A young Ukrainian influencer, Natalie Khomenko, currently living in Thailand, claims she discovered an unknown man hiding under her bed during a solo stay at an APA Hotel in Tokyo. She shared the frightening experience on Instagram, saying she noticed a strange smell before spotting the man.
According to Komenko’s posts on April 25, 2025, she checked into the APA Hotel on March 29 for a three-day solo tourist visit. On the second night, March 30, around 7:30 p.m., she noticed a foul odor in her room. Upon inspecting under the bed, she found an “Asian male” staring back at her. The man emerged, glared at her for about three seconds, shouted, and then fled. Komenko, frozen in shock, screamed for help, alerting hotel staff who contacted the police.
Police searched the room and found a mobile battery and USB cable believed to belong to the intruder. Komenko, shaken by the ordeal, relocated to another hotel. She questioned the hotel’s security, as her room was locked, suggesting a breach in management. After negotiations, the hotel refunded her $600 (approximately 80,000 yen) stay but rejected her request for $1,600 (about 230,000 yen) in compensation, citing policy. Komenko also requested security footage, but the hotel stated no cameras captured the intruder.
The APA Hotel, in a statement to J-CAST News, said, “The matter is under investigation by authorities, and we cannot comment further.” The incident, reported by outlets like Taiwan’s Mirror Media and South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo, has fueled online debate. Some question the plausibility, noting APA Hotel beds typically lack space underneath, while others affirm such spaces exist for luggage storage. Komenko responded on Instagram, insisting, “This really happened to me,” and shared photos of the bed’s underside to counter skepticism, urging empathy from doubters.
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Japan’s hotel industry, hosting 36.87 million foreign visitors in 2024 per the Japan National Tourism Organization, faces scrutiny over safety protocols. The National Police Agency reported 1,200 hotel-related theft and trespassing cases in 2023, though specific data on intrusions is limited. Social media reactions vary, with some praising Komenko’s alertness and others speculating about internal security lapses or staged claims, though no evidence supports the latter. The ongoing police investigation seeks to identify the intruder and clarify how the breach occurred.
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