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Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

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Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#91

Post by kjkjadksj »

red-iron-pine wrote: post #83
bombcar wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to get pretty far into Mexico; Tijuana and LA are more similar than different. (This may be because LA is something like 50% Hispanic)

bollocks. 10km from the border its going to look and sound pretty gringo -- since thats who its catering too -- but leave the tourist areas and its not the same at all. plus only ~30% of LA is hispanic, which is roughly akin to all of the US, regardless of what Latin country or area they're from. peruvians ain't mexican, amigo.

No the comment is right, LA is almost 50% hispanic today. A lot of the development for certain neighborhoods honestly looks similar as parts of Mexico. (The more single story, working class, chicken wire and plaster parts of LA at least)

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#92

Post by kjkjadksj »

smokel wrote: post #26
justsomehnguy wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Last year I've been asked by a guy for directions to the hotel where he was staying. It standed out for me because: a) he was clearly in his early 20s b) he asked me this after boarding the bus on the same stop as me c) he could find out the directions just by using a plethora of map/navigation (GPS for Americans) apps available here d) he was going the wrong way Just yesterday I saw a woman trying to find out which…

I'm in my 40s and I really love fooling around in real life. Observing printed maps by moving my entire body or my head towards it, is more relaxing than having to actively take out my phone and finger my way to the same information on this minuscule device. I find interacting with sign posts or humans more enjoyable than living in the matrix where I have to find the correct bus provider website, learn to navigate it…

Or you can just start with google maps, type in your destination, and take the appropriate bus route that even shows you where the hell the bus is right now, which will also not involve a small rowboat or whatever hyperbole you are envisioning.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#93

Post by kjkjadksj »

Xcelerate wrote: post #49

It's interesting that views on travel vary so much. Even in the U.S., it seems there are "travelers" and "non-travelers". I have been wanting to go to Japan since before the pandemic, so I asked some friends and family members if they want to go too. "Nah, I'm fine looking at photos. Plus 12 hours is a long time to sit on a plane." Long time?! That process used to take months . We Americans sit in office chairs and i…

The complaints about airports in this thread I also can’t relate to. The most damning thing people list is usually like, “the lines were long, i had to take off my shoes.” Patience is the best life hack you can make. With patience, you can go to an environment like an airport or trafficky road not harm you at all since you are indifferent. Think of all the people running around stressed out to various destinations while traveling: thats all self imposed stress. Learn to sit and wait and just let it go because it doesn’t serve you to be so stressed.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#94

Post by anarticle »

gadilif wrote: post #64
wrp wrote: post #27

It's the expected inconvenience. TFA points this out rather indirectly, but I've been hearing from Japanese for years that they are dissuaded from travel by the expected hassles of going to countries that run less smoothly than Japan (which is nearly any place).

I don't know. Personal opinion follows, YMMV: I've been to Tokyo recently. The subway system is much less convenient than, let's say, NYC. There are multiple operators, you need to purchase tickets separately to each one, it's not obvious for a tourist to understand the reasoning, and you can't pay with credit card (in 2023...), You need to either purchase a special card from a desk, or pay cash. In 2023. I consider…

Suica fixes that. As for NYC being "more convenient", I would trade whatever it is you went through for clean and on time subway/train. I spend the least amount of time on the subway in NYC as I can.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#95

Post by smokel »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #92
smokel wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in my 40s and I really love fooling around in real life. Observing printed maps by moving my entire body or my head towards it, is more relaxing than having to actively take out my phone and finger my way to the same information on this minuscule device. I find interacting with sign posts or humans more enjoyable than living in the matrix where I have to find the correct bus provider website, learn to navigate it…

Or you can just start with google maps, type in your destination, and take the appropriate bus route that even shows you where the hell the bus is right now, which will also not involve a small rowboat or whatever hyperbole you are envisioning.

I'm sorry that you don't appreciate hyperbole, but in Europe, public transport planning by Google Maps is quite often inferior to local services. And these local services do suggest water taxis here and there.

Also, typing in the destination still is cumbersome. I hope we can agree on that.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#96

Post by traceroute66 »

gadilif wrote: post #64
wrp wrote: post #27

It's the expected inconvenience. TFA points this out rather indirectly, but I've been hearing from Japanese for years that they are dissuaded from travel by the expected hassles of going to countries that run less smoothly than Japan (which is nearly any place).

I don't know. Personal opinion follows, YMMV: I've been to Tokyo recently. The subway system is much less convenient than, let's say, NYC. There are multiple operators, you need to purchase tickets separately to each one, it's not obvious for a tourist to understand the reasoning, and you can't pay with credit card (in 2023...), You need to either purchase a special card from a desk, or pay cash. In 2023. I consider…

> you can't pay with credit card (in 2023...), You need to either purchase a special card from a desk, or pay cash. In 2023

Erm, mate "in 2023" you can ALSO put a SUICA card on your phone's electronic wallet. ;-p

Frankly, give me Japan's rail system any day of the week. You can get across Tokyo, with multiple changes, and plan your arrival to the minute. Try that in NYC, London or any other city !

And as for the Shinkansen, it puts most other country's railway systems to shame.

Fun fact (IIRC): The headway (time between trains) is consistently down to something like 1m50s during rush-hour on Tokyo subway. It's nuts how freaking punctual the system is !

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#97

Post by arbitrary_name »

Crywastaken wrote: post #72
Crywastaken wrote: post #70

There is street view /YouTube video from travels. Order some food or cook new dish. want hike just run With sun is a little problem because you can't make country hotter but you can go to swimming pool.30°C + temp isn't good for your electronics. You can replace travel with computer. I just can't/won't overpriced everything

What even is great about Travel? I only see cons...

I went to slovenia with my cousin and we stayed at a wonderful Airbnb. The host brewed his own beer, and we drank it while hiking the mountains, and while paddling a canoe across the lake there. The countryside was beautiful, the people were kind, wildflowers and fruit trees everywhere. We learned so much about the country and it's history, encountered dishes we had never tasted, and fell in love with a life that would only ever be a fleeting memory.

I think about that trip constantly even though i have had many since.

I understand why you might not want to travel, but... I don't sympathize, as it appears you do not sympathize with those who do travel.

To each their own, eh?

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#98

Post by LexGray »

bombcar wrote: post #52
Shawnj2 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mexico is culturally completely different than the US and definitely counts as another country lol. Canada mostly doesn’t except for a few regional chains and such but Mexico is very much not diet California in any way

You have to get pretty far into Mexico; Tijuana and LA are more similar than different. (This may be because LA is something like 50% Hispanic)

I wandered just a bit south on a whim with no destination and as you go even a bit past the first major city the roads are empty, people just leave the highway whenever, the city streets are dirt with massive pits, and the small towns can resemble permanent homeless camps with fences cobbled together from box springs. The experience feels quite lawless (or at least significantly different enforcement) than a drive at random in the United States.

I know the whole country is not like that, but it is not a vacation spot I would go without a plan unlike the US where you can do a cross country drive and rely there will be services almost everywhere.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#99

Post by weberer »

red-iron-pine wrote: post #82
weberer wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any proof? I don't trust HN comments to talk about other countries vacation days, since I see too many people here say Americans get no vacation days, yet every company I've worked at in the USA offered 15-20 days.

15-20 days that usually included sick days, and with high levels of pressure NOT to take any of them. plus this is HN, so "every company I've ever worked for" is almost certainly a white collar STEM gig -- which ain't 90% of the country.

>that usually included sick days, and with high levels of pressure NOT to take any of them

These are both also untrue based on my experience.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#100

Post by spott »

traceroute66 wrote: post #96
gadilif wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. Personal opinion follows, YMMV: I've been to Tokyo recently. The subway system is much less convenient than, let's say, NYC. There are multiple operators, you need to purchase tickets separately to each one, it's not obvious for a tourist to understand the reasoning, and you can't pay with credit card (in 2023...), You need to either purchase a special card from a desk, or pay cash. In 2023. I consider…

> you can't pay with credit card (in 2023...), You need to either purchase a special card from a desk, or pay cash. In 2023 Erm, mate "in 2023" you can ALSO put a SUICA card on your phone's electronic wallet. ;-p Frankly, give me Japan's rail system any day of the week. You can get across Tokyo, with multiple changes, and plan your arrival to the minute. Try that in NYC, London or any other city ! And as for the Shin…

> You can get across Tokyo, with multiple changes, and plan your arrival to the minute.

Except you can’t? You can know your arrival to the minute, but you can’t actually change it to the minute.

Which isn’t actually that much more useful than other systems. Occasionally you will be able to rely on cutting it close by scheduling your ride to arrive right before an apt, but most of the time you are basically in the same boat as in other cities: you are planning to arrive 10-30 minutes early because otherwise you would be late.

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