As ‘Sushi Terrorism’ Hits Japan, 2 Diners Arrested For Using Own Chopsticks To Pick Common Toppings
The two men are also accused of ‘damaged property’ by contaminating the container and the ginger, as Osaka restaurant had to discard the entire ginger toppings and sanitise the containers.
Japan’s Osaka police have arrested two men in response to a viral video in circulation for some time that showed one of them picking red pickled ginger toppings directly from a container meant for all customers, using the chopsticks he was already eating his food with at a popular restaurant, The Japan Times reported on Tuesday. The two have been accused of harming the business of Yoshinoya, a Japanese beef bowl chain, the police were quoted as saying.
According to the report, the two men identified as Ryu Shimazu (35) and Toshihide Oka (34) are also accused of “damaged property” by contaminating the container and the ginger, as the Osaka restaurant in question had to discard the entire ginger toppings and sanitise the containers.
The video shot by Oka on a smartphone showed Shimazu using his chopsticks to take some toppings from the container and then eating it. The footage posted on social media was widely shared.
While the incident took place on September 29 last year, the affected Yoshinoya branch lodged a complaint about the video in early February, according to the police.
While Shimazu was arrested on March 9, Oka was picked up on Monday, the report said.
Quoting the police, the report said Shimazu and Oka have admitted to the charges. Shimazu reportedly said he “wanted to make everyone laugh”, while Oka was quoted as saying that he had asked Shimazu to “do something funny”, and then shared the video on social media for everyone to see “because I thought it was funny”.
The long arm of the law finally caught up with the two men responsible for this disgusting "prank" video of a guy eating directly out of a communal ginger container at a Yoshinoya restaurant in Osaka. pic.twitter.com/rXkkQJNXRg
— Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 (@mrjeffu) April 5, 2023
Japan Restaurant Industry In Grip Of ‘Sushi Terrorism’
In a typical Japanese beef bowl restaurant, it is usual to see tables pre-set with a selection of free toppings and condiments, which diners add to their meals using separate sets of chopsticks to ensure proper hygiene as the same set of condiments and toppings is used by customers eating on the table later. Pickled ginger is considered a mainstay with beef bowls that are quite popular in Japan.
The arrests come at a time when Japan is reported to be cracking down on unruly diners amid what is being referred to as “sushi terrorism”. With several videos of unhygienic behaviour by diners being widely shared online, it is reportedly harming the restaurant business.
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According to the Japan Times report, Yoshinoya is among the most popular beef bowl chains in the country, and had as many as 1,195 outlets as of February 2023. Yoshinoya Holdings came out with a statement after the arrests, which spoke about the situation in general and said it was a “source of great regret that this has become news that calls into question the safety and security of eating out in general”, as reported by The Japan Times.
This is, however, not the first incident of this kind. In the beginning of this year, another viral video showed a customer at a sushi joint licking bottles of soy sauce and other food items as they passed on conveyor belts. This behaviour has come to be known as “sushi terrorism”.
On March 28, a man was charged with obstruction of business by filming and uploading a video that showed him licking a soy sauce bottle at a Kura Sushi outlet in Nagoya.
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