A video of a Chinese woman's experience visiting a Japanese restaurant is causing unexpected reactions on Chinese social media.

The trigger was a video uploaded by a Chinese female influencer residing in Japan. The woman visited a noodle restaurant in Tokyo and ordered from a touch-panel ticket vending machine near the entrance. The portion sizes ranged from regular (並), medium (中), and large (大), with regular being the smallest option. Since the prices for medium and large were the same, the woman chose large.

Then, a male staff member said, "The large size is quite a lot. We recommend the regular size for women." When the woman asked, "Is medium okay?", the staff member replied, "I think even medium is quite a lot." Although the woman hesitated for a moment, she ultimately ordered medium and took her seat.

When the noodles actually arrived and she started eating, they were almost gone in a few bites, and the woman whispered to the camera, "Too little. I should have ordered large after all. I made a mistake. I was tricked by the staff member. How can this tiny amount be considered a lot?" A caption then appeared, saying, "Even after drinking all the dipping sauce, I wasn't full."

Afterward, on China's social media platform Weibo, "When a woman tries to order large in Japan, she's recommended small (regular)" became a hot topic. A blogger with over 260,000 followers introduced this video and commented, "Just how deeply ingrained are stereotypes against women in Japan?" and "The staff member tried to make her order small (regular) simply because she is a woman."

A female blogger with over 2.5 million followers commented, "If I encountered something like this, I would say, 'Excuse me, am I the consumer, or are you? Consumers have the right to choose for themselves. The restaurant or its employees have no right to interfere with a consumer's autonomous choice. Therefore, I choose large. Please bring it to my table as soon as possible. Thank you.'"

A blogger with over 10,000 followers commented, "Japanese women can be said to be one of the thinnest groups in the world. The reason for this is simply that they endure hunger. Japanese women are known for eating small amounts, but it's not that they can't eat, but rather that they hesitate to eat. If they eat a lot, they are looked at strangely by those around them and even get admonished by restaurant staff (as in the video)."

In addition, a blogger with 1.15 million followers pointed out, "On the surface, it seems like kind customer service, but if you think about it carefully, it's strange. Why should women choose small portions? The amount one eats differs by person, not by gender. It's as if they're implying women's stomachs are naturally one size smaller." Another blogger stated, "The core issue is not reducing food waste, but deeply ingrained stereotypes in thinking. That is, 'women don't eat that much,' or 'women shouldn't eat a lot.'"