Japan / have you ever been there?

sxt

I have never been there . Sounds like a magical place:)

Omotenashi is a way of life in Japan, which is often translated “Japanese hospitality”. In practice, it combines exquisite politeness with a desire to maintain harmony and avoid conflict.

People with colds wear surgical masks to avoid infecting others. Neighbours deliver gift-wrapped boxes of washing powder before beginning building work – a gesture to help clean your clothes from the dust that will inevitably fly about.

Staff in shops and restaurants greet you with a bow and a hearty irasshaimase (welcome). They put one hand under yours when giving you your change, to avoid dropping any coins.

But omotenashi goes far beyond being nice to visitors; it permeates every level of daily life and is learned from a young age.

In Japanese culture, the farther outside one’s own group someone is, the greater the politeness shown to that person – which is why foreigners (gaijin – literally, “outside people”) are invariably astounded to find themselves accorded such lavish courtesies. “It still surprises me after nine years here,” said Spanish teacher Carmen Lagasca. “People bow when they sit next to you on the bus, then again when they get up. I’m always noticing something new

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I was there in the late 70s for a few months. Your impression is a bit of a stereotype but still a lovely country and mostly nice people.

osarusan

Lived there for more than 10 years.

You end up taking all that politeness for granted and get a rude awakening when you move elsewhere.

branie2

I've never been there

Jim Bob Scratcher

Never been there but would love to some time, it sounds like a great place in so many ways..

Surreptitious

I'd go just for the food and saki.

J Mysterio

I wanna go to a hostess club. Sounds bonkers.

Rubberlegs

Never been. I'd love to be there for hanami , the cherry blossom festival. It looks stunning especially at night with the trees all lit up with paper lanterns.

imme

It is a distinctive place OP

I would advise a visit if you can

I was there for 2 months, touring
I would happily go back and look forward to visiting again

There are also Travel sections on boards where you might find suggestions etc

riffmongous

Heard some bad stuff recently about sexual assault on public transport, it's not just a porn thing apparently. Got so bad they had to introduce women only carriages years ago

Also heard from an old colleague that it's not a good place to be black

Canis Lupus

Spent some 5 days in Tokyo last year. Food is amazing. People are nice and it's a wonderful clean city although weirdly bereft of public bins. Very very crowded place though.

I was also terribly disappointed that at 6 foot I wasn't a freakish giant.

Equium

I was there in July. The people were the highlight of the trip for me.

One of the first people I spoke to in Japan was an airport employee who helped me buy a train ticket and then guided me down to the correct seat on the train into Tokyo. Later that day, two elderly Japanese men beckoned my girlfriend and I over to their table outside a bar. They gave us recommendations on where to eat, told us about about Japanese culture, and bought us sake and Hoppy to try. That was the general theme over the next two weeks. The locals are quite fond of their alcohol too. It's funny to see suited businessmen and women lying inebriated on the streets having missed the last train home.

One of the things that hit me first in Tokyo, apart from its shear size, was how people left their bikes unlocked on the streets. No one would ever consider stealing a bike. I spent a week in Tokyo and another week between Osaka and Kyoto. The latter city really has to be seen to be believed. It is Japan from a bygone era, with temples, shrines and ancient architecture to die for.

I would highly recommend visiting Japan should the opportunity ever arise. It truly is a stunning place to see, and even more so to experience.

take everything

Yeah was there in 2003.
Met this young American woman, newly married to a fashion photographer. You could tell they were very different people- at least when it came to Japanese culture.

She was stuck in a rut and confided in me a bit after her husband pissed off on a junket. I reassured her marriage is hard but that she'd be fine.

Ended up on an amazing Karaoke session though in one of her crazy Japanese friend's flat.

...Wait, that was a film.

keith_sixteen

riffmongous wrote: »

Also heard from an old colleague that it's not a good place to be black

Yeah, cos in the rest of the world, that's totally fine.

Canis Lupus

They also love a good queue. They'd beat the British for it. Sometimes, I felt like they were queuing just to pass 5 minutes.

The one thing I disliked was smoking is still allowed indoors. I'd forgotten how minging it was to try and enjoy food with someone smoking next to you. It's not so bad for me as an ex smoker but my GF had a hard time on a couple of occasions.

TPD

I was over for a couple of weeks in May. Loved it. Seems like a perfect place for all night outdoor drinking: convenience stores everywhere, open 24h, selling cheap booze and hot snack foods, with public toilets. Could just walk around the city for a night out.

tampopo

Houses are not, or are poorly insulated and cold in the winter. But, have a hot bath before bed and yer grand.

It took me a couple of visits to get the hang of it, it's so different. I've been fortunate to visit from Okinawa to Hokkaido. Pretty cool all told.

Noticed the airport worker on the ground as the plane approached the gate bowing to the plane last time.

You end up bowing yourself after a while. I did anyway. Had the cleanest hands ever whenever I was there.

I'm tall, I bang my head all the time.

MilesMorales1

No. I keep saying I'll go there one day, but its one of those things you say without ever intending to really do it, unless I win the lottery some day.

sabat

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

No. I keep saying I'll go there one day, but its one of those things you say without ever intending to really do it, unless I win the lottery some day.

I went in May for €330 return (my 4th visit) - keep an eye on secretflying.com, try to synchronise with a drop in the value of the yen (it does yo-yo from year to year) and do research before you go for good value accommodation and entertainment and it can be done cheaply enough.

B.A._Baracus

Might seem a bit silly but ever since playing Shenmue (Sega Dreamcast) I have always wanted to go!

Birneybau

riffmongous wrote: »

Heard some bad stuff recently about sexual assault on public transport, it's not just a porn thing apparently. Got so bad they had to introduce women only carriages years ago

Also heard from an old colleague that it's not a good place to be black

Yippee, I'm a white man! Next stop, Tokyo!

McMurphy

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Might seem a bit silly but ever since playing Shenmue (Sega Dreamcast) I have always wanted to go!

Jesus that takes me back.

alchemist33

I might combine a tourist trip with the olympics or rugby world cup. Always wanted to go to see the high tech side combine with the traditional. The youngster would want to go too as he imagines there's a drifting competition on every corner.

Coffee Fulled Runner

It's a place I'd like to visit. I guess you can't do like your European holiday and expect* everyone to have English? I'd imagine it's quite difficult to communicate?

*in a quintessential English speaking tourist in Spain style.

archer22

Pity they don't extend all this "good manners" to Whales and Dolphins, and maybe show some "courtesy" to the vast majority of the worlds population who don't want them brutally butchered :mad:

Pherekydes

Never been, but I'm heading there for the Olympics in 2020. Me and my 3 kids will make the strangest relay squad in history. And just as we win the 4x1 the whole place will be destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake.

Probably...

bigar

I traveled to most Far Eastern counties in the last few years and Japan was the biggest disappointment.

People seem to think it is the most technologically advanced country in the world, extremely modern with shiny glass and metal structures everywhere. It was in the past but now it seemed to me that the country got stuck in the 90s. It reminded me of a theme park that did not receive any upgrades or proper maintenance in the last 20 years.

The old culture is also not that in your face as you think and the Japanese politeness is the same as in all surrounding countries when you visit as a westerner.

If you want to go to a country that you believe modern Japan is to be, go to South Korea. Without a doubt the most modern country in the Far East.

_Whimsical_

I know someone who lived in a big city there and worked as a teacher. She said that herself and several of her colleagues had been groped and even assaulted on trains and that the reaction of fellow passengers who noticed in two cases had been to record it with their phones.

Another person told me about a teacher who had been knocked off his bike by a passing car. The driver had gotten out to see if he was ok, asked his name, address, where he worked, the address of school etc and stayed until he'd been taken away by ambulance. Turned out he had a badly broken leg. That was during a weeks school holidays.
The following Monday he returned to work in plaster. At lunchtime the man who had knocked him down arrived at the school staffroom with a big bouquet of flowers and presented it to... the school principal!! He also gave her a big apology about having knocked down one of her teachers and his injury causing her and the school inconvenience. Then he walked off out past the guy he hurt without a word to him!

branie2

That was terrible of him!

Noveight

I love their car culture. I'll probably never visit there sadly, not one who travels often.