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The story
A family trip video posted by former AKB48 member Tomomi Itano has drawn criticism on social media as an “invasion of privacy” and “akin to voyeuristic filming,” over a scene showing her drying her eldest daughter’s hair in the changing room of the large communal bath at the Ritz-Carlton Nikko in Tochigi. On the 9th, lawyer Masaki Kito addressed the matter on his blog, pointing out the possibility that while the hotel had permitted use of the facility outside business hours, it may not have given permission for filming. On 5channel, the discussion split between those questioning Itano’s lack of consideration and those criticizing the hotel for allowing after-hours use while leaving the question of filming permission ambiguous.
Tue, Sep 9, 15:55
Lawyer Masaki Kito posted an update on the 9th, addressing the online backlash over a video uploaded by former AKB48 member Tomomi Itano.
Itano posted a family trip video to YouTube showing her stay at the luxury Ritz-Carlton Nikko hotel (Tochigi Prefecture), but a scene in which she used a hair dryer on her eldest daughter’s hair in the communal bath’s changing room sparked a wave of criticism on social media over alleged privacy violations and voyeuristic-style filming.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
This 'sensei' included
Who knows why
Along with the Matsumoto thing, guess it just shows regular folks are booking the wrong hotels lol
If they asked "we'll be filming around 4" and got the OK
then claiming they never gave permission doesn't add up
They let her use it, but didn't sign off on filming?
filming the communal bath outside business hours is pretty common, no?
In a case like that you'd still need a "PR" (sponsored content) label
This
It raises all sorts of problems — why is it fine for that guest but other guests can't use the changing room after hours?
Same with filming inside the hotel — fine for her, but why not other guests? That's a recipe for trouble.
At this rate, guests' privacy isn't being protected at all
What a dumb hotel
Right
Still, it's clearly a mistake on their part
Read between the lines
Was that a lie?
Now it makes sense why she's been so confident — no apology, video still up
Even ordinary people get flamed for honestly posting on social media about a shop quietly bending the rules for them
and she didn't even think of that, made a video out of it, and actually caused trouble…
wasn't there someone who said they were actually there during the filming?
So now that guest gets branded a liar lol
Well, if that turned out to be a lie the hotel would be finished, so I doubt there's any falsehood there
Though flatly denying it at first and then suddenly flipping to defend her — that was a really clumsy way to handle it
That lawyer better file a disclosure request against that guest
Was there any compensation involved?
Did she even pay for the stay?
Was Ritz PR staff present?
And who was actually doing the filming anyway?
Ahh…
Figures she'd be hanging around with this crowd
Their salaries are shockingly low, and they only get like 100 days off a year
People just love the smell of a lie
Same as with the "short sleeper" claims, or the alleged reuse of the same 700 meals
this hotel won't really be able to refuse anymore…
Well, an ordinary guest demanding to film after hours is unreasonable too, and so is the hotel's handling of this
That won't happen
Maybe for the press, celebrities, or famous YouTubers, but not for anyone else
They could just say "Since that incident, after-hours use is no longer available" and call it a day
The hotel was just being considerate so she, as a celebrity, wouldn't be seen naked by other guests — and she went and turned it into a video, flexing about the special treatment. That's the issue, right?
In that case, if the hotel is giving special treatment by letting someone have exclusive use, they'd naturally ask what it's for
"Just figure out it's for filming" doesn't fly simply because someone books it out during off-hours
If that logic worked, it'd mean the hotel hands any big-spending guest a free pass for exclusive facility use without ever asking the purpose
a hotel that allows voyeuristic-style filming and streaming in a place like this, of all places, is too risky to ever use
You were never going to go there in your whole life anyway
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
This controversy unfolds against the backdrop of Japan’s stealth-marketing regulations under the Act against Unjustified Premiums and Misleading Representations, which took effect in October 2023. When an influencer makes a video after receiving some benefit from a hotel or similar business, a “PR” (sponsored content) label is increasingly required regardless of whether money changed hands — several posts in the thread pointed this out. The debate largely split into two camps. One questioned Itano’s own conduct, raising concerns about using a communal bath — a space with a strong public character — as a filming location even if it was after hours, and about the lack of fairness toward other guests. The other camp criticized the hotel’s response, pointing out a contradiction in lawyer Kito’s explanation that the hotel permitted after-hours use but not filming. There were also posts online claiming a third party “witnessed the filming take place,” but this has not been verified and is treated here as unconfirmed information. A post (No. 73) containing baseless accusations against Itano and associates, including claims linking her to a special fraud group, has been excluded as unverifiable defamation.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Lawyer Kito: Report on Tomomi Itano’s ‘After-Hours Filming’ Also Reveals the Ritz-Carlton’s Own Lack of Common Sense“.
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