Separating this negativity into a post of its own. smile
On day 2 of our trip, we went to a cosy, second-floor cafe for a light lunch. Despite being a little late into the lunch hours, there were still a few customers there, and most of whom were smoking. We asked for a non-smoking table and expected to be taken to a separate area. The cafe was very small, but I thought maybe somehow the non-smoking area was tucked away somewhere a bit further away in some corner. To our horror, the waitress pointed us to the table placed right next to the smoking tables with actively smoking customers there. This, Japan, is not a non-smoking table. It seems that to them, or at least to this cafe, the difference between a smoking and non-smoking table just meant whether there was an ashtray on it! We asked to use the empty small private room instead, which thankfully the staff let us. I would honestly have suggested to leave if they hadn’t.
It didn’t end there. Food and drinks were ordered and consumed. My brother got a set lunch that came with a coffee, but I had the drink instead. We didn’t think there would be any problem, but apparently the staff thought that because I was the one who had the coffee, it no longer qualified as a set lunch and I had to pay more. Really?
It was an unpleasant experience and we simply couldn’t get out of there. We were determined to never go back there ever again. Well, I suppose we would never have gone back regardless and they probably didn’t miss us as customers.
Now what was the name of the cafe again…?
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