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Recommendations for Japan Travel

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Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#131

Post by diceduckmonk »

paulette449 wrote: post #96

This "avoid the beaten path for tourists" but also "pick Kyoto". Hmmm. If you really do want to go (slightly) off the beaten path, try Yokohama (a short hop from Tokyo), Kobe (rebuilt and revitalized since the ruinous earthquake, Fukuoka, Nagano (Winter Olympic city) or Sapporo. Or even take a domestic flight down to Okinawa and visit Naha. To go off the beaten track in Tokyo, stay in Ikebukuro an unfashionable but I…

> This "avoid the beaten path for tourists" but also "pick Kyoto". Hmmm

People conflate Kyoto with the Gion + Kinkaku-ji + Arashiyama + Fushimi Inari. Kyoto city is much wider than that, and every street, especially in the Gion, is dense with history. There's dozens of bridges crossing the Kamogawa river, but most tourists are likely crossing over the one at Gion-shijo. Most tourists don't even stray 1km away from there to see there are stones you can hop over the water with. Sanjo bridge, the first bridge north of Gion-shijo, has sword marks on it from a famous shinsengumi battle. Kyoto, like Jerusalem or Rome, is filled with history on every block. Nearby Sanjo bridge is the temple where Nobunaga Oda was ambushed and forced to commit suicide. Also nearby is a random milestone during the day but at night a fortune teller sets up a shop claiming to channel the spirit of a politician who was assassinated in the exact spot. Most tourists and even Japanese locals would not ever notice the network of mahjong gambling dens hiding in plain site throughout Kyoto city, even in the subway station, but that's not going to be obvious from Google Maps, AtlasObscura, or what have you.

Obviously I'm biased because our startup is based in Kyoto and the company name is based on the Kamogawa river.

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#132

Post by distantaidenn »

As another long term resident of Tokyo (10 years and counting), I honestly can't understand why Patrick would recommend anyone give their business to APA Group.

As others in this thread have mentioned, this hotelier group is abhorrent. They are led by an anti-Semitic, anti-Korean, anti-Chinese history revisionist. The hotel leaves its disgusting diatribe in their company issued magazines conveniently laid out in every room within their hotels. This is just the tip of the iceberg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APA_Group_(Japan)#Controversy. Here's another link: https://www.ft.com/content/d35ec458-df07-11e6-86ac-f253db779....

Given Patrick is a long-term resident of Japan, it's shocking to me that he isn't aware of this, or he simply doesn't care.

For anyone reading this, please do not support that company. It may seem a small thing, but this ruined the entire tone of the post for me.

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#133

Post by npinsker »

diceduckmonk wrote: post #126

I've traveled all 47 prefectures of Japan, and done all sorts of "edgy" stuff that AtlasObscura has yet to cover, such as trails where only several dozen people have crossed that season. I've also revisited tourist hotspots like Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto several dozen times. I'd recommend people follow the beaten path. Is the most touristy spots in Japan and Kyoto "overrated" (given how popular it is)? Yes. But if you t…

This is a wonderful post, thank you :) I haven’t lived in Japan for an extended period, but it tracks with my experience exactly — particularly the bit about food, where I’ve had very limited success with scoring-based sites like tabelog and have come to greatly prefer explicit recommendations.

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#134

Post by simonebrunozzi »

diceduckmonk wrote: post #126

I've traveled all 47 prefectures of Japan, and done all sorts of "edgy" stuff that AtlasObscura has yet to cover, such as trails where only several dozen people have crossed that season. I've also revisited tourist hotspots like Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto several dozen times. I'd recommend people follow the beaten path. Is the most touristy spots in Japan and Kyoto "overrated" (given how popular it is)? Yes. But if you t…

> I've traveled all 47 prefectures of Japan

Wow. I'd love to read more about your experience. Please consider writing something for the rest of us; or point to things that you have written. Thanks!

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#135

Post by justusw »

distantaidenn wrote: post #132

As another long term resident of Tokyo (10 years and counting), I honestly can't understand why Patrick would recommend anyone give their business to APA Group. As others in this thread have mentioned, this hotelier group is abhorrent. They are led by an anti-Semitic, anti-Korean, anti-Chinese history revisionist. The hotel leaves its disgusting diatribe in their company issued magazines conveniently laid out in ever…

Having accidentally stayed there before, I can confirm that they have their weird in-house magazine, even translated to English, in every hotel room. Even more obnoxious than the Gideon bible.

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#136

Post by diceduckmonk »

distantaidenn wrote: post #132

As another long term resident of Tokyo (10 years and counting), I honestly can't understand why Patrick would recommend anyone give their business to APA Group. As others in this thread have mentioned, this hotelier group is abhorrent. They are led by an anti-Semitic, anti-Korean, anti-Chinese history revisionist. The hotel leaves its disgusting diatribe in their company issued magazines conveniently laid out in ever…

Unfortunately, I think there are class of travelers (and ex-pats) who simply don't care about history or the current state of affairs. They travel to places for the picture. For Japan, many people stop at the soft power and pop culture. Chinese celebrities have gotten in trouble for posting on social media their visit to political controversial shrines. In those cases, I don't even think it's out of malice or making a political statement, but plain ignorance.

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#137

Post by bluepizza »

kalleboo wrote: post #83
bluepizza wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not talking about layout. I am talking about unclean bathrooms and beds, mold, cigarrette smells in the corridors, people falling over in the corridors, weird noises at night, aircons that don't work. APA does not provide top notch maintenance for its hotels in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Nishi Kasai, Meidaimae, or any non important area. If you stay in the hotel close to the central station of a small town - that's tou…

I've stayed in an APA that literally had a sign outside advertising short stays (=love hotel) and even that one was really nice and well-run (lol)

You got lucky, the short stays is a hallmark of bad shit going down

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#138

Post by oska »

Trasmatta wrote: post #127
oska wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've known practically all my life that I never want to visit NYC. I would like to visit a city like Pittsburgh though, or Charleston, or Milwaukee (and other US cities and towns smaller than these three too).

NYC is an amazing place. What about it makes you want to never visit?

Never attracted me and the aesthetics of the city and its surrounding immediate environment put me off. (I would still like to visit other parts of New York state though.) There's a weirdness to the city, at least how I see it from afar and, to be fair, I'm sure in a somewhat distorted manner through media. Movies and TV shows set there put me off (even Seinfeld which I enjoy). Only The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill and The Chosen by Chaim Potok have shown me some charm in the place, and the music of New York native Suzanne Vega.

I appreciate that it's an important city, has many cultural attractions and many people love the place. But for me it's too big, too chaotic and, as I say above, too weird, and I would prefer to stay away from it entirely.

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#139

Post by justusw »

roobs wrote: post #15

I'm not sure when this post was originally written, but at a quick glance I can see some mentioned stores/restaurants that have since unfortunately shut down (like Deus Ex Machina which I used to frequent when it was in Harajuku but has since moved about 45 minutes away to Asakusa). This might not be the most up-to-date resource if you're visiting Japan in the future. Also, this list specifically recommends the APA h…

If I may, I would also like to recommend Richmond and Route Inn here. I have been to the Richmond in Sendai and Morioka in Tohoku on three different occasions. The best thing is that no one wants to take a copy of my residence card, which to the best of my knowledge (statement from the MHLW) they are not supposed to ask you for anyway, but a lot of hotels do ask and then suggest you go find another place if you don’t want to comply.

Re: Recommendations for Japan Travel

#140

Post by khuey »

publicola1990 wrote: post #128
joenot443 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Japan’s just a fascinating place. There’s no place quite like it in the world and as cultures exchange and evolve and become more connected, it’s unlikely there ever will be.

But Japan seems less "fundamental" than many other cultures including the Greeks, Persians and Chinese for example who all lay claim to thousands of years of cultural significance. Is there a Japanese equivalent of Budha or Aristotle or Confucius.

Does it matter? The distinctiveness is what attracts people, not the age.
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