i'm speechless

[u/flyingcatwithhorns]

[u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

First time I went to Japan I left a tip on a table and restaurant personnel chased after me to give me back my money. Odd this happened at all, cos I was with my Japanese wife.

[u/Bloodysun93 → u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

This was my experience in the non touristy areas of Bangkok. I tried to tip our waiter the equivalent of a few dollars and I remember pretty vividly the waiter backing up and putting his hands out to say no. My fiancé ended up explaining to me that tipping wasn't really a thing they did there.

[u/GuillaumeLeGueux → u/[deleted]]

She must have missed it or maybe it was because she was living in the US at the time.

[u/HeyGayHay → u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

You have a japanese wife who was living in the US while you were in Japan? Did you switch places or what?

[u/TomSurman → u/HeyGayHay]

Except he also said his Japanese wife was with him during the Japan incident. The only possible conclusion here is that she's some kind of quantum anomaly that can exist in two places simultaneously. A useful skill to have.

[u/HeyGayHay → u/TomSurman]

I see, so she is Schrödingers Japanese Wife and he is Mr Schrödinger?

[u/temporaryuser1000 → u/TomSurman]

Probably she’s Japanese in the way OP is Irish

[u/lsiunl → u/HeyGayHay]

Clearly meant his Japanese wife had been living in the US prior to their trip to Japan so she's been accustomed to US tradition of tipping.

[u/Old_Ladies → u/lsiunl]

Also a good chance that she was born in the US but Americans will still claim that they are from another country.

[u/GuillaumeLeGueux → u/Old_Ladies]

She was born in Japan, but lived in the US at the time.

[u/GuillaumeLeGueux → u/Old_Ladies]

She was born in Japan, but lived in the US at the time.

[u/HeyGayHay → u/lsiunl]

Yeah it was a bad joke on my end haha

[u/lsiunl → u/HeyGayHay]

Ah okay makes sense, some people can be genuinely clueless sometimes lol

[u/kevinnnc → u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

I think that also shows the honesty and morales of that employee. Even though restaurants in the US will pretend to encourage those types of values for wait staff, the tip system makes it a every man for himself type of mentality

[u/Nheea → u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

Yeah. I left like 200 yen at a restaurant and didn't wait for the change cause I was in a hurry. They chased me down too to give me my change back. I felt so bad.

[u/GuillaumeLeGueux → u/Nheea]

Run after someone for 200 yen... Thought of this situation I walked into... I remember going to a supermarket in Greece for two tiny things that in total cost like a euro or two. A guy walked up to the cash register, looked at what I was buying and made a gesture like:"Oh get out of here, you come to my register with 2 bucks in stuff? Go away!" lol

[u/Nheea → u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

Hahah. I'm not from a rich country, but we get this kind of service at some supermarkets too sometimes.

A lot of people don't wanna take their small change back, so the cashiers sometimes just wave you off for a small charge.

[u/warriorsReaper → u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

You should take your non Japanese wife next time and test it

[u/Automatic-War-7658 → u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

I had this same experience. My first time in Japan I went out to eat with a group of friends. They offered to pay but didn’t leave a tip. I’ve always been raised that “if someone else pays for you, you can at least leave a tip”. I was the last one to leave the table so nobody saw me drop a couple thousand yen. Halfway down the block we hear the server yelling and chasing us down with the money. They all turned to me like “DID YOU LEAVE A TIP?! DON’T DO THAT!!”

[u/SeaOsprey1 → u/GuillaumeLeGueux]

I just got back from Tokyo and specifically asked about tipping. It's not custom but perfectly fine nowadays

[u/GuillaumeLeGueux → u/SeaOsprey1]

It wasn’t when I went there regularly over 20 years ago. You westerners have ruined the place with your strange habits. ;)