The Japanese public finds the refusal of a hotel in Kyoto to host an Israeli guest "disgusting," according to Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen.
He reported that the embassy received numerous messages expressing outrage at Kyoto's Material Hotel after its manager informed an Israeli tourist that he would not be accommodated due to allegations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
"We are not able to accept reservations from persons we believe might have ties to the Israeli army," hotel manager Jeronimo Gehres wrote in response to the reservation request on Tuesday.
Many who contacted the embassy noted that Gehres, the hotel manager, is Brazilian, not Japanese. They also argued that refusing the reservation violated Japanese law.
"Who is this nut?" a Japanese journalist wrote. Japanese lawmakers also condemned the hotel's actions as unacceptable, with one saying that the hotel's conduct was a disgrace to Japan.
Cohen told Ynet that the incident at the Kyoto hotel did not reflect Japan's overall attitude, which has been welcoming and appreciative of Israeli tourists. "There is no antisemitism in Japan," he said. "There is a strong desire to host Israelis, and the El Al flights to Tokyo are full. This incident is an outlier."