An attendant at a popular garden in the heart of Tokyo has cost the facility tens of millions of yen¹ because he was "too frightened" to ask foreign visitors to pay the admission fee.

东京市中心一处热门公园的一名售票员，因“太害怕”开口向外国游客收取门票费，导致该公园损失数千万日元。

The attendant, who is in his early 70s, admitted failing to collect the fees for Shinjuku Gyoen national garden after an investigation² was launched following a tip-off by another employee.

在新宿御苑国家公园的另一名员工告发此事之后，有关部门展开了调查，最后这位70岁出头的售票员承认自己没有收取门票费。

The unnamed man, who has since retired³, reportedly said he had stopped collecting admission fees from foreigners of 200 yen for adults and 50 yen for children in April 2014, and had continued to allow foreign visitors in free of charge for about two and a half years.

这位未具名的售票员事发后就退休了，据报道，他2014年4月就开始停止向外国成人和小孩收取门票费，该公园的成人票价是200日元，儿童票价是50日元，自那以后约有两年半时间，他一直让外国游客免费进入。

As a result an estimated 160,000 people entered the garden without paying.

由此导致的结果是，估计有16万游客在此期间免费入园。

The environment ministry⁴, which manages the garden, said that it had lost at least 25 million yen as a result.

管理该公园的日本环境省表示，由此造成的损失至少有2500万日元。

Local reports said the man told ministry investigators⁵ that being yelled at by a non-Japanese visitor years ago had made him scared of overseas guests.

据当地媒体报道称，这名售票员向环境省调查员透露，多年前曾有一名外国游客冲他大吼大叫，这使得他非常害怕外国游客。