|
Pollyanna posted:I mean people could always just feel obligated to be accommodating Nah, I've always felt it's usually genuine friendliness, or at least politeness. People who don't speak English will probably feel embarassed but in general it's way easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger than it is in Europe for example where people don't give a gently caress about tourists.
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2019 18:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 18:35 |
|
|
holy poo poo dude. a week isn't nearly enough for all of that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2019 18:46
|
|
|
Shibawanko posted:Nah, I've always felt it's usually genuine friendliness, or at least politeness. People who don't speak English will probably feel embarassed but in general it's way easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger than it is in Europe for example where people don't give a gently caress about tourists. I speak a little bit so at that point I’d probably embarrass myself with my less-than-conversational chat. Speaking of, dad still seems interested in going. If we do go, is it worth getting some conversation practice in? Not a Children posted:My brother and I are planning a big tokyo-kyoto-hiroshima-osaka-tokyo loop over 2 weeks with a decent amount of local train travel day-to-day, so we sprung for the passes. If you're a tourist trying to cover a lot of ground it seems like a good deal. That seems like too much. I was considering T-K-O then fly out and that’s probably 12~13 days total.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2019 18:50
|
|
|
Grand Fromage posted:That's rough. Overstuffing a trip is the worst. Thanks for the tips. I'm going to see if we can't make Hiroshima a day trip and cut out a big leg then -- we wanted to book a guided tour we found and get a taste of the local flavor, but I really think we'll have more than enough to do in the Kyosaka area, and having 1 big travel day between ~9ish days in Kyoto/Osaka sounds a lot better to me than shuffling so much travel between all the days. I do think we'll keep the Kyoto -> Osaka jog there, though; we did a little digging and there's plenty we want to do in both cities.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2019 23:12
|
|
|
One major note for all of the foreigners planning things with trains: NOT ALL TRAINS ARE JR. Getting the JR pass is great for certain use cases (especially multiple Shinkansen trips) but it’s NOT 100% coverage of the major cities. That’s why the suggestion of using a JR pass is for people with multiple Shinkansen trips planned, as both the cost works out better and it’ll be usable. The alternative without multiple bullet train rides is getting an IC card (Suica/Pasmo/Icoca/etc) and loading that with yen, because those cards will be usable across company lines. It’s not difficult or an impossible barrier but it IS something to keep in mind. Also good lord people stop packing vacation days so full of trips and plans. Plan some time to just wander and explore.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 01:27
|
|
|
OPEN JAW TICKET. Omg I gonna make the thread shut down. Minute hey I love my quiet morning train rides here
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 01:47
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:I mean people could always just feel obligated to be accommodating Meanwhile, on the same trip when I was anywhere in Taiwan other than the Taipei area, it was there that I got a few "why are you in my country" stares.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 02:36
|
|
|
harperdc posted:One major note for all of the foreigners planning things with trains: NOT ALL TRAINS ARE JR. Getting the JR pass is great for certain use cases (especially multiple Shinkansen trips) but it’s NOT 100% coverage of the major cities.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 02:43
|
|
|
kuddles posted:That's certainly a possibility, but I'm just saying at no point during the Japan trip did I feel anything other than ambivalence about me being there, and usually it was people going out of their way to greet or help me. Huh, I’ve never had anyone give a gently caress anywhere in Taiwan
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 04:48
|
|
|
LimburgLimbo posted:Huh, I’ve never had anyone give a gently caress anywhere in Taiwan Yeah, but did you get any "why are you in my country" stares?
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 05:47
|
|
|
omg they helped you out of obligation but not sincere friendship?!?!  scary af
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 08:38
|
|
|
Oh no I barged in a an origami store and made a shop keeper read my google translate phrase to find a calligraphy supply shop. OBLIGATION
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 09:23
|
|
|
harperdc posted:
This. Some of the most memorable experiences I had was just walking through Tokyo everywhere and seeing what I can find. Found a good meat restaurant in takadanobaba that way, Red Rock.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 09:51
|
|
|
Stringent posted:Yeah, but did you get any "why are you in my country" stares? Yes, from a white guy in Taiwan.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 09:57
|
|
|
There've only been three times where me and my friends being foreign have had any noticeable change in how people in Japan reacted to us.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 11:10
|
|
|
Not being American seemed to be a big deal in Osaka and Tokyo too fwiw so I don't think that advice only applies to Okinawa. Maybe it's more of a novelty. Is APA the hotel chain to morally avoid because of the owner being a terrible racist? I'm looking at another trip but I need to bump up the accommodation a little bit because my in-laws are tagging along and I'm pretty sure the rock hard cheap hotel beds I've stayed in before would kill them.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 11:27
|
|
|
History Comes Inside! posted:Not being American seemed to be a big deal in Osaka and Tokyo too fwiw so I don't think that advice only applies to Okinawa. Maybe it's more of a novelty. Okinawa it's a bit different because of the amount of US military down there (which Okinawans resent because Tokyo is allowed to keep them all down there) and what some of those US military members do on their off time. So it's not just a foreigner thing, it's specifically American. also yes APA is the hotel chain that has the real hard right-wing war-crime-denying propaganda in the rooms to read, so they really shouldn't get your money if it can be avoided.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 11:46
|
|
|
harperdc posted:Okinawa it's a bit different because of the amount of US military down there (which Okinawans resent because Tokyo is allowed to keep them all down there) and what some of those US military members do on their off time. So it's not just a foreigner thing, it's specifically American. Yeah I figured Okinawa might specifically be about the military base, I meant the novelty factor more in Tokyo and Osaka since maybe they're more used to Americans being around in general. I definitely heard more American accented English than any other English during my trips, and multiple times we were around groups and got the same "where are you from?" query as the other tourists where there was a marked difference in the locals' reaction any time someone wasn't American. Thanks for confirming the hotel thing, I'll try and avoid that chain if I can help it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 11:54
|
|
|
The owners of all large businesses in Japan are horrible racists, the APA guy just wrote it down in a book.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 11:57
|
|
|
Archer666 posted:This. Some of the most memorable experiences I had was just walking through Tokyo everywhere and seeing what I can find. Found a good meat restaurant in takadanobaba that way, Red Rock. I have a list of maybe five concrete things I want to hit in my upcoming 20 days -- the most fun I had last time was just wandering around so I definitely took this route when "planning".
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 14:24
|
|
|
caberham posted:Oh no I barged in a an origami store and made a shop keeper read my google translate phrase to find a calligraphy supply shop. I went to a hardware store and spent a minute trying to explain to some lady that I was looking for a tape measure but the only word I knew was for ruler. We are still best friends to this day. Question Mark Mound posted:Basically don't be loud and in the way and you'll be fine. This is true everywhere when you're a tourist. On the other hand, it's amazing how much you can get away with after you've lived in the same inaka town for years and are (an extremely minor) local celebrity.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 15:53
|
|
|
Dormy inn rocks. There’s an onsen (technically not true) 9pm to 1030pm there’s a free snack included. It’s priced as a budget hotel with a slight premium but it’s worth it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 16:19
|
|
|
Also I booked a ten day stay with APA in Ikebukuro before I knew they were run by a racist. My biggest worry to date was that they don't let you control the AC in your room 
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 16:24
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 16:35
|
|
|
LimburgLimbo posted:Huh, I’ve never had anyone give a gently caress anywhere in Taiwan When I was in Kaohsiung, it was a mix of responses and that included people staring me down or being underwhelmed that I was in their park or whatever. A couple people even said something under their breath on Cijin Island. Even the customer service didn't seem pleased about serving me. But I never felt unsafe.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 17:51
|
|
|
harperdc posted:Also good lord people stop packing vacation days so full of trips and plans. Plan some time to just wander and explore. Immediately after reading this thread I came across: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/aejv8f/itinerary_check_20_days_in_tokyo_osaka_and/ 
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 18:10
|
|
|
Martytoof posted:Immediately after reading this thread I came across: holy poo poo
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 18:18
|
|
|
That person sounds like a loving hoot to travel with
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 18:21
|
|
|
Martytoof posted:Immediately after reading this thread I came across: I have a problem.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 18:43
|
|
|
Day 1: 17:00 Hub happy hour Day 2: 11:00 return to hostel 17:00 hub happy hour
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 19:04
|
|
|
yeah i just plan some stuff i wanna hit up and then just kinda live and do w/e the rest of the time. but it's also not nearly my first time, so idk.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 21:54
|
|
|
kuddles posted:When I was in Kaohsiung, it was a mix of responses and that included people staring me down or being underwhelmed that I was in their park or whatever. A couple people even said something under their breath on Cijin Island. Even the customer service didn't seem pleased about serving me. But I never felt unsafe. That's normal for Taiwanese natives too. Who the hell plans down to the last minute you will get hosed over if you do it. I'm in the countryside a lot and love traveling and driving, so I plan where to stay for the night, then 2-3 things I'd love to do during the day and decide on plans the night before. If you don't make everything that's perfectly fine too. There are people who basically dont plan at all and that works as well although I've never been able to do that for more than a week. I guess its good this thread is getting a bunch of posts even if many of them are really stupid because otherwise it's totally silent.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 22:02
|
|
|
I'm one of the stupid posters
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 22:02
|
|
|
does anybody have experience with kumano kodo trips? we're thinking about doing that whole thing (an easier one) this year and wouldn't mind thoughts from others. e: we're looking at doing this https://www.kumano-travel.com/en/model-itineraries/3-days-E1-kumano-kodo-highlight-walk-nakahechi mikeycp fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Jan 10, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 22:05
|
|
|
ntan1 posted:I'm one of the stupid posters
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 22:24
|
|
|
ntan1 posted:That's normal for Taiwanese natives too. If you're taking public transport a lot it's just as easy to get hosed over because you left somewhere at 2:45PM instead of 2:30PM. That said, a lot of that guy's schedule simply does not need to be planned down to the minute, Toyosu and Ginza Six in a day isn't exactly a tight itinerary, lol edit: Also, I think 2 weeks for tokyo-kyoto-hiroshima-osaka-tokyo is plenty of time. 5 days in Tokyo, 2 in Kyoto, 2 in Osaka, 2 in Hiroshima, and you still have 3 days to spare. Just don't be lazy and sit around your hotel room until lunchtime or whatever and it's perfectly doable. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Jan 10, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 22:55
|
|
|
zmcnulty posted:edit: Also, I think 2 weeks for tokyo-kyoto-hiroshima-osaka-tokyo is plenty of time. 5 days in Tokyo, 2 in Kyoto, 2 in Osaka, 2 in Hiroshima, and you still have 3 days to spare. Just don't be lazy and sit around your hotel room until lunchtime or whatever and it's perfectly doable. I agree that 2 weeks (10 days) was enough for these cities (with my big grumpy dad), including a day or two chilling in the hotel watching the typhoon wreck everything.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 23:33
|
|
|
I’m with 3 other dudes, for 4 days in Tokyo. There’s one major activity a day, and the secondary activity is kind of open ended depending on time. I totally could have planned 2 major and 1 minor activity a day on a 730am rise, 11pm sleep schedule with planned special dinner and lunch reservations everyday. Only if I wanted to impress a date on a dream vacation. Or older folks like my parents. But screw that im with a bunch of nerds and they have stuff they are interested in as well. A lot of Hong kongers actually travel like this because they want to squeeze every bit of time they can. But screw that, we are a bunch of nerds and Tokyo is close enough so I will bring their girlfriends or wives here soon enough. And I rather allocate time for a Tokyo goon meet. And I’m dumb enough to come all the way to eat HOTO KEKI because it was featured on a Netflix tv show (nice coffee shop). Sure as hell beats Starbucks to chill out.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2019 00:55
|
|
|
Blah blah blah, At the end of the day, it’s just spending your disposable income, and it’s a very personal matter, some people like to wait 2 hours in front of sushi dai and feel validated, I don’t but hey it’s your vacation so whatever. Tokyo goons are fun to hang with yo
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2019 00:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 18:35 |
|
|
If you spend a lot of time on travel forums or TripAdvisor there are those type of people for every country, jam packing everything to even more insane levels then some of those awful group tours you see. They are also nightmares as travel partners because they spent forever creating that minute to minute itinerary so they have the dream of the perfect vacation in their head. That means every minor setback from a 5 minute late bus to a short line is treated like an extraordinarily frustrating catastrophe, if a museum is more of a walk than expected or bigger than you thought too bad because you're in a rush to leave, and god forbid you discover something interesting on your way or are exhausted and want to take a break. The opposite can be just as bad, though. I have an ex who just liked to wing everything which meant that 25% we got a nice non-touristy discovery and the other 75% was wandering around for hours seeing nothing interesting or getting disappointed because we can't get in on the spot to cool places. kuddles fucked around with this message at 12:14 on Jan 11, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2019 00:59
|
|