Jump to content

Recommended Posts

lol LMHO

 

I had visions of cars we saw in Kutchan and on the bus trip from Chitose of cars totally buried in the snow. Imagine sleeping in your car (can't even) and then having a huge dump of snow over night and being buried.

 

Keba get some accomodation before you leave!!

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 52
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Originally Posted By: keba
Has no-one the spirit of adventure anymore? rolleyes


On my first trip to Japan, all I had was a round trip airline ticket, a JR rail pass, a big backpack, and a lot of cash! Everything worked out, but I'll never do that again! I can only take so much adventure...
Link to post
Share on other sites

That's the thing, we're not planning to ski in Niseko, Rusutsu seems a more likely destination for the week in mind, and we will not be looking for accommodation at the resort itself. And I will probably have something booked before we leave.

 

I know everyone has our safety in mind, and thanks for that, but I've never gotten into trouble before...(how's that rate as far as 'famous last words' go?)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Two separate issues here. The first thing is that some small ryokan owners who do not speak English are simply imagining that foreign guests will mean trouble. Could be that they cause trouble because they don't know how to behave themselves (and then can't be told what the correct behaviour is) or could be the other way around that the ryokan owner feels he can't adequately serve the foreigner because they can't communicate. And both things can indeed apply.

 

Second thing is the question of foreigners generally being rude etc. I talked with a *western* hotel employee at a Hakuba hotel last year about this. He had just recommended to the management to ban all Russian customers from the hotel. There had been multiple incidents where specifically Russian customers had behaved in ways that were totally beyond the pale. Russians were also the reason for the Otaru Onsen incident, I believe. What is the onsen management to do if repeatedly foreigners totally spoil the onsen experience for the majority locals? I can understand the defensive reaction. My personal observation is that Asians make the greatest effort to blend in. Aussies are somewhere in the middle. But truth be told, most misbehaviour I have seen in Aussies I have also seen in Japanese (being loud, getting in the ofuro without first showering, being totally drunk in public etc).

 

Is that now a reason why foreigners shouldn't try their best to be considerate and polite? You decide for yourself. I, personally, go out of my way to impress the locals with impeccable behaviour. It is the right thing to do anywhere in the world. So it is in Japan.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Axel has it exactly right. No matter where you go in te world, one should make an effort to be as polite as possible.

 

If that means being less boisterous than you'd usually be at home, so be it! If that means learning what the local customs (and the local taboos) are then so be it!

 

If you visit a place where the custom requires you to not eat with the left hand, then you do not use the left hand to eat with. Simple really - goes back to the old statement ... "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"

Link to post
Share on other sites
Originally Posted By: JA
Axel has it exactly right. No matter where you go in te world, one should make an effort to be as polite as possible.

If that means being less boisterous than you'd usually be at home, so be it! If that means learning what the local customs (and the local taboos) are then so be it!

If you visit a place where the custom requires you to not eat with the left hand, then you do not use the left hand to eat with. Simple really - goes back to the old statement ... "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"


Rape and pillage?? wink

For sure thats true, BUT to just tar ALL foreigners with the same brush is downright wrong. As Axel said, he has observed the same bad behaviour in Japanese and yet there are no signs saying "No Japanese", are there?
Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote:
I talked with a *western* hotel employee at a Hakuba hotel last year about this. He had just recommended to the management to ban all Russian customers from the hotel.


Interesting comment. A foreigner suggesting to a Japanese hotel owner that "Russians" should be banned.
Link to post
Share on other sites

Lets face it Japan has never really had much of a history of welcoming foreigners. Foreigners were more normally demonised and the ultra nationalist governments of the early to mid 20th Century certainly dehumanised anyone not Japanese, which of course made it a whole lot easier for them to invade other countries and commit unthinkable atrocities. Although thankfully most of the old bastards from that era are now mostly dead, we all know that change happens very slowly in this country. Distrust and fear of foreigners is still fairly ingrained. Give them another couple of generations and some more opening up of the immigration policy and we'll probably find ourselves a lot more welcome.

Link to post
Share on other sites

In my experience, most country hotels and ryokan in Japan are friendly and welcoming to gaijin as long as you don't stomp in and demand a room angrily in English. There clearly is some discrimination in this country, but I think we underestimate the degree to which hoteliers, restaurant staff etc. discriminate in our own countries. As (mostly) fair-minded people, we'd like to think that any potential customer gets treated equally, when in fact it isn't the case and probably never will be. Happily, discrimination against people who behave like thoughtless a**holes is by far the most common prejudice, and as far as I'm concerned, long may it remain so! Behave in a calm and friendly way with most Japanese and the language barrier won't be an insurmountable problem.

 

To echo some of the wise comments above, if you want an "adventure" by not booking your accommodation ahead - fine, as long as the nuisance / risks of heavy snow and car-sleeping are understood. But when you can easily avoid the wasted time, hassle, stress and discomfort by finding somewhere friendly in advance, why not do it? The only good reason to be "adventurous" is if you don't want to, or can't, fix your schedule in advance.

 

HTH

 

SdS

Link to post
Share on other sites

Point taken, and I spoke over the weekend to my travelling colleague (who I will admit was more keen on 'winging it' than I was), and he is coming around to the idea of planning ahead.

 

He's been having a rough time at work - like so many at the moment - and doesn't really care anymore about the detail. He just wants to be there, enjoying the Winter, and forgetting his troubles. We will have accomodation booked, everyone can stop worrying...

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...

Just an update. We got accommodation in an onsen Hotel in Kutchan, so if anyone was losing sleep over the possibility of us dying of exposure in the back of our car, rest easy.

 

They knew we were foreign, too, and there was no problem with that.

Link to post
Share on other sites

PHEW!! We can all relax now - couldn't bear the thought of a fellow Aussie hitting the papers in Japan as getting frost bite after sleeping in the back of a car OR WORSE buried in all the POW in the car!

 

Well done Keba - Have a Great Trip!! banner

Link to post
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...