5,000 yen for tea bags in paper cups prompts two explanatory videos from organizers.

The point of a world’s fair is to create an opportunity for attendees to experience the cultures of the exhibiting countries. For the World Expo 2025 currently going on in Osaka, you’d think the U.K. Pavilion would have a slam dunk in form of afternoon tea, a British culinary tradition that fits quite nicely with Japan’s love of leisurely enjoying good food and drink that pleases the palate without filling the stomach to bursting.

And yet, the reaction has been less than positive for the afternoon tea service being offered to guests at the U.K. Pavilion. Right off the bat, at 5,000 yen (US$34.50) it’s pretty expensive, but foodies in Japan don’t mind paying a little more for high quality. However, what was provided for that price didn’t seem at all worth it to many people who made their voices heard after a photo of the pavilion’s afternoon tea set, seen in the video below, was posted online following an April 27 visit.

The presentation is a little haphazard, with the sandwich slices arranged unevenly. The thing that really irked many commenters, though, was that instead of a proper pot and ceramic drinkware, the pavilion was simply plunking tea bags in paper cups.

It’s a far cry from the elegant image of British afternoon tea that many attendees had in their heads prior to ordering, and also off the mark for the refined hospitality that the pavilion is seeking to showcase as part of the U.K.’s culture. Following the negative reaction online, the U.K.’s Commissioner General to the Expo, Carolyn Davidson, posted a message to her Twitter account on April 29. Speaking in Japanese with English subtitles, Davidson says that there have been “lively discussions and feedback about the dining experience” and that the staff “will continue to work towards [a] comfortable experience for everyone.”

However, much like with the afternoon tea itself, many Japanese commenters were less than impressed with this. The video begins with Davidson saying “At the restaurant in the U.K. Pavilion, many visitors are enjoying traditional British cuisine,” arguably giving the facility a pat on the back right of the bat, and at no point makes any specific mention of the afternoon tea set. The bigger issue, though, is that in the video Davidson is drinking tea poured from a pot into a ceramic cup, which is exactly the experience that commenters were disappointed in the pavilion at for not providing to guests.

So two days later, on May 1, Davidson was back again with another video.

In the second video, Davidson says:

This is Carolyn Davidson, the U.K. Commissioner General to the Expo.

We deeply appreciate the many comments we have received regarding the afternoon tea at the U.K. Pavilion. We are not able to respond to all comments individually, but we are listening to them sincerely and will be taking them into consideration regarding our operations going forward.

Once again, we feel that many people have enjoyed our afternoon tea service. Having received indications we were unable to fully meet guest expectations we have already instituted improvements to one aspect of our service. In the pavilion’s restaurant, afternoon tea is no longer served in paper cups, and is instead served in ceramic teacups. We will continue to make efforts to provide a more comfortable and satisfying experience.

Afternoon tea is an important tradition and a symbol of British culture, and through the pavilion’s activities we wish to introduce such traditions and their British qualities to our guests. At the U.K. Pavilion, we have prepared a diverse menu drawing inspiration from the individual cultures and flavors of the four countries that comprise the U.K. I will be very happy if this experience can serve as an opportunity to convey the rich, deep charms of the U.K. and deepen guests’ appreciation of its culture, and nothing would make me happier if it instills a desire among guests to someday visit the U.K.

We are waiting to welcome you, and we hope for your continued support.

While Davidson speaks Japanese in both videos, the second, longer video is captioned in Japanese too, indicating that it’s an attempt to more directly connect with the local populace, and it also serves to highlight cultural values and communication norms. Though she acknowledges the pavilion having been “unable to fully meet guest expectations,” at no point in either video does she offer an apology for that admitted inability. As we’ve talked about before, apologies are a big deal in Japan, and not making one in a swift and sincere manner, especially when implicitly validating complaints by making a policy shift, can come off as apathetic. Likewise, the first video starting off by saying many guests were happy with their experience at the pavilion’s restaurant might be taken in some cultures as an acceptable accentuate-the-positive tone to help set the stage for amicable compromise or accommodation, but in Japan it runs the risk of looking like an organization is digging in its heels and dismissing grievances as unfounded.

Japanese online reactions to Davidson’s second video are looking better than for her first, though, and while there are still some who’re dissatisfied with the lack of a direct apology, others have expressed their appreciation for the change to ceramic teacups and say they’re now looking forward to visiting the U.K. Pavilion themselves. You could even say that the whole thing has been a reminder that cultural learning is a two-way street, so even as the U.K. is presenting its culture to Japan it’s also learning about Japanese culture, and with the World Expo running until October there’s still time to put that new knowledge to use.

Source: Twitter/@cjdavidsonfcdo (1, 2), Nitele via Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!