An upscale inn in Japan, Daimaru Besso, has issued an apology after their hot spring bathwater was found with bacteria over 3,700 times the standard limit, according to South China Morning Post.
The inn had reportedly only changed the water in their hot spring bath every half a year, allowing the bacteria to breed in the water rampantly.
For context, the local stipulations dictate that the bathwater in hot springs should be changed every week, for health and hygiene reasons.
The president of the company that manages the 160-year-old inn, Makoto Yamada, said that they had neglected the hygiene of the bathwater.
Didn’t change the water because he didn’t like the Chlorine smell
He said that he didn’t like the smell of chlorine, hence the reluctance to change the bathwater.
Yamada added that it was a selfish reason on his part and that it was a wrongdoing that completely disregarded the health of their customers.
Before the latest scandal, the Inn was already in hot water (pun intended) with the authorities after more than twice the permissible amount of legionella bacteria was found in their bathwater.
They then falsified documents to claim that they had properly added chlorine before the authorities detected more than 3,700 times the standard limit of legionella found in their bathwater.
A customer who had visited the inn also fell sick, with the bacteria able to cause lung infections.
Yamada admitted to his complacency and neglect, saying that his understanding of the law was lax, and that he had thought the legionella bacteria was “just an ordinary germ” that was found everywhere.