the reason. “Good restaurants provide safe, delicious water. The reasoning is that instead of just using tap-water as it is, they have to import water from overseas and use equipment like water filters, so the costs from that add to the price of the water”. He also explained that depending on the restaurant, they might raise the price of the water in exchange for not charging a service fee.
Kawagoe has also endorsed a brand of kimchi.
Comments from Yahoo! News:
非利己主義（all…）さん:
No matter how high-class the restaurant is, charging money for something you didn’t order is out of the question. I’d understand much more if they just included it in the service fee.
kag*rim*s*ru20*2（kag…）さん:
I’d understand if they had a good reason for making it so expensive, but I can’t forgive the condescension towards people with a salary of 3 or 4 million yen a year! Those people work very hard so that you guys can profit when they spend money in your high-class restaurants with their companions!
Who*R*U？（mor…）さん:
They’re probably complaining because they’re unsatisfied with the way price is assigned. Customer: “The 800 yen water wasn’t that great. It’s a rip-off!” These are their true thoughts.
うなヨン（dos…）さん:
In other words, they’re advertising, “Don’t come here, poor people!” I see.
kanamehaorenoyome（wgh…）さん:
Is he getting cocky? This asshole doesn’t understand yet how he’ll suffer for looking down on the middle class. w
pu（pur…）さん:
If you asked them to bring out mineral water, I think 800 or 1000 yen for a glass would be okay. But isn’t it weird to serve water they didn’t ask for, make them pay 800 yen, and then say “People with low salaries shouldn’t complain”?
kag*rim*s*ru20*2（kag…）さん:
Even a rich person would be pissed at 800 yen for “aqua” that they didn’t even order!
tonton（hig…）さん:
If one course is 8,000 yen, they’re not that considerable of a high-class restaurant. 800 yen for water at a place like that is strange. But no one would care about 800 yen for water at a 50,000 yen restaurant.
an alley cat（kii…）さん:
“People like that don’t understand the history or business endeavors of high-class establishments…” Please remember these words well… those with salaries over 3 million yen per year.
wasabi****（was…）さん:
Well, the “kimchi” that Kawagoe made was shit! (￣0￣)
えいちゃん（tos…）さん:
People aren’t really mad about the water costing 800 yen, they’re mad when they don’t realize until afterwards that the water that was put before them as usual was 800 yen, right? Anyone, even a celebrity, would complain if they realized afterwards that the water they were given was 800 yen. Even if they didn’t complain, they won’t come to the restaurant a second time. There’s absolutely no good faith. If there’s a fee for water, good faith would be to write an explanation on the menu.
ベクター（xtr…）さん:
It would be great if Ototake went to chef Kawagoe’s restaurant. (笑)
hig*o*aj*24（hig…）さん:
It seems like he’s getting arrogant. I’d like Kawagoe to remember the hard times of his youth. He surely didn’t get to where he is now in one bound. If he really thinks that deep down, then he’s finished. He should write on the restaurant’s sign that they’ll refuse anyone with an annual salary below 3 million yen.
そりゃ_ないわ（nis…）さん:
No matter if water is 800 yen or 3,000 yen, as long as you put that price on the menu, it’s fine. But I can’t forgive a comment that says “low-income earners = low level.” Let me just say, “40-year-old man’s silly smile = idiot!”
mas**g***8.（mas…）さん:
Who is this jerk? He talks tall, but does that mean he’s the sort of famous chef that earns two stars from Michelin?
ter*s_4（ter…）さん:
If it’s a high-class restaurant, would they really give their guests items that cost money without their permission? It doesn’t look like that arrogant attitude will help them get rich customers.
ちゃん68（tad…）さん:
Certainly, if it was a French restaurant in a metropolitan hotel, they could charge about 800 yen. However, this restaurant of Kawagoe’s is out of the question. This person was on TV talking about flavor with frozen food developers, but among chefs he’s famous for having no sense of taste. He shouldn’t get so cocky.
kag*rim*s*ru20*2（kag…）さん:
The rich exist thanks to people who desperately work themselves to death and make less than 4 million a year! Here’s a guy who became a little famous and got cocky!
timewarp（cha…）さん:
At 40, he’s still saying “It’s ‘cause…” w First of all, it’s a service industry, and there’s an owner of the restaurant too, so denying this and keeping a little bit lower of a profile might be good, right?
tak*s*ich*ldr*n（tak…）さん:
Can’t you take criticism? Then, you won’t progress.
