A teenager licks his fingers then touches sushi on the treadmill: In Japan, a series of sick jokes have sent shares of restaurant chains plummeting, prompting legal action and outrageous comments In Internet.
Several videos showing such unhygienic pranks have been circulating on social media in recent days, dubbed “sushi-terro” by Japanese netizens, short for “sushi terrorism.” Some appear to have been filmed several weeks or even several years ago.
Wasabi, saliva…
In one, viewed nearly 40 million times on Twitter, a young customer licks a bottle of soy sauce and the rim of a teacup which he then places on a shelf, then licks his fingers before laughingly touching sushi. on the revolving counter.
The video, filmed at a Sushiro restaurant in Gifu, central Japan, sent shares of the restaurant’s parent company tumbling nearly 5% on Tuesday.
Other videos show customers at rival restaurant chains applying wasabi to sushi plates or licking their spoons through containers of powdered green tea.
These seemingly isolated incidents, however, sparked protests in Japan, known for its strict hygiene and cleanliness standards. “It’s disgusting,” wrote one Japanese user on Twitter, with another saying, “I can’t go to sushi restaurants anymore.”
Omotenashi or the Japanese art of hospitality
In a statement, the Sushiro channel said the teenager in the viral video apologized, but a complaint has been filed against him.
“We will continue to react firmly in civil and criminal matters,” the company added.
The chain claimed to have replaced all the bottles of soy sauce and cleaned all the glasses in the restaurant and reinforced its hygiene measures. Two other chains, Hama-sushi and Kura Sushi, have also announced legal action, one of which plans to install cameras to monitor customers, the Jiji news agency reported.
In Japan, “omotenashi (art of receiving, editor’s note) is important, so I think it’s unforgivable,” reacted Luna Watanabe, 20, in an interview in Tokyo.
“It has consequences for the image” of Japan, judged Takanobu Watanabe, a 65-year-old real estate employee. “The people who do this are horrible and don’t think about our country,” he added.
After the initial protest, a wave of support swept across social media, accompanied by the hashtag #savesushiro. The president of the chain said on Twitter “moved to tears” by these testimonies
Source: BFM TV
