'Sup /jp/.So I'm planning a trip to Japan next year. I would depart in May and stay there for ca. 3 weeks, departing in late May or early June (at the latest).I'm planning to book a hotel in Nagoya and then take advantage of its position as a 'central hub' to visit all the nearby cities: Gifu, Hamamatsu, Kyoto, perhaps even Osaka if I can stretch it. I also lectured myself 'bout everything I'd need for a smooth trip.Have you been in Japan already? Could my plan work? If you got any advice, I'd be more than glad!I'm also self-studying Japanese and got some basic grammar and vocabulary already. If I focus on it on a daily basis, could I possibly have a Japanese knowledge solid enough not to just read signs and ask simple questions, but also to keep on with conversations and such?
sup. ill answer these in order... i have been to japan before, yes. a few months back i spent two weeks in the hiroshima area, and im going back at some point, perhaps six months this year, if not, ill live there for three years in about three years from now more than likely. your plan could work, but my main concern is that youve got a lot you wanna do with those three weeks... it doesnt matter how long you stay, it wont be "enough" so youre gonna want to go back as soon as you need to leave. that being said, its absolutely worth it, youll have a great time, just try your best to be realistic with timeframes. take it easy and enjoy it, dont rush to hit the whole checklist, but go at a comfortable pace for you. if you do keep focusing on your nihongo no benkyou, you will have enough by that time. i hadnt studied in years and i had some conversations when i went recently. if i had advice, id say first to expect people to not want you around. its nice being able to speak japanese, but having been there done that as a foreigner, sometimes theyre just like "yeah no thx go somewhere else" when you walk in their store. rare but it happens. kyoto has foreigner fatigue hard, and their customs and courtesies have them kicking people out nicely... visiting a house? they ask if you want dinner? time for you to leave. otherwise, if you have language knowledge and capabilities, especially if thats combined with cultural awareness on how not to act foreign and obnoxious, youll be treated better nine times outta ten. get on discord for language exchange, plenty of servers for that. keep your trash with you, prepare to carry it for a while, trash cans are few and far between, littering is a no-no. cash is still pretty big over there, so youll find yourself using it way more since theres still plenty that doesnt take card. good thing is purchasing power of yen is equivalent to canadian dollars now, so if youre on euros or us dollars youre more than good. otherwise, just be smart, use your standard common sense, dont get drunk and obnoxious, dont go with people who come up to you out of nowhere, etc etc. and please, check out a country town, will ya? cities are nice but youre not really going to japan unless you walk through a suburb or country town at least once. hope this helpspicrel south side of iwakuni, southwest of hiroshima. good country town (with a number of foreigners lol)
>>50661559Hi anon, thanks for answering!Yeah, I'm learning as much as I can to be quite the opposite of the usual, obnoxious and loud foreign tourist. That's why I want to improve my Japanese and know all about their etiquette.As for the things to do and see, of course there are some places I'd like to see (like the Toyota Museum in Nagoya), but I think I'd take it easy, no rush at all. I was already planning to visit a country/small-sized town as I'm looking for a more authentic, less tourist-y trip. But yeah, glad to know you've had an amazing time too, makes me feel more motivated and hopeful.
>>50660104Oh I live in Nagoya. It's a very overlooked city but there's plenty to do if you think you'll have time between visiting the surrounding areas. The one thing everyone says about the city is that it's one of the most well connected in Japan, so your plan would certainly work, but any reason why Nagoya in particular? If it's your first time staying in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, etc. is definitely not something to miss desu.Anyway I'll give you all my local recommendations in a second.
>>50660104Go to the travel board retard
>>50660104In japan they wave bye with the back of their hand.Because they are on the other side of the world, they do most things backwards like this.
>>50665038Can confirm, remember to walk backwards while walking through the station entrance turnstiles and use the back of your hand to process your SUICA payment
>>50666902suika payment?
>>50668379HIGH TENSION JAPANESE GOBLIN
