Just came back from a two week trip from Japan and it feels like I went to a different country to everyone else here, just wanted to share my experiences about some aspects and see what others thought.
Transport
I don’t really get why people always hype up Japanese transport (especially Tokyo). Stations were old and small requiring a lot of difficulty to move up and down the platform when people are lining up. The Metro and bus were also incredibly expensive when you compare it to other Asian countries, I found it similar to prices in Europe which I thought was crazy. Additionally, there was also no transfer system within a station meaning you need to tap out and in again when switching lines (also adding to the cost).
I caught the super hakuto from himeji to kurayoshi return and both times it was ~20 minutes late, making me miss my Shinkansen from himeji on the way back, thankfully I had a rail pass otherwise that would’ve been so costly as Shinkansen are so expensive compared to high speed rail in China or Korea for some reason. I can admit this might just be unlucky on my part though.
Respectful culture
One particular thing that stood out to me and my gf was that we did not see anyone offer their seat for seniors on the bus/metro except for fellow tourists. I have never seen this behaviour before in any country I’ve been too, even in developing ones it’s still common courtesy to offer your seat for people in need. There was this really old lady in Kyoto who tried to go up the steps at the back of the bus towards a seat but physically could not make it up and ended up sitting on the bus steps, while there was still young/middle aged able bodied people on the priority seats. I tried to help her up the stairs but she just got confused at what I was doing unfortunately and she seemed content(?) on the steps so I didn’t bother her anymore. Me and my gf both thought this was shocking behaviour though, especially as the driver didn’t say anything either, is this just normal??
Cleanliness
People saying Japan was really clean and tidy but I definitely smelt some stench that reminded me of some European alleyways when I was in Tokyo.
Also while the local streets were pretty clean (just like everywhere else in the world) you could definitely just see trash on the ground around tourist attractions, which is definitely the fault of tourists but I feel like maybe if they added actual bins that would reduce the littering issue.
Convenience stores
The food was also surprisingly expensive and not as good as I thought, but im also just not a foodie. A bigger issue was that you’re not supposed to eat outside/walking, but then the convenience stores in Japan don’t have any seats and don’t allow you to eat inside?? This alone made them way worse than convenience stores in Korea or SEA where there’s often chairs and tables for you to eat at least. Like if I buy a bento box to go where am I supposed to eat it??
Don quijote
I could not understand the hype behind don quijote. I spent like 20 minutes trying to find the famous Japanese nail clippers just to realise they’re like 1000 yen+ which is crazy. Basic/travel necessities I also thought were overpriced, but my girlfriend said the cosmetics were cheap at least.
On the other hand, Daiso was more what I expected don quijote to be, very cheap, lots of variety, actually able to find items properly.
Attractions/tours
I also thought that while the attractions (mostly shrines and temples) were very cheap and well maintained, they were not nearly as impressive as the ones in Thailand or China for example.
Also, while Mt Fuji was beautiful, the tour we booked from Klook was horrendous. We had a South Asian driver who didn’t cover half of the attractions that was supposed to be included with the tour, he then spent half the drive on calls and was also just gone when we got back to the car at one point and was not responding to messages for like 10 minutes. After using klook many times throughout Asia this is the first time having such a negative experience.
Just to clarify that Japan wasn’t all bad, I really enjoyed Hiroshima and miyajima. The city itself was beautiful with its tram network and the atomic memorials were eye opening. Miyajima was also beautiful, in fact i didn’t expect the nature aspect of Japan to be so nice. There was so much greenery everywhere and the trees had such a rainbow of colours it was actually amazing. Standouts for me were Arashiyama and minoh falls.
by sadnguyen21