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A Chinese university student has sparked anger on social media in China and Japan after documenting his controversial “poverty travel” exploits in Osaka.
His outrage-causing actions included abusing free samples of food and drying his hair with a public hand dryer.
The travel Influencer known as Yikeshu, who boasts nearly 200,000 followers on a major mainland social media platform, claimed to be a 21-year-old student at Hainan University in Haikou, Hainan province, southern China.
He gained online attention for documenting his budget travel in a video titled “Welcome to watch my day travelling Osaka for 100 yuan (US$14)”.
His disruptive behaviour reportedly began the moment he landed at Kansai International Airport.
While queuing at customs, he ignored “no filming” signs and began recording himself speaking to the camera about his arrival in Japan.
In the airport toilets, he treated a public sink like a personal spa, filming himself washing his hair and then using the powerful hand dryer as a makeshift hairdryer.
While on board the Nankai Electric Railway heading into Osaka, he was filmed performing pull-ups on the train’s hanging handles, treating the fixtures as fitness equipment.
To save money on drinks, he claimed to teach viewers how to “drink water for free”.
He boldly walked into a restaurant, asked staff for a cup and began frantically drinking the free tea before walking out without buying anything.
During a visit to a local market, in a bid to save yet more money, the man approached a fruit stall offering small samples and treated the tasting plate like his personal buffet by eating grapes one by one using a bamboo skewer.
The person running the stall noticed and reminded him to throw away the used stick.
But he ignored her and continued using the same one until she covered the sample plate with cling film.
He only stopped after eating seven grapes, at which point the vendor removed the entire sample tray.
The incident sparked a wave of criticism from both Japanese and Chinese netizens.
One Japanese commenter said: “Such behavior is surprising to see.”
↑The man was slammed for showing disrespect by eating free food samples. Photo: Handout
Another Japanese commenter added: “I’ve met many Chinese tourists, and most of them are very polite and well-mannered. It’s just unfortunate when a few individuals are misunderstood because of isolated incidents.”
Many Chinese netizens also joined the discussion, saying that most travelers work hard to show a positive and friendly attitude when going abroad, and they hope everyone can continue to uphold that spirit. Chinese tourists are known for their friendliness and respectful behavior, which has earned appreciation in many countries.
Amid a mounting backlash, the influencer eventually deleted the controversial video. The social media platform has not responded.
*The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author.*
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