From our other sites
The story
A controversy has been brewing over a family-trip vlog that former AKB48 member Tomomi Itano posted in September, which included footage filmed in the changing room of a public bath. It has now emerged that the hotel where she stayed, The Ritz-Carlton Nikko, reviewed and approved the video before it was published. Josei Seven Plus obtained LINE messages exchanged between Itano’s side and hotel staff and reported on October 1 that the hotel had even requested changes to the video’s wording. On 5ch, opinions split: some said “so Itano was right all along,” while others questioned the hotel’s own judgment in allowing changing-room footage to be filmed at all, and some speculated it may have been a promotional arrangement.
October 1, 2026
Regarding a family-trip vlog posted on September 3 by former AKB48 member and talent Tomomi Itano (400,000 subscribers), it has been confirmed that the hotel where she stayed, The Ritz-Carlton Nikko, reviewed the video before publication and approved its content. Josei Seven Plus reported this on October 1, revealing details that had not previously come to light.
At issue was a scene in the video “[Summer Vacation] A Family Trip to Nikko with the Three of Us Again After a While [vlog]” showing her drying her eldest daughter’s hair in the changing room of the public bath. On September 5, Itano explained on X that the filming had been done with special permission from the hotel, and apologized.
Source: yutura.net / Original article here
What people said
Everyone loses here
Either way, neither side gains new customers or fans out of this.
If it weren't for that mystery lawyer, you could almost call it a total win for Itano — but what was that guy's deal anyway?
You were never getting in there anyway
And that, in a thunderstorm downpour
The whole point of the internet used to be that you could do things freely
Keep complaining about everything and it's just going to get more and more regulated
So because of this mess, hotels should've just made changing-room filming OK for anyone?
Then you should be criticizing the hotel for banning filming instead
"Could you cut the part about having the video checked? The thing is, we ended up OK-ing something that technically wasn't allowed, so it would've been better if we'd just said that plainly" — the hotel reportedly gave notes like this on the comment Itano was planning to post
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/6501e1dddd160c16b3523122b2ac34342e203f6f?page=2
If this is true, the hotel is straight-up trash…
So Itano was right after all.
Where's everyone's apology?
She's not exactly "right," though
Now this hotel's next move is "we're banning it entirely!"
She ended up causing trouble for society
That part's not wrong
The hotel's stance of "no filming in the changing room" hasn't changed
They just overlooked the fact that filming was happening there
Guess the "let's get our stories straight" meeting finally wrapped up nicely?
Because she's an adult
She's not going to spill every detail of her exchange with the hotel just because people are baiting her
That's a matter of trust with the hotel
Would a hotel really bother checking a YouTuber's video one by one if it weren't a paid arrangement?
There's also the question of whether anyone even wants to stay at one of those needlessly overpriced Hotel Nikko (JAL-affiliated chain) properties in the first place
She did say that, though
If these LINE messages are genuine, Itano isn't in the wrong at all — if anything she's the victim of having the ladder pulled out from under her
Well, she was being called a liar, after all
>>The magazine says it obtained LINE messages exchanged between Itano and hotel staff
Isn't this actually way worse than the filming controversy itself?
The hotel is the one leaking the LINE messages
That's unthinkable for a business that depends on customer trust
It was Itano's side that put the LINE messages out there, you know?
She can just talk things out with the hotel, but with people online you don't even know who they are, so legal action might be the only option
Thanks to the leaked LINE messages, it's already out that the hotel checked the video
Everyone was operating fine in a loose gray zone, but then
people got mad demanding "did you get permission or not!?" and pushed to make the rules crystal clear
and the result was a total ban
Serves them right, honestly
People seem to misunderstand this, but "gray" basically means "as good as out" lol
Pachinko cash-exchange counters are technically out too, so are soaplands
To begin with, it's common-sense-lacking for a YouTuber or influencer to film in a changing room at all, and it's equally common-sense-lacking for the hotel to have allowed it
There's a total lack of morals, ethics, and decency here
Frankly, I wouldn't want to stay at a hotel that lets YouTubers or influencers film there in the first place
I can't relax or feel comfortable unless my privacy is protected
Whether it's a hotel, an apartment, or any other facility, if privacy isn't protected, you can't relax and it feels uncomfortable
You sound kind of bitter about this, somehow
It's not like the whole changing room was shown on camera, and it's not like other people were in it
What's in it for the hotel?
Couldn't they just say filming itself isn't allowed and leave it at that?
It's obviously for promotion
These days, having an influencer or celebrity stay and turn it into a video is way more effective than advertising yourself
Background and Key Points of This Story
The changing-room footage was part of the vlog published on September 3, and on September 5 Itano explained on X that she had “obtained the hotel’s permission.” This latest report backs that up, and the new fact here is the LINE exchange showing the hotel reviewed the video itself before publication and even gave notes on the wording of her comment. The thread split mainly into two camps. One is the clash between those who say “Itano was right / she’s the victim” and those who say “the hotel itself was out of line for allowing changing-room filming at all” — both sides accept the fact of the prior review but land on opposite conclusions about it. The other is speculation that the hotel’s reason for pre-checking the video was promotional; it’s worth noting this isn’t directly confirmed by the LINE screenshot or the reporting itself — it’s purely speculation within the thread. There was also disagreement in the replies over whether it was Itano’s side or the hotel’s side that made the LINE exchange public, which can’t be settled from the reporting alone.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Itano Tomomi Changing-Room Filming Controversy: Hotel Confirmed to Have Pre-Checked the Video.”
Leave a Reply