So You're Coming to Japan...

I'm prefacing this by acknowledging the mucus content of my sinuses is screwing with my intellectual capabilities.

But my feelings keep getting hurt for no real reason and I'm going to put a stop to this.

So let's assume you're seeing the post as a response to the following situation:
"Oh  my god. I'm coming to Japan at some unknown point in the future and know nothing of where/when/how to go/do anything, HALP!"

This has come up too many times with friends and acquaintances and people I don't even know who somehow get referred to me for this solution. Being me, I then put hours into trying to help these people plan their adventure, providing lots of details and recommendations, offering frequently to personally guide people around Tohoku completely for free.

And then the same damn thing happens every time. They think about it and make the same damn decision that everyone else does. They see Tokyo, Kyoto, maybe Osaka, occassionally Nagoya. They will go and see the same things everyone else goes and sees and since no one goes to Tohoku, no one ever will.

Then I get to find out this information months later, if ever, and I always feel slightly trampled. I know they weren't solid plans, but I keep fucking offering my heart and soul to people who really just want to have the DisneyLand-Japan experience. Not Tokyo Disney, which is an actual theme park, but the theme-park style tourist experiences that EVERY TOURIST seems to have, because having your own authentic experience in this "exotic" country is verboten. Your experiences are only worthwhile if they are exactly the same as the ones everyone else has.

You went to Japan, huh? Did you see Sky Tree? Tokyo Tower? This one thing I saw in Tokyo? Did you go only to the places that I also went? Awesome.

And there are tons of people out there willing to provide their experiences that corroborate this trend. A friend (who did actually come up here for a couple of days in addition to seeing Tokyo and other places) posted on facebook that she was headed this way and several of her friends had places to recommend....all in Tokyo. "Oh, I've been there-- all the way from Akihabara to Asakusa..."

And I'm out here thinking, "Yeah, that's ALL JUST in Tokyo. Hmm. Kinda like there's not a country out here...Guess I don't live in Japan after all...Since I don't live in Tokyo..."

So, if you're asking me for advice, here's my advice. 

1.   Get a Japan Rail Pass (you have to arrange it and pay for it before you get here, but it's totally worth it for the days when you're travelling a lot)

2. Check Trip Advisor, Japan guide, or just freaking google whatever cities you are actually interested in. You could even check City-Cost, where I sometimes blog about Tohoku, for information from other foreign residence and reviews of places nearby.

3. If you actually really want to come to Tohoku and have worked that into your finalized plans, hit me up. I'm still happy to show people around and be a free guide, but only when that's not getting my hopes up before someone says, "Oh, well we decided we'd just go wherever everyone goes after all. Screw Sendai."


So good luck guys, and enjoy your vacation wherever it takes you, but leave me out of it unless you actually give a crap about seeing me or Tohoku.

Thanks.