21 Reasons NOT to Visit Japan

Are you considering a trip to Japan? It turns out not everybody likes Japan as much as I do. These are some reasons why you might consider NOT traveling to Japan. From Japan’s small hotel rooms to it’s incredibly confusing public transportation system, there are definitely some things in Japan that are a turnoff for foreign visitors.
#Japan #Travel #JapanTravel
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[@Seoulsearch616]

Terrific info as always, but I wanted to add that I really like the little touches you add to your videos, such as the little pre-recorded intros to your giveaways and regular segments. You're such an enjoyable creator to watch! 🙂

[@YellowProductions]

Awww. Thanks K!

[@colleenh5979]

Great video! Wish I could have made the live stream. I totally agree with your 21 Reasons Not to visit Japan, but having said that, I loved Japan, and can't wait to go back. It's a beautiful place with a unique culture, you just have to be prepared for a different country. The Traveling Princess is adorable . Thanks Chris

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Colleen! I love Japan too.. even with all the cons :)

[@infernal_monkey]

If you're on a budget and want a big hotel room, I'd genuinely recommend booking into a love hotel. Most of the international booking sites list them. They're clean, the rooms are massive compared to a standard business hotel and often include free breakfast. All for a fraction of the price. I wouldn't recommend it for families though lol, kids aren't allowed to stay at any of them for obvious reasons. But yeah, when I went to Osaka a few years back I stayed a week in one, and the rates were even less than a capsule hotel. It was amazing.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks for the tip on love hotels for big rooms :)

[@BohoDevi]

but I have heard these love hotels have a hidden cameras, is this true?

[@diceflawless9115]

Sounds like a hostel?

[@albedo0point39]

Reasons not to visit Japan #1 - they aren’t letting any of us in at the moment! 😭 Not sure when that will change. I have a flight booked for later in the year (been lots of times before), but I’m not hopeful.

[@phongphong4640]

I find "Japanese Racism" so honest and refreshing! I live in New York City over 2 decades, originally frim Taiwan. A lot of people in Taiwan "worship" Japan ( I am an exception.) But Japanese has the right to prefer their own people over foreigners in their own country.

[@sonokoroxs]

I was studying abroad in 2016 and got lost in an area in Tokyo. I didn't know the restaurant I wanted to eat but what I wanted to eat. I knew a good amount of Japanese so I asked these business men on their lunch for help. I thought he would only point out where to go and say the directions but he told his coworkers to go ahead and he walked me to a restaurant. He was very nice!

[@YellowProductions]

That is very nice!

[@jrecm4816]

If I ever visit Japan, I would go with my son. He did one year of high school in Osaka. I think people would be surprised that he can speak it so well

[@YellowProductions]

Nice!

[@thebuzzah]

Small hotels are no problem if you spend much of your day not in your room. Doutor has some good western fast food breakfast choices. Also pocket WiFi can be pricey but are great for staying connected. Konbinis are great for snacks.

[@landporte1593]

I lived in Japan for a year and half. Not too many negatives. I was there around 99-2001 but the biggest challenges for me, was having limited air conditioning and central heat. The heat in August can be really brutal. That's why the athletes in the Olympics are having many issues. I also had a kerosene burner in the winter and it malfunctioned twice - once when it ran out of gas and another time when I sat too close to it. Both times were pretty scary close calls with smoke and flames. Japan is very expensive, but it's worth it most of the time. Even the taxis seem like town cars - that's why they are expensive. I would suggest Ryokans for larger hotel rooms. I stayed in a youth hostel Ryokan in Sendai and it had a spacious room.

[@YellowProductions]

Good tip on Ryokans for larger rooms

[@clydekawanishi7998]

Travel anywhere this where you discover new experience and culture. If you want the same culture as the USA stay at home and travel in the states. Travel with an open mind and go with the flow.

[@jodan3125]

I went to Fukuoka Japan a few years ago to see my sister. Glad she was with me to know where to eat and how to use the train. Saying that I loved it there. Highlight was using the bullet train.

[@YellowProductions]

Bullet train in Japan is amazing!

[@daijo492]

Yes, Tokyo hotel rooms are tiny. I visited in 2019 and was surprised at the cramped room. Yes, the crowd is very overwhelming especially when we took train rides. However, the friendliness of the Japanese and the beauty and cleanliness of country will make me go back.

[@YellowProductions]

Couldn't agree more DaiJo!

[@gilbertocarmona6295]

Fantastic video! Japan is expensive but worth it! You just need planning ahead and try understand what you will found.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Gilberto! I concur whole heartedly! And well done on your first travel video!

[@gilbertocarmona6295]

@@YellowProductions Chris, you showed us the way to make good videos! Please keep teaching, I still have a lot to learn.

[@lynnkihara2323]

If you want foreign food "not Japanese" it can be very expensive as they have to ship in the product, train the staff, and fallow the franchise guide lines. On the other hand Japanese dishes are local, uses fresh seasonal ingredients, known sources/suppliers, and readily available seasoning so are much cheaper to produce. This is true for other foreign countries as well.

[@jameshiga8077]

Hi Chris. Great video. I agree that doing your research before travelling to anywhere is the most important to me.You will make it easier for yourself and have a more enjoyable experience. Learning some basic words or phrases will also help out. I also carry a phrase book and a English to Japanese dictionary just in case I have a problem with my cellphone. For me the purpose I travel is to enjoy the experience of the culture and do as much research to make the most of the trip. Thanks for sharing and take care.

[@YellowProductions]

Pocket phrasebook is a great tip! Thanks James!

[@GPosner8]

I’m always a day late commenting on one of your live chats but I’m here now🤣 This video along with all your other Japan videos are in my rotation so I can be prepared for my trip in ‘24🤞Arigato🙏 You are one of the few Instagram channels that I’ll watch a live video because just knock every one out of the park!👏🏻👏🏻

[@YellowProductions]

Awesome! Thanks Just Bumming Around!

[@limestar9751]

Foreigners don’t realize how much Japanese travel in general, but traveling in their own country is really a big thing for them. Probably because their infrastructure is so efficient. Lost in translation definitely captures the right amount of awkwardness/chaos/bewilderment of the country.

[@limestar9751]

Btw I loved the trips I’ve taken to Japan. Really gotta get back there.

[@bani_niba]

I believe most Japanese streets do have names. But the problem is the lack of street signs. When I first visited Japan decades ago, this was mentioned in my guide books. Let's be real, food quality & safety is much higher in Japan than the U.S. Of course you can get larger hotel rooms, just be prepared to pay big $$ for the space. Japan is great if you want to be experience a truly different culture.

[@YellowProductions]

Stealth street names.. its better to keep them a mystery :)

[@stevehansen932]

One of my top three pet peeves with going to Japan. Also, the address on my travel voucher, I was told many times, is not the physical address. We purposely started to chose a young taxi drive (which was difficult) over the older taxi drivers because the young guys would take out their phones and Google Map the address. One of the old guy taxi drivers dumped me out at the police station. He said they could help. Of course, the building was closed (after 5pm) and I only had 5% battery.

[@gaijin71]

If someone shows you the really great Japanese hospitality like walking you 20 minutes out of their way to help you find a place, then you probably want to say a very polite thank you. Maybe say "Arigatou" followed immediately with "Gozaimasu" (Go-zai-moss) and that will amp up your thank you gesture significantly.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks for that tip VegasTim!

[@NothingMaster]

Thanks for the heads up and the highly useful information, Chris. Your love for Japan, and your personal experience with the Japanese culture and the people, make your perceptive observations even more invaluable. It seems to me that many of the potential issues you had mentioned are related to the transportation and language barrier concerns; problems that could easily impact a tourist’s experience of Japan. If Japan, a very expensive travel destination, is serious about promoting tourism they need to make a concerted effort to address these issues with better public signs, maps, pamphlets, and otherwise information available in English.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Alex!

[@Neville60001]

Alex, I think that foreigners (American and Canadians in particular) need to learn some Japanese when they go to visit Japan.

[@NothingMaster]

@@Neville60001: There are not enough hours in a day to learn the language of every single travel destination ! Unless, of course, you are of the opinion that Japanese, for some reason, deserves a special consideration. The common consensus is for everyone around the globe [certainly the tourism industry] to agree on a couple of international languages for basic communications. Those languages today happen to be English and Spanish. To require the tourists to gain fluency in Japanese, just to visit the country and spend their hard-earned money, constitutes a completely unreasonable demand.

[@Neville60001]

@@NothingMaster, that's strange, because a certain other travel blogger has a small amount of the nations's language when he and his family goes abroad, and he also recommends that other tourists do so too.

[@NothingMaster]

@@Neville60001: :With a ‘small amount of Japanese’ , as you like to put it, you might be able to say, high, bye, or what a delicious dish, but you certainly won’t be able to find your way around Japan, or effectively communicate with people in any meaningful way. In any event, I think I know who that other travel blogger is that you’re referring to. His comment only meant to imply that you should pick up a few basic words so you could come across as a more amiable traveler (like greeting people in France with a hearty ‘bonjour’, for instance) not that you could carry on a conversation with the locals. Use your common sense, for crying out loud.

[@shahjadafahim]

Now you can translate foreign books or menu or road sign by camera on Google translate so I think this not a problem anymore 🤫

[@debbielow4847]

I went last year and yes, I agree the trains are crazy but I bought a mobile suica and very easy to just use on any line and my google map tells me which exit to use. Very convenient and handy

[@anthonylamesa7619]

The hotel rooms are tiny, but a good deal for solo travelers. Much easier and (way!) cheaper for a single person to find a clean and comfortable hotel room in Japan than any U.S. city.

[@YellowProductions]

Yup yup!

[@giuliavalle5751]

Gilberto!!! Great video !!! Chris !!! Many thanks for sharing great to have a different prospective!!!

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Giulia!

[@FedericoTrentonGame]

Your channel is criminally underrated! You are way better than those pushy vloggers who are a walking billboard

[@YellowProductions]

Aww... thanks Frederico!

[@desertguy1362]

This guy has saved me so much time what to explore and what to avoid. when I travel now i check his vlog to see if he has a video of it.

[@Joymax168]

Hi, Chris, you hit the nail on the head with your 21 points. Shinjuku Station is insanely busy; I got lost too. Inexpensive hotel rooms are clean, but small. There are sings with funny English translations. The bureaucrats and the Tokyo governor (Ms. Koike) should watch this video and should improve the situation (people are trying nowadays). I appreciate your fair perspective and your love of Japan.

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

I found it easy to navigate Tokyo back in 2003. But SOUTH KOREA…. OMG…without Google Maps I’d probably be still stuck there.

[@BohoDevi]

in SK they use Naver maps not Google due to the security threat from NK

[@eddiggs5993]

thanks, another great video

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Ed!

[@diceflawless9115]

The crowds sound scary. Imagine losing your kids hand.

[@seandavie3672]

I'm from Australia, and have traveled to many countries and Japan is by far my favourite. The only negative for me is the smoking, as this habit isn't very common in Australia. Japan is an immersive experience and a beautiful country!

[@YellowProductions]

Would be so much better with less smoke!

[@seandavie3672]

@@YellowProductions Still, they are ahead of the Europeans, in Japan they diligently dispose of the butts!

[@hamishkebb3550]

I like japan 2 visits . but find it difficult to find info about activities in advance. Often found fun activities form local tourist info . No much info on the internet in english.

[@F_Morimoto_C]

Chris, you are really right that people in Japan bend backward to help you find your way if you’re lost! Transit system in Tokyo may seem complicated but once you figured out it’s the best system in the world. We travel overseas a lot and this is what we think. By the way, we just got back from Japan. And as usual we referred to your KZbin videos and they were very helpful. Thank you, again!

[@YellowProductions]

Awesome! Thanks Ann!

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

In 2003 I visited Tokyo. I took a taxi 2 BLOCKS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC and paid $65 Japan is not a tourist friendly spot at all. I prefer South Korea

[@YellowProductions]

That's an expensive taxi ride

[@stevehansen932]

The food was really hard on me. I don't eat seafood. I pack a suitcase full of food on every trip. I eat all my food in 4 days. I had to eat at McDonalds about every day. The food was so expensive and scare I just barely survived (I got sick because I was not eating right, like 2 days in the hotel room sick). One day all I had was a noodle sandwich from 7-11. I woke up at 10am and breakfast was closed and went back to bed. I woke up at 1pm ran over to the café and forgot my money. I was back by 1:15 but they said they closed at 1pm. I got a noodle sandwich and went back to bed. Woke up at 9pm and the restaurant was closed. I survived on grapes, cup of noodle soups and McDonalds. I never saw white meat chicken. The chicken wings were the bite size ones not the ones off a normal chicken. Yes, I am going back!!! I am going to conquer Japan!! I am going to cheat an do it on an American Cruise line.

[@lynnkihara2323]

You should have hit a convenience store (7-11, family mart, Lawson) that are open 24 hours and have breads, sandwiches, and other things you can eat. You would be surprised at the selection.

[@lynnkurumaji2478]

In Tokyo we stayed at the Keio Plaza Hotel(25Sq meter), but paid $300/nite. I thought one of the best bargains was Shin-Osaka Courtyard, which adjoins the Shin-Osaka station($175/nite). It had plenty of room space and was very convenient.

[@socalmeadows3546]

Great video, and very accurate! I loved the experience of visiting Tokyo, including for all the reasons listed here too, but the 2hr train ride after the long flight to Nippon you really got to be mentally prepared for, and I wasn't : ) I can't wait to go back anyways!

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Meadows!

[@reelfishing002]

Thanks for the info and heads up

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Reel Fishing!

[@F_Morimoto_C]

I’ve looking for your postings about Okinawa but no luck so far. How can I view it if you have it posted?

[@YellowProductions]

Hi Ann -- I haven't done any videos on Okinawa yet!

[@birdman5223]

No street names, 60 train station exits 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@YellowProductions]

Sounds about right :)

[@habibhussain825]

I wouldn't use public wifi when you go anywhere to be honest. As you don't know who elese is on that network...the more people using that network, the more likely you are to be hacked. One also neds to secure access securely with a vPN/dns leak testing and thats only if a wifi network is the last resort. When i next go abroad I will be using cellular data and will pick the network with the best coverage in that particualr country.

[@pennymarmar]

As im watching this.. Im getting anxiety over the subway directions.. Im lost already. 🔄

[@YellowProductions]

Oh no!

[@SausalitoVicki]

Omg, your little Traveling Princess is BEAUTIFUL!

[@YellowProductions]

Awww

[@TravelAdventureswithEricB]

1-100 reasons for me is the language and symbols and I also don't love Japanese food but I really do want to visit Japan one day.

[@albedo0point39]

You can use Google translate to live-translate the symbols. It works really well - just point your phone at the Japanese text and the English translation appears like magic!

[@TravelAdventureswithEricB]

@@albedo0point39 Great idea

[@Pixics]

If you go to the southern part of Japan, I hear they have better beaches

[@JacquelineChua-bx6wr]

One reason other , older Japanese might not like Americans is that Americans bombed Hiroshima during World War 2.

[@griffin2263]

Great video..do you still need ideas for your trip to vancouver ?

[@YellowProductions]

Hi Uniplex. Other than booking tickets, hotels, and a rental car we haven't done much other planning. If you've got some thoughts I'd love to hear them. Perhaps shoot me an email about it so I don't miss the comment: [e-mail]

[@habibhussain825]

no u2 referene ?

[@paigefoss3871]

My favourite Japan

[@YellowProductions]

Japan is great! :)

[@jrecm4816]

Oops Kyoto

[@stevens1041]

I didn’t enjoy Japan. I lived in both Vietnam and Thailand and loved those places. Guess I’m just a weirdo.

[@YellowProductions]

Weirdo :)

[@Alminox]

Two words: POP FILTER!!

[@shahjadafahim]

❤ from Bangladesh 🇧🇩

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks Shahjada!

[@atlmz6]

That lady that complained about the hotel room had to be a Karen 😂

[@YellowProductions]

Hah

[@georgebenta3435]

51:56 "more people will go" I know this video was made in 2021, but isn't Japan experiencing over tourism even before the pandemic? Japan has reached pre-pandemic over tourism levels at the 3rd quarter of 2023, specially now that the Yen's value is very low.

[@YellowProductions]

Hi George -- the issue that Japan has is that everyone goes to the same few places.. Tokyo, Kyoto, Mt Fuji. The Japanese government is trying to get more people to visit the rest of the country 😀

[@dommytsunami86]

Lots of smokers for sure. YP4L!

[@Alvaro-qz6qk]

You paid 200 dollars for sushi dinner when initially you didn't like it!?!?!?

[@YellowProductions]

Yeah. Cause my wife loves Sushi. So I "took one for the team"

[@Alvaro-qz6qk]

@@YellowProductions You a good husband sir. Respect

[@JacquelineChua-bx6wr]

Always carry your passport because they give tax refunds

[@YellowProductions]

Good tip!

[@Pixics]

Awww man, this is such click bait. Haha Japan is great to visit no matter what reason.

[@Cremageuh]

My take on this would be that if you're super shy/afraid of being in a mass of people, or somebody who doesn't plan before traveling, you might HATE your time in Japan. (Unless you don't mind getting lost often in the public transit system).

[@YellowProductions]

Hah.. hopefully it was worth the bait :)

[@Pixics]

Whoa, I finally see your wife.

[@MrPortcullis99]

Now that you made such a sacrilegious video, It would be wise to upload a video pointing out 100 reasons to go to Japan ; but before that, please perform a temizu ritual !

[@YellowProductions]

Hah! Ok.. Since I have over 100 videos about traveling to Japan I think I've already completed that achievement :)

[@wegarnett]

Talk for an hour and need to drink?? C'mon, I'm a teacher and teach all day without feeling a need to drink something.

[@YellowProductions]

You clearly have some different biology than I do