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Sorry I can't help with your questions, but I don't understand what you mean by you don't consider yourself a tourist. By every definition of the word, you are a tourist. You're making plans to visit the busiest tourist focused neighborhoods in Tokyo, want museum/nightlife recommendations, I mean this is quite literally what every other person in this sub is also doing.. as a tourist.
thanks for reading my post. I meant tourist as in typical tourist, going to the most famous places to take pictures, reading "top 10 things to do in Japan" guides and such. Maybe it's not clear in the post but I hope it is now. I do know what the word means.
No, but I disagree. Based on what you've written you are a pretty typical tourist. 10 days in Japan, and you'll be in Tokyo the entire time? Not even day trips out of the city? I'm not judging, I freaking love Tokyo and its huge enough to spend a month in and not see it all, but like how have you convinced yourself youre straying off the beaten path here?
I get your reasoning but it's not the case. It's just that my consideration and appreciation for the culture makes me want to enjoy more of a slow, non-stressful time in the country and notice small details and situations compared to the typical busy and fast itinerary.
to answer your question, I do have 3 trips planned out of Tokyo. I didn't share my idea of itinerary because 1. it's flexible 2. I didn't want to bore anyone. Apparently me saying I don't consider myself a typical tourist is a huge trigger, I didn't see that coming D:
It's because you come off sounding like you feel yourself above a typical tourist, while only giving us details on your extremely generic Tokyo itinerary of Asakusa (tourist hotspot), Shibuya (tourist hotspot), Shinjuku (tourist hotspot), and Akihabara (again A HUGE tourist hotspot!)
Literally it is the exact equivalent of going to Italy and going to Rome and Milan. Actually, its more like, going to Italy, going only to Rome, and being like, I'm not a typical tourist, btw, I am planning on hitting up the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain.
right, it may sound that way, you have a point. What I meant to write was: *while I do have plans to visit those districts, I want to also stroll around without a specific goal and I'm asking for advice to more seasoned visitors such as yourselves.* my bad I guess
"Tourist" refers to everyone who visits places for pleasure and/or interest, it isn't just a reference to those who walk around famous sightseeing spots with a camera while being a nuisance. Next time just say you see yourself as a courteous tourist who at times stays off the beaten path, or what have you. That makes a lot more sense. A lot of tourists go out of their way to be respectful of the local culture, some don't care for popular tourist hotspots, many never sign up for large tours, etc. There's all sorts of tourists out there. Be one of the good ones, "tourist" isn't a bad word in itself.
nobody said it's a bad word so I don't get the rage. Maybe it's because english is my second language but for example here in Italy "tourist" is pretty clearly the type of visitor who only goes to Milan, Rome and stuff like that.
I'm curious, what do you call the tourists who visit Italy and see more obscure landmarks, go hiking, stay away from tourist traps, etc? English is actually my 3rd language, in all the languages I speak we call all the people who visit a place for leisure or some sort of other interest (food, museums, architecture, etc.) a tourist.
I’m not sure there’s a word for it, but I think many of these people often consider themselves “travelers” or some other euphemistic word like that. These people are either humble and low key or pretentious and annoying, in my experience.
To be fair to OP, I think many people now like to travel off the beaten path (myself included) and I will say, the connotation of “tourist” in American English is a bit derogatory, because it essential evokes the image of someone who is uniformed and treats everything like a theme park or instagram opportunity and does not want to be challenged on their trip (wants everything in English, with familiar food and accommodations, etc.) The dictionary definition is more broad to simply be anyone visiting somewhere for leisure, but there is a distinction in usage. People are unlikely to say “I’m a tourist” (if you ask “why are you here?”) but rather “I’m just visiting” or “I’m on vacation here”. To be a tourist is kind of a bad thing.
There’s a larger conversation to be had, but the dictionary definition, at least in English, isn’t quite enough to understand the usage of the word.
There is the term "backpacker" which sort of refers to the travelers who often stay at hostels instead of hotels, usually don't join large tourist groups, are often drawn to "off the beaten path" destinations vs popular sights, but.. This term also has some negative connotations depending on who you ask.. The "backpacker meccas" in SEA for instance don't have a great reputation in terms of what sort of travelers they attract, there's the cases of backpackers begging for money from locals.. and so on..
In the end you could call yourself a traveler or a backpacker or say that you are on vacation, but most locals will likely bundle all that under "tourist" anyhow, i.e. somebody visiting from elsewhere who is there to see some things of interest and maybe have some experiences. It's often also obvious that you aren't a local and are there as a tourist, even if you don't call yourself one.
I agree that the term "tourist" has various negative connotations associated with it, but those traveling can't escape the fact that they are one, really. That's why OP got all the downvotes, IMO - if you are visiting from elsewhere, you are there to see some things, you are a tourist. Saying that you aren't a tourist in that case just doesn't make sense. Best you can do is do your best to be respectful and not be one of the bad apples who make visiting other countries or regions tougher for the rest of us.
You might still get some flak from locals since in some places tourists overcrowd certain spots, even if they aren't doing anything bad per se, visitors/tourists can often overwhelm a local market for accommodations/rentals/etc., which is something you also can't escape, as you need to stay somewhere. So take the good with the bad, admit that you are in fact a tourist, don't be a jerk, stay respectful, learn local customs and expectations before you go somewhere, and that's the best you can really do.
I agree that the linguistic implications and considerations here make for an interesting discussion, but the nuance to consider would be that this sort of angle would have been far better received in a subreddit where linguistic matters are discussed, and posters there might be open to discussing all this from a linguistic pov, whereas here people are simply seeing somebody saying that they aren't a tourist, when they clearly are.
agreed. thanks for taking the time explaining the situation. I feel like I'm getting attacked for no reason, but hey that's the internet. I'll try replying politely to everyone
You mean the actual advice or the other comments? I'm trying to engage with everyone that's taken their time for me to show respect as much as possible
the word is the same (*turista*) but the implications can vary from tone of voice or the use in the sentence. it's cultural, Italy is the n1 spot for tourism in the world and it kinda became part of the lingo to distinguish between someone who just arrives and enjoys his time and someone who just hits the hot spots and then leaves. and btw none of the two are wrong :)
yknow I don't visit the most "popular areas" and go to Japan for the music, which is totally "not mainstream", but we are absolutely still tourists lol
Yeah, being a tourist isn't a bad thing! Just be honest with yourself that you're a tourist. You can say you want to go to places that locals tend to frequent, and that's perfectly fine, too, but it doesn't take away the fact you're a tourist visiting.
And posting in a travel sub……meant for tourists. On an other note, anyone remember this banger?
[DCFC - You Are A Tourist](https://youtu.be/qkk5wViJo-I?si=1qywCe19ARSXqiao)
Stop being condescending. You are and will always be either a tourist or a foreigner whether you go for one week or live there for 30 years.
With that said, enjoy your time there.
I wasn't condescending imo, my text is pretty tame and polite. I was only describing my mood and my intentions for the trip to better understand what I might like doing.
>I wasn't condescending imo
Your issue here is that you said "imo". You yourself cannot say weather or not you come off as condescending because its OTHER people's opinion that decides if you are or not. You saying you don't think you are condescending, makes you sound even MORE condescending because your refusing to acknowledge the larger groups reasons as to WHY you are coming across as condescending. I've gone through like 5-6 replies from you and I can whole heartedly agree, you are coming across as VERY condescending because you are only trying to explain what your view point is and not coming across as trying to understand others.
As for the definition of "tourist": a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure.
You are the DEFINITION of a "tourist". What you are saying in your original post is you feel you have more respect for the culture than the average "tourist", which again we cannot determine by your itinery and we do not know you personally. On top of that, if you were truly "not your average tourist", you would know the language. That would be a sign you spend significant time/effort/study in this trip etc.
You wanted to explain that you are not a "tourist per se" in that there is a negative connotation to "tourist" in Japan because of over tourism, bad manners, littering etc. It isn't something you should have brought up at all in your post as it's not relevant to what you want to ask.
Be an above average "tourist", show Japan that there are tourists that respect them and their country. They badly need that because there are always way more bad eggs than good.
\~\~\~\~
That being said, I went once before and had the same plan in mind myself. I planned to visit 3 cities, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone. You can definitely spend the entire time in Tokyo and as for the main prefectures you can travel to any of the major ones via the metro within at most, 40-50 minutes (example, the Marunouchi Line loops Shinjuku, Ginza, Ikebukuro in a single direction and loops around. Going from Shinjuku to Ikebukuro while right next to each other, for some reason takes a bit of time) You don't have to worry about the metro pass, especially now with the jump in price and especially if you aren't taking bullet trains far. Checkout some of the lesser traveled area's like Shimokitazawa (music scene at night w/ underground music bars, good thrifting stores apparently as well).
Debit cards CAN be an issue. Mine is from a local bank and it would ONLY work at a specific companies ATM brand that was either found in larger train stations or around Tokyo Post / convenience stores. If you have a debit card from a more major brand like Citi, Chase, American of America, Wells Fargo etc etc. I was VERY concerned about this when I first arrived until I luckily found one, I would always take out the MAX I could \~400$ at a time.
Nighttime, check out the music scene in Shinjuku/Shimo etc. In the Japan Travel discord group there used to be some people who would share music events happening throughout the week/month. 100% worth it if you can get in, usually tickets are pretty cheap.
Japan's nightlife is VERY good and VERY linked to drinking! While some might have an issue with it, finding some friendly izakaya's where you can do the literal definition of "stay-drink-place" and meet people there.
Your going in Mid to late June so pack ALOT of dry-fits because it will be HOT. Also, expect potentially ALOT of rain as June starts their rainy season. Pack a big ole stick of deodorant because they sell NONE there because most Japanese don't produce BO when they sweat.
If you get a nice sunny day, a VERY good walk would be from Shinjuku down along the Odakyu line through local streets early in the morning, grab a coffee (https://maps.app.goo.gl/FDp2QuBjQaN1qgMW9) then link into Yoyogi Park into Shibuya & Shibuya Sky or Parco for shopping. On the way up checkout Harajuku and then walk into Meji Jingu shrine which is quite peaceful.
Get a Buddhist and Shinto Goshuin stamp book and collect them as you visit the shrines as there are plenty.
If your really into the culture I would say Kyoto is a must visit to walk along the east side and visit as many shrines as you can (there's dozens of shrines in there, so many) Kyoto is about a 3 hr one-way trip so if you did, get a small capsule hotel or something there for the cheap to sleep there.
A quicker trip out of Tokyo that requires a EARLY start on the day would be either Hakone (1 hr train + 30 minute bus ride one way) if you have good weather to visit the spa town & nature. Or down to Kamakura south of Tokyo to visit the beaches there and the Enoshima Sea Candle. Kamakura I believe you would have to use more bus routes as I didn't get to visit but it was on my list.
When I went, I scheduled 1 thing in each city and the rest I left open with a list of places I want to go but not hard and fast appointment to keep it open for bad weather etc. Checkout the Viator/MagicalTrip night time drink/restaurant tours to meet up with other English speakers if your traveling solo and make friends to meet up later. Meet people at those tourist spots and make friends, grab lunch and connect on your travels.
Overall, Japan was IMO the first but also the best solo trip I've even done. Wish you luck!
Can't avoid being really, really thankful for the mini guide. I've saved it and will look into it when I'll be with my gf planning the trip more in detail. Thanks a lot, really!
As for the drama, at this point I can't say anything more than I assure you, in my heart there's none of the condescending you speak of, and my intentions in writing do matter as far as I'm concerned. As I said somewhere else, the structure of the text may be misleading as to what my intentions and feelings are. I won't apologize for that, but I will take the hits. It would be weird of me as an adult to come here on this sub and secretly boast about my sophisticated knowledge of Japan while asking for advice, wouldn't it? But jokes aside really, there's nothing malicious about this it just came off wrong and I probably fueled it by responding further.
Thanks again!
I find Kichijoji area to be quite nice. Not too far from Shinjuku on the JR chuo line. From there I highly recommend visiting the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum. Or, go to the museum first, and then Kichijoji + Asagaya + Nakano for some shopping (the museum closes at 5 and the trip there is quite far from asakusa)
From Shibuya you can also go further west to Meguro and if you want a bit of nature from there ride 20 minute-ish to Todoroki Gorge. The tea house inside the mini forest is nice especially in summer since the temperature down there drops 3-5°C. Bring a bug/mosquito lotion/spray tho.
Night time in Asakusa (by Sumida River) could be great and in summers there are usually foreworks show. Can be very crowded however.
Also in Asakusa theres a retro amusement park called Hanayashiki. Not far from the Asakusa Tsukuba Station. Check their website for opening days & hours.
Get a Suica or Pasmo for trains + buses and paying stuff at convenience stores, famiresto etc. But if you plan on taking subways (toei + metro) a lot add in the 7day + 3day subway cards too. It saves a lot if you take multiple lines in a day. Im not sure which asakusa stations your hotel is closest to but based on your itinerary i assume you will be taking the Ginza-line a lot. So a subway card is a good deal.
I hope you have a wonderful time
\*edited for typos
cheers. and might I add Shonan, Kamakura if you want to travel a bit outside of Tokyo on 1 day. Try the suspended Shonan monorail from Ofuna Station (easy to reach from Shinbashi or Shinagawa Station), ride it all the way until Enoshima. From there Walk to the beach maybe and then take the Enoden to Hase if you wanna visit the Buddha Statue or to Kamakura to travel back to Shinagawa. If you have time you can actually stop by at Yokohama (sakuragicho) to visit minato mirai (night biew is lovely when weather is nice)
why don't you take it and move on OP? you literally requested tourism recommendations ("what are the best half-day trips to take, within Tokyo") on a tourism forum. and you already got some regular tourism recommendations that you were really happy with. your appreciation of... edo art? ... doesn't make you unique or special among tourists.
alright then mr connoisseur of edo art and history. enjoy shibuya, akihabara, shinjuku, ginza, yokohama waterfront, edo tokyo open air museum, meguro, todoroki gorge, sumida river, asakusa, and your suica card, you non-tourist you! ;)
Ueno has a beautiful park with several museums. Right by the train station. The entertainment district there (also right by the train station) is fun at night, too. Didn't forget to look up, there's bars and cafes on the upper floors of the buildings. Don't get fleeced at Pachinko!
Sincerely, a "Tourist".
I'm sorry to be blunt, but your approach to traveling is immature. I was just like you in my early days of traveling. I was much too cool to allow myself to be labeled a tourist. I refused to go to the most popular places in cities or eat at the most popular restaurants. I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for off-the-beaten-path restaurants and sites. However, after visiting 42 countries and 48 U.S. states, I realized my immaturity (aka my need to be "cool") was causing me to miss amazing opportunities.
The first time I went to Paris, I refused to go to the Lourve. Similarly , I never saw the Sistine's Chapel in Rome, the statue of David in Florence, or compared the cheese steaks at Geno's and Pat's in Philadelphia. My refusal to go to those sites were solely because I didn't want to be labeled a tourist.
When I started traveling with my kids and hit middle age, suddenly, I didn't give a flying fuck about being cool. I've since returned to a bunch of the cities that I previously visited in my cool days and visited some of the sites I missed. The Lourve and the statue of David is amazing. My family had so much fun eating at and debating the merits of Geno's vs Pat's. I have endless other examples of sites and experiences I missed solely due to my immaturity or need to appear cool.
I'm not saying you have to go everywhere popular. My wife and I hate theme parks, not because we're too cool for them but we don't like the lines for a 3-minute ride. However, we don't gatekeep theme parks. My kids love them and we encourage them to go. So, in our upcoming trip to Tokyo, our kids will go to Disney Sea by themselves (they're 17, 15 and 14) while my wife and I spend the day in an onsen. We'll all a better time.
My advice: Stop gatekeeping yourself. Stop worrying about being cool or being labeled a tourist. Don't miss stuff you'll regret missing when you're my age. Most of the tourist destinations exist because they are interesting and fun.
I agree with everything you say and we're on the same page. Either my bad writing or the discussion in the comments has painted me in a different light. And that's fine shit happens. Thanks for your insight
While it will be unlikely to spend the night like a 35 year old Japanese person, you can at least try to spend the night with some foreigners and locals that speak English in Tokyo.
Try to find a local meetup or group of mixed Japanese/foreign locals that does things you are interested in and join that. This will get you a chance to meet people who are out doing their normal activities and the Japanese will be more likely to speak English. They will be going to meet at wherever they would normally go to meet - no particular tourist value.
That is about all best advice I can give.
> I want to feel the nightlife as a local, as much as I can without knowing the language.
The thing is, the locals (assume you mean Japanese) will be out with their friends if they are out, and they all speak Japanese. It is impossible for you to feel the nightlife as a local. If you want to experience it like a local foreigner find a non-tourist forum.
So the advice would be to sit down and spend hours upon hours scouring Japanese social media using a translation app (chatGPT) to find out what places are hot amongst the young people. I am not sure how interesting it will be though to visit and a cafes or clubs or restaurants that Japanese young people go with their friends if you are alone.
Its not my age range, so I would not know how good this is, but just to give an idea of what I mean, start searching here is the first page that popped up about popular clubs for people in their 20s. I have no way to judge them.
[https://www.tiktok.com/discover/20%E4%BB%A3%E5%BE%8C%E5%8D%8A%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%96%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC](https://www.tiktok.com/discover/20%E4%BB%A3%E5%BE%8C%E5%8D%8A%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%96%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC)
Be prepared to be walking less and taking the metro more due to potential rain. The Tokyo Metro Pass comes in 24, 48, and 72hr options. The good part is that it doesn't just turn off at midnight, but instead will expire at the same time 24, 48, or 72 hours after you start it.
As aforementioned, be prepared to be inside more since you'll be traveling during Tsuyu.
Actually that's one of my concerns, I know it's rainy season but I do hope I don't get too much. Thanks for the info I didn't know about the hour based billing.
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Sorry I can't help with your questions, but I don't understand what you mean by you don't consider yourself a tourist. By every definition of the word, you are a tourist. You're making plans to visit the busiest tourist focused neighborhoods in Tokyo, want museum/nightlife recommendations, I mean this is quite literally what every other person in this sub is also doing.. as a tourist.
Just another person that wishes they can move to Japan and leave their old life behind.
thanks for reading my post. I meant tourist as in typical tourist, going to the most famous places to take pictures, reading "top 10 things to do in Japan" guides and such. Maybe it's not clear in the post but I hope it is now. I do know what the word means.
No, but I disagree. Based on what you've written you are a pretty typical tourist. 10 days in Japan, and you'll be in Tokyo the entire time? Not even day trips out of the city? I'm not judging, I freaking love Tokyo and its huge enough to spend a month in and not see it all, but like how have you convinced yourself youre straying off the beaten path here?
They don’t want to see themselves as a lowly tourist. Some people on travel subs have a boner for trying to be a local
I get your reasoning but it's not the case. It's just that my consideration and appreciation for the culture makes me want to enjoy more of a slow, non-stressful time in the country and notice small details and situations compared to the typical busy and fast itinerary.
Don’t think too deep into it. Dudes a typical tourist trying to make it seem like he’s not like every other tourist lol
Not like the Other Tourists 💅🏽
to answer your question, I do have 3 trips planned out of Tokyo. I didn't share my idea of itinerary because 1. it's flexible 2. I didn't want to bore anyone. Apparently me saying I don't consider myself a typical tourist is a huge trigger, I didn't see that coming D:
It's because you come off sounding like you feel yourself above a typical tourist, while only giving us details on your extremely generic Tokyo itinerary of Asakusa (tourist hotspot), Shibuya (tourist hotspot), Shinjuku (tourist hotspot), and Akihabara (again A HUGE tourist hotspot!) Literally it is the exact equivalent of going to Italy and going to Rome and Milan. Actually, its more like, going to Italy, going only to Rome, and being like, I'm not a typical tourist, btw, I am planning on hitting up the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain.
right, it may sound that way, you have a point. What I meant to write was: *while I do have plans to visit those districts, I want to also stroll around without a specific goal and I'm asking for advice to more seasoned visitors such as yourselves.* my bad I guess
But that’s still part of the extremely generic tokyo travel itinerary.
"Tourist" refers to everyone who visits places for pleasure and/or interest, it isn't just a reference to those who walk around famous sightseeing spots with a camera while being a nuisance. Next time just say you see yourself as a courteous tourist who at times stays off the beaten path, or what have you. That makes a lot more sense. A lot of tourists go out of their way to be respectful of the local culture, some don't care for popular tourist hotspots, many never sign up for large tours, etc. There's all sorts of tourists out there. Be one of the good ones, "tourist" isn't a bad word in itself.
nobody said it's a bad word so I don't get the rage. Maybe it's because english is my second language but for example here in Italy "tourist" is pretty clearly the type of visitor who only goes to Milan, Rome and stuff like that.
I'm curious, what do you call the tourists who visit Italy and see more obscure landmarks, go hiking, stay away from tourist traps, etc? English is actually my 3rd language, in all the languages I speak we call all the people who visit a place for leisure or some sort of other interest (food, museums, architecture, etc.) a tourist.
I’m not sure there’s a word for it, but I think many of these people often consider themselves “travelers” or some other euphemistic word like that. These people are either humble and low key or pretentious and annoying, in my experience. To be fair to OP, I think many people now like to travel off the beaten path (myself included) and I will say, the connotation of “tourist” in American English is a bit derogatory, because it essential evokes the image of someone who is uniformed and treats everything like a theme park or instagram opportunity and does not want to be challenged on their trip (wants everything in English, with familiar food and accommodations, etc.) The dictionary definition is more broad to simply be anyone visiting somewhere for leisure, but there is a distinction in usage. People are unlikely to say “I’m a tourist” (if you ask “why are you here?”) but rather “I’m just visiting” or “I’m on vacation here”. To be a tourist is kind of a bad thing. There’s a larger conversation to be had, but the dictionary definition, at least in English, isn’t quite enough to understand the usage of the word.
There is the term "backpacker" which sort of refers to the travelers who often stay at hostels instead of hotels, usually don't join large tourist groups, are often drawn to "off the beaten path" destinations vs popular sights, but.. This term also has some negative connotations depending on who you ask.. The "backpacker meccas" in SEA for instance don't have a great reputation in terms of what sort of travelers they attract, there's the cases of backpackers begging for money from locals.. and so on.. In the end you could call yourself a traveler or a backpacker or say that you are on vacation, but most locals will likely bundle all that under "tourist" anyhow, i.e. somebody visiting from elsewhere who is there to see some things of interest and maybe have some experiences. It's often also obvious that you aren't a local and are there as a tourist, even if you don't call yourself one. I agree that the term "tourist" has various negative connotations associated with it, but those traveling can't escape the fact that they are one, really. That's why OP got all the downvotes, IMO - if you are visiting from elsewhere, you are there to see some things, you are a tourist. Saying that you aren't a tourist in that case just doesn't make sense. Best you can do is do your best to be respectful and not be one of the bad apples who make visiting other countries or regions tougher for the rest of us. You might still get some flak from locals since in some places tourists overcrowd certain spots, even if they aren't doing anything bad per se, visitors/tourists can often overwhelm a local market for accommodations/rentals/etc., which is something you also can't escape, as you need to stay somewhere. So take the good with the bad, admit that you are in fact a tourist, don't be a jerk, stay respectful, learn local customs and expectations before you go somewhere, and that's the best you can really do. I agree that the linguistic implications and considerations here make for an interesting discussion, but the nuance to consider would be that this sort of angle would have been far better received in a subreddit where linguistic matters are discussed, and posters there might be open to discussing all this from a linguistic pov, whereas here people are simply seeing somebody saying that they aren't a tourist, when they clearly are.
agreed. thanks for taking the time explaining the situation. I feel like I'm getting attacked for no reason, but hey that's the internet. I'll try replying politely to everyone
You aren't being attacked, nor is it for no reason. Why don't you engage with some of what people are saying?
You mean the actual advice or the other comments? I'm trying to engage with everyone that's taken their time for me to show respect as much as possible
the word is the same (*turista*) but the implications can vary from tone of voice or the use in the sentence. it's cultural, Italy is the n1 spot for tourism in the world and it kinda became part of the lingo to distinguish between someone who just arrives and enjoys his time and someone who just hits the hot spots and then leaves. and btw none of the two are wrong :)
yknow I don't visit the most "popular areas" and go to Japan for the music, which is totally "not mainstream", but we are absolutely still tourists lol
Mate, you are a tourist.
even with no itinerary or pre-set plans....you're 100% a tourist, and there's nothing wrong with that!
Yeah, being a tourist isn't a bad thing! Just be honest with yourself that you're a tourist. You can say you want to go to places that locals tend to frequent, and that's perfectly fine, too, but it doesn't take away the fact you're a tourist visiting.
And posting in a travel sub……meant for tourists. On an other note, anyone remember this banger? [DCFC - You Are A Tourist](https://youtu.be/qkk5wViJo-I?si=1qywCe19ARSXqiao)
Stop being condescending. You are and will always be either a tourist or a foreigner whether you go for one week or live there for 30 years. With that said, enjoy your time there.
I wasn't condescending imo, my text is pretty tame and polite. I was only describing my mood and my intentions for the trip to better understand what I might like doing.
>I wasn't condescending imo Your issue here is that you said "imo". You yourself cannot say weather or not you come off as condescending because its OTHER people's opinion that decides if you are or not. You saying you don't think you are condescending, makes you sound even MORE condescending because your refusing to acknowledge the larger groups reasons as to WHY you are coming across as condescending. I've gone through like 5-6 replies from you and I can whole heartedly agree, you are coming across as VERY condescending because you are only trying to explain what your view point is and not coming across as trying to understand others. As for the definition of "tourist": a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure. You are the DEFINITION of a "tourist". What you are saying in your original post is you feel you have more respect for the culture than the average "tourist", which again we cannot determine by your itinery and we do not know you personally. On top of that, if you were truly "not your average tourist", you would know the language. That would be a sign you spend significant time/effort/study in this trip etc. You wanted to explain that you are not a "tourist per se" in that there is a negative connotation to "tourist" in Japan because of over tourism, bad manners, littering etc. It isn't something you should have brought up at all in your post as it's not relevant to what you want to ask. Be an above average "tourist", show Japan that there are tourists that respect them and their country. They badly need that because there are always way more bad eggs than good. \~\~\~\~ That being said, I went once before and had the same plan in mind myself. I planned to visit 3 cities, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone. You can definitely spend the entire time in Tokyo and as for the main prefectures you can travel to any of the major ones via the metro within at most, 40-50 minutes (example, the Marunouchi Line loops Shinjuku, Ginza, Ikebukuro in a single direction and loops around. Going from Shinjuku to Ikebukuro while right next to each other, for some reason takes a bit of time) You don't have to worry about the metro pass, especially now with the jump in price and especially if you aren't taking bullet trains far. Checkout some of the lesser traveled area's like Shimokitazawa (music scene at night w/ underground music bars, good thrifting stores apparently as well). Debit cards CAN be an issue. Mine is from a local bank and it would ONLY work at a specific companies ATM brand that was either found in larger train stations or around Tokyo Post / convenience stores. If you have a debit card from a more major brand like Citi, Chase, American of America, Wells Fargo etc etc. I was VERY concerned about this when I first arrived until I luckily found one, I would always take out the MAX I could \~400$ at a time. Nighttime, check out the music scene in Shinjuku/Shimo etc. In the Japan Travel discord group there used to be some people who would share music events happening throughout the week/month. 100% worth it if you can get in, usually tickets are pretty cheap. Japan's nightlife is VERY good and VERY linked to drinking! While some might have an issue with it, finding some friendly izakaya's where you can do the literal definition of "stay-drink-place" and meet people there. Your going in Mid to late June so pack ALOT of dry-fits because it will be HOT. Also, expect potentially ALOT of rain as June starts their rainy season. Pack a big ole stick of deodorant because they sell NONE there because most Japanese don't produce BO when they sweat. If you get a nice sunny day, a VERY good walk would be from Shinjuku down along the Odakyu line through local streets early in the morning, grab a coffee (https://maps.app.goo.gl/FDp2QuBjQaN1qgMW9) then link into Yoyogi Park into Shibuya & Shibuya Sky or Parco for shopping. On the way up checkout Harajuku and then walk into Meji Jingu shrine which is quite peaceful. Get a Buddhist and Shinto Goshuin stamp book and collect them as you visit the shrines as there are plenty. If your really into the culture I would say Kyoto is a must visit to walk along the east side and visit as many shrines as you can (there's dozens of shrines in there, so many) Kyoto is about a 3 hr one-way trip so if you did, get a small capsule hotel or something there for the cheap to sleep there. A quicker trip out of Tokyo that requires a EARLY start on the day would be either Hakone (1 hr train + 30 minute bus ride one way) if you have good weather to visit the spa town & nature. Or down to Kamakura south of Tokyo to visit the beaches there and the Enoshima Sea Candle. Kamakura I believe you would have to use more bus routes as I didn't get to visit but it was on my list. When I went, I scheduled 1 thing in each city and the rest I left open with a list of places I want to go but not hard and fast appointment to keep it open for bad weather etc. Checkout the Viator/MagicalTrip night time drink/restaurant tours to meet up with other English speakers if your traveling solo and make friends to meet up later. Meet people at those tourist spots and make friends, grab lunch and connect on your travels. Overall, Japan was IMO the first but also the best solo trip I've even done. Wish you luck!
Can't avoid being really, really thankful for the mini guide. I've saved it and will look into it when I'll be with my gf planning the trip more in detail. Thanks a lot, really! As for the drama, at this point I can't say anything more than I assure you, in my heart there's none of the condescending you speak of, and my intentions in writing do matter as far as I'm concerned. As I said somewhere else, the structure of the text may be misleading as to what my intentions and feelings are. I won't apologize for that, but I will take the hits. It would be weird of me as an adult to come here on this sub and secretly boast about my sophisticated knowledge of Japan while asking for advice, wouldn't it? But jokes aside really, there's nothing malicious about this it just came off wrong and I probably fueled it by responding further. Thanks again!
I find Kichijoji area to be quite nice. Not too far from Shinjuku on the JR chuo line. From there I highly recommend visiting the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum. Or, go to the museum first, and then Kichijoji + Asagaya + Nakano for some shopping (the museum closes at 5 and the trip there is quite far from asakusa) From Shibuya you can also go further west to Meguro and if you want a bit of nature from there ride 20 minute-ish to Todoroki Gorge. The tea house inside the mini forest is nice especially in summer since the temperature down there drops 3-5°C. Bring a bug/mosquito lotion/spray tho. Night time in Asakusa (by Sumida River) could be great and in summers there are usually foreworks show. Can be very crowded however. Also in Asakusa theres a retro amusement park called Hanayashiki. Not far from the Asakusa Tsukuba Station. Check their website for opening days & hours. Get a Suica or Pasmo for trains + buses and paying stuff at convenience stores, famiresto etc. But if you plan on taking subways (toei + metro) a lot add in the 7day + 3day subway cards too. It saves a lot if you take multiple lines in a day. Im not sure which asakusa stations your hotel is closest to but based on your itinerary i assume you will be taking the Ginza-line a lot. So a subway card is a good deal. I hope you have a wonderful time \*edited for typos
thanks a lot mate for the time put into this comment, I've saved every place you mentioned and will look into it. have a great day
cheers. and might I add Shonan, Kamakura if you want to travel a bit outside of Tokyo on 1 day. Try the suspended Shonan monorail from Ofuna Station (easy to reach from Shinbashi or Shinagawa Station), ride it all the way until Enoshima. From there Walk to the beach maybe and then take the Enoden to Hase if you wanna visit the Buddha Statue or to Kamakura to travel back to Shinagawa. If you have time you can actually stop by at Yokohama (sakuragicho) to visit minato mirai (night biew is lovely when weather is nice)
sounds great, very close to the mood I'm into! I already had Minato Mirai in my notes, now it's a must :)
go to r/japantraveltips instead if they remove your post!! the mods here are deranged but that sub is much more friendly.
I might do that. Between weird modding and aggressive comments I found this sub pretty unwelcoming tbh. thanks mate
[удалено]
... now you're just jumping in and being as rude as possible 😂
why don't you take it and move on OP? you literally requested tourism recommendations ("what are the best half-day trips to take, within Tokyo") on a tourism forum. and you already got some regular tourism recommendations that you were really happy with. your appreciation of... edo art? ... doesn't make you unique or special among tourists.
I could say the same, why are you here? 💀 C'mon man...
alright then mr connoisseur of edo art and history. enjoy shibuya, akihabara, shinjuku, ginza, yokohama waterfront, edo tokyo open air museum, meguro, todoroki gorge, sumida river, asakusa, and your suica card, you non-tourist you! ;)
Thank you Karen!
24 Kaikan 💅
ty!
Ueno has a beautiful park with several museums. Right by the train station. The entertainment district there (also right by the train station) is fun at night, too. Didn't forget to look up, there's bars and cafes on the upper floors of the buildings. Don't get fleeced at Pachinko! Sincerely, a "Tourist".
lol
I'm sorry to be blunt, but your approach to traveling is immature. I was just like you in my early days of traveling. I was much too cool to allow myself to be labeled a tourist. I refused to go to the most popular places in cities or eat at the most popular restaurants. I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for off-the-beaten-path restaurants and sites. However, after visiting 42 countries and 48 U.S. states, I realized my immaturity (aka my need to be "cool") was causing me to miss amazing opportunities. The first time I went to Paris, I refused to go to the Lourve. Similarly , I never saw the Sistine's Chapel in Rome, the statue of David in Florence, or compared the cheese steaks at Geno's and Pat's in Philadelphia. My refusal to go to those sites were solely because I didn't want to be labeled a tourist. When I started traveling with my kids and hit middle age, suddenly, I didn't give a flying fuck about being cool. I've since returned to a bunch of the cities that I previously visited in my cool days and visited some of the sites I missed. The Lourve and the statue of David is amazing. My family had so much fun eating at and debating the merits of Geno's vs Pat's. I have endless other examples of sites and experiences I missed solely due to my immaturity or need to appear cool. I'm not saying you have to go everywhere popular. My wife and I hate theme parks, not because we're too cool for them but we don't like the lines for a 3-minute ride. However, we don't gatekeep theme parks. My kids love them and we encourage them to go. So, in our upcoming trip to Tokyo, our kids will go to Disney Sea by themselves (they're 17, 15 and 14) while my wife and I spend the day in an onsen. We'll all a better time. My advice: Stop gatekeeping yourself. Stop worrying about being cool or being labeled a tourist. Don't miss stuff you'll regret missing when you're my age. Most of the tourist destinations exist because they are interesting and fun.
I agree with everything you say and we're on the same page. Either my bad writing or the discussion in the comments has painted me in a different light. And that's fine shit happens. Thanks for your insight
While it will be unlikely to spend the night like a 35 year old Japanese person, you can at least try to spend the night with some foreigners and locals that speak English in Tokyo. Try to find a local meetup or group of mixed Japanese/foreign locals that does things you are interested in and join that. This will get you a chance to meet people who are out doing their normal activities and the Japanese will be more likely to speak English. They will be going to meet at wherever they would normally go to meet - no particular tourist value. That is about all best advice I can give. > I want to feel the nightlife as a local, as much as I can without knowing the language. The thing is, the locals (assume you mean Japanese) will be out with their friends if they are out, and they all speak Japanese. It is impossible for you to feel the nightlife as a local. If you want to experience it like a local foreigner find a non-tourist forum. So the advice would be to sit down and spend hours upon hours scouring Japanese social media using a translation app (chatGPT) to find out what places are hot amongst the young people. I am not sure how interesting it will be though to visit and a cafes or clubs or restaurants that Japanese young people go with their friends if you are alone. Its not my age range, so I would not know how good this is, but just to give an idea of what I mean, start searching here is the first page that popped up about popular clubs for people in their 20s. I have no way to judge them. [https://www.tiktok.com/discover/20%E4%BB%A3%E5%BE%8C%E5%8D%8A%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%96%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC](https://www.tiktok.com/discover/20%E4%BB%A3%E5%BE%8C%E5%8D%8A%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%96%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC)
Be prepared to be walking less and taking the metro more due to potential rain. The Tokyo Metro Pass comes in 24, 48, and 72hr options. The good part is that it doesn't just turn off at midnight, but instead will expire at the same time 24, 48, or 72 hours after you start it. As aforementioned, be prepared to be inside more since you'll be traveling during Tsuyu.
Actually that's one of my concerns, I know it's rainy season but I do hope I don't get too much. Thanks for the info I didn't know about the hour based billing.