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The story
On the TV show “Matsuko & Ariyoshi’s Temporary Paradise,” Hiroyuki Ariyoshi criticized customers who spend long hours working on laptops at cafes, saying, “Don’t they realize it’s annoying? Because it really is.” The comment sparked discussion on 5ch’s Geinou/Sports News+ board. It came in response to a viewer’s complaint that their coffee is gone in ten minutes flat, leaving no excuse to linger. But the thread split between pushback — “if the cafe itself doesn’t consider it a nuisance, it’s not a customer’s place to complain” — and agreement that such customers “hurt table turnover,” countered by others noting that “cafes with power outlets at the seats are clearly designed for exactly this kind of use.”
Fri, Oct 30, 9:38 PM
TV personality Hiroyuki Ariyoshi appeared on TV Asahi’s “Matsuko & Ariyoshi’s Temporary Paradise: 2-Hour Special” (Fridays, 8:00 PM), which aired on the 30th, and had a moment of calling out people who work for long stretches at coffee shops and cafes.
During the talk segment that day, the show read out a viewer’s comment: “I can never make time last at coffee shops. I drink everything fast, so even when I try to kill time, my coffee is gone in five minutes flat. How do I learn to sip slowly and enjoy my drink?” Ariyoshi responded, “I can’t do it either, honestly. Ten minutes, tops, for me.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
As long as you're not hogging extra space or being loud, you're not bothering other customers.
It's probably just irritating because they camp out in the corner seat — the best spot in the place.
Matsuko's just going along with Ariyoshi.
I've seen her swerve her opinion on a dime to match his more than once.
That's exactly why it's so boring lol
There's always that one guy at the office too, who does nothing but badmouth or complain about others.
Look in the mirror, buddy.
Aren't you doing the same thing right now?
If it really were 100% a nuisance, the shop would feel it too — but normally shops welcome that kind of customer.
Exactly.
The cafe side isn't bothered.
If they were, they'd kick those customers out.
I think it's fine, unless it's one of those Starbucks in central Tokyo that clearly wants to keep "that type" of customer out.
This!!!!!!
With charging outlets, the place is basically designed for people to sit with a laptop or phone for a while.
I was stunned to find outlets at Yoshinoya recently too — maybe that's aimed at inbound tourists?
Seriously, so in the way.
Exactly.
They don't even realize they're treating the shop like their own personal office and tanking table turnover for everyone else.
Lol, all that happened is you walked into a crowded cafe.
Takes one to know one.
So true.
The only way you'd even notice someone's been there a long time is if you've been there just as long yourself.
Is it written on their face?
Ariyoshi: "Grrrgh…"
Just a careless employee, that's all.
You idiot!
They're just playing solitaire.
If you're only there ten minutes, it shouldn't matter to you how many hours anyone else stays.
It matters plenty — if you show up and the place is packed with people camping out, you can't even get a seat for your ten minutes.
Maybe cafes should just make you drink your coffee standing up.
The price of cafe coffee already factors in sitting there a while.
If it were stand-and-drink, they'd have to charge the same as convenience store coffee.
Ramen shops deliberately make seating cramped to create lines outside lol
No, the point is it's become a culture of eating fast and clearing out quickly.
Why are we even talking about ramen shops of all things lol
Then why are YOU the one bringing up ramen shops lol
Idiots don't worry about leaking info.
Back in the day there were idiot executives reading confidential documents in packed Marunouchi Line commuter trains.
Haven't seen that lately, at least.
Since when did they become places obsessed with table turnover?
That's fine for a coffee shop that's not near a station.
But at high-turnover places right by the station or inside it, I'd rather people didn't.
Honestly, go do that on a park bench or riverbank.
It's a nuisance to the shop and other customers.
If it's really a nuisance, the shop can just kick them out.
If the shop allows it, it's not a customer's place to complain.
Even in blazing heat or freezing cold?
You're heartless, man.
Background and Key Points of the Debate
Whether working on a laptop at a cafe is acceptable is a debate that keeps resurfacing online, and this round reached no clear resolution either. Part of the background is that, especially in city centers, more shops now add power outlets and design their seating around long stays, while shops near train stations tend to prioritize table turnover instead — so stances vary by location and business type. The thread split between two camps: those who argued “if the shop allows it, it’s not a customer’s place to object,” and those who countered “it’s not unrelated, since other customers can’t find a seat because of people overstaying.” It’s easy to overlook that neither side actually addressed what the shop’s own policy is. It’s also worth remembering that Ariyoshi’s comment was simply his personal opinion — not a statement of any shop’s rules or a society-wide standard.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Hiroyuki Ariyoshi Bluntly Calls Out People Doing Long Laptop Sessions at Cafes: “Don’t they realize it’s annoying? Because it really is.”“
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