I thought it was an ordinary cafe, but a 'twist'... When a VIP paid, the staff filmed the service as a souvenir

Popup Opens in Tokyo, Japan

A so-called 'humiliation cafe' where customers are insulted and verbally abused has opened in Japan, attracting attention.

On the 26th (local time), Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Nobuyuki Sakuma, a Japanese TV producer and influencer, recently opened a unique cafe in Tokyo. The cafe's name, 'Bato Cafe Omokenashi,' means humiliation and hospitality. The cafe was open in a pop-up format from the 14th to the 23rd but drew tremendous attention because the way the cafe treats customers is unusual.

Employees of the Japanese Humiliation Cafe [Photo by X Capture]

According to SCMP, at this cafe, young female staff wearing pink aprons serve food created under the supervision of Michelin-starred chef Shuhei Sawada. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary restaurant, but the twist begins when the staff verbally abuse the customers.

One customer said that while choosing a menu at the cafe, they were told, "Just order, you pig." He said, "When I ordered the 3,590 yen (about 33,000 won) pork rice bowl course, they insulted me with phrases like 'Eating your own kind?' until the food arrived." He added that even after the dish was served, they did not provide chopsticks, saying "Pigs don't use chopsticks."

Although the concept is paying to be insulted, the cafe reportedly gained considerable popularity. Customers can enjoy this service for one hour through advance reservations, and by paying for a ‘VIP service,’ they can receive additional treatment such as being hit in the face with slippers or on the buttocks with balloon bats. Customers can also have their abuse recorded as a souvenir. If customers do not want such services, they can wear a card that says 'No Abuse.'

A customer who used the cafe said, "It was really fun," adding, "The women who insulted me were cute, and the food was good."

The cafe operator, Nobuyuki Sakuma, said, "This cafe is popular not only with customers but also with staff," explaining, "Service workers usually have to provide attentive service to customers and often face unreasonable demands from aggressive customers, but this place is different."

Meanwhile, there has been a similar case in Korea that gained attention for so-called 'swearing marketing.' A cafe in Tongyeong became famous for its 'Swearing Latte,' where insults like "Stop eating so much" and "You look so unpopular" were written on the foam of the latte.