I have always wanted to go to Japan what is it like?

Answer 1

when my husband was in the navy, he was stationed in yokosuka japan and i flew over there for 2 weeks. I LOVED IT!!!

everything there is clean, like the streets and public places. and the people are so nice to you. even when we went to a fast food place, all the workers would greet us on the way in and say goodbye on our way out.

i reccommend seeing tokyo. it's big like new york but everyone is nice, everything is clean, and you don't get bothered by homeless people begging for money.

people don't steal over there either. i accidentally left about $300 laying on the desk in our hotel room and when we got back it was still there. you could tell it had been dusted under and set back down though. they are extrememely honest.

things do tend to be a bit more expensive over there though, but it's definately worth going.

Answer 2

I think there is a big difference in coming for a visit VS living here. The first time I came here was just for a visit, I did all the things tourists would do. The whole Temple, Tea ceramony, Kyoto type stuff. Japan is indeed a wonderland when your here for a visit. I enjoy living here but Japan is not the end all of be all when it comes to places to live. When you live here (at least for me) it is just like everywhere else. You work, sleep, eat and deal with the everyday stuff that you would deal with anywhere else.
If you come for a visit and don't speak much Japanese the impression you get is much different then spending a long time here. I honestly believe I was much happier living here when I had very little skill in the language. As you spend time here(and your language skills increase) you start to see the society for what is again its the same as everywhere else some great people some not so great people and some down right class A jerks.
As far as the super polite thing goes I don't see that all that often in my daily life. I do see alot of people going through the motions of the way the been taught to act. The never ending Thank you's, apologies, and excuse me's just seem insincere. One of my biggest pet peeves is on many of the trains here they have seats that are "Priority" seat meaning if and elderly, handicapped or pregnant women is force to stand you are supposed to give up your seat for them. I can not even begin to try and count the times that I have seen people who are wide awake, reading, or tex messaging suddenly start "Fake" sleeping when someone who needs the seat gets on board.
Crime yes Japan is very safe, however while walking home one night 2 years ago i was the victim of a violent crime. I live in an area that is small townish. I was harrassed and actually asualted by a group of young guys. At the time my language skills were still week but I reconized the word "Gaijin" so this was truly a rcially motivated crime. To me it was just drunk kids being drunk kids. When I reported it to the Police (with the help of my wife) they didn't seem all that concerned and nothing ever came from up.
All that said i stand by my earlier statement that japan is a great place to live and an AWESOME place to visit. Come on in the waters fine and enjoy this place for all its worth.

Answer 3

Japan is a magnificent place to visit. Natural and architectural beauty (and those gardens!), very clean, unbelievably modern (NOT "Westernized"), exciting, fun, relaxing, etc. If you go, definitely try staying in a ryokan (traditional inn) one or two nights; expensive but worth it), and try the hot-springs baths. People are very polite and helpful. All in all, an unforgettable experience.

Answer 4

Very different! It's like going into the future, but everybody looks similar. Very crowded in the cities, beautiful in the countryside. Tasty, but some funky, food.

It's hard to put into words. Check it out!!

Answer 5

I actually answered a question just like this a couple weeks ago, but I have a policy of no copy and paste answers...so (here I begin, again. Brace yourself...)

Okay, Japan is very unique, and my experience there was nothing but positive. This time around, I'll start with some things you should do.

-Shopping: Not that you could avoid this one, but I would recommend varying the places you go to. I had some of the most fun shopping at huge malls, but I was able to have an equal experience at some markets. Why? Although I tend to prefer super-modern stuff (and you can't go wrong in Japan if that's you, too), I knew that some people I was buying stuff for would appreciate the unique souvenirs that they had. For as big as America is, I had trouble finding gifts for people in Japan. But in Japan, it's real easy once you hit those outdoorsy-type markets. I was able to gain an appreciation for a variety of things. You can also find these types of places at Japan's traditional offerings, which leads to the second thing.

-Temples/Shrines: While your entire experience could be composed of just shopping and you'd still have a blast, it's good to save a few bucks (or a lot of bucks) by spending time at temples or shrines. If you're not familiar with these places in Japan, you won't have to worry about any religion being imposed on you. These aren't temples or shrines for religion per se. I would describe them as religiously based tourist spots. These temples are amazing sights to see, and you could find many photo opportunities here.

Hot springs: Though this one stretches what you are willing to do for some relaxation (aka nude), it is so worth it. If you can get past that part, and you'll have to, you'll find it to be very relaxing. Girls seem to have more sensitivity to this matter, but you have to take experiences like these as they come. It's not bad, and people don't stare. People who tell you otherwise were likely just self-conscious during their experience. Leave all pretenses behind, and enjoy the hot waters. It is soothing, and healthy. And if you happen to have the entire experience, you'll enjoy some Japanese food. Leading to the next thing.

Eat Japanese food: While you could eat a Big Mac and enjoy it as much there as you could here, the idea is to try different things than what you eat at home. While I would suggest trying a fast food meal at least once at a local eatery like Lotteria or Mos Burger, I would also suggest doing at most once. Japan has a variety of restaurants. If you're being conservative, you can always try to see if the hotel you stay in has a restaurant for dinner. I always ate breakfast at my restaurant, and I was able to have a better breakfast in the morning there than I would in America. Of course, I stayed at all Western restaurants. I don’t think that’s a big deal, but I am going to try to stay at a Japanese-style hotel next time, I would recommend the same to you.

Japan is very safe. I probably can’t stress that enough, but I say that literally. I literally can’t stress that point as much as I would like to, because I’ve only been there for two weeks. However, my cousin’s husband lived in Japan for eight years, and mostly in Tokyo. He insists that there is no place in Japan that is not safe. There may be some bias there, and my cousin was a little more tactful, saying that it is safe, but don’t take it for granted. Obviously, I wasn’t planning on walking alone at night, although you apparently can do that (elementary school students can be out late at night coming from school or even going out with friends for karaoke or such). However, one of my friends just admitted to me today (and I went to Japan last June) that they snuck out three times, one time going to a seven-story arcade and apparently somebody tried to sell them drugs on the street. Funny, if anything. Of course, people are getting mugged in broad daylight all over the place in America. If experience like the one I just described doesn’t bother you, you’ll be fine. And you won’t have to worry about being mugged, or shot or anything. Nobody has guns-apparently some police don’t have guns. That part made me happy. I think it would take much more explanation, so I’ll end this point by saying it’s simply a feeling you get the moment the first night hits. It really is surreal-I was able to go shopping at an underground plaza-type place near a subway, and in America, that’s unthinkable for me-going to my local mall at night means danger.

Okay, approaching a lengthy answer now. In essence, you’ll have many experiences there. Japan isn’t so different from the lifestyle of America, in the sense that they are people with the same feelings, worries and cares that we have. Japan is so different when you factor in the culture, the language, the sights, their daily schedule differences and a lot of other things. I can’t recommend enough what just two weeks in Japan will do for you. Not one person in my tour, whom I all knew for years before, found it bad. Going with a tour is expensive, but that almost forces you to visit more than one city. While you could enjoy one side of Japan in just Tokyo, that would be too narrow of an experience. I landed in Osaka, then off to Hiroshima, Kyoto (and Nara for a day), Gifu, Nagoya and Yokohama for a day, and finally Tokyo. All of those cities offered something different. I had the least amount of time in Osaka, but I was able to get a great first impression of the country by landing there first. It was actually over an hour from the airport to my hotel, and some of the travel times can be lengthy, but always worth it.

Japan is so unique, multi-faceted culturally, and so diverse in its offerings that you’ll find it one place you’ll never want to leave. So my suggestion is to plan a trip there. Learn a little Japanese, and bring a phrasebook, and then have a blast. I would recommend going with somebody who can look after you. Even if you are an independent person (don’t know your age), it’s still feels a little better knowing that if somebody older and/or more accustomed to the places is there with you. You’ll be able to fulfill your independence there because of the freedom that the safety of the country entails. That freedom comes with the ability to use public transportation, which is reliable. I hope you will consider going to there someday, and I hope you were able gain some insight from me today!

Answer 6

Its really cool there. The food and technology there is great! you should pretty check the place out!