Unpopular opinion, but it must be said.
The last two years have been a once in a lifetime, magical experience for those of us living in Japan.
Kyoto with zero crowds. No douchebags climbing Sakura trees while barking on speakerphones. Zero weebs with selfie sticks. Half price on 5 star hotels. Quiet, empty towns. Wild nature with no one to spoil the experience.
We spent the last two years traveling across Japan with none of this and it was glorious.
Well, all good things must end. Time to endure the renewed onslaught of maskless combatants, cargo shorts, and weebs.
Residents, we had a good run. I’m glad to have experienced this temporary paradise. We’ll never have it so good again.
18 comments
Absolutely legendary era and agreed, really sad that it’s over. I think it was probably even better than those old guys when they talk about it when it was like coming to Japan in the 80s etc. I just feel bad for the weirdos here who spent the 2 years wrapped in tinfoil in their room whispering to themselves about covid and didn’t do anything or go anywhere for the 2 years.
OK gatekeeper.
Obnoxious behavior isn’t limited to just the tourists, though.
What’s wrong with cargo shorts?
Japan was so much better back in the late 70’s.
Before most of the Reddit users arrived on these shores.
I just want a cheap flight home. So I don’t mind.
Meh let Japan make some money off the weebs.
Japan needs the tourists back to help them realize that things are back to normal. Seeing all the people bravely not wearing masks may inspire the timid sheep to do the same.
> We spent the last two years traveling across Japan with none of this and it was glorious.
And at everyone of those locations you ruined the experience for the Japanese that wished you weren’t there.
Was passing through Asakusa earlier and the same thought crossed my mind with those weebos fresh out of the boat roaming around.
The worst thing, they give you that weird glares of what are you doing here.
Except the Kyoto city is bankrupt. I’m fairly certain they and the numerous of tourist dependent businesses want them back
I’m fine with the tourists coming back but I really hope they’ve done their homework and act properly.
I’m not sure. Maybe in the quiet spots.
Nothing changed for me, Kyoto was full of Japanese couples wearing kimonos, taking selfies while being oblivious to others. Other than that, every ryokan in the country was at high occupancy but all the local restaurants are shutting down because all the Japanese guests want to do is sit in their rooms, eat flavourless kaiseki courses and drink canned Asahi while watching the same awful TV they do back home.
At least real tourists support the local businesses by buying their crap. Japanese people just buy omiyage from the train station on the way back to Tokyo.
And yet, looking at the accounts of those whining about borders opening, many seems to be the carbon-copy of those “weebs” they despise. Just crying about not being the only gaijin able to do cringy stuff like Universal Studio/strolling Akiba for iphones made by kids somewhere in china/posing in front of a temple…
Just because you have a resident visa, it doesn’t make you more “worthy” of those stuff than any random guy/girl visiting. Actually, travelling and discovering other coutries is an amazing, mind-opening experience and i wish more people could do it.
Won’t change a thing for me. I live in a tiny town no foreign tourist will ever accidentally touch, and the touristy places in Japan have remained touristy all this time anyway.
A crowd is a crowd is a crowd.
I love chatting to tourists. Whenever I get jaded about life in Japan, nothing lifts my mood and reminds me that living here is pretty cool more than chatting with a starry-eyed visitor on their first tour.
I’m starving for tourists. Let them flood Center-gai once again.
Thank you, OP! I am so happy to have met the most perfect foreigner in Japan!!
I don’t really get it.
Why not simply live your live and let others do the same.
If they want to visit Japan and behave like idiots what do you personally care?
I mean it’s them who look stupid at that moment.
People who discover Japan have to do it on their own terms. And how they do it is non of our business per se.
Personally, I am just wondering how the people felt when you arrived.