hey less of that...............
otherwise she might get an impression in her head and leave!
Looks like you've never been . . .
By far my favourite country in Asia . . . when not going for beach holidays we go to Japan . . . Christmas with lots of snow, excellent food, lovely people, stunning countryside and the list goes on.
Lived there.
Loved it
Would do it again
i second that........ great art history and tattoo parlours
I have travelled all over Japan by myself. I lived in Sendai on the main island for 3 years. I consider Japan to be one of the greatest countries in the world to live in or visit. I agree 100 percent with comments made by Jet and Panama Hat.
Ugh . . . in the same sentence . . . I feel dirty now, need a shower . . .Originally Posted by ceburat
Japan is a victim of its history in many ways and doesn't have the fortune of Germany, in the sense of having history be history, with its neighbours.
I've met many Japanese while diving and they are great company. I am godfather to one of my oldest friend's second child . . .
Can't fault them, and the perceived arrogance or aloofness (at least towards Caucasians) is a mixture of being shy about their English language skills and other issues.
I've never been to Japan but will do my first trip to this destination next year.
I plan to spend a considerable time backpacking the country to get a handle on it.
Most Japanese I have had contact with seem to be OK so I'm looking forward to forming my own opinion.
Just a clarification on the OP, because the way the article is phrased can be a bit misleading.
What it actually means is that 40% of japanese hotels and guest houses don't get any foreign guests at the moment - because they're located in remote or un-touristy locations or are not advertised in English, and not because they turn them out. Turning out customers for reason of their nationality or skin color is illegal in any business in Japan. The only business line that routinely does this is the hostess bar and "entertainment for men" venues.
I would imagine that most of these 40% are either mom & pop places that can survive on very little revenue, or small business hotels built specifically to cheaply accomodate drunk salarymen who missed their train home, and have get more than enough clientele from these. I don't think the average tourist would normally end up in one of these places or event want to.
In my experience, if you display proper manners and dressing, and no apparent tatoos, not a single place in japan will ever turn you out. If on top of that you manage to speak a few words of japanese, every door will be thrown open (well, almost..) and people will go out of their way to make your stay enjoyable. Tatoos are a no-no pretty much everywhere because they're thightly associated with organized crime.
There was some fuss a few years ago about some local hot spring places turning out foreigners, but at least I can understand someone not wanting his relaxing hot spring dip spoiled by a fat, naked brit!
You mean American?Originally Posted by Zolt
I've always been treated well in Japan, but just last Sunday evening, I walked down the road near Patpong in Bangkok with all the "Japanese Only" bars and bar girls and was trying to understand the reason why they have to have their own special exclusive zone. Despite the fact that the girls there are desperate for business with the tourists all gone, not one said anything to me. On the other streets they would not leave me alone.
Great fun to get behind a fivesome of nips. A caddy for the bag, a caddy for the umbrella and maybe a mia noi or two thrown in. 15 or so people on a fairway, each one spraying their shots about 70 yards right and left.
I realize this is an old thread, but I spent 10 years there, and the language issue is absolutely the main reason Japanese prefer not to deal with foreigners- small guesthouses ('ryokan') generally have no English-speaking staff- if a guest can't speak some Japanese, there can be major problems due to lack of communication- I had more than a few places express a hesitant attitude towards my stay until I spoke to them in conversational Japanese- it was no problem after that and I was made very welcome.
Another problem is cultural differences- the Japanese do things a certain way (bathing, i.e.- you wash yourself fully before entering the tub- foreigners generally enter the tub then bathe- it might not sound like a big deal, but it is a huge thing in Japan, so if you're staying at a place with a communal hot springs area, there may be issues with Japanese guests if the foreigners do the 'wrong' thing).
Also, things are very expensive in Japan- 'sticker shock' is a big deal for many foreigners who receive a bill that is often higher than they expected- haggling over payment is perceived as an ugly thing in Japan.
There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.
HST
since when is 40% "most"?
^Failsafe touches above on the key issues involved. There are also innkeepers, etc., who would be OK themselves with foreigners staying, but have a kind of inchoate fear that the presence of foreigners would make the other guests nervous (in a lot of cases they are probably right). Japanese generally speaking don't like surprises- they do their best to make sure everything goes as expected. The Japanese are much less nervous around foreigners now than they were 25 years ago. 40% is a more promising figure than would have been found in the '80's. This kind of thing shouldn't dissuade people from visiting Japan
“You can lead a horticulture but you can’t make her think.” Dorothy Parker
Japanese, Japan and Japanese food are my favourite 'Asians' or Asian things.
Been there about 40+ times, mostly on business, had an office there . . . and can't really think of many negative things to say at all.
Driving around near Hakone in Fall/Autumn . . .
Sitting/lying in an onsen in winter with snow outside looking at Mt Fuji
Simply the best food . . .
Polite people . . .
My Godson . . .
Love it. Love them.
The rest of Asia should be more like them
it's the norm in the Asian tourist industry to try to segregate the honkies from the Asians. That's why farang tourists frequently get the impression that they're the only game in town, when in fact in every Asian country including Thailand Asian tourists basically outnumber the white foreigners by about 2 to 1.
they try to segregate them partly because they know that Asian tourists, not just Japanese, don't particularly want to be around a lot of white people, but also beause Asians are perceived as being better spenders than the tight-assed farang gits. This is why it's not unkown for bargirls will drop the tight-assed cheapskate fat balding farang at the drop of a hat as soon as an Asian like a Japanese or Korean walks in. In the Philippines, they're known as '222's' among bargirls - 2 minutes, 2 inches, and 2000 pesos.
Excellent summation, but you make the most important point with the above.
I too have never had a problem in the land of Tojo. I dislike Roppongi as much as I dislike the BKK Asoke tourist area. (Even the Tony Roma's is horrible now ) And yet, I am safe in Japan. I never worry about a drunk driver mowing me down, a cop shaking me down, or muggers. At least the Japanese have some basic manners and do not pick their noses or pop their zits in public.
Kindness is spaying and neutering one's companion animals.
Oh yes me, or at least I have done in the past and will in the future. Good transport system, no problem with language around Kyoto and Osaka. I found people in Osaka to be friendly and often helpful even when I didn't ask as I have done in other parts of Japan. Quite honestly I didn't find it any more expensive than any where else in Asia except for Tokyo and I am going back four years now.
Culture and communication is a problem but then most courses teaching either outside Japan aren't worth looking at let alone paying for. Those who have a love of photography should visit Sapporo snow festival - you won't be disappointed. Here's one example;
Last edited by WhiteKnight; 16-06-2010 at 08:09 PM.
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