"My First Customers During COVID Were Koreans": Handwritten Note in Japanese Cafe Bathroom Moves Hearts

Netizens Touched by the Cafe Owner's Korean Thank-You Note
One in Four Foreign Visitors to Japan This Year Is Korean

A heartwarming story has emerged about a cafe owner in a small Japanese city who expressed gratitude to Korean tourists, the first visitors to come to the cafe during the difficult days of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Oct. 29, a post titled “A note posted in the restroom of a cafe in a small Japanese city” spread across social networking services (SNS) and social media.

The shared photo showed a handwritten letter in Korean posted on the wall of a cafe in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The letter expressed gratitude to Korean tourists who visited when customers had stopped coming because of COVID-19. In it, the cafe owner wrote, “I had a lot of worries because there were no customers due to COVID-19 as soon as I opened this shop,” adding, “But the first people to visit after COVID-19 were Koreans.”

The owner continued, “Since COVID-19, many Koreans have continued to visit and show their love for our cafe. I’m grateful for all the help we’ve received from Koreans, and I’ll work even harder. I love the Koreans who visit us.”

The owner had written the letter in Korean to thank the tourists who visited the cafe during a difficult time. The cafe is said to have become known by word of mouth among Korean travelers visiting Matsuyama. One person who said they had visited described it as “a cafe run by a couple in a neighborhood where many Matsuyama visitors stay,” adding, “There are lots of good restaurants nearby, and it opens early, so it’s a good place to have breakfast.” The commenter added, “The owner is friendly, so the cafe became popular by word of mouth, and now it’s one of the stops on Matsuyama itineraries. It’s not an absolute must-see, but it’s a nice place to enjoy bread and coffee in the morning.” Another commenter said, “It has a Google rating of 4.8 and opens at 7:30 a.m.,” describing it as “a cafe that suits Koreans who like to get an early start when traveling.”

The story has attracted even more attention as the presence of Korean travelers in Japan’s tourism market grows. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), approximately 8,262,700 Koreans visited Japan from January through September this year, up 21.6% from the same period last year. Koreans accounted for 26.9% of the approximately 30.73 million foreign visitors to Japan over the same period.

In other words, more than one in four foreign visitors to Japan was Korean. In particular, 842,300 Koreans visited Japan last September, a 25.6% increase from the same month a year earlier. They accounted for approximately 27.1% of the 3,103,700 foreign visitors to Japan overall, ranking first among countries and regions by visitor numbers. Last year, the number of Koreans visiting Japan reached a record 9,459,600. They accounted for approximately 22.2% of the 42,683,600 foreign visitors to Japan that year. By the end of September this year, the cumulative number of Korean visitors had already reached approximately 87% of last year’s full-year total.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.