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Tourist Season in Tokyo

RIDER 00

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Okay, don't get me started on the massive amount of tourists visiting Tokyo this Spring vacation and over crowding the trains so I can't sit down on my long commute to work. I understand, Tokyo is a wonderful place, it's the right time of year, so of course there are foreigners dragging huge suit cases through the crowded stations blocking the ticket gates and creating long queues at the staff window and ticket office.

Just saw a group of 30 old white people huddling together in a ball in front of Shinjuku Busta (what a stupid name, sounds like the Japanese baseball term for faking a bunt then swinging). It's not even that cold and they all looked very intimidated by the commuter rush that the couldn't stand more than 6 inches away from each other. At least they liked the scenery and started taking vids and pictures of everything.

Anyway......does anyone know why there is a group of white tourists gathering every night at 19:00 in front of the tourist center at the South-East exit of Shinjuku located in the tunnel that leads to Takashimaya? (Near the pachislot parlor Green Peas) Every night I pass them and they are always centered on a Japanese tour guide who is screaming at them in broken English about what to be careful of when wandering around Shinjuku and what restaurants to visit and which ones to avoid. The crowd is so big that it blocks the flow of people in the tunnel, so I hope they aren't gonna be there every night from now on.

I think one of the restaurants they tell the tourists to go to is the Gyu-Katsu (beef cutlet) shop that's nearby. It has crazy long lines full of foreigners every night while a shop in the same chain that's 10 minutes away is always empty.
 
I feel you @RIDER 00 ... can't swing a dead cat without hitting a gaijin... white, Chinese, etc... OK... so I'm a gaijin too, and I know it's a bit hypocritical, but I prefer the days immediately after the 3/11 incident... no foreigners around at all it seemed... Japan Tourist Ads must be blazing on TV's outside of Japan like crazy... anyway... it's good for the economy, but bad for train commutes... Gambatte ! ! !
 
don't get me started on the massive amount of tourists visiting Tokyo

I've had a lot of client office visits in Shibuya this week.

I have never wished so hard for a chainsaw.
 
3/11 is something I would rather not experience again, but as the cleanup is far from finished and other plants are running again...

Japan Tourist Ads must be blazing on TV's outside of Japan like crazy...

Not really... unless you watch NHK World. No idea why Japan has become such a popular destination. Maybe because of the upcoming Olympics? Or all those food videos on YouTube?
 
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I think Japan was always an attractive tourist destination but with limited information about what to do and see, added to the language barrier, not many people wanted to take the plunge.

Now, with the internet showing intimate details about everything happening here and with smartphones making instantaneous access to information about where to have lunch, where to stay, how much to pay - even handling translations - the only barrier is how much time and money you have.
 
3/11 is something I would rather not experience again, but as the cleanup is far from finished and other plants are running again...



Not really... unless you watch NHK World. No idea why Japan has become such a popular destination. Maybe because of the upcoming Olympics? Or all those food videos on YouTube?

I didn't say I wanted another 3/11 event.... I only indicated that the lower number of foreigners around after it was more pleasant... I say this for clarification, not to start a debate or flame session.

Japan is still relatively safe as well... unless you are in Saitama or Chiba and have a relative with a knife :woot: so this in combination with Olympics may play a role in the increased tourists... just a guess I'm not a tourist expert...:p
 
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I'll try to not tell them to get off my lawn, but...

My first destination on my first morning in Tokyo was the temple where the remains of the 47 Ronin were interred. I already had learned big chunks of Japanese history and knew what I wanted to see.

Back then schoolyards would errupt with excited screams of "Gaijin! Gaijin!" if I walked by one - you could go half a day in Tokyo and not see another foreigner. McDonald's and convenience stores were rare. It was very difficult to get an apartment in your own name - your company had to rent it for you with a special agreement.

Not that going back is an option but life is much easier now.
 
I'll try to not tell them to get off my lawn, but...

My first destination on my first morning in Tokyo was the temple where the remains of the 47 Ronin were interred. I already had learned big chunks of Japanese history and knew what I wanted to see.

Back then schoolyards would errupt with excited screams of "Gaijin! Gaijin!" if I walked by one - you could go half a day in Tokyo and not see another foreigner. McDonald's and convenience stores were rare. It was very difficult to get an apartment in your own name - your company had to rent it for you with a special agreement.

Not that going back is an option but life is much easier now.
Yes.... back in the day.... I was constantly being mistaken for Schwarz-san (not because of my physical attributes mine you) but for some reason all Japanese think I look like Arnawwld :rolleyes: and they still do, especially if wearing sunglasses... then they would want their picture taken with you... I also used to prank clients I would bring to Japan... if there were school girls near a combini (which there always were) I'd ask can my friend get a picture with you ? they usually say YES! ! ! with loads of giggles, then I have them sit on the curb and he would lean in between their heads with a big smile, unbeknownst to him you could see their panties because the height of the curb and their skirt length ... well it just happened... too bad it was in the 35mm days and those pics were never digitized... The looks on those clients face when they saw the pic was always priceless ! ! I wish I had pics of that too...
Ahhhhhh... it's good to stroll down memory lane...... :D
 
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We had Instamatics too, not just 35mm!

Exactly, because those days your 35's would come back from the development shop with only half of the pics. The rest were against the censor law and thus confiscated.

I really wanted to get a job distributing Playboys back then. Because the pics were censored by carefully destroying the dangerous areas with a sharp knife one by one. Then if my friends asked me what I was doing I could have said "just scratching pussy all day long".
 
Exactly, because those days your 35's would come back from the development shop with only half of the pics. The rest were against the censor law and thus confiscated.

I really wanted to get a job distributing Playboys back then. Because the pics were censored by carefully destroying the dangerous areas with a sharp knife one by one. Then if my friends asked me what I was doing I could have said "just scratching pussy all day long".
LOL reminds me on the old Hustler "Scratch N Sniff" edition.... was sooo disappointed it smelled like lavender .... part of my "pussy aint always what it seems" education :oops: oddly enough, it seems the education still continues... hell I thought I would have had a PhD (Pussy honorary Doctorate) by now.... but.... learning never stops until you are pushing up daisy's... I guess.......
 
I feel you @RIDER 00 ... can't swing a dead cat without hitting a gaijin... white, Chinese, etc... OK... so I'm a gaijin too, and I know it's a bit hypocritical,


Do you live here? Every time I go to Tokyo I usually say "damn foreigners, go back to where you came from oh wait a minute that technically includes me." Then I think to myself I live here and I am Japanese...on the inside lol.
 
Then I think to myself I live here and I am Japanese...on the inside lol.

They say race, gender and all that stuff is just a social construction and we should feel free to be whoever we want and feel to be.

Still I have problems adjusting to my new identity as a young Japanese spinner with big boobs.

Though I have nailed that big boobs department really well, even if I say it myself.
 
Do you live here? Every time I go to Tokyo I usually say "damn foreigners, go back to where you came from oh wait a minute that technically includes me." Then I think to myself I live here and I am Japanese...on the inside lol.
@greenhawk, thanks for the comments... Yes, I live here.... I wouldn't say I'm Japanese on the inside, I prefer to be inside a Japanese woman or other women :D My problem is selfish in nature... I took the time to learn the culture and understand the habits, etc.... so when loads of foreigners are around and cocking everything up because they didn't take the time to try and understand, then it kinda impacts all of the foreigners - visiting or living here, speaking the language helps a little bit.. but for me I see the frustration on Japanese in the service area... it has to be stressful... just last week, I was on a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya (going to a business meeting) and walking thru the cars, one full car was... ok 90% was all foreigners... the drink lady was trying to explain what drinks they have... I'm thinking... uhhhhh everything is on display on the cart... and no indication of sight impairment... I felt bad for the Japanese lady... and the foreigners were being rather rude as well... sorry for the "rant" just irks me to see it in action...:cautious:
 
It's not just Tokyo.

For example, Kyoto gets tons of foreign tourists. Lots of Chinese, Koreans, and even Thais there these days as well as Westerners. Places like the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine can be really crowded.

I still like Kyoto, but I fear that the city has lost some of its old charm.
 
I’m not sure Japan is becoming so much more popular than others... I think tourism is growing globally, especially because of the Asian countries development (Chinese tourists are everywhere in the world now). A better life balance starts to spread everywhere, which means more vacations for ppl.
 
hahaha this is a great post.
When i first visited Japan i did NOT want to look like one of those tacky confused annoying yet innocent tourists. so i tried reallly hard to fit in. of course there were times when i was confused about something or got a little lost but i tried to go with the flow and not have that stunned deer in the headlights expression.
 
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I’m not sure Japan is becoming so much more popular than others... I think tourism is growing globally, especially because of the Asian countries development (Chinese tourists are everywhere in the world now). A better life balance starts to spread everywhere, which means more vacations for ppl.
I agree with that. Chinese tourists everywhere, lol.
 
Walking around, I see more tourists.. but here is the WTF moment of this trip.
I was at a coffee shop in harajuku and the lady from the french couple in front of me ordered apple juice, without ice. I get it that many French/Euro's get their cold drink with out ice. After getting her drink, she gave the barista a WTF look because her glass was only half full. She sort of politely asked for more juice, to the puzzled/startled look of the barista. The barista filled up the juice to about 3/4 of the way, which resulted into another WTF look, but not another request..

My take is (of course only opinion)
1. The Japanese girl did exactly the right thing to do, as that was the way she was trained, and how culturally, she probably thinks there is nothing wrong in giving a customer 1/2 glass of a beverage.
2. The French woman wasn't out of line, as she reacted from the way she was culturally brought up. I'm assuming anyways...

Many people say that when you visit a foreign country, you should learn and abide by their customs and 'cultural rules'.... I agree, but a lot that is easier said than done. If I go to Thailand, I am going to be researching foods, beaches and how to ensure I P4P with a woman and not a ladyboy...

To end this out, my immediate reaction was to side with the barista, in the amount of juice given to the French woman...