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Japan's biggest travel trap? Writer reveals '3 major pitfalls' of smoking rooms

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A travel writer warns against booking "smoking rooms" in Japan due to persistent, overwhelming odors.
  • These rooms, often cheaper, accumulate decades of smoke, making them unbearable even with ventilation.
  • Staying in a smoking room can lead to sleeplessness, headaches, and lingering smoke smell on belongings and personal items.

Travel writer "Feng Chen Wan Li Lu Ren Shou Za" is cautioning travelers against booking "smoking rooms" in Japan, describing them as a significant trap for tourists. These rooms, often a cheaper option when other accommodations are full, can lead to a deeply unpleasant experience due to the accumulated smell of decades of cigarette smoke.

The list mainly includes HSC candidates from extremely poor families who have demonstrated academic merit.

— Feng Chen Wan Li Lu Ren Shou ZaDescribing the overwhelming and accumulated smell of decades of cigarette smoke in Japanese smoking rooms.

The writer explains that "smoking rooms" are not just rooms where someone has recently smoked. Instead, they are saturated with the residue of countless smokers over many years. Upon entering, one is hit with a potent mix of ammonia, old tar, moldy wallpaper, and the ingrained smell of smoke in the carpets. This "thick" odor is pervasive and difficult to eliminate.

All 'physical defenses' will 'completely collapse' in a smoking room.

— Feng Chen Wan Li Lu Ren Shou ZaExplaining the ineffectiveness of air fresheners and ventilation in combating the strong smoke odor.

Attempts to mitigate the smell, such as opening windows (which often only open a crack for safety reasons) or using air fresheners and deodorizing sprays, are largely ineffective. Even the room's air conditioning or air purifier can end up circulating the smoky scent. The writer recounts that staying in such a room for even one night results in clothes, bags, luggage, hair, and skin all carrying the strong smell of smoke.

The hundreds of dollars saved will ultimately result in a night of insomnia and headaches, and the need to buy laundry deodorizer.

— Feng Chen Wan Li Lu Ren Shou ZaHighlighting the disproportionate cost in comfort and well-being for the perceived financial savings.

The perceived savings from choosing a cheaper smoking room are quickly offset by the discomfort. Travelers may suffer a night of insomnia and headaches, and later need to purchase strong deodorizers for their laundry. The writer emphasizes the power of these aged smoking rooms, warning that the next day, one might be perceived as a "walking ashtray" on public transport, drawing "reverent glances" from others. The experience is likened to sleeping with one's head buried in a 20-year-old secondhand smoke ashtray.

The next day, you will be a mobile ashtray on the train, and passersby will give you 'reverent glances'.

— Feng Chen Wan Li Lu Ren Shou ZaIllustrating the social consequence of carrying the strong smoke smell after staying in a smoking room.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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