Japlomat Gets FG'd in Scottish Pub

[homesweethome]

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=2473932005

Japanese consul general ejected from Edinburgh bar by police

THE Japanese consul general caused chaos in a busy Scottish pub by claiming he had diplomatic immunity as bar staff tried to throw out him and his family.

Shuhei Takahashi was ordered out of the Three Tuns in Edinburgh when his 17-year-old son and a friend dozed off at their table.

The consul general said the bar staff threatened to call the police unless they left. He said: "I welcomed that and said I would like to explain things to the police. The police came and we were treated like criminals. I said I was the Japanese consul general and they changed their attitude."

Mr Takahashi said: "I was in an alien situation for myself - I haven't visited a pub in my 14 months in Scotland. We were just innocent foreigners trying to enjoy a nice night."

"I still don't understand how the owner of a pub can kick anyone out without a reason.

"If that had not been my sons but Imperial Family or MPs, I would have lost my job because nobody listened to me." ."

Of course this sort of thing could NEVER happen in Japan.

[Mulboyne]

Pub now crossed off diplomatic itinerary
Scotsman.com: Diplomatic incident as Japan's envoy is thrown out of capital pub

THE Japanese consul general caused chaos in a busy Scottish pub by claiming he had diplomatic immunity as bar staff tried to throw out him and his family. Shuhei Takahashi was ordered out of the Three Tuns in Edinburgh when his 17-year-old son and a friend dozed off at their table. Bar staff claim Mr Takahashi went "crazy", and when police were called he declared he could not be arrested. Mr Takahashi told The Scotsman last night the staff had wrongly accused his son and his friend of being drunk and that nobody - whether a diplomat or not - should be treated in the way he had been..."I still don't understand how the owner of a pub can kick anyone out without a reason. It's quite undemocratic. There was just no explanation...If that had not been my sons but Imperial Family or MPs, I would have lost my job because nobody listened to me"...more...

Just when you thought 2005 would yield no more gems.

[Tsuru]

It's quite undemocratic.

WTF is he talking about? He reckons they should have held a poll whether or not to throw him and his brat son out of there or something?

Anyway, immunity or not, if the owner wants you out it's still his pub. It's the same in Japan.

[blackcat]

He was IN the pub wasnt he!!!

any signs saying he could ONLY ENTER IF HE HAD A SCOT WITH HIM??

two faced Japs..

[cliffy]

In the casino where I work I hear versions of " I am Japanese, you cannot refuse me" EVERY DAY!
FYI I live and work in Australia under State and Fedral laws Formed to try and stop corruption and favoritism. That means, in a nut shell, no tips, no gifts, no 'bending' of rules.


ps. It is not just the Japanese with 'Little big man' syndrome but only the Japanese use citizenship first and foremost.

[Mulboyne]

I was at the bar in a pub in Oxford a while back and happened to be behind a couple of Japanese businessmen. When the drinks arrived, the bloke paying looked at one pint and exploded that it was a short measure. The stunned staff topped up the glass and he paid.

Now, it is true that pouring a short measure in Britain is a capital crime alongside the equally heinous crime of clearing away an "empty" glass which actually still has a dribble of alcohol left. And it is true that one of the pints was a touch short. I think around half pubgoers would probably have asked for a top-up in a similar case. You tend not to if it is someone else's drink and/or you'll be carrying a load of drinks and will probably get spillage anyway. But I don't think I've seen anyone shout at the bar staff before in that kind of instance.

The irony is that there is no standard measure in Japan and drinks are routinely cleared away before they are finished in much the same way as in Germany. That is certainly no reason for the bloke to have accepted his short measure but it did make me wonder why he attached so much importance to the incident.

It then occurred to me he was having an FG moment. It probably didn't matter much to him about the beer but he knew his way around Britain enough to know what he ought to be getting. In other circumstances, he might have smiled and asked for the top-up but here he was purple with rage. One of the arts of operating as an FG is knowing which fights to pick and being able to walk away from or defuse most confontations. Some days you just can't do it as well as you'd like. This guy had just had enough and reacted disproportionately to a bit of bad pub etiquette.

What is ironic about our envoy friend in Edinburgh is that he is wrong on virtually every count. Pub landlords can lose their licence for serving drunks although this is probably one of the least-observed laws in the country. However, anyone who falls asleep gives the staff a cast-iron reason to chuck you out because, regardless of whether you are drunk, you've stopped spending money you're taking up a seat that a paying punter could be using. I think a "democratic" referendum would have seen an overwhelming majority in favour of ejection.

I'd also be interested to know whether his 17 year old son was drinking alcohol because that would be illegal in the UK (18 and over) and Japan (20 and over).

[Captain Japan]

I was at the bar in a pub in Oxford a while back and happened to be behind a couple of Japanese businessmen. When the drinks arrived, the bloke paying looked at one pint and exploded that it was a short measure. The stunned staff topped up the glass and he paid.

The izakaya Maru in Hachobori is really good for the nama hamu and various other things on their menu. But the waitresses there just can't pour a beer (or at least they can't give proper instructions to the bartender). If you ask politely that you'd like very little froth (awa) it doesn't matter; the beer arrives with quite a bit each time. The waitress even smiles each time you tell her! No matter. She returns to your table with a glass 1/3 full of foam. And this wasn't just on my one visit. My friend who lives in the neighborhood told me to get ready for this kind of thing beforehand.

[Big Booger]

I was at the bar in a pub in Oxford a while back and happened to be behind a couple of Japanese businessmen. When the drinks arrived, the bloke paying looked at one pint and exploded that it was a short measure. The stunned staff topped up the glass and he paid.

The izakaya Maru in Hachobori is really good for the nama hamu and various other things on their menu. But the waitresses there just can't pour a beer (or at least they can't give proper instructions to the bartender). If you ask politely that you'd like very little froth (awa) it doesn't matter]

I just had a conversation about this during my last bonenkai. All the beer was about 60-40 beer to head... I made a comment that when I was a waiter for a bar we'd get that beer throwed in our face if it was served to the wrong person.

They said they'd never really thought about it... All throughout the night the beer that came was full of head... and I gulped it down nomihoudai-style.

[cstaylor]

Next time order a pitcher.

[kurohinge1]

... But the waitresses there just can't pour a beer (or at least they can't give proper instructions to the bartender). If you ask politely that you'd like very little froth (awa) it doesn't matter]The waitress even smiles each time you tell her![/b] ...

Maybe it's the way you're saying it - I mean, the Captain telling a cute waitress that you "don't want any head".
She knew you must be joking.

[Mulboyne]

[Captain Japan]

... But the waitresses there just can't pour a beer (or at least they can't give proper instructions to the bartender). If you ask politely that you'd like very little froth (awa) it doesn't matter]The waitress even smiles each time you tell her![/b] ...

Maybe it's the way you're saying it - I mean, the Captain telling a cute waitress that you "don't want any head".
She knew you must be joking.

You brought up a great point! The waitresses all tend to be very cute there. Tight outfits as well. So it makes the beers nearly acceptable. I knew I was leaving something out of the story...

[Captain Japan]

[quote="Captain Japan"]The izakaya Maru in Hachobori is really good for the nama hamu and various other things on their menu. But the waitresses there just can't pour a beer (or at least they can't give proper instructions to the bartender). If you ask politely that you'd like very little froth (awa) it doesn't matter]
Last night I returned to Maru. Again I asked for little head. When she returned there was zero head and the glass was filled 3/4" of an inch from the top. So I ordered a bottle after that.