Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m also confused about the Japan comment. We were there again last summer and had a great time.

You haven't come across establishments where they have "JAPANESE ONLY!!" signs. It's the passive aggressive way of saying they do not like foreigners and don't want you in there. You probably haven't been to areas outside of major hubs much either. They will stare you down like your presences is unwanted at a restaurant.

We love Japan. Don't get me wrong. We have been there 5 times. The vast majority of the time the people and the country are great. But don't kid yourself for a second and think that they don't have a strong undercurrent of racism and xenophobia behind the scenes. You probably just haven't noticed it. Ask yourself why Japan still refuses to allow in immigrants even though their population is crashing and cannot support the economy. That's because they'd rather die and go extinct before diluting their culture. There was also a huge stink a while ago when Miss Japan, who was half black half Japanese, won the title. So many people said she wasn't Japanese nor would ever be Japanese. Just realized that as a foreigner you'll always be a gaijin and will be treated as such. Other passive aggressive stuff we encounter is sitting in the train and the Japanese clearly standing rather sitting next to you even though it might be the only spot. They think you're dirty, will be loud, uncouth, are scary or will be dangerous.

There is just so,.sooooo much formality and uptight culture in East Asia, from China to Japan to Korea. That's why we often prefer SEA countries where everyone is way more relaxed and where it is often live and let live.

You sound crazy. No I did not see racist signs while we were there. I’ve also been there 4 times over 30 years. We mostly like to spend our time in big cities when we travel, because we like the busy-ness. Last trip was Tokyo Kyoto and Hiroshima. Also, I don’t think it is insane for a country like Japan to not want immigration. It unquestionably would change their culture. From an American lens, that’s racist. But it’s objectively true.

I think those claiming to have experienced no xenophobia in Japan are a bit obtuse or have rose colored glasses on. We recently visited for a couple of weeks and it was pretty ubiquitous m- from multiple cases of waiting patiently in line to purchase something in a store only to have locals beckoned up to cut in front of us, in an immersive museum exhibit watching while the staff went around and told all foreign looking individuals that sitting down (in a spacious auditorium) to observe the exhibit was not allowed while turning a blind eye to the numerous Japanese visitors doing so, and of course the multiple restaurants that clearly stated Japanese only.

Anonymous wrote:Newsflash: it will be hot everywhere in the summer in Asia.

Taiwan is not some kind of inferno:

https://www.weatherworld.com/yearly-climate/tw/taipei.html

https://weatherspark.com/y/137170/Average-Weather-in-Taipei-Taiwan-Year-Round

https://www.accuweather.com/en/tw/taipei-city/315078/july-weather/315078?year=2024


The high average at the peak of July and August is about 91-93 degrees. This year, the highest it reached was when a few days hit 95-98 degrees. DC was in fact worse than Taiwan this past summer

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/washington/20006/july-weather/327659?year=2024

So if you can tolerate DC you can tolerate Japan and Taiwan. It's the summer, what do you expect?

Anonymous wrote:Taiwan (hugely underrated, let the crowds go to Japan). Beaches in Indonesia or Malaysia.

Anonymous wrote:Thinking about taking my boys, 13 and 16, to Asia for two weeks this summer. We like our trips to have a mix of cities and country/beach/outdoor stuff. Unfortunately Thailand is off the table (ex-H called dibs). I dont think they’re ready for India. Japan’s been increasingly hostile to tourists. Looking for ideas. Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Many of these places will be unbearably hot in the summer- they are already hot in the winter.

Anonymous wrote:Taiwan and Japan are great destinations, but they will be very hot and humid in the summer. I would look at Indonesia — it will still be hot, but it is dry season there in the summer, so it will be less oppressive than Taiwan and Japan. Not sure about weather patterns of Korea and Vietnam. All are amazing places to visit, so I would pick based on weather, which can greatly influence your enjoyment of a place.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m also confused about the Japan comment. We were there again last summer and had a great time.

You haven't come across establishments where they have "JAPANESE ONLY!!" signs. It's the passive aggressive way of saying they do not like foreigners and don't want you in there. You probably haven't been to areas outside of major hubs much either. They will stare you down like your presences is unwanted at a restaurant.

We love Japan. Don't get me wrong. We have been there 5 times. The vast majority of the time the people and the country are great. But don't kid yourself for a second and think that they don't have a strong undercurrent of racism and xenophobia behind the scenes. You probably just haven't noticed it. Ask yourself why Japan still refuses to allow in immigrants even though their population is crashing and cannot support the economy. That's because they'd rather die and go extinct before diluting their culture. There was also a huge stink a while ago when Miss Japan, who was half black half Japanese, won the title. So many people said she wasn't Japanese nor would ever be Japanese. Just realized that as a foreigner you'll always be a gaijin and will be treated as such. Other passive aggressive stuff we encounter is sitting in the train and the Japanese clearly standing rather sitting next to you even though it might be the only spot. They think you're dirty, will be loud, uncouth, are scary or will be dangerous.

There is just so,.sooooo much formality and uptight culture in East Asia, from China to Japan to Korea. That's why we often prefer SEA countries where everyone is way more relaxed and where it is often live and let live.

You sound crazy. No I did not see racist signs while we were there. I’ve also been there 4 times over 30 years. We mostly like to spend our time in big cities when we travel, because we like the busy-ness. Last trip was Tokyo Kyoto and Hiroshima. Also, I don’t think it is insane for a country like Japan to not want immigration. It unquestionably would change their culture. From an American lens, that’s racist. But it’s objectively true.

Anonymous wrote:Many of these places will be unbearably hot in the summer- they are already hot in the winter.