What are places people told you were tourist traps that you actually enjoyed?

44 comments

1. The Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama was far better than I expected.

2. It was expensive and ridiculous but I loved every minute of Robot restaurant

3. I thoroughly enjoyed all of those except Roppongi, and I was well aware of their status beforehand. I think the key is to just enjoy it for what it is – they may not be the best example of each thing (Robot Restaurant – wild, crazy Japanese fun, Golden Gai – small, cramped street food/Izakaya fare, Akihabara – tech products galore), but they’re accessible and an easy introduction to each thing.

   If you like the Golden Gai concept, you can seek out lesser known areas with similar setups; the same with all the others. As long as you’re careful not to overspend, not go during peak times, and know what’s in store for you, you’ll probably have a good time.

4. Asakusa is underrated in my opinion. The riverside area is very nice, and it has some great places like Hoppy street and Hatsune koji alley. Nakamise-dori has some tacky souvenir shops, but it’s nice to go to once in a while if it isn’t too crowded. Some people talk as if central Tokyo in general is one big tourist trap that only tourists visit, which isn’t in the least bit true.

5. Akihabara.

6. If you do your research, cat cafes (specifically cats).

   Most animal cafes are purely exploitative. They don’t take care of the animals NEARLY as well as they should, and they should be avoided at all costs.

   But there are a few cat cafes around the country that rescue strays, care for feral cats in the neighborhood that aren’t friendly enough for human interaction, and sometimes even work to get their cats to be adopted. They can be hard to find if you don’t know any Japanese, but if you do, they’re really relaxing and you get the added bonus of knowing your cash is going towards the welfare of local strays.

7. The Bamboo forest in Kyoto was nearly deserted when I was there and it was pretty cool.

8. Fushimi Inari in Kyoto. I’ve been there 4 times in 2 trips.

9. Odaiba has the best version of the “commercialized port city” (like Kobe and Yokohama) I’ve ever visited even many would disagree. It’s a futuristic theme park laden with malls. If you’re a foreign tourist who finds the grittiness of Tsukiji, Shinjuku and Shibuya too much to handle (especially if you’re with kids), Odaiba offers pretty much most of the touristy stuff of Japan in the most sanitized way.

10. I loved Golden Gai. One of my favorite night experiences in Tokyo.

11. I’m curious to know if people thought teamLabs borderless or planets were tourist traps or worthwhile attractions.

12. Tsukiji Market in 2017. Even though they may jack up the price compared to other sushi restaurants around the neighborhood, the experience was worth it. In my book, their prices are a bargain compared to the mediocre and overpriced sushi in America

13. I think it’s all about expectations – If you know the reasons people think a place is a tourist trap and still choose to enjoy it with that in mind, it’s fine.

    For example Robot Restaurant, like a lot of theme cafes, was said to have overpriced, bad food and a show that beefs up the ‘lol wacky Japan’ aspect for tourists. I chose to go anyway and giggle at big robots, and it was fun in that way. Had I expected restaurant food and actual theming though I’d have been sorely disappointed.

    Also I think a little research into what specific things to look for helps. Akihabara is better if you know where the smaller stores are. Roppongi and Golden Gai are better if you know which bars to avoid and which to visit etc etc.

14. ITT people calling any spot a “tourist trap”. Even free open-air spaces.

15. Hmmmm…. Takeshidori in Harajuku is definitely a tourist trap now. It was super cool 20 years ago and was just under the radar as a touristy spot. I still recommend it to visitors who are into fashionable hotspots. Hey, even I make time to go shopping there whenever I visit. Honestly, I could hang around Harajuku all day and not get bored~~~

16. Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Odaiba branch was a total tourist attraction but they knew they were one and played it up to their benefit. Too bad it’s gone now. While it is a chain, the other locations don’t play up the tacky onsen town vibe.

    Another one is Kinkakuji. Everyone goes there to take the exact same photo but it honestly is stunning to look at in person and worth seeing.

17. Golden Gai for sure.

18. A quick chime in…

    According to wikipedia, “A tourist trap is an establishment (or group of establishments) that has been created or re-purposed with the aim of attracting tourists and their money”.

    Many places mentionned in this thread have changed, are closed, or will be moving, be it for the lack of tourists or other causes.

    The places in Golden gai that were heavily relying on tourist money just closed, leaving the ones surviving on regulars (and less welcoming to short termers). Robot Restaurant died. Oedo onsen monogatori also closed, and so will teamlab borderless in the coming months.
    Mari-fucking-car is dead, and for that one I’m not sad.

19. Fushimi Inari. Really gorgeous regardless of tourists.

20. Nara. It’s fun to ride a bike around, check out the temple/deer and Buddha. Just a pleasant city overall

21. Oh snap.
    Robot restaurant is no more?
    Doesn’t surprise me if that’s the case.

    Only saw like 2 Japanese ppl when I went there 6 years ago.

22. Flaming Ramen in Kyoto was a blast

23. Oh man the Golden Gai! Good memories.

24. of all the touristy things in tokyo the one I thought was the worst was the robot cafe. I actually fell asleep during the “show” despite all the noise.

    I believe that it has been closed down.

    all the other “traps” were interesting, just stay away from any places where africans are out front trying to get you in.

25. I still like Akihabara. It’s my tradition to visit it on the first and the last day of any Tokyo vacation.

26. Miyajima is my favourite place to visit in Japan so far.
    Basically all revolves around tourist stuff but I just love it for some reason.

27. Sky tree. Already went there 3 times. There are other vantage points but sky tree imo is the best

28. I did a guided tour from a Airbnb guy called Yoshii at the Golden Gai/Kabukicho and had a blast, ate very cheap delicious things, met some nice people… The streets were pretty and remembered me to busy bars in my country but japaneese style. We were foreigns so we couldn’t sit at some bars but it was very enjoyable.

29. Kabukicho, generally? I don’t see how you can go to Tokyo and not go here. Afraid I missed the parasite museum, was thinking of it, but never managed to make the time for it.

30. [removed]

31. The red gates in Kyoto

32. Kabukichō 😉

33. Monster Cafe with my 4yr old. RIP

34. Castles. They’re total traps, but the castles in Japan are insanely unique and beautiful.

35. I don’t know if it’s considered a tourist “trap” but saw several comments here while we were planning our trip that unless you are already a big fan, it’s not worth the trip to the Ghibli Museum. No one in our group had seen a SG movie since we were kids, but we still thought it was great.

36. To your examples, I had a great time at Golden Gai (only been once) and Akihabara is one of my favorite spots to hang out and shop.

    These places are popular for a reason and if you don’t have unrealistic explanations about crowds/lineups/etc. then they tend to not disappoint.

37. I love the Odaiba onsen. It’s fun, even though it’s busy as hell.

38. I went to a place called Gyoz-o! or something in Osaka. As soon as I walked in I said “Yep this place is a tourist trap” and it was.

    But! The gyoza was fantastic, the prices were on par with everything else in the area, and the guy was VERY heavy with the sake pours. I’d absolutely go back. Still remember it a few years later.

39. There was a ninja themed restaurant and garden on our tour around Mt Fuji and surrounds. Was a business purely for the bus tours to stop at, but the gardens were sensational and had a great view of Mt Fuji. Even seeing staff dressed up as shinobi and all that stuff ended up being a bit of fun.

40. I actually don’t like Akihabara (I’m more of an Ikebukuro person…..) but there are still things I want to eat there. Skytree and the aquarium were cool, Sunshine City is cool, the gate at the entrance of Kabukicho is cool, Meiji Shrine (and RIP to the old Harajuku station…) is cool, Dotonbori is cool, there’s just a ton of cool things!!

41. The pyramids in Shingo, Aomori which are tens of thousands of years older than the pyramids in Egypt… Actually, I’m pretty sure they are just natural rock formations, but it was super fun driving through the woods and over mountain ridges to find them.

42. It was One Piece Tokyo Tower for me.

    …Was. Shame it’s gone now.

43. I’ve been reading this thread for like ten minutes and yet to see anything that I would even consider a tourist trap

44. Robot restaurant