Some days I feel like I'm the only one...

[freepixie]

who wants to go to Japan!

I have a bumper sticker on my car that reads "I'd rather be in Japan" and has the Japanese flag underneath. One of my coworkers asked me yesterday if that was my car and I said yes, then she says "what's up with that bumper sticker? You'd rather be in Japan? How random is that? I don't think I'd want to be there now with North Korea being so close and all that."

I kindly told her it is my hope and dream to travel to Japan someday! Then she rolls her eyes and walks away... I was so steamed!!!!

Its truly been a dream of mine to go to Japan since I was around 6-7 years old - I am now 29. I was loving all things Japanese waaaayyyy before I ever heard of anime or manga (course I love those things too )

Honestly I can't wait until the day I can go to Japan - for real I'm sending postcards to all the people over the years who have thought of my traveling there to be a strange idea!! I will SO show them when I go there!!

I don't know, sorry for the rant, but she ticked me off, and she is not the first person to make a rude comment of my bumper sticker. I just wish people would respect my dream instead of rolling their eyes or making comments.

 

[queenie82]

I had always wanted to go to Japan as well and finally got the opportunity to go a year ago. As something to wish for I don't understand the reactions you have been getting. They seem more strange than the desire to go there.

Now that I have been I have discovered it isn't quite what I expected nor really my cup of tea but I'm very glad I went and recommend people do go have a look! We don't have all the same tastes...and in my experience in all my travels is that you need to go somewhere to really understand it. To just dismiss it out of hand is just silly.

Some places have really surprised me and I have enjoyed FAR more than I expected (Helsinki for example) and others have disappointed. (Tokyo actually for me.)
It is true we spent 90% of the trip at Tokyo Disney (which is amazing!! and I wanna go back) rather than the rest of Japan but I must say Tokyo as a city actually disappointed me.

If I were to have a bumper sticker like that it would say
I'd rather be in Big White!

Keep on dreaming!!! Ignore the detractors!!
Best of luck getting there

 

[disneyholic family]

when you go to japan, DON'T just go to tokyo disney....and don't just go to tokyo...

go for 3 weeks (as a minimum) and travel the length of japan..

at the very least, go to tokyo, kobe, kyoto, nara, and many points in between....
travel by train and go to the places the japanese go when they go on holiday...

and save tokyo disney for the end....your last 4 or 5 days in japan....

but don't just go to tokyo...
that's like going to new york city and being disappointed in america....
how can anyone say they've experienced the US by just seeing New York....or LA.....

oh, and don't stay in the western only hotels....
stay in ryokans and in hotels the japanese stay in...
you'll have a very different experience...
there are many cheap ryokans available......

japan is an incredible place...completely different from anything else you'll ever experience...(including the other asian countries)...
and it's a wonderfully safe place to visit....another difference between it and other countries..

anyway...i love japan and i don't think it's weird for you to want to visit it..

my daugther also had a dream of visiting there (probably my fault)...
anyway, she finally went last year and totally fell in love with the country and the people...

 

[queenie82]

when you go to japan, DON'T just go to tokyo disney....and don't just go to tokyo...

go for 3 weeks (as a minimum) and travel the length of japan..

at the very least, go to tokyo, kobe, kyoto, nara, and many points in between....
travel by train and go to the places the japanese go when they go on holiday...

and save tokyo disney for the end....your last 4 or 5 days in japan....

but don't just go to tokyo...
that's like going to new york city and being disappointed in america....
how can anyone say they've experienced the US by just seeing New York....or LA.....

oh, and don't stay in the western only hotels....
stay in ryokans and in hotels the japanese stay in...
you'll have a very different experience...
there are many cheap ryokans available......

japan is an incredible place...completely different from anything else you'll ever experience...(including the other asian countries)...
and it's a wonderfully safe place to visit....another difference between it and other countries..

anyway...i love japan and i don't think it's weird for you to want to visit it..

my daugther also had a dream of visiting there (probably my fault)...
anyway, she finally went last year and totally fell in love with the country and the people...

The part of Japan I was most looking forward to was Tokyo...so it is perfectly valid being disappointed in the specific thing I was wanting to see.
I'm an Architect who has studied their modern architecture and this is want I went to see. While the construction details and so on are innovative and well thought out the execution is not as I expected.
I'm not disappointed in the country as a whole...
I know and understand more about their traditional wooden architecture than you probably ever could.

Please don't lecture people and disrespect their opinions

 

[ChrisFL]

I know how the OP feels, I thought it would be forever until I could get to go to Japan, then an opportunity came since I was being sent to Asia for my job about a year and a half ago, so I was able to spend nearly 4 days in Tokyo. Inevitably I wanted to see Tokyo Disney very badly, so I spent 2 days there, and 2 days seeing other stuff in Tokyo....it wasn't nearly enough!!

I got a very small taste of the cool things there and can't wait to go back. Tokyo can seem overwhelming, but I really enjoyed it.

 

[simzac]

when you go to japan, DON'T just go to tokyo disney....and don't just go to tokyo...

go for 3 weeks (as a minimum) and travel the length of japan..

at the very least, go to tokyo, kobe, kyoto, nara, and many points in between....
travel by train and go to the places the japanese go when they go on holiday...

and save tokyo disney for the end....your last 4 or 5 days in japan....

but don't just go to tokyo...
that's like going to new york city and being disappointed in america....
how can anyone say they've experienced the US by just seeing New York....or LA.....

oh, and don't stay in the western only hotels....
stay in ryokans and in hotels the japanese stay in...
you'll have a very different experience...
there are many cheap ryokans available......

japan is an incredible place...completely different from anything else you'll ever experience...(including the other asian countries)...
and it's a wonderfully safe place to visit....another difference between it and other countries..

anyway...i love japan and i don't think it's weird for you to want to visit it..

my daugther also had a dream of visiting there (probably my fault)...
anyway, she finally went last year and totally fell in love with the country and the people...

Call me weird, but the only thing I want to see in Japan is Tokyo Disney Resort. I have no desire to see anything else in the country. Anyone else who does is perfectly fine with me, to each his or her own. And by the way, I feel the same way about Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. Guess the best way to prove how I feel is by this example. I'm a courier driver in the Indianapolis area, and last fall our company got the chance to make several hand deliveries to Singapore. Each driver that went other than me spent part of their short stay in Singapore exploring the city. Not me, I spent 19 hours in the airport terminal, I had no desire to site see at all. Now if there had been a Disney park there, you bet I would have been there immediately. Just goes to show that not everyones interests are the same. Good luck to the OP on getting to Tokyo, everyone else also. And when you get there, go see the things you want to see. JMO

 

[freepixie]

when you go to japan, DON'T just go to tokyo disney....and don't just go to tokyo...

go for 3 weeks (as a minimum) and travel the length of japan..

at the very least, go to tokyo, kobe, kyoto, nara, and many points in between....
travel by train and go to the places the japanese go when they go on holiday...

and save tokyo disney for the end....your last 4 or 5 days in japan....

but don't just go to tokyo...
that's like going to new york city and being disappointed in america....
how can anyone say they've experienced the US by just seeing New York....or LA.....

oh, and don't stay in the western only hotels....
stay in ryokans and in hotels the japanese stay in...
you'll have a very different experience...
there are many cheap ryokans available......

japan is an incredible place...completely different from anything else you'll ever experience...(including the other asian countries)...
and it's a wonderfully safe place to visit....another difference between it and other countries..

anyway...i love japan and i don't think it's weird for you to want to visit it..

my daugther also had a dream of visiting there (probably my fault)...
anyway, she finally went last year and totally fell in love with the country and the people...

Oh I agree, whenever I get to go, I want to see it ALL!! I even want to get all the way up to Hokkaido too for the town that Saishu Heiki Kanojo was based on, all the photos of it are truly amazing!! I definately want to go to TDR but there is so much more to see and do in Japan!! I'd love to go at different times of the year for different things too!!! Like the cherry blossoms in the spring and the ice sculptures in the winter, not to mention New year!! I'd love to be there during Tanabata and visit all the shrines!!

But thanks for the encouragement guys! Its just disheartining when people try to tear down your dream and try to make you feel strange about it.

Like I said, this has been a dream of mine since childhood!! I'm not letting these people bring my hopes down!!

 

[ChrisFL]

Call me weird, but the only thing I want to see in Japan is Tokyo Disney Resort. I have no desire to see anything else in the country. Anyone else who does is perfectly fine with me, to each his or her own. And by the way, I feel the same way about Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. Guess the best way to prove how I feel is by this example. I'm a courier driver in the Indianapolis area, and last fall our company got the chance to make several hand deliveries to Singapore. Each driver that went other than me spent part of their short stay in Singapore exploring the city. Not me, I spent 19 hours in the airport terminal, I had no desire to site see at all. Now if there had been a Disney park there, you bet I would have been there immediately. Just goes to show that not everyones interests are the same. Good luck to the OP on getting to Tokyo, everyone else also. And when you get there, go see the things you want to see. JMO

Um....ok

 

[simzac]

Um....ok

Sorry, I did a horrible job of trying to make a point.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I know how you feel. I dream of visiting Japan someday as well. I have not met one person who understands or who even shows an interest. Looks like I will be going by myself! I don't get why they are making rude remarks to you, why does it matter to them where you travel?

 

[disneyholic family]

i didn't mean to insult anyone.....sorry, as clearly i did...

i was just trying to encourage the original poster in light of a negative response to her enthusiasm..

by the way, i totally get the concept of not being interested in seeing a country other than the disney park..
although, if i end up in a country i'm not interested in, i'll still give it a look...

e.g., when i ended up in India on business, despite NO DESIRE AT ALL to go there.....unlike the other people i was traveling with, who went from hotel to meeting back to hotel to airport, i stayed a few days extra to take a look around...if i'm already there, i'd like to see a place...

anyway, i apologize!!

 

[Iron Mouse]

.

 

[steamboat will]

Keep dreaming

One day you'll get there...

And you won't be dissapointed.

I've spent about 5 weeks in Tokyo and loved every minute.

Start planning you trip today, work out how much you think it's going to cost and start saving what you can. Set up your own Tokyo trip savings account and as you slowly reach your target you'll be getting closer and closer to your dream trip.

SW

 

[freepixie]

Keep dreaming

One day you'll get there...

And you won't be dissapointed.

I've spent about 5 weeks in Tokyo and loved every minute.

Start planning you trip today, work out how much you think it's going to cost and start saving what you can. Set up your own Tokyo trip savings account and as you slowly reach your target you'll be getting closer and closer to your dream trip.

SW

Yeah I do put money away but as soon as I'm getting a nice amount... something always seems to happen to my car... so that is where the money ends up I have to start saving again soon!!

 

[taylor3297]

Agree with the other poster who said to travel the whole country. I really loved the southern part of Japan (Honshu area). I stayed in Takarazuka, which has some great things to see, but it was so easy to go to Osake, Kobe, Hemeiji, and Kiromishu (I know I spelled the last two wrong). The Japanese culture is so facinating and enlightening.

The reason I went to Japan was to visit a sorority sister who was working there and wanted some one to visit. Japan had not been on my list yet, I wanted to conquer Europe first, but I was so glad I went.

 

[LyndenP]

I long for days in Japan again. I lived there when I was a young lad. I really miss that place and hope to one day return to The Land Of The Rising Sun for a visit. Japan is a wonderful country. You are not crazy.

 

[robinb]

I see some Japanese in your signature. Can you speak and write Japanese? If so, then you may be able to get a job teaching English somewhere in Japan. If you're 29 now and romantically unencumbered then I would start to make a plan NOW to live and work in Japan. I was actually offered a job in Japan that I turned down because of my DH (then BF). I still regret not feeling that I had the ability to just pick up and move to a different county. I hate to say it but the longer you wait the more things will hold you back here in the US.

Japan is a wonderful country. I visited it twice and spent about 4 weeks total there. It remains on my short list of places I will revisit.

Good luck making your dream come true.

 

[freepixie]

I see some Japanese in your signature. Can you speak and write Japanese? If so, then you may be able to get a job teaching English somewhere in Japan. If you're 29 now and romantically unencumbered then I would start to make a plan NOW to live and work in Japan. I was actually offered a job in Japan that I turned down because of my DH (then BF). I still regret not feeling that I had the ability to just pick up and move to a different county. I hate to say it but the longer you wait the more things will hold you back here in the US.

Japan is a wonderful country. I visited it twice and spent about 4 weeks total there. It remains on my short list of places I will revisit.

Good luck making your dream come true.

Oh gosh, that was my original dream back in the days I was in college... but there are too many things that do keep me here, mainly my family - I love them but honestly they'd be lost without me and I've prayed on it and I know its my destiny to care for them as they age. Its not the dream I had for my life, but its just my reality, so I dream to travel to Japan - I think they can manage if I'm gone for a couple weeks

And yes I am studying Japanese, off and on again, I'd love to really get into a class - everything I've learned so far has been self-taught.

 

[mmtska]

I'll trade places with you!! I'm so tired of Japan right now Granted I'm on Okinawa, but still. I feel lucky that I've had the opportunity to see so many awesome things (my only regret is that we're leaving without the chance go to go Kyoto-too many things happened) but I just want to go back to the states.

Why not take a year and teach English? I have a friend from high school who ended up doing that. It was just a year, but she loved it, and got to do a lot of amazing things while out here. 3 years is just too much....for me anyway.

 

[Corbisblue]

I agree with some of the comments about teaching English for a year.

I was exactly like you and I wanted to visit Japan so bad! But I was scared of leaving my family and friends behind (temporarily). After I graduated from High School I thought long and hard about going to Japan. It was a dream of mine to go there and experience the culture because I've always been in love with it.

So I decided I would go there as an exchange student (since at the time I was a bit young to teach English with no experience). I was terrified of the thought of leaving my family and friends behind for 6 months. Once I got onto that plane I knew I made the right decision. I had the time of my life!

It wasn't easy by any means. I knew no Japanese and did not know a lot about how the Japanese lived. I almost wanted to come home because it felt like too much but I made a lot of great friends and had support all around me! It was the BEST decision I have made my entire life so far. I couldn't trade what I learned for anything in the world.

My opinion is to get the best possible experience of Japan you should stay there as long as you can. Be is 6 months or a year. There's so much to see and do that it's very hard to do in only a few weeks.

Look at teaching English or finding a job that is related to your field (a lot of companies like having native English speakers).

But even if you go for a few weeks that's OK too! If you do I would highly recommend doing some Couch Surfing. Not only do you save a ton of money but you get to stay with people that live and work in Japan. They can show you things and take you places that a normal visitor would never think of doing.

I'm going back to Japan at the beginning of June. After my convocation from University and backpacking the country with a friend of mine! Going to head to TDL as well.

You only live once right? Do what makes YOU happy! You won't regret it!