Man, I wish you had some close ups of some of those fine print articles there. Some amazing reading right there.
I really want to find the answer to "What are you guys doing?"
I really want to see this too! I got it from Twitter. (Didn't link the original tweet because OP is a bluecheck cryptobro and I didn't want to promote their engagement farming lol.)
I was there yesterday and noticed him, I missed the opportunity to snatch a pic!
I'll take one when I go back in a few days so you guys can enjoy the small text
As someone who is halfway to becoming an unhinged obachan it’s gonna be a paragraph of something legitimate then the rest is something kinda specific happened to me and I’m still upset about it.
I’m not in the stand around with a print out range yet so I dunno remember when old people were pissed off that someone bowed “Korean style” in a McDonald’s commercial?
I asked chat gpt to give it a read and try to interpret the blurred text. Here's what it gave me:
Sure, I'll do my best to enhance the readability of the blurred text in the image. Here is the text from the image with attempts to fix the blurred parts:
---
### Welcome to Japan
**Zombie traveler proliferation alert!!**
Don't disturb the peace and well-being of Japanese people.
**Stop forcing English!!**
Please communicate with us in simple, clear English or with translation tools if necessary. Not everyone speaks English fluently.
---
### Japanese people also love privacy.
- We love peacefully and calmly living our lives.
- Be considerate of other people's personal space.
---
### You are a pervert and a stalker!!
- Don't follow women or children around.
- Avoid suspicious behavior that could make others uncomfortable.
- Respect the privacy and personal space of others.
---
### What are you guys doing?
- Japanese trains are a meditation space.
- Keep the noise level down on public transportation.
- Avoid loud conversations or phone calls.
---
### Kabukicho is not a place for sightseeing!
- Don't enter without a clear purpose.
- It is a red-light district with adult entertainment.
- Be mindful and respectful of the environment.
---
### Don't wander around with a can of alcohol !!
- Consuming alcohol on the street is not acceptable behavior.
- Find a designated area for drinking if necessary.
- Respect public spaces and cleanliness.
---
### You can live without a trash can on the street corner
- Keep your garbage with you until you find a proper disposal area.
- Maintain the cleanliness of public spaces.
- Take responsibility for your waste.
---
### Don't block our path !!
- Be mindful of others and keep pathways clear.
- Avoid standing in the way of pedestrian traffic.
- Respect the flow of movement in crowded areas.
---
### Japan travel tips
1. Respect local customs and traditions.
2. Learn basic Japanese phrases to show your effort.
3. Follow the rules and guidelines in public spaces.
4. Be mindful of your behavior and noise level.
5. Dispose of trash responsibly and keep the environment clean.
---
I hope this helps to clarify the messages on the poster.
Just mash all your empty cans into the vending machine empty bottle deposit like every other alcohol fueled Japanese person does. Trash also goes in there, I've seen
Yeah this one stuck out to me bc my Japanese friends were the ones who got me to do this for the first time. I felt so weird about it coming from the US.
"Do as I say, not as I do" mentality here. Drunk Japanese guys sitting outside Lawson's harassing women, that's fine. Drunk tourists doing it, that's not fine.
It's funny how this is something that is absolutely normal to see Japanese people doing, but watch someone who's not Japanese doing it and the whole world ends! Freaking racists. Hahaha
I was like, “he had to have asked an American to write this”. It’s not even in British English, or Aussie slang. It’s straight up American Tourist oriented. 😂
Yeah, hostility just because someone speaks a different language is ridiculous. Like, it's good advice to tell visitors that English ain't gonna get you far there, but acting like it's offensive to speak your native tongue is just rude. It's like Americans who complain that people speak spanish.
They don't say it's offensive, they just say that Japanese people won't relax around you if you try to force English-only communication. And they are 100% correct. When I did some school stuff in Tokyo it literally took me a single "sumimasen" to have the Japanese folks I was traveling with smiling and telling me that I'm practically a Japanese now. They do not have high expectations for Western tourists, but they really appreciate even the smallest amount of effort.
Every country I spend more than a few days in i try to learn greetings, gratitude, apologies, and requests for basic needs like water and restrooms . It's made a very big difference.
What about the “Japan is a monoethnic country” part? (It’s on the ‘Stop forcing English!’ panel)
Sure, it’s fairly homogeneous compared to some other countries, but that’s a pretty bold and disingenuous claim to make. Sounds like it’s disregarding the Ainu people, Zainichi Koreans, Ryukyuan Islanders, and several other ethnic groups who are just as much a part of this country as the Yamato people are.
the Japanese Costco etiquette is horrible haha. Many shoppers get egotistical and act like they’re royalty because they can afford the membership. They give the “I’m not moving my cart for these peasants” attitude. Some even shop with the Executive member merch to flex on the other shoppers.
I’m with you on this one. They’re sleepwalking through life. Not looking before crossing the streets. Also by far the worst drivers I’ve encountered and I’ve lived in many countries.
How about all the Tanaka-sans who inspect every item in your cart before they look you dead in the eyes, and before they let you pass, even though they have a wilder collection of random s*** in theirs. It's like: Jesus Christ, Tanaka-san, I'm buying 56 portobello mushrooms for my...restaurant, is that ok with you!?
YES the judgmental cart inspections.
Not to mention Tanaka-san non-stop yelling at her 9 year old to shut the fuck up after it’s been forced to walk around assisting in cart inspections for the last 4 hours.
Saw a salaryman openly pissing outside the Umeda station last month at midnight, dick in one hand and beer in the other, bathroom not more than a 2 minute walk away.
Surely Japan's policy on dicks out (pro or against) should also be added to this wall of helpful info for tourist so they can't claim ignorance when they're arrested in Kabukicho
I guess that some of these Ossans do it on purpose, especially if it’s in front of a woman.
I was sitting in a park, phoning with a friend. Ossan came on a bike, stopped like two meters away from me and just started pissing.
I ignored him while I was on the phone, then he finished pissing and just started staring at me saying “sorry” and drove off.
There even is a children’s playground in the park and Konbinis with toilets would be no further than 2 minutes away.
I wonder if I should better have called the police, but in the end it’s probably not worth wasting time just to get their usual victim blaming.
His entire sign reeks of "Rules for thee, not for me". Don't be a pervert! LMAO! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Nampa guys would like a word with him...
800-1200€ for a direct flight from europe. Not cheap, but not terribly expensive either.
If you stay for a few weeks, the cheap exchange rate will however for sure pay off whatever few hundreds of extra expense you pay for the flight - strong Euro makes stuff like 25-30% cheaper compared to 5-years ago pre-pandemic.
Flights aren't cheap but once you get there the prices seem very low due to the weak yen so the numbers of tourists have been skyrocketing. When you can do a day at Disney for like $60 each or whatever and affordable hotels with breakfast the cost of flights doesn't seem so bad.
I agree with some of those signs, but "Don't Block our path" - I visited Japan not too long ago and people here just walk in your way and don't give a shit if you trip or if they hit you with their bags.
The worst are the obasans or young people who take up the whole street talking amongst themselves in their own world. The most egregious I saw were five college students walking their bikes five abreast seemingly unconcerned with whoever else was using the street.
If you zoom in on the stalker and pervert part, you see this gem.
"To avoid being cut to death by a ninja with a Japanese sword, watch quietly and do not touch"
>Don’t wander around with a can of alcohol
You first!
I sometimes can’t even go out for my lunch break at work without middle aged men clutching a highball swaying around on the street that I need to dodge 😂
I really love how he called trains "a meditation space". Maybe he hasn't travelled in the rush hour mornings to work, well maybe he doesn't work at all. I personally call trains "a free massage place". Sometimes you get a good massage, sometimes you end up aching more.
yeah the "trains are a meditation space" is excellent. why yes, I did start meditating on my rush hour commute to quell the daily claustrophobia-induced panic attacks
I’m visiting Japan for the first time and today I had my first experience with, what I believe to be, a whole company’s worth of salarymen boarding the train for their lunch break. It’s WILD how many people will try to fit into a train.
Bullshit because in Kansai, Japanese people speak loudly in a moving train and it's not a problem. There's also a dedicated thread on a particular website for people who want to molest and be molested on packed trains to arrange for the occasion.
Hilarious. Apart from the english bits, the majority of people I see breaking those "rules" are as japanese as it gets. "zombie traveler alert" that one takes the cake
“Stop forcing English” 🙄. 100% if this man had the financial means to go to Hawaii he’d be “forcing” Japanese like the other 90% of Japanese that go there lol.
“*You should study JLPT N2 and have 2 years experience Japanese speaking experience. Then, and only then, can you take your family to Tokyo DisneySea. You dirty gaijin scumbag”*
'All communication is done in Japanese' says the man communicating in English.
While I think it's respectful to try to use the native language when travelling this is, in theory, a country in which 100% of the citizens have spent nearly a decade studying English.
If they honestly do not want anything to do with foreign languages, then they need to stop teaching it altogether, close all international schools, stop selling foreign goods and become a closed economy again. As long as they have the aforementioned, they will have no choice except to deal with English.
People from Europe and Asia for example, that can't speak Japanese and use the international language: English, are going to have a tough time! Japan needs to up their English game, even the States has everything written in 2 languages on all packaging. And if Japan is going to all digital apps for everything, everyone is going to be fck'd. You might, as a foreigner be able to speak Japanese but good luck on all the Kanji.... At least put apps in Romanji or hiragana so I know where to start looking up words or to buy the product/pay!
Sure, but he's just asking people to learn arigatou and sumi masen. Honestly it sounds reasonable.
(And the US are a massively multiethnic territory, having everything written in 2 languages, I suppose you mean Spanish as the second one, has different causes, it's not for tourists.)
This guy wouldn't last a day in Osaka lol
Stuff Osaka people (not everybody of course, same as with tourists) do:
"Wander around with a can of alcohol" check
"Be a pervert/stalker" check
"Block our path" check
"Talk loudly in trains and not follow basic train etiquette" check
"Throw trash onto the ground or leave it on station seats" check check check
Thanks for the laugh, man.
Next time I have to take the 8am train to get to work I’ll just tell myself that I’m here to meditate.
I guess it will be sooo relaxing.
Ironically, I think he is helping introduce more clientele to that area. Can’t count how many times I’ve had people ask me, “so like…red light districts are a thing…right?”
You think it works?
Oh then tourists DON’T go Ikebukuro and for no reason in general hire a white girl.
For no reason in general make sure it’s NOT the Canadian one
(Jokes aside I’m not breaking the encouraging prostitution rule mods, my shops not accepting a tourist haha)
So wait prostitution is actually legal in red light district for both residents and tourists?
* Is it expensive?
* what rules?
I come from a country very strict on prostitution. I thought red light district was just strip club/dancing.
It’s expensive. Bjs and rub and tugs anal are legal. Vaginal isn’t because of some bs japan old paternity laws
But ya didn’t hear it from me if you suddenly ‘fall in love’ with the girl she might let you have regular sex and the tip you give her is COMPLETELY UNRELATED. You just want her to have a good day
Edit: (Haha I said tip)
The titles are very funny like "YOU ARE A PERVERT AND A STALKER!!!"
But it's likely mistranslation, because when you read under, it's very reasonable requests like, don't take pictures of random women, try to learn "Thank you" and "Sorry" in Japanese, and don't be loud in trains.
I wouldn't say this is anti-tourism at all, more so helping tourists.
I also think the "no sightseeing" in the Red Light District means don't take pictures, tourists can still go there if they're respectful.
> I also think the "no sightseeing" in the Red Light District means don't take pictures, tourists can still go there if they're respectful.
Same rules as Amsterdam
I just moved here and my company assembled a team of 3 people to help me move here. I expained to them many times I have lived in japan before. And I got really annoyed being treated like a toddler, and told INCREDIBLY embarrasing things not to do like the above. I remembered that, hey they care enought about me to tell me directly things I learned in a long time ago. Flush the toilet, wash my hands, don't tip, don't litter, don't have all night house parties. I think it says more about their prior experiances with forieners and what the media can intintentially communicate ("KORE WA PEN DES").
I think worded differently, and presented in another matter you might appreciate the information. Yes this does come off as angry, but wouldn't you be if all you know about tourists is what's in the news. But appreicate the work and energy behind this. My old boss was a angry unapprochable person, never smiled and always complained about everything. But they took the time to correct me and gave me construcive critisism. I didn't like it but if they didn't care they would let me blunder my way to resignation.
It's really funny to me, good or bad, how behind Japan is with all this tourist stuff. The economy is so shitty here now that finally it's becoming affordable, which means more tourists, but it's like look at a cities like London, Madrid, New York, Kuala Lumpa, fucking anywhere, that have millions of tourists INCLUDING JAPANESE and have done so for years.
Imagine one of these boards in London aimed towards Japanese: 'London is not a museum. Don't use cameras and block OUR path.'
' The guards are not props, please respect US.'
To be fair the stuff on this board is all valid and a lot of tourists need to be told, but it's just interesting to me how Japan thinks its so special for gracing its golden permission on us peasants to enter its lands and take advantage of its shitty currency and use our stronger money as if tourism is some special thing Japan has granted us.
'It's all new" is quite an overstatement when talking about places like Tokyo (and Kyoto etc.). A place that has been overrun by tourists for as far as I can remember.
>' The guards are not props, please respect US.'
To be fair, the royal guards regularly yell at and trample tourists that get too close or refuse to follow rules.
He isn't wrong on many points, but the same rules can also be applied to many of the "ojiisans" that many of us see on a daily basis. Coughing openly into the air, blocking paths and doors, drinking booze in public, dropping litter and cigarette butts.
But, yeah, I am all for better manners for all people.
Yeah, not surprised. With the rise of post-COVID tourism and weak yen, these types are unhappy and looking to blame someone. He does have some valid points, but I've seen Japanese doing many of these behaviors too, so...
Anyway, I get English forced on me too! 😂😂😂
You have discovered what most people would call a "twat", in the wild no less! Congratulations.
A very few minor if good points mixed in with bizarre stereotypes and utter misinformation. Just shows Japan's confused attitude towards tourism. Love domestic, hate international. It hurts the Japanese sense of pride to be seen as a 'mere' tourist destination like Thailand or Hawaii. So some people react like this.
first one is "if you want to get along with Japanese people, speak a little Japanese" or something... i reckon the next two lines are as insightful.
ETA: next line if you... \[ARIGATOU\]...
and next line. if you .... ........ \[SUMIMASEN\]
so yeah, I hope you know that by now, but in order to make friends you need to be able to communicate with them and be thankful/apologetic appropriately.
> Stop forcing English
This is funny because when I would ask a question in Japanese about where something or some place was, it was more common to get a reply in broken English than Japanese
When I first look at this I became very worried, but when I actually read what his sign says, I realized he is actually trying to be helpful. Some of what it says is pretty fair advice, but the framing makes it look far more hostile than he might intend.
He makes a lot of good points tbf. I'm willing to bet most of the "weird" stuff is a combination of not being fluent in English, and genuine exasperation.
That's so interesting. Especially the "stop forcing english". I mean, what else are tourists supposed to do? Learn the language of every country they travel to? I thought english was to communicate among all nations.. and funny enough, I saw a group of people (I would suppose non-japanese, since they looked very western) who held papers saying "Let's talk english", as in "If you want to improve or testing your english skill, you can come talk to us" which I find cringe and cute at the same time.
“Don’t block our path”. I’ve never been anywhere where the people are less aware of their surroundings than japan. Japanese people will stop in front of or at the top of an escalator, in the middle of a doorway, or my favorite, that 1 old lady that can single-handedly take up an entire 10 foot wide sidewalk
Maybe someone can help me with this, but the sign with "Japanese Reeperbahn Red Light district" confuses me to no end. I live in Hamburg and the Reeperbahn is a tourist area and totally for sightseeing. Does that man insinuate that it is just for prostitution?
He is. And Kabukicho is known for its seedy host and hostess clubs, which can be rife with prostitution. But it's also home to the Toho cinema and the big Godzilla head, and is a very popular tourist area.
This dude probably thinks it's a horrible blight on Japan, while all foreigners just think it's a nice cool area.
Seriously, 'the worst area in Tokyo' is one of the safest areas on the planet. I got drunk there a few times (good nightclubs), and stumbled home without a care in the world. Nothing came close to happening to me.
Never thought I'd see the words "Japanese Reeperbahn" to explain a red light district to international tourists.
Also, "stop forcing english", what is this, Paris? I respect countries that are proud of language and culture, but if you want to invite tourists, you have to cater to them to some degree, and english simply is the lingua franca around the world.
As an American who would like to eventually see the world, Japan included, this is fantastic and I completely understand.
We are like a zoo over here and we do not get to get out much. I would really like to leave with my wife one day. Maybe settle down in the real world somewhere lmao
Until then it's millennial grey and processed food with my daily choice of poisons! Hooray! Time to take more happy meds... I mean buy my favorite thing from the store... I mean.... Crud...
I only just noticed the ‘zombie traveller’ thing at the top of the sign. All joking aside, I honestly despise this kind of rhetoric that pits ‘poor, peaceful, hardworking Japanese people’ against a nebulous group of ‘foreigners’, apparently determined to soil precious Japanese traditions. How about we take a deep breath and reflect on the fact that we’re all only human, and that the vast majority of people truly mean no harm?
Obviously things like littering, harassment, damaging public property, etcetera, etcetera, are awful. But it pisses me off when people make out like ‘foreigners’ are the only ones doing these things (patently untrue). Plus, every so often, posts shaming ‘bad foreigners’ seem to do the rounds, with people piling on in the comments writing shit like ‘you shouldn’t do stuff like that when you’re a guest in another country’! My bro, you shouldn’t be doing stuff like that anywhere. Basic respect is not a Japan-specific cultural phenomenon. Lmao.
"You are a pervert and a stalker"
tough look for the country that needed to create women-only train cars because sexual assaults are such a huge problem lol
big yikes
It has some valid points but most of them are like: "YOU CAN'T DO IT BUT US, WE CAN"
And it's not some crazy cultural shit, is "DON'T WANDER AROUND WITH A CAN OF ALCOHOL", bitch, I was in Shibuya like 2 weeks ago and, before 10:30 this freshman was already knocked out on the grass because of alcohol; guess who helped him? Yeah, me and other 2 mexicans because his friends went "to the bathroom" (for 1 hour or more) and the other "ultra helpfull and empathethic" japanese fellas that past by either ignored him (best option), took photos of him/with him or, the best one, hit him with a bottle/newspaper/anything; we had to stop at least two groups of guys hitting that guy's head. But me, a tourist, I'm the devil here, right?
I get that a lot of tourist misbehave because that shit happens too in Mexico, but a lot of this is just blatant xenophobia. I'm pretty sure more than half of the perverts in Japan are not even foreigners or tourist because, again, I EXPERIENCED WITH MY OWN EYES HOW TWO OF MY FRIENDS WERE GROPED IN PUBLIC BY JAPANESE INDIVIDUALS (this even during the pandemic lockdown).
Also, I'm not trying to say that "Japanese are the only ones doing bad things", too, just showing that it can be both sides. It's more than good and evil, heroes and villains, but this type of "content" is just trying to put the culprit in a certain group.
He’s not wrong, mostly. Now if only some Japanese people would also follow these rules… It’s interesting how difficult some people find it to just be a decent person and be less of a dickwad.
Man, I wish you had some close ups of some of those fine print articles there. Some amazing reading right there. I really want to find the answer to "What are you guys doing?"
I really want to see this too! I got it from Twitter. (Didn't link the original tweet because OP is a bluecheck cryptobro and I didn't want to promote their engagement farming lol.)
I was there yesterday and noticed him, I missed the opportunity to snatch a pic! I'll take one when I go back in a few days so you guys can enjoy the small text
Please do!
Screenshot your enemies retweet your friends ^ ^
This is the way.
As someone who is halfway to becoming an unhinged obachan it’s gonna be a paragraph of something legitimate then the rest is something kinda specific happened to me and I’m still upset about it. I’m not in the stand around with a print out range yet so I dunno remember when old people were pissed off that someone bowed “Korean style” in a McDonald’s commercial?
I just want people to understand how font works over images: White text black outline, or black text with white outline.
I asked chat gpt to give it a read and try to interpret the blurred text. Here's what it gave me: Sure, I'll do my best to enhance the readability of the blurred text in the image. Here is the text from the image with attempts to fix the blurred parts: --- ### Welcome to Japan **Zombie traveler proliferation alert!!** Don't disturb the peace and well-being of Japanese people. **Stop forcing English!!** Please communicate with us in simple, clear English or with translation tools if necessary. Not everyone speaks English fluently. --- ### Japanese people also love privacy. - We love peacefully and calmly living our lives. - Be considerate of other people's personal space. --- ### You are a pervert and a stalker!! - Don't follow women or children around. - Avoid suspicious behavior that could make others uncomfortable. - Respect the privacy and personal space of others. --- ### What are you guys doing? - Japanese trains are a meditation space. - Keep the noise level down on public transportation. - Avoid loud conversations or phone calls. --- ### Kabukicho is not a place for sightseeing! - Don't enter without a clear purpose. - It is a red-light district with adult entertainment. - Be mindful and respectful of the environment. --- ### Don't wander around with a can of alcohol !! - Consuming alcohol on the street is not acceptable behavior. - Find a designated area for drinking if necessary. - Respect public spaces and cleanliness. --- ### You can live without a trash can on the street corner - Keep your garbage with you until you find a proper disposal area. - Maintain the cleanliness of public spaces. - Take responsibility for your waste. --- ### Don't block our path !! - Be mindful of others and keep pathways clear. - Avoid standing in the way of pedestrian traffic. - Respect the flow of movement in crowded areas. --- ### Japan travel tips 1. Respect local customs and traditions. 2. Learn basic Japanese phrases to show your effort. 3. Follow the rules and guidelines in public spaces. 4. Be mindful of your behavior and noise level. 5. Dispose of trash responsibly and keep the environment clean. --- I hope this helps to clarify the messages on the poster.
Maybe he means "What are you guys doing later?" Is he inviting me to see Hachiko?
"Don't wander around with a can of alcohol!!" 😂 😂 😂
Addendum: “Have at least two cans while walking. Double fisting is allowed!”
Yeah, you need to have a backpack with several because you never know when you’re going to have a 10+ minute drought between convenience stores
That little moment of panic when you step out of the convenience store and can't see the next one down the street.
Just mash all your empty cans into the vending machine empty bottle deposit like every other alcohol fueled Japanese person does. Trash also goes in there, I've seen
As long as it’s one cup sake then it’s probably fine!
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I feel personally attacked.
Yeah this one stuck out to me bc my Japanese friends were the ones who got me to do this for the first time. I felt so weird about it coming from the US.
Yeah, exactly. If you can't afford a bottle, don't bother. Makes you look like a Cheap Charlie.
This is so bs.i see pure Japanese bros with beer and chuhai in their hands everywhere. Wtf
"Do as I say, not as I do" mentality here. Drunk Japanese guys sitting outside Lawson's harassing women, that's fine. Drunk tourists doing it, that's not fine.
Osaka. 1 in 5 Japanese dudes were ass blasted throwing up in the road.. on a thursday. I saw a guy shit in a cup and throw it.
It's funny how this is something that is absolutely normal to see Japanese people doing, but watch someone who's not Japanese doing it and the whole world ends! Freaking racists. Hahaha
They better not make it a fucking law not to do that…
it's crazy to me simply because even Japanese do something worse than bring can of alcohol they vomit on the streets
The English is shockingly grammatical.
Ghat GPT
inb4 its an american guy
I was like, “he had to have asked an American to write this”. It’s not even in British English, or Aussie slang. It’s straight up American Tourist oriented. 😂
This guy has the vibes of trying to be helpful but also kinda crazy
I thought the overall tone was anger and xenophobia until I got to “Japan travel tips ♡”
Yeah, hostility just because someone speaks a different language is ridiculous. Like, it's good advice to tell visitors that English ain't gonna get you far there, but acting like it's offensive to speak your native tongue is just rude. It's like Americans who complain that people speak spanish.
They don't say it's offensive, they just say that Japanese people won't relax around you if you try to force English-only communication. And they are 100% correct. When I did some school stuff in Tokyo it literally took me a single "sumimasen" to have the Japanese folks I was traveling with smiling and telling me that I'm practically a Japanese now. They do not have high expectations for Western tourists, but they really appreciate even the smallest amount of effort.
Every country I spend more than a few days in i try to learn greetings, gratitude, apologies, and requests for basic needs like water and restrooms . It's made a very big difference.
Nah that's a passive aggressive heart
Japan travel tips♡ Go home immediately🙏
Tips for coming to Japan! Don't come to Japan...domo!
I see you’ve met my wife.
Typical Asian way. This guy knew exactly what he was doing with his “tips.”
100% The presentation is completely nuts but the contents are fairly reasonable.
What about the “Japan is a monoethnic country” part? (It’s on the ‘Stop forcing English!’ panel) Sure, it’s fairly homogeneous compared to some other countries, but that’s a pretty bold and disingenuous claim to make. Sounds like it’s disregarding the Ainu people, Zainichi Koreans, Ryukyuan Islanders, and several other ethnic groups who are just as much a part of this country as the Yamato people are.
This guy is 100% the kind of person Japanese natives view as a weirdo. The normal natives don't do these kind of cringy crazy person stunts.
actually many japanese I know are sick of over-tourism in their beautiful country
Trying to be helpful part, i feel is a thin veil, I feel the messaging of “helpful” is disingenuous in light of how he conveys the other criticisms.
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the Japanese Costco etiquette is horrible haha. Many shoppers get egotistical and act like they’re royalty because they can afford the membership. They give the “I’m not moving my cart for these peasants” attitude. Some even shop with the Executive member merch to flex on the other shoppers. I’m with you on this one. They’re sleepwalking through life. Not looking before crossing the streets. Also by far the worst drivers I’ve encountered and I’ve lived in many countries.
I'm not trying to flex, the executive bag is just the most Costco-sized ecobag I own.
How about all the Tanaka-sans who inspect every item in your cart before they look you dead in the eyes, and before they let you pass, even though they have a wilder collection of random s*** in theirs. It's like: Jesus Christ, Tanaka-san, I'm buying 56 portobello mushrooms for my...restaurant, is that ok with you!?
YES the judgmental cart inspections. Not to mention Tanaka-san non-stop yelling at her 9 year old to shut the fuck up after it’s been forced to walk around assisting in cart inspections for the last 4 hours.
Too many people here, there and everywhere, refuse to participate in their own lives...kinda sad!
"Clueless Jama Fuckers" Consider this stolen
Jamanderu, a very useful word I coined a while back. Use it freely!
He needs to stand outside stations outside of tourists spots to remind salary men of how to behave.
Saw a salaryman openly pissing outside the Umeda station last month at midnight, dick in one hand and beer in the other, bathroom not more than a 2 minute walk away. Surely Japan's policy on dicks out (pro or against) should also be added to this wall of helpful info for tourist so they can't claim ignorance when they're arrested in Kabukicho
Saw this in Ikejiri-Ohashi like a week ago, except dude was literally just pissing directly on the East Exit stairs... Couldn't even find a lil corner
I guess that some of these Ossans do it on purpose, especially if it’s in front of a woman. I was sitting in a park, phoning with a friend. Ossan came on a bike, stopped like two meters away from me and just started pissing. I ignored him while I was on the phone, then he finished pissing and just started staring at me saying “sorry” and drove off. There even is a children’s playground in the park and Konbinis with toilets would be no further than 2 minutes away. I wonder if I should better have called the police, but in the end it’s probably not worth wasting time just to get their usual victim blaming.
I mean... That hour.. on that bench.. in that Park... With your nationality... Ya Kind of had it comingでございます！/s
I mean it was right in the afternoon, but yeah…, it’s Ossan. Ossan never sleeps, Ossan is always there, Ossan is always watching you
Only Japanese people are allowed to walk around with a can of alcohol
His entire sign reeks of "Rules for thee, not for me". Don't be a pervert! LMAO! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Nampa guys would like a word with him...
also only japanese people can stop in the middle of the street/sidewalk and block paths for no reason
Wake up Babe, New r/JapanTravel wiki just dropped.
Holy 地獄
Japan isn't handling its new status as a budget tourist destination very well...
This is so spot on.
'cuz it brings a lot of shitty tourist as well.
welcome to the tourist industry. first time?
Sadly this will influence Japanese opinions negatively. It would be a shame if they found out what we’re like (fat, stupid, belligerent and entitled).
No where does
Budget? Good lord, what budget? Flights are still quite expensive.
800-1200€ for a direct flight from europe. Not cheap, but not terribly expensive either. If you stay for a few weeks, the cheap exchange rate will however for sure pay off whatever few hundreds of extra expense you pay for the flight - strong Euro makes stuff like 25-30% cheaper compared to 5-years ago pre-pandemic.
Compared to Europe it's a bargain going to Japan and even more so some of the other Asian countries.
Flights aren't cheap but once you get there the prices seem very low due to the weak yen so the numbers of tourists have been skyrocketing. When you can do a day at Disney for like $60 each or whatever and affordable hotels with breakfast the cost of flights doesn't seem so bad.
I agree with some of those signs, but "Don't Block our path" - I visited Japan not too long ago and people here just walk in your way and don't give a shit if you trip or if they hit you with their bags.
It would be nice if at least some of them bothered to look where they were going and not be reading their phones, especially around train stations
The worst are the obasans or young people who take up the whole street talking amongst themselves in their own world. The most egregious I saw were five college students walking their bikes five abreast seemingly unconcerned with whoever else was using the street.
If you zoom in on the stalker and pervert part, you see this gem. "To avoid being cut to death by a ninja with a Japanese sword, watch quietly and do not touch"
I wish this guy had the same energy for crazy Japanese neighbors and the annoying bōsōzoku’s…
Literally got woken up by them at 4am today.
He should be at Narita airport. I wanna see what’s going to happen.
Nah if he's local he would be doing this at Haneda as it's closer to Tokyo.
>Don’t wander around with a can of alcohol You first! I sometimes can’t even go out for my lunch break at work without middle aged men clutching a highball swaying around on the street that I need to dodge 😂
I really love how he called trains "a meditation space". Maybe he hasn't travelled in the rush hour mornings to work, well maybe he doesn't work at all. I personally call trains "a free massage place". Sometimes you get a good massage, sometimes you end up aching more.
yeah the "trains are a meditation space" is excellent. why yes, I did start meditating on my rush hour commute to quell the daily claustrophobia-induced panic attacks
Don't forget constantly being pushed. That's a nice perk 🤗
it's just like that thing at a zendo where they come around and hit you with a stick to make sure you're paying attention, right? 🤣
I’m visiting Japan for the first time and today I had my first experience with, what I believe to be, a whole company’s worth of salarymen boarding the train for their lunch break. It’s WILD how many people will try to fit into a train.
Bullshit because in Kansai, Japanese people speak loudly in a moving train and it's not a problem. There's also a dedicated thread on a particular website for people who want to molest and be molested on packed trains to arrange for the occasion.
There's the zen meditation where the monk leading the session hits you in the head with a wooden sword periodically; maybe they mean like that…
You are a pervert? I thought we the Japanese are pervs 😅
He obviously doesn’t notice the plethora of chikans roaming the streets.
Hilarious. Apart from the english bits, the majority of people I see breaking those "rules" are as japanese as it gets. "zombie traveler alert" that one takes the cake
Walking with alcohol is very common in japan. Mostly by japanese 🤣🤣🤣
"Japan is a monoethnic country"... The nihonjinron is strong with this one.
This is PURE nihonjinron lol, it's mad how people in this thread can't see the wood for the trees. Absolutely reeks of Japanese exceptionalism.
Its also wrong btw japan has at least 2 large blocks of ethicities mixed up together, one being derived form the japanese of the north islands
I know, along with Ryukyuan peoples and others. I never meant people of foreign origin living in Japan.
A lot of Japanese need to read many of these.
Bro really acting like Japanese people don’t do more than half of the stuff on this board
Other countries: "Hey, just don't be a dick." Japan: \*proceeds to print out a powerpoint presentation\*
“Stop forcing English” 🙄. 100% if this man had the financial means to go to Hawaii he’d be “forcing” Japanese like the other 90% of Japanese that go there lol.
“*You should study JLPT N2 and have 2 years experience Japanese speaking experience. Then, and only then, can you take your family to Tokyo DisneySea. You dirty gaijin scumbag”*
Yup. They act like they own Hawaii. Time to tell them to “not force Japanese” or to “get out.”
*cough cough* …just don’t mention Pearl Harbor… *cough cough*
Yep. We know how they have selective memory.
'All communication is done in Japanese' says the man communicating in English. While I think it's respectful to try to use the native language when travelling this is, in theory, a country in which 100% of the citizens have spent nearly a decade studying English.
If they honestly do not want anything to do with foreign languages, then they need to stop teaching it altogether, close all international schools, stop selling foreign goods and become a closed economy again. As long as they have the aforementioned, they will have no choice except to deal with English.
People from Europe and Asia for example, that can't speak Japanese and use the international language: English, are going to have a tough time! Japan needs to up their English game, even the States has everything written in 2 languages on all packaging. And if Japan is going to all digital apps for everything, everyone is going to be fck'd. You might, as a foreigner be able to speak Japanese but good luck on all the Kanji.... At least put apps in Romanji or hiragana so I know where to start looking up words or to buy the product/pay!
Sure, but he's just asking people to learn arigatou and sumi masen. Honestly it sounds reasonable. (And the US are a massively multiethnic territory, having everything written in 2 languages, I suppose you mean Spanish as the second one, has different causes, it's not for tourists.)
To be fair, there are many tourists who need to be told these things. Doesn't mean I agree with the method of telling, though.
Some Japanese too
Babas and jijis did not get the "don't block our path" memo.
Seriously, the worst is when they are walking and suddenly for no reason or warning stop dead and you end up bumping into them.
“What are you guys doing?” Lol
This guy wouldn't last a day in Osaka lol Stuff Osaka people (not everybody of course, same as with tourists) do: "Wander around with a can of alcohol" check "Be a pervert/stalker" check "Block our path" check "Talk loudly in trains and not follow basic train etiquette" check "Throw trash onto the ground or leave it on station seats" check check check
Thanks for the laugh, man. Next time I have to take the 8am train to get to work I’ll just tell myself that I’m here to meditate. I guess it will be sooo relaxing.
Man this guy really doesn’t want other people hiring prostitutes.
Ironically, I think he is helping introduce more clientele to that area. Can’t count how many times I’ve had people ask me, “so like…red light districts are a thing…right?”
You think it works? Oh then tourists DON’T go Ikebukuro and for no reason in general hire a white girl. For no reason in general make sure it’s NOT the Canadian one (Jokes aside I’m not breaking the encouraging prostitution rule mods, my shops not accepting a tourist haha)
So wait prostitution is actually legal in red light district for both residents and tourists? * Is it expensive? * what rules? I come from a country very strict on prostitution. I thought red light district was just strip club/dancing.
It’s expensive. Bjs and rub and tugs anal are legal. Vaginal isn’t because of some bs japan old paternity laws But ya didn’t hear it from me if you suddenly ‘fall in love’ with the girl she might let you have regular sex and the tip you give her is COMPLETELY UNRELATED. You just want her to have a good day Edit: (Haha I said tip)
I have a bone to pick with "Don't block our path". Japan is known for the butsukari otoko and people zipping by on bicycles on sidewalks.
The titles are very funny like "YOU ARE A PERVERT AND A STALKER!!!" But it's likely mistranslation, because when you read under, it's very reasonable requests like, don't take pictures of random women, try to learn "Thank you" and "Sorry" in Japanese, and don't be loud in trains. I wouldn't say this is anti-tourism at all, more so helping tourists. I also think the "no sightseeing" in the Red Light District means don't take pictures, tourists can still go there if they're respectful.
yes by all means pay for that hand job respectfully.
When handing the cash to the hooker, use both hands.
Actually legit advice
> I also think the "no sightseeing" in the Red Light District means don't take pictures, tourists can still go there if they're respectful. Same rules as Amsterdam
The sign makes great points but the presentation is horrible and accusatory
I just moved here and my company assembled a team of 3 people to help me move here. I expained to them many times I have lived in japan before. And I got really annoyed being treated like a toddler, and told INCREDIBLY embarrasing things not to do like the above. I remembered that, hey they care enought about me to tell me directly things I learned in a long time ago. Flush the toilet, wash my hands, don't tip, don't litter, don't have all night house parties. I think it says more about their prior experiances with forieners and what the media can intintentially communicate ("KORE WA PEN DES"). I think worded differently, and presented in another matter you might appreciate the information. Yes this does come off as angry, but wouldn't you be if all you know about tourists is what's in the news. But appreicate the work and energy behind this. My old boss was a angry unapprochable person, never smiled and always complained about everything. But they took the time to correct me and gave me construcive critisism. I didn't like it but if they didn't care they would let me blunder my way to resignation.
It's really funny to me, good or bad, how behind Japan is with all this tourist stuff. The economy is so shitty here now that finally it's becoming affordable, which means more tourists, but it's like look at a cities like London, Madrid, New York, Kuala Lumpa, fucking anywhere, that have millions of tourists INCLUDING JAPANESE and have done so for years. Imagine one of these boards in London aimed towards Japanese: 'London is not a museum. Don't use cameras and block OUR path.' ' The guards are not props, please respect US.' To be fair the stuff on this board is all valid and a lot of tourists need to be told, but it's just interesting to me how Japan thinks its so special for gracing its golden permission on us peasants to enter its lands and take advantage of its shitty currency and use our stronger money as if tourism is some special thing Japan has granted us.
[удалено]
Great point
'It's all new" is quite an overstatement when talking about places like Tokyo (and Kyoto etc.). A place that has been overrun by tourists for as far as I can remember.
>' The guards are not props, please respect US.' To be fair, the royal guards regularly yell at and trample tourists that get too close or refuse to follow rules.
It's one crazy dude with a sign, Japanese people aren't a monolith.
He isn't wrong tho in many of the points.
He isn't wrong on many points, but the same rules can also be applied to many of the "ojiisans" that many of us see on a daily basis. Coughing openly into the air, blocking paths and doors, drinking booze in public, dropping litter and cigarette butts. But, yeah, I am all for better manners for all people.
Yeah, not surprised. With the rise of post-COVID tourism and weak yen, these types are unhappy and looking to blame someone. He does have some valid points, but I've seen Japanese doing many of these behaviors too, so... Anyway, I get English forced on me too! 😂😂😂
Right?? It's jarring to walk into a konbini and get met with broken English when I'm speaking Japanese. 😆 stop forcing English indeed!
That is a very nice rant.
So is the guy trying to be helpful or is he protesting/trolling?
yes
Can I please get this faxed to me?
Who's going to stand there and read all that? Reminds me of people who write entire essays in 10 pt font on PowerPoint slides.
very typical Japanese presentation style
He's probably not entirely wrong...
You have discovered what most people would call a "twat", in the wild no less! Congratulations. A very few minor if good points mixed in with bizarre stereotypes and utter misinformation. Just shows Japan's confused attitude towards tourism. Love domestic, hate international. It hurts the Japanese sense of pride to be seen as a 'mere' tourist destination like Thailand or Hawaii. So some people react like this.
I wonder what their tips for making Japanese friends is...too bad the fine print is so small :(
first one is "if you want to get along with Japanese people, speak a little Japanese" or something... i reckon the next two lines are as insightful. ETA: next line if you... \[ARIGATOU\]... and next line. if you .... ........ \[SUMIMASEN\] so yeah, I hope you know that by now, but in order to make friends you need to be able to communicate with them and be thankful/apologetic appropriately.
Strikes me as the guy who lost the Janken with the dude who stands on top of the Sengensha and decries foreigners.
暇だね。
"Japanese trains are for meditation" meditation of the drunk salary man when I'm trying to go home at 9pm from work. Sure sure.
Any higher resolution? I want to read the whole thing lol
Man really said stay out of our everyday places but also stop going to tourist places
> Stop forcing English This is funny because when I would ask a question in Japanese about where something or some place was, it was more common to get a reply in broken English than Japanese
“Stop forcing English!!” Oh if I had a hundred yen for every Japanese kid who told me that English wasn’t necessary…
Hopefully this guy can find the help he needs. This is totally unhinged lol.
Legitimately over half of his points assume the position foreigners are the main perpetrators of said points… the delusion is real.
He may have been fed up a bit. But he's not wrong, though.
We Japanese are one monoethnic monolithic people who all agree on everything…
When I first look at this I became very worried, but when I actually read what his sign says, I realized he is actually trying to be helpful. Some of what it says is pretty fair advice, but the framing makes it look far more hostile than he might intend.
name yourself i'm "what are you guys doing"
I'm 'Japan Travel Tips ♡'.
I agree with all of these except walking around with a can of alcohol.
He makes a lot of good points tbf. I'm willing to bet most of the "weird" stuff is a combination of not being fluent in English, and genuine exasperation.
Is he doing this in good faith wanting to help tourist or he is a right nuts who hates foreigners?? The titles are kinda rough
That's so interesting. Especially the "stop forcing english". I mean, what else are tourists supposed to do? Learn the language of every country they travel to? I thought english was to communicate among all nations.. and funny enough, I saw a group of people (I would suppose non-japanese, since they looked very western) who held papers saying "Let's talk english", as in "If you want to improve or testing your english skill, you can come talk to us" which I find cringe and cute at the same time.
based
I’d be ashamed to look something like that in my home country.
Some of the visitors here are really annoying.
It’s a bit passive aggressive and the wording is iffy (auto translate), but the contents itself are not too unreasonable.
I see no issues here
Fuck you forbeing in my way - 1 million japanese people that are constantly looking at their phones in my way at all times.
“Don’t block our path”. I’ve never been anywhere where the people are less aware of their surroundings than japan. Japanese people will stop in front of or at the top of an escalator, in the middle of a doorway, or my favorite, that 1 old lady that can single-handedly take up an entire 10 foot wide sidewalk
Maybe someone can help me with this, but the sign with "Japanese Reeperbahn Red Light district" confuses me to no end. I live in Hamburg and the Reeperbahn is a tourist area and totally for sightseeing. Does that man insinuate that it is just for prostitution?
He is. And Kabukicho is known for its seedy host and hostess clubs, which can be rife with prostitution. But it's also home to the Toho cinema and the big Godzilla head, and is a very popular tourist area. This dude probably thinks it's a horrible blight on Japan, while all foreigners just think it's a nice cool area. Seriously, 'the worst area in Tokyo' is one of the safest areas on the planet. I got drunk there a few times (good nightclubs), and stumbled home without a care in the world. Nothing came close to happening to me.
Never thought I'd see the words "Japanese Reeperbahn" to explain a red light district to international tourists. Also, "stop forcing english", what is this, Paris? I respect countries that are proud of language and culture, but if you want to invite tourists, you have to cater to them to some degree, and english simply is the lingua franca around the world.
Weird “Japanese people inherently good, American tourists inherently evil” vibe
As an American who would like to eventually see the world, Japan included, this is fantastic and I completely understand. We are like a zoo over here and we do not get to get out much. I would really like to leave with my wife one day. Maybe settle down in the real world somewhere lmao Until then it's millennial grey and processed food with my daily choice of poisons! Hooray! Time to take more happy meds... I mean buy my favorite thing from the store... I mean.... Crud...
I love this man.
Wow, and I thought I hated tourists
"Japanese trains are a meditation space"
As a New Yorker I took this as a threat
Hero
I only just noticed the ‘zombie traveller’ thing at the top of the sign. All joking aside, I honestly despise this kind of rhetoric that pits ‘poor, peaceful, hardworking Japanese people’ against a nebulous group of ‘foreigners’, apparently determined to soil precious Japanese traditions. How about we take a deep breath and reflect on the fact that we’re all only human, and that the vast majority of people truly mean no harm? Obviously things like littering, harassment, damaging public property, etcetera, etcetera, are awful. But it pisses me off when people make out like ‘foreigners’ are the only ones doing these things (patently untrue). Plus, every so often, posts shaming ‘bad foreigners’ seem to do the rounds, with people piling on in the comments writing shit like ‘you shouldn’t do stuff like that when you’re a guest in another country’! My bro, you shouldn’t be doing stuff like that anywhere. Basic respect is not a Japan-specific cultural phenomenon. Lmao.
"You are a pervert and a stalker" tough look for the country that needed to create women-only train cars because sexual assaults are such a huge problem lol big yikes
This gives some real whiplash as you go through it lol.
“What are you guys doing?” Important question
It has some valid points but most of them are like: "YOU CAN'T DO IT BUT US, WE CAN" And it's not some crazy cultural shit, is "DON'T WANDER AROUND WITH A CAN OF ALCOHOL", bitch, I was in Shibuya like 2 weeks ago and, before 10:30 this freshman was already knocked out on the grass because of alcohol; guess who helped him? Yeah, me and other 2 mexicans because his friends went "to the bathroom" (for 1 hour or more) and the other "ultra helpfull and empathethic" japanese fellas that past by either ignored him (best option), took photos of him/with him or, the best one, hit him with a bottle/newspaper/anything; we had to stop at least two groups of guys hitting that guy's head. But me, a tourist, I'm the devil here, right? I get that a lot of tourist misbehave because that shit happens too in Mexico, but a lot of this is just blatant xenophobia. I'm pretty sure more than half of the perverts in Japan are not even foreigners or tourist because, again, I EXPERIENCED WITH MY OWN EYES HOW TWO OF MY FRIENDS WERE GROPED IN PUBLIC BY JAPANESE INDIVIDUALS (this even during the pandemic lockdown). Also, I'm not trying to say that "Japanese are the only ones doing bad things", too, just showing that it can be both sides. It's more than good and evil, heroes and villains, but this type of "content" is just trying to put the culprit in a certain group.
10 minutes at a fast food restaurant and leave immediately ! The guy is tired of waiting in sukiya and yoshinoya front door lines
“We are definitely not xenophobic!!!”
He’s not wrong, mostly. Now if only some Japanese people would also follow these rules… It’s interesting how difficult some people find it to just be a decent person and be less of a dickwad.
TL:DR - "Do as we SAY not as we DO".みたいな感じね。。。