Coming to fix his glasses, Japanese customer was surprised when receiving the 'quote' from the shop owner.

Video: Japanese customer surprised by the "quote" of the glasses shop owner. Clip: Provided by the character

Surprise

In the past few days, a clip has been circulating on social media showing a Japanese man repeatedly thanking the owner of an optical shop before leaving the store. The Japanese customer had brought his broken glasses to the shop to have them repaired.

After the glasses were repaired, the customer asked the shop owner how much he needed to pay, but the shop owner refused to accept payment for the repair.

The incident surprised the Japanese customer. He kept asking and offering to pay, but the shop owner firmly refused. After a few minutes of confusion, the customer left the shop in amazement and confusion.

The owner of the above clip is Mr. Naoki Okamura (Japanese nationality). Mr. Okamura is a tourist in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. Okamura (left photo) was surprised when the owner of the optical shop fixed his broken glasses for free. Photo: Cut from clip

Mr. Okamura said that his glasses were missing a screw and he could not wear them. He decided to find an optical store to have them repaired.

Finally, he stopped at an optical shop on Hoang Dieu Street (District 4, Ho Chi Minh City). Here, he communicated in English and asked the shop owner to fix his glasses.

“He didn’t say anything, just took my glasses and started working on them. After about five minutes, he returned them to me, and they were fixed,” Okamura said.

I asked him how much it would cost but he just said “No”. I was confused and asked again how much I would need to pay for the repair of the glasses. But again, he said “No, no”.

At that time, I really didn't know what to do because it was not something I was used to. Usually, when I use a service, I have to pay. This is my habit and life experience for a long time.

So I kept asking him, “Are you sure? I should pay you or at least send you something.” But he kept refusing.

Eventually, I stopped asking because I could tell he was getting annoyed with me for asking for the money. I left the store saying, “Thank you very much, thank you in English, Vietnamese, and Japanese. I want to express my gratitude as much as possible.”

Unforgettable experience

After leaving the store, Mr. Okamura still felt regretful for not being able to express his feelings and gratitude to the person who fixed his glasses for free. Moreover, he always felt strange and surprised by this person's actions.

He wondered if it was right for the shop owner to refuse to accept payment and why he did so. To find out, he decided to post a clip of the shop owner refusing to accept payment after fixing his glasses on social media.

After the memorable experience, Mr. Okamura will learn Vietnamese so that he can express his gratitude in the Vietnamese language. Photo: Provided by the character

After the clip appeared on social media, Mr. Okamura received many responses. In which, viewers all affirmed that this is completely normal in Vietnam.

Many netizens also explained that in Vietnam, with its hospitality and kindness, most workers will not accept the cost of repairing small, simple things that do not require much effort.

“Those explanations made me even more surprised,” he confided. “In Japan, you can’t get anything fixed for free, especially if it’s your fault. At least, I’ve never had a similar experience in my home country.

As someone who was born and raised in Japan, I am steeped in this culture. Therefore, the way the man at the store acted really surprised me.

When I posted the clip on social media to find the answer, many Vietnamese people explained to me. Some even told me to buy him a cup of coffee, milk tea, smoothies... as a thank you.

I love the hospitality of Vietnamese people towards me and foreign guests like me.

After this wonderful experience, I will start learning Vietnamese. I want to express all my gratitude in the Vietnamese language."

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