People who visited Japan, how was it? Were your previous ideas about the country confirmed, or were there surprises?
People who visited Japan, how was it? Were your previous ideas about the country confirmed, or were there surprises?
People who visited Japan, how was it? Were your previous ideas about the country confirmed, or were there surprises?
We visited Tokyo in Autumn 2018, staying at a hotel in Shinjuku. Given that this was 7 years ago, note that our experience is that of the time.
We stayed mainly in & around the city, but we did make a trip out to Hakone. Having a local friend who speaks the language made all the difference - especially out in Hakone - but it is easy to pick up the most basic greetings & manners.
Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Confirmed Expectations
Surprises
Tips
Thank you!
I was in awe of the infrastructure, old and new mixed with nature. The lack of litter in most areas was astounding, coming from a red state in the US, the politeness of most people was also quite suprising.
Cars were a reasonale size, not grotesquely oversized for the hedonist rich, this included work vehicles.
I was intrigued also that even those few who could not abide walking on the same side of the street as this white person, that the jeering faces and the snubs were just present enough to get the point across, that they did not appreciate my presence, yet still very polite.
It was a pretty fun and educational experience
Having visited as a weeb high schooler ca. 2012, who mostly knew about Japan through anime/manga and Japanese language classes, very little of my previous ideas were confirmed, lol. Except that the public transit kicks ass and the food is absolutely bomb.
Surprises included:
I visited in the summer and I was surprised how humid it was. Other than that the food was amazing and getting around was beyond my expectations. Their transit system makes it easy to get all over the country and for very little. Also, the general price of most items was very affordable.
I loved Japan. I've visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Okinawa so far. I plan for more thorough trips once I'm retired and have the time.
One thing there that fucked up my normal vacation flow (this was also true in Korea), it's hard to get a drink before the evening. Our thing is walking around to see things while constantly stopping for drinks and sometimes food. Stopping at a cafe to have a bottle of wine al fresco while soaking up the local scenery and people watching while discussing the places we just visited is something we usually do 2-4 times a day before dinner. Little sidewalk cafes with alcohol aren't really a thing there. You have to go into a hotel or full restaurant and even then they look at you weird when you order alcohol that early and being inside isn't what we want. You might be able to find some convenience stores with a table or two outside, but drinking at a plastic table outside a 7-11 isn't really the vibe we're going for.
Despite what you may have heard about the drinking culture there, it's definitely considered more of a nighttime activity.
It was great. We did a lot of walking, despite the ease of using public transport. If you have a chance to visit the TeamLabs Borderless digital art experience, I highly recommend it. The shinkansen is also a neat experience if traveling between cities.
We didn't really experience being sneered at or snubbed by locals at all. Some places you will need reservations, and if you don't have one you'll be turned away. I think some tourists just don't understand that and instead assume it's because they're white. You have to remember that you're in a city with millions of people. No one is special, lol.
One thing that surprised me was I had assumed it would be fairly easy to find food without dairy in it. Sushi and ramen were fine, but the fancier restaurants were mostly doing French or Italian fusion, both of which use a lot of dairy. Oh, and you won't really find sushi rolls unless you go to more Americanized restaurants. Convenience stores are awesome and have a huge selection of cheap, fresh snacks.