Since the re-opening from COVID, it seems to me that overtourism and backlash from the locals against that has been gaining steam. In Japan's case, in particular, a large number of unruly Mainland Chinese tourists have created an esp bad reputation since their behaviour basically violates every single unspoken etiquette rule in Japanese society.

But the overtourism problem isn't just limited to Japan. Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, etc. are all seeing some degree of this as well.

Been 5x's in the last 4 years.

Just got back a week ago and haven't noticed any locals or 2 set pricing yet.

Based on my menu photos, the price increased from 2021 to 2025 by over 40-50%. Japan isn't cheap anymore, minus skiing + golfing. Our accommodation in Hokkaido earlier this year, jam packed house was close to $150-300/pp a night. Meals are always $20+. Combini runs are $5-8 for not much food and is pretty mid. Donqui is overpriced.

Just do it on a weekday LOL. We went to Tai O.. there was < 100 people around the whole island or smt. For that China #1 day (Oct 1), there was over 4000 ppl on the island hahahahahaha

I'd also disagree that "it's fun when you're travelling". Kyoto for instance.. there are so many damn tourists (ourselves included) that everywhere is just PACKED. It's even hard to walk through the crowd to go to a shop because the crowd is so big. I don't think I've seen anywhere as busy as Kyoto. The main attraction areas/downtown is like the size of Leavenworth - not even Whistler Village which I imagine is actually bigger.

Echoing the same as Gerbs and got back 2 weeks ago, haven't seen any "no foreigners allowed" signs even in remote areas. I have seen 2 sets of pricing.. but one shows tax in (local) and one shows tax exclusive (tourist) LOL.

It's funny hearing everywhere in Japan broadcast CHINESE because of this. Yet the irony is that the people I see "ruining" Hong Kong is not Mainland Chinese...

All the same tho, villagers from every country who have no etiquette are ultimately mo gah gao

oh yeah i dont mean its fun to be among 100 tourists. i try to avoid tourist spots whenever i can. if everyone were well mannered then i wouldnt have a problem with being among tourists but there are always people who annoy tf out of me haha.

When you're young, the grass is ALWAYS greener. HK, NYC, LA, FUCK YEAH.

Then you hit your 40s and realize the guy from Up was really on to something.

https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-st...5778625-10.jpg

ah yeah i still drive in hong kong lol the subway is too slow

Like most places around the world, Japanese people would appreciate if you would even just try to be courteous about things. Being able to speak, at least bits of Japanese really helps.

We went to a home based restaurant in the residential areas of Shinagawa. We just walked in based on the looks. The owners didn't speak English, the menus were Japanese only, my wife can speak some Japanese, and I understand and can conduct very basic conversation. The owners chatted with me with my broken Japanese and their broken English while I was paying and they were super excited to talk with us because we weren't locals but we can converse. They were surprised that we were from Canada.

We didn't encounter any outright hostility while we were there, I think partly because we always opened with Japanese and revert to English when my limitations fail me. My SIL however got told to go away because she only ever asks in English.

It's interesting to me this last time I went back. Traffic wasn't as bad as I remembered (of course trying to cross the harbour tunnel is still fucked during the day.). But we taxied A LOT and quite honestly everything went much faster than we expected. With 2 young kids in tow, you realize HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET TO PLACES on MTR. And how very little people brought kids on to the MTR.

I tried to order a wonton har at Congee Queen in Mississauga during the summer.. In cantonese. The three servers working didn't speak Chinese at all. They had to get a menu for me to point it out to them.

The Congee Queen at Yonge and Dundas was fine ordering in cantonese though....

There are fewer cars on the road in general compared to pre-COVID - it's a combination of emigration and more people driving north of the border nowadays for shopping.

I've heard Finance/professional service wise HK is losing to Singapore.
Come to think of it, Pre-Covid Air Canada flew 2x daily to Hong Kong, while Cathay flew 4x daily to Vancouver, with my favorite one that continued on to JFK after. Now it dwindled to 1x daily with AC and 2x daily with Cathay, capacity cut in half. Hongers don't travel to Vancouver anymore?

https://www.virentacar.com.hk/index_en.php

mx-5, i30n, etc all great. daily rental rate is roughly 50% higher than the published rate on the site.

but gotta make sure you have a good parking lot where you're going so that you don't have to wait for parking.

I think the one thing that can't be substituted is the attitude of people around.
NYC honestly isn't the best place for my career but I like my friends and the overall vibe.
Singapore/HK are a no for me, not cuz there's anything wrong with it, but I think the city/culture doesn't rly encourage what I like (work hard/play hard).

Low key I make mid 200s and I don't think I'm insulated enough.
Without concierge medicine, I'm still dealing with health insurance bs.
Also don't make enough/well connect enough to know that private unis and private schools are a guarantee.

I probably need to be dual income, both people in the 400s to be set.
OR move to Boston/Seattle/South Bay suburb.

The problem with taking the MTR with kids is -- a lot of times the station is HUGE, and you really gotta walk a shxt ton of distance inside the station within the fare-paid zone. And this is esp true with a lot of the newer stations and the hub stations.

Even as an adult, that's a lot of walking. And more often than not, it's a "people mountain people sea" type of situation... It makes for good exercise where you are getting your steps in, but as a method of commute, it adds to your travel time.

In HK and Japan, don't you have to work like avg 10 hr days and 1/2 day on Saturdays?

It may be a decent place to visit but you want that kind of life/work balance?

Low key most ppl I know in NY/SF be doing that too.... if not more.

Most people in banking/big law even in North America are putting in 80+hrs a week. MBB consulting you are flying out sunday/monday to the client and come back thursday night or friday and going straight to the office for more work. The company bills the client for your business class seat and wifi so you will be working the whole flight too.

And here, people are crying about working OT, half day Saturdays, and being underpaid. :noyoudidnt:

I don't miss the days doing client visits. You described the scenario to the T.
You're literally on your phone/laptop until boarding, get settled in, chow down, get back to work, take a nap, repeat until you land, hop onto a cab or the driver the client sends to the airport, and at the office you arrive, and you're just cranking out meetings and sessions all day. :drunk:

My longest marathon was 30 days straight. I thought I was going to die in India. Never again. (Never say never. RIP.)

Don't really have a problem with walking, truth be told we are just insulated with our cars in the garage, less than 20 steps away.

We preferred taking the bus actually as it was faster for us to take the bus from TKO to TST than taking the subway, and cheaper. The kids are much more entertained.

Since you mentioned TKO, I really enjoyed that Popcorn Mall they have there. It has everything!

I don't have a problem with walking either, esp when I'm on vacation. But when the kids are younger, it's a lot more difficult to pull off.

Hong Kong is not wheelchair / stroller friendly at all, and I don't imagine Japan would be friendly to those needs either. Thankfully, my kid has gotten stronger as he got older, and doesn't mind the walking as long as he is entertained one way or another.

Oh, yes. If you have any physical disability or injured in any way, accessibility is one big middle finger in Asia. :lol

disability!!??! thats a sign to go die. say pok gai la !!!!

yeah thats called payback for nanjing. fucking nips. complain all you want, without tourism your country is F.U.C.K.E.D

Most of Asia are not wheels friendly. Disability isn't a thing :badpokerface:

Most people I know in Van work just as much, and few of these on RS too. In my last job, I worked as much as that and got paid significantly less than HK/Japan for that role. Hell at least if you worked like a dog in HK, they at least pay you for that.

I still can't fathom 400K USD, per person, dual income. Man the world is literally so big, I wish someone told me in high school that it's possible to make 400K in employment income. Crazy how little exposure there is to real-life money making jobs in our education system.