Japan isn't some holy land internet hypes up to be, amirite?

You complain about the money as if America doesn't have penny's and Australia doesn't have 5¢

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

Nobody in the US uses or touches pennies, maybe homeless and transactionally in the uncommon cash exchanges.

by Schneiderausten 2 weeks ago

Tourists do. I did when I went there

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

Gonna guess you've never had to literally empty your wallet to eat.

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

What a weird response. NYC can also be overcrowded that doesn't negate Japan's overcrowding.

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

We're talking about money….

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

Yes? And just because America and Australia do something dumb that negates it being dumb in Japan? Is that the logic?

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

Pennies cost a nickel to produce

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

I would agree with most things except for the second point. The reason why there is a one hour line is because the quality of the food is great. The restaurant owners dont want to open a second restaurant because then they wont be able to garentee the same amount of quality. When you dont want to wait for an hour then eat somewhere else.

by Competitive_Grass 2 weeks ago

Most of that line are tourists who heard about it on social media. So many places are just as good or better, just harder to find.

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

I kinda remember the lines fondly. I know that's crazy, but I accidentally got in line for a table bbq dive, when I was looking for the gyoza place. Too chicken to back out once I was seated, I ate there and then went to the gyoza place for "dessert". Easily one of my best food nights. I've definitely waited longer in other countries for worse food. 🤷‍♀️

by GoldMaintenance 2 weeks ago

Imagine if Surgeon refused to train someone because his student may not be as good as him. Wait for your surgery. No I don't want to eat in a chain restaurant. Might make the Chief feel good seeing the line outside his shop grow but the end result is unpleasant for me and I dont care what the reasons are.

by Content_Actuator_340 2 weeks ago

I'm sorry the chef didn't cater his entire being to fit your preferences. Eat somewhere else.

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

I've tried! Thats the point 😂

by Content_Actuator_340 2 weeks ago

You cannot compare a surgeon and a cook.

by Competitive_Grass 2 weeks ago

Oh I know. Its why I went with sushi chefs. They literally perform delicate surgeries and dissections on fish. In the case of the fugu chef; If he messes up, you die. I think cutting into meat with a razor sharp knife/scalpel while avoiding specific organs and vessels is a pretty similar skill set.

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

Sushi is all about the ingredients. The chef does little difference.

by YakNervous828 2 weeks ago

If i dont eat i die

by Content_Actuator_340 2 weeks ago

But that is not the only restaurant that exist right? You just want to go to this very specific restaurant. A better comparison would be that you are bleeding out and instead of going to the 10 surgeons that are free you say "But I want to go to exactly that surgeon or someone who was trained by them."

by Competitive_Grass 2 weeks ago

This would be better comparison. Imagine 9 surgeons with waitlist for months but this one guy can fix your hernia tomorrow. You take that chance he/she is alright?

by Content_Actuator_340 2 weeks ago

Bro it is food. Maybe the food is slightly worse but you want die just because you go to a restaurant that is not well known.

by Competitive_Grass 2 weeks ago

you can make your own food. you can't fix your own hernia. restaurants are a luxury. lifesaving surgeries are a necessity. do you see the difference?

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

Then there's hernia kits sold in stores with a 100% success rate. Yet you still decide to wait

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

🗣️🔥🔥

by That-Lie-7647 2 weeks ago

Just walk somewhere else, it really isn't that hard. There are so many spots to eat food in the same place

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

You scream spoiled American lol

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

Worst business ownershio analogy ever.

by Kooky_Tip 2 weeks ago

Dude just walk to a different restaurant. Also franchising destroys quality

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

You don't want to eat in a chain restaurant but you want them to start franchising? You know that's how chain restaurants start right?

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

You know, there many things to complain about Japan, the thing you listed is not close to being one of them.

by Anonymous 2 weeks ago

I was thinking that too, lol, as a resident

by sgusikowski 1 week ago

Care to enlighten what are the major complaints not listed? Curious that's all

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Work culture, widespread mild to extreme xenophobia, hypercollectivism, aging population, lack of women equality/feminism. There are of course also many great things about Japan, but I agree with the idea that Japan, like all countries, has its ups and downs.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Public groping, an intense interest with lolis, and extreme racism, especially towards other Asians. I say this as someone who loves Anime/Manga and appreciates Japan for the things it produces. It can get real creepy over there though.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yeah, but these aren't really the concerns of a tourist

by Anonymous 1 week ago

What are those, then?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Hence unpopular opinion

by margareteturcot 1 week ago

I mean yeah but. If you go to Japan of all places and you're surprised by overcrowding I don't know what to tell you. Think harder next time?

by Swimming-Ask 1 week ago

To be fair, Japan has had a huge spike in tourists in recent years (2012 it were ~10mio, in 2019 it were ~32mio). Although from own experience, when I went in 2017 I noticed quite few non-domestic tourists.

by Ok_End_2756 1 week ago

Expected crowds in usual places but they exceeded it I suppose. Legions and legions and tourists pouring out of buses in some onsen town in Kyushu for instance. Went thinking. Here is a place I can get my food without lines. How wrong

by Content_Actuator_340 1 week ago

"How dare other people travel where I'm also travelling!"

by Big_Bus_541 1 week ago

"OMG! I went to a hot tourist spot and was SHOCKED that there were actually other tourists." Piss off.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Granted I didn't go to Japan recently, maybe a like 8 years ago... but I didn't see legions. Even in like places I would expectt like Akiba, I saw maybe a couple. Probably the time of year I went effected that

by Historical-Count3651 1 week ago

You're one of the crowd, can hardly complain

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Organized tourism is the worst IMHO. Tourist busses and cruises should be banned.

by New-Arugula 1 week ago

Number 2 seems entirely based on different value systems. Maybe they enjoy doing that and being hands on? It's not always about more, more, more.

by DocumentFew327 1 week ago

That's the paradox of being a tourist. Tourists don't like other tourists being there.

by MaintenanceMore6961 1 week ago

I was okay with most of the other tourists. The exception was the American ones. Once you're off the crowded streets, places could be pretty quiet. I don't get why, five minutes into a light show/art exhibit (TeamLABS), the American father of two in front felt the need to practically yell to his two kids "WELL WAS THIS WORTH THE TWENTY BUCKS THEN?" Use your indoor voice, Jesus. This wasn't an isolated incident. Sorry if this sounds faintly racist but America, why tf are you guys so loud?

by Clare46 1 week ago

What foods did you try?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I tried to get local specialties. Opening up to criticism about what I didnt eat but Nagoya - eel, miso katsu, mez ramen Fukuoka - fukuoka tonkatsu ramen, nabe Shio ramen, soy sauce ramen, in tokyo Kumamoto ramen, horse sashimi, horse croquette Etc usual stuff sushi, takoyaki, omnoyaki thing, curries, oyakodon, soba Also traditional bbq at open pitt on scewers? Was on aso mountain. Wagyu bbq, wagyu katsu, wagyu sukiyaki Spent about 4 or 5 days in different Onsen places. Even expensive ones served up same stuff disappointingly..

by Content_Actuator_340 1 week ago

I can see why you may think that. I generalize Japanese main dishes as generally salty or bland with nothing in between. Although if you spend enough time, you can dig a lot of variety within that spectrum. I think what you may have missed is the deserts, drinks, snacks etc where there's tons to choose from and they actually have different flavor profiles too. I think limiting the scope to main dishes greatly undermines the food culture they have to offer. What I don't understand is how Korean cuisine is more diverse than the Japanese. You mentioned the lack of spices for Japan but in Korea 2/3s of the food is red which seems to be the opposite of diverse. So what's your rationale behind that?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

gochujang is like 50% of korean cuisine. I enjoy it, but not gonna act like korean foods are more diverse than anywhere else.

by zoilarussel 1 week ago

The OP is probably one of those people that thinks spice=diverse or worse yet spice=flavour 🤦

by Traditional_Visit 1 week ago

No way Korean food has more range. It is basically gochujang and kimchi. Japanese cuisines value freshness which can be misconstrue as bland by OP's unsophisticated palate

by Anonymous 1 week ago

"Recently spent a fair bit of time traveling" let me guess. First time out of your home country? lol I would tell you why you're wrong but it actually won't make sense unless you travel more.

by Working_Zucchini_268 1 week ago

Absolutely. If your biggest issue is that the highly popular restaurant you want to visit has a long queue then you're clearly experiencing none of the real problems and challenges involved with extensive travelling.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yeah duh, most people know all this. Why were you let down?

by Zmccullough 1 week ago

Probably because all of the weebs ignoring or downplaying all this, or straight up denying that japan actually has any downsides. Glorious nippon is perfect and the west is worse in every way

by Time_Accident_8014 1 week ago

If you take the opinion of random weebs online as a fact then that's an L on your part

by Zmccullough 1 week ago

A lot of people showing japan online aren't weebs

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I mean... its hard not to be influenced by constant barrage of ads over the years

by Content_Actuator_340 1 week ago

Sure, but if you watch almost any Japanese travel video then you'd find out that it's not this perfect heavenly place

by Zmccullough 1 week ago

If you think ads are real life then that's on you man Obviously, nowhere is perfect

by Anonymous 1 week ago

You ever seen a McDonald's burger in real life? Are you surprised when it doesn't look like the ads?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

no it isnt, you just have to have been born without downs syndrome

by Andersonjalyn 1 week ago

If you look at any travel video on YouTube about what to do / not to do you'll see that everyone warns you about wait times and tourists at peak times. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone travelling to Japan that's done their research 🤷‍♂️

by StatusNo 1 week ago

Maybe traveling isn't for you

by Competitive-War-8642 1 week ago

Totally agree. If his/her takeaway is 'Japan sucked' save your money and stay home

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Japan (esp Tokyo) kinda has the Paris Effect now - really think it's amazing, then you get there...and it's okay. It's nice to visit and live for sure though, and the food is great (though not to my taste - I grew up with at least 15 different spices in my food, only salt, spice and umami does not do it for me, I had to regularly cook for myself in Japan so that I don't die of lack of spice). Anime has warped perspective so bad that now people view some kind of cartoony idealistic Japan as the real one. Before I ever got out of my country, I was always dreaming of travelling to Japan, living life there, immersing in its culture and so on. Now that I have travelled to other countries, I really understand the words 'there 's no place like home'.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

You seem very hostile for no reason. There is no major internet narrative that Japan is a holy land. Yes some people that are into anime or videogames may have an idealistic view of it but it's no different than olive oil fans liking Italy or wine fans liking France. Of course if you spend time around people interested in a hobby that has deep roots in Japan you will be around more people that are interested in it.

by Demario31 1 week ago

"Olive oil fans" OK...

by Anonymous 1 week ago

There is no major internet narrative that Japan is a holy land. That's not entirely true, right wing weebs see it as some perfect anti woke homogeneous society.

by Sad_Cartographer642 1 week ago

Eh, a loud minority is still a problem. (the kind that can't enjoy anything foreign) Look, I like anime, I like Japanese food, I don't consider myself a weeb, but we need to be real, there are way too many weebs that do fetishize Japanese people. You can also be critical of a country without hating it.

by Sad_Cartographer642 1 week ago

It's not just right wing weebs. You've identified a specific thing that exists - far right types who LIKE it that way, but there are absolutely weirdos who idolise Japan and just deny or stick their heads in the sand over its issues around race, gender etc.

by Clare46 1 week ago

anti woke I've lived there for a year. My company had a special gender neutral toilet with a rainbow on it to emphasize that everyone could use it. So if you're anti woke, Japan is not for you. Pick any (islamic) theocracy instead, where being gay means prison and if you're sharing a room with your girlfriend and you're not married, your girlfriend will be arrested for adultery. No, Japan might not recognise same sex marriage yet, but they have quite a thriving LGBTIAQ Community.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yeah it's pretty funny. Because ffs yaoi and futa are quite popular.

by Sad_Cartographer642 1 week ago

lmao. The amount of tourists went up from 3m in 2018 to almost 30m now. Japan is the most crowded it ever was rn. So that is for point 1. For point 2 all I can say is franchises suck and don't provide quality. If there's a line there's a reason for it. Great restaurant with great people and lots of people being regulars. Point 3 is just preference. You can eat all kinds of food everywhere really. I personally loved the restaurant and food culture there. For point 4 all I can say is that Japan is clingin on to some really ancient stuff like fax machines. It's dumb but there's lots of other countries that do this too.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

This is not unpopular. Only weebs and otakus believe so. Japan is like any other country, I guess, pros and cons.

by Melodic-Hand 1 week ago

Yes Japan isn't perfect, it has its flaws and it's probably a bit hyped. But you're being pessimistic. Japan has a very unique culture, but it's very safe and the people there generally are very kind. Everyone treats everyone with respect and you don't quite get that in any other country. Also Japan transportation is absolutely amazing, but paying with cash only to refill is quite ridiculous.

by Motor_Ad 1 week ago

Yes, it is overcrowded. I went during an off season however and loved it. Still packed, still a lot of overseas tourists but I could go to a quieter town for a day and feel like I was the only westerner there. All pretty redundant because the presence of other tourists is not really a mark against a country in my book. What matters is whether the country is playing up to tourists and has become tacky. Not really the case here. Lines For people known for their efficiency, they seem to have no understanding of supply and demand. If you have 4 seats in your restaurant and people are waiting for hours maybe open a second restaurant. Get some help. Franchise. Lolwut. Which restaurants did you go to that had four seats?! This sounds like you got caught at a queue for a busy restaurant and resented waiting. There may be a wealth of reasons why the proprietor doesn't want to franchise. Food Isn't some pinnacle of culinary mastery. There arent huge range of palate. Salty and umami. Rarely spice. Pickled vegetables, bbq meat, broiled meat, fried meat, raw fish. Koreans do it all and with more range. Speak for yourself. I loved it. And that sounds like a good starting range for national cusiine to me. Beats a lot of eastern European countries I've been to where it's all schnitzel and sauerkraut in every restaurant. Korea may well be better, I don't know, never been. But Japan was great for mostly healthy, varied dishes. I DO agree on the frustration over the lack of bins. But if you're annoyed and think it's a mark against the country, then it's pathetic that we have so much more easy access to them in Western countries and yet we litter prolifically. I have so much less patience with seeing people litter since I got back from Japan. Here's the thing: despite all of my disagreement above, I will agree that the idolisation some Westerners have for Japan is irritating af. It IS a great country in a lot of ways, but it also has a LOT of societal problems from gender roles to working culture to social isolation to denialism about the nastier parts of its history. The West has those to various degrees too, sure, but not to one iota the scale of Japan's problems. The Hiroshima Memorial Museum was a fantastic resource for detailing the horror of a nuclear bomb and to urge the world not to let it happen again - but there is nothing that I'm aware of that educates young Japanese people about some of the horrors their own country committed (maybe someone who knows more about the country could correct me if I'm wrong?).

by Clare46 1 week ago

That restaurant line makes you sound clueless. Also, you compare Japan to Korea in terms of food but as a Korean myself, Japan is a lot less crowded than Korea. It just sounds like you're nitpicking because you have some bad experiences in Japan.

by Competitive-War-8642 1 week ago

everything that you described is well known and you will find in basically any japan travel tips video anyone that plans and researches their travel destination for at least an hour would know everything that you just described

by Anonymous 1 week ago

None of the videos I watched said its terrible here don't come.

by Content_Actuator_340 1 week ago

Ah I see. Eaten by your own kind

by Anonymous 1 week ago

You are a weeb?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I think you'll find most places aren't holy lands

by faheystanton 1 week ago

Not all of Japan is like this. Of course the big tourist areas will be but almost all of these complaints made are solved by just going to another city. Been living in Japan for 3 years now and haven't had an issue.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Eh, all terrible points didnt see any of those

by Top_Argument_8533 1 week ago

Make a call to Japan. Tell them to change their country so you like it better /s

by merle12 1 week ago

I'm guessing you take this attitude with you everywhere you travel?

by skilesoswald 1 week ago

Also they are very racist, and still have segregation.

by Sad_Cartographer642 1 week ago

And sexist, with a horrendously corrupt court system. But yeah, the lines are too long.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Comparing Korean and Japanese cuisines is really dumb

by AltruisticWing 1 week ago

Say it louder for the weebs in the back

by Gabrielladenesi 1 week ago

most weebs know this, because it isn't like some secret

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Boooooooooo! I just came on to boo your "have you never travelled" quote haha. It's so snobby and incorrect.

by PracticePatient 1 week ago

the only people who think it is are the anime hentai watching neckbeards and 14 year olds who think theyre car guys cause they watch TJ hunt videos

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Point 1 definitely applies to Kyoto. I think however there are plenty of spots across Japan that are better than that. Also, this is currently a period of overtourism thanks to the very week yen.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm curious about your home country? I'm Australian and have visited (albeit 10-15 years ago) 50-60 countries and Japan is high on my revisit list. If anywhere is perfect I haven't been there, there's always a give and take. Sounds like your expectations were too high.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I guess you shouldn't go to Japan anymore. I think you don't like it! But some things aren't fair. Most restaurants do not have lines. There are less touristy places everywhere. There are people that care about the culture and history. The food.. there is every kind of cuisine out there. Maybe very spicy is harder to find, but you can find it if you look.

by Smiththeresia 1 week ago

Love how you say "just open a second restaurant" like opening and operating even one in a busy city is something you can do with a snap of a finger. And who's to say they don't have other restaurants? People are gonna go to what's close. Oh the audacity of people operating a successful business :D

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I would add they have a lot of pedophilia and sexual assault but no one seems to talk about that

by jarenbergstrom 1 week ago

Oh wow reaaaaally? Duh. This is a common opinion lol. Every place has its issues.

by No_View 1 week ago

finally a truly unpopular opinion!

by Anonymous 1 week ago

i backpacked through japan for 4 weeks. absolutely loved it, couldve stayed longer if possible. Personally i liked most foods, and then there were many weird ones, especially snacks wich were atleast decent. I eh, saw zero influencers, but maybe i wasnt in tourist areas much.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

As someone who stayed in Tokyo for 3 months, it's a pretty decent city to stay in if you can speak Japanese. Regarding point 2 and 3 I mostly ate at Sukiya on most days, so no complaints there. I liked eating maguro tataki a lot, which is difficult to find elsewhere. I never had an issue with queuing, like any other city there are so many food options available. Just go to another restaurant that isn't crowded then. Point 1 is maybe true only for touristy areas. Overall, Tokyo is alright. If I could find a good job there I wouldn't mind living there, but I wouldn't go out of my way to spend exorbitant amounts of money just to travel there.

by okulas 1 week ago

As someone who has lived here for 8 years, I agree with the food. Sushi, rice bowl, ramen, udon, katsu, curry, meat in the same teriyaki sauce. When I think about what's for dinner and check the menu in uber eats I can already taste the food from the pics. I wish there was more variety. For example, all restaurants serving katsu all taste the same. Unlike let's say... if you want tacos in San Diego, Tacos el Gordo is not the same as City Tacos. Anyway, that's just me. I wish there was Jollibee here. That's all.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Damn I can't even imagine being so resolute because I "spent some time traveling" in a country. That said though, point 3 is correct because Thai food exists and no food is better than Thai food.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

As someone who lives in Japan I can confirm Japan is not the holy land. That being said there's nowhere I'd rather live than here

by Ldeckow 1 week ago

Lines For people known for their efficiency, they seem to have no understanding of supply and demand. If you have 4 seats in your restaurant and people are waiting for hours maybe open a second restaurant. Get some help. Franchise. Why should you do this when you are happy with what you have and the people are actually waiting instead of going somewhere else? As long as you are happy with the amount of customers you get every day, it shouldnt be a problem

by Ill_Shape_2492 1 week ago

Japan is one of the most sought go-to travel places...do you expect to have zero tourists in there?

by Specific_Donut6153 1 week ago

Overcrowding. Just packed with tourists and wannabe influencers busy hugging some tree. No one cares for cultural or historical significance. There are rare moments of peace. I believe you right away when you tell us travelling to Japan has it own set of issues but this one reeks of fedora tipping. And as other people point out: when going to a touristy place, you can expect droves of tourists.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Erm Thing, 😐 Thing, Japan 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🥰🥰🥰😘🥰🥰😍

by Ardella49 1 week ago

Op really triggered the weebs

by Anonymous 1 week ago

The point about food made me laugh, "rarely spice" Unless I'm reading this wrong the rest of the food you listed slaps who cares about spice unless you're some jumped up westerner who thinks liking spicy food makes you an individual in some way.

by ClassicMission8178 1 week ago

Why are so many people defending Japan like it's their home country? 😭

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Japan is one of the most overrated countries to travel, the first one being France

by Anonymous 1 week ago

After living in Shanghai for awhile, being in Fukuoka isn't that bag

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I think it's dependent on where you go while there…I will say I prefer Vietnam and Cambodia over any other Asian country. Vietnam has been awesome for my family, and the people are very sweet. The only downside is my height….definitely not built for people like me lol

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Asia has been overhyped as a place to live in the last few years in general because they took Covid more seriously than the US.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

huh, japan sucks everybody knows that no?

by Rolfsonselmer 1 week ago

Cute Mr,Mr, save on chippy chips/why you no like savings? Not only did this literally never happen in any of the stores I went into during my two weeks there, but I'm curious as to why you felt the need to present it as a racist caricature.

by Clare46 1 week ago

Not a literal dialogue. Point being they were annoying/ "barkers"

by Anonymous 1 week ago