Hi there! I recently went to Japan and I had a great time but I had a minor accident where I am not sure if I handled it properly or correctly.
I was at a cafe in Kyoto and I was on my period. I had a pad on but it leaked and I didn’t realize it until I got off from my seat and saw the stain. As I was in a train station, I had to leave the cafe to go to the washroom but I didn’t notify the staff nor did I return (too embarrassed). I was wondering for females in Japan, when you have an accident, how do you handle it or what is the correct way to handle it? I feel bad for the staff that had to clean up after me.
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Edit: I definitely felt I could have handled it differently as I have still been replaying it in my head due to the shock/embarrassment. Based on the response below it seems I missed the boat on apologizing. So I guess this was a case of you live you learn. Thanks to those that did respond.
6 comments
I can’t comment with the perspective of Japanese culture as I’ve only been studying the language a few years, but I would imagine the event in question transcends all cultures. While it’s embarrassing, I’d say the polite thing would’ve been to inform staff.
While it’s nothing to be ashamed of, period blood is still blood and in the workforce is still treated as BBP clean up. It’s important for staff to know so they take precautions deemed appropriate by their workforce to clean it up.
As it’s over and done with, don’t sweat it, but you should always inform staff of an accident that warrants BBP clean up!
how would you have handled that in your home country? would it have been to shuffle off embarrassedly?
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In my experience periods are treated discreetly in Japan. I would think it would be best to put a napkin or some other piece of paper on the seat and go inform a staff member.
But in the moment, we all make choices we regret. I wouldn’t beat yourself up over it. If you felt really bad you could try to email them and apologize; to relieve your conscience. But live and learn is probably perfectly acceptable as well.
Don’t beat yourself up about it. Regardless of what would’ve been the right way to handle it, these kind of situations are difficult for everyone. The stigma and shame associated with periods can make it hard to feel confident to speak up, so leaving without saying anything (despite maybe not being the best) is a totally understandable reaction. Don’t let yourself think too much about it and feel down, it happened and it’s okay. I’m sure the staff understand you aren’t a bad person and were just shy and embarrassed.
Oh I left a blood stain on the bedsheets at an Airbnb in Tokyo. In the end, I agreed with the owner to split the cost of new bedsheets.