Natali Khomenko has opened up about the unsettling experience in her Tokyo hotel room, and has said she has been left struggling with anxiety and PTSD in the wake of her ordeal
A woman has recalled a terrifying encounter she had with an unknown man she found hiding under her bed in a hotel.
Natali Khomenko, who lives in Thailand, decided to embark on a solo trip to Japan in March. Having arrived in the country, she checked in to her accommodation and was given a key card that would give her access the room.
Everything appeared fine so she set off the following day for some sightseeing, but she was in for a distressing ordeal upon her return. It comes after a warning has been issued to Brit tourists planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain.
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In a clip shared on her Instagram account, Natali explained: “I booked my solo trip to Japan because I thought Japan was a very safe country. I stayed in a very well-known chain hotel in Japan,” she said, adding that she stayed in the room for a day and everything seemed normal.
However, the next day when she returned to her room after a day of soaking up culture, she was shocked by what she found. “I unlocked my room, took off my clothes and laid down on the bed. That’s when I encountered a weird smell,” she said, adding that at first she thought it was coming from her hair or the bedsheets.
She even joked to herself about it ‘smelling like a dead body’ under her bed, but when she looked under it, she was horrified to see a pair of eyes staring at her.
“I saw an Asian man under my bed. I started to jump and scream and then the man climbed out from under my bed and stared at me for three seconds. Those seconds felt like my life was over,” she revealed.
Speaking to The Guardian , Natali further described the man as “east Asian, between 20 and 30, slightly overweight, a bowl haircut and black clothes.”
“I began to hyperventilate and froze on the spot, unsure whether he was about to jump on me, choke me or even try to kill me,” she said.
After the shocking incident, Natali said she immediately called the hotel administration and the police, and they found a power bank and USB cable under her bed.
She said she kept asking the hotel how the situation had happened, but they didn’t have any answers for her. “Even more, they suggested upfront that police won’t find the intruder because they had no cameras,” she continued.
She immediately changed hotels and demanded a full refund the following day. But she claims the hotel didn’t contact her back. She then reached out to holiday operator who she had booked the hotel through, and they offered her $178 (£133) in coupons – despite the fact she had paid $600 (£450) for three nights.
Having contacted the hotel once more, Natali was finally given a refund. But the emotional toll has been far greater. The woman has been struggling with anxiety and PTSD since returning home.
“Sadly, I’ve also had men write to me, claiming it’s my fault or that I just want to denigrate Japan. But all I want is justice, and to raise awareness so this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Women already have to worry about their safety too much, and this is another example of things not being taken as seriously as they should,” Natali said.