Was in Japan for the entire month of April of this year! Absolutely fell in love and am returning for a month in mid-Sept to mid-Oct! what a stunning country with beautiful, kind people. Marc - from Georgia USA

@brvhtxxbxk

26 күн бұрын

Ive been to Japan in May and am going back this September and October aswell!!! Safe travels!

@tiffanyisland8559

6 күн бұрын

Hi Marc from Georgia. I'm Tiffany from Florida. Japan is my dream destination! I've been building up the courage to go to Japan from my Bday in October. The intent is to go run 10/7-10/14. I've been researching, and I feel overwhelmed😩. Did you use a tour guide on your first trip? Did you get lost a lot? I wish I could find some people to go with. Any recommendations? Thank you.

The Quality and value which your videos are providing are truly precious and helpful. Thank you.

Awesome video as always!!! This is some great information.

Very informative video thanks 😊

Great info. Will be traveling to Japan in 2 weeks. Appreciate it!

Good info. I'll be returning next April, but advance notice is always good.

Thank you for the updates. I've decided to travel to Japan next June and all the advice is so helpful ^_^

Fiancé and I are making our first trip to Japan in November 2026 for our honeymoon. Keeping my fingers crossed for some sort of miracle that means overcrowding calms down even just a tiny bit😭

@censoredcomments404

18 күн бұрын

Buy yen now

@wayermane5069

16 күн бұрын

It will and November is less crowded time than summer. Prices are better to. I’d buy yen this year tho

@em8343

15 күн бұрын

@@wayermane5069 thank you! We did buy some when it last dropped so do plan on buying some more whilst it’s a good rate.

Excellent video - new subscriber - very informative and interesting. Much appreciated. Look forward to more information.

I just came back from Osaka yesterday after 5 days travel...Everything seems very expensive there! and weather is now super hot!!! But I loved Japan....people are very polite and helpful...roads are very clean..hope I will visit again...[From Malaysia]

That Suica update is the best absolute news! It was pretty daunting to figure out which ticket and the amount to pay for get to my destinations. The 10-day tourist pass was convenient, but the location to acquire one was tucked deep in a tourist information center in Tokyo Station. The digital Suica will make things a breeze for my next trip!

Beautiful video

In Shimbashi right now and the rain really does make a difference! 2 days ago the balmy & sweaty 35C heat was really something!

Japan isn't cheap. It's not SE Asia where I have no problem in ordering 2-3 different amazing meals at a time. Don't have to be choosy, you have the privilege of buying both!! Pre-inflation and exchange rate change, it was basically ****ing expensive. Look at that fancy place's lunch price of 5500 yen! It feels like "$55" for the locals and don't want the foreigners feeling like it's $36 so charge them $43 instead. When I was there at 80 yen to the dollar no one was giving me discounts. As if the "normal" 110 yen to the dollar isn't already expensive. So what is happening is people are going to a place that has historically been ****ing expensive... and getting a price that is a bit cheaper than where they're from. It's not super cheap, it's just a "good deal" of a PREMIUM location, so to speak, compared to usual. It's not like locals are making $2-4 an hour so you dual price things up to $5-8 or so and it's still super cheap to tourists so the locals win and the tourists aren't really bothered by the increase. No, Japan IS EXPENSIVE. It's just on discount now. With the favorable exchange rate you get to pay about 2/3s of ****ing expensive. So dual pricing is just insulting.

I visited in May/June and it’s the most “gaijin” I have ever seen in Japan including people visiting from places that don’t usually come in numbers - Europeans and Indians come to mind. Having said that I didn’t find anywhere I visited anymore crowded than my previous visits. Will be visiting again in October for a month.

Been there for 5 days in Nagoya , kyoto and Tokyo this July 2-8,2024 with my daughter . It was a memorable experience seeing Japan. Beautiful country with beautiful people❤

Good vid

I was there for the last two weeks of March. I got to see some cherry blossoms but was there too early. 1 USD = 150 JPY. I though it was not expensive at all. I did get day passes for Kyoto and Nagoya as well as those 72 hr Tokyo subway passes (yes, I did get a IC card in Osaka). Planning to go back in April to visit places I missed in Tokyo as well as doing a day trip to Nagoya. I had just a wonderful experince!

im going on tuesday lol

Its been a while brotha!!

I agree. A few rotten apples ruin things for most respectful visitors and locals. Two questions: How long do you think the "old" Japanese currency will be honored? I've read that most machines are incompatible with the "new" currency that just rolled out. Could you do a video on the ins and outs of visiting Fantasy Springs?

In Las Vegas your able to walk around and drink on the strip, is that the same idea in Shibuya/Shinjuku?

"Not typically found in Western countries to be able to drink openly in public" - There are some restrictions in some European countries, but most of the time it's perfectly fine. We aren't the US

From my experience as well as my friends' after travelling to Japan, I would reccomend installing a specialised Japanese translator (ex: mazii) in your phone if you don't know Japanese. That would help A LOT!

What if I only want to go to the 5th station of Mt. Fuji, (I don’t want to climb) do I still need to make a reservation?

As an Argentine-American, I'm beyond used to the never ending up/down of price exchanges. Now it's expensive, a year ago, it was very cheap to visit Buenos Aires.

Foreign tourists visiting Japan know that the country's famous tourist sites are already crowded. Visiting the Samurai Road offers a unique opportunity to directly experience Japan's history. This includes the Five Highways, such as the Tokaido and Nakasendo, as well as historic castle towns and battlefields scattered throughout the country. Experiencing Japan's history also means engaging with its traditions, and visitors should show the same respect and consideration as they would when visiting temples and shrines.

The 'tiered pricing' is good for some locals when the pricing shifts are generalised and are at street level (food stores etc), but ask yourself, how many tourist attractions in your home town do you go to? I live in a tourist trap that charges the same for locals and tourists through all types of shopping/services. The greed knows no bounds! I believe strongly that the necessities of life (food, water, shelter) should not be overpriced as they are a basic human right. Accommodation taxes cannot be wiggled out of unless you stay somewhere else completely and I am all for that. I am willing to let the *absence* of 'new pricing' guide where I go (I am sure the internet will create a map of these friendly places). I am a budget traveller, an unwelcome guest. Japan has taken to wanting 'high value' (aka rich) tourists which is as inhospitable as it gets. You cannot tell who will be a well behaving guest by the brand of their suitcases, the labels on their clothes or the colour of their credit card! What you *can* tell is how much money you can extract from them. There are collection boxes for charities at the airport and in shops. I would rather see 'Mr and Ms Platinum Visa'' drop some big notes in these. Help those who really need helping, not greedy businesses and civil authorities. Japan has a homeless problem, a DV problem... do something to bring happiness to the hidden populations of Japan the authorities don't want travellers to know about.

bro, do a video on Tohoku region

I have a tentative trip to Japan for 2026. I'm sad to find out there is over tourism. I've always wanted to go to Japan since I was a kid. I think its okay to do a different price. I just hope it doesn't backfire to the point that they welcone tourist instead of locals because they pay more.

I wasn’t able to use wallet (digital suica card) since I don’t own a credit card and Apple Pay did not support my banking for it. But luckily in Osaka I was easily able to obtain such card.

I come from New Orleans. Drinking on the streets is extremely normal year round.

Tokyo looks SO MUCH NICER than New York City. ❤

@montypython4743

10 күн бұрын

No it doesn't. It has no historic architecture

The difference in local vs. tourist pricing isn't that much. I don't mind paying more. If the locals are suffering, it's only right that tourists support the economy. Son and I are planning a November trip; however, aside from a change of scene, he wants to learn the styles (he's a hairstylist, so he's looking for more inspiration for his next shows). I might take him out of the tourist areas once he gets his inspiration. Instead of a standard Kyoto experience, I might make him take the smaller trains frequented by high school students (that don't have any English support) to Amanohashidate. Akita has really good sweets, and maybe we'll go to Hokkaido. I must admit, I have a preference for weather in Sapporo. I remember, when it was so hot and humid in Chiba, flying to Sapporo made a big difference. More moderate and comfortable.

@redfish337

26 күн бұрын

They want you to pay FOUR TO SIX TIMES the entry price at Himeji. And the mayor wants to make it even more!!! And I said it down below, but Japan is not a 3rd world country. People aren't making $2 an hour. Japan IS EXPENSIVE. So expensive that millions of people who perhaps thought that they'd never be able to afford Japan are jumping at the opportunity to go to an expensive place for a bit cheaper than normal. Not cheap. Just cheaper than normal. Like buying a luxury good for 1/3 off. Japan isn't poor- the money isn't going to go help the destitute. Dual pricing is just some of them being inhospitable. And I've read comments on Japanese twitter- there's likely a xenophobic angle as well. Personally, I haven't really found much issue with that in Japan. People aren't like that. Twitter isn't real life. But when they start making these sorts of proposals it serves as a beacon for people with anti-foreigner sentiment.

@redfish337

26 күн бұрын

PS: I'm not for full open borders or mass importing permanent foreign workers with incompatible world views, or against anyone with very sensible concerns about immigration or over-tourism and the government's general incompetence if not outright dereliction of duty in handling it. When I said "anti-foreigner sentiment" I was using it as euphemism for the few people who are just plain ****ing racist.

I’m goin to start charging tourist more too in the USA lol

🎉Damn your updates are good Alex and Matilda! I just spent a week in Tokyo 🍡 my bunion was so painful towards the end 😆 I did feel those last 2 days, the 35 ° ones were sweaty 🥵 I still went about the same way but shortened my outdoor stuff accordingly , drink machines are always there , bless their little hearts 💖😅 and when the metro 🚇 comes into the stain man that breeze 😊👍💯 how about that Kyoto bus 🚌 that is the best idea !

We can reserve a spot hiking Mt Fuji but it doesn't guarantee you can book a hut

Which attractions/venues do you suggest to make reservations for? In your video, there was an overlook at night with people, where is it? What is that called?

My friend has book a japan tour for 9 days

There are so many complexities with a two-tier pricing system. Economies/currency exchange all over the world shrink and then grow again, it's a matter of riding the wave. Currently Japan is enjoying mass tourism turning profits for businesses. During CV Japanese businesses were going broke due to no tourists visiting. A 2 tier pricing system would only bring about a sour taste in the mouth of past and potential tourists to Japan. Japan is a 1st world country and is currently the 4th biggest economy in the world, we're not talking about a third world country here. During 2016-2019 it cost Australians 119-127c to buy 100 YEN but we didn't see any tourist discount pricing or vouchers for visitors. Currently at last, AU100c = 100yen, not all currencies worldwide are killing it against the Yen. Japan needs to be very careful that the introduction of a two-tier pricing system could come back to bite them socially, economically and racially on a world stage. Australia takes in touring visitors from all over the world, visitors from the USA pay US65c for a AU$1 product in Australia and they're welcome to do so ... at no surcharge. Japan's government needs to come up with solutions to ease the financial burden on Japanese citizens internally without leaning on visitors to their country.

Currently Japan cant increase international flight due to a jet fuel shortage.

I remember visiting Tokyo during the chip shortage and thinking i could get a Suica at a subway station or convenience store A French guy happened by while i was trying to locate a place and told me that i had to get one from the airport So guess who had to swing back by?

New video time! Wifes friend is in Tokyo right now 😢

@hannesRSA

28 күн бұрын

You miss your wife's friend 😐

@_Zane__

28 күн бұрын

@@hannesRSA hah, nope, just jealous

@doomallcaps7012

28 күн бұрын

I miss your wife's friend 😔

Surprised they haven't started a Gaijin Tax.

Hawaii’s Diamond Head hike is also regulated by reservation like Mt Fuji.

Japan trip hasnt got any cheaper despite historic low yen.

@censoredcomments404

18 күн бұрын

Explain

@jaaz5531

7 күн бұрын

Prices have increased offsetting the low yen like the JR pass. Also price parity between tourists and locals is becoming more common in tourist places.

How with record tourism is Japan's economy diving so fast?

@TokyoXtreme

16 күн бұрын

Increased tourism has no effect on interest rates in the USA, which makes the yen drop in value. Tourism is only a fraction of the economy, and probably the aspect that has the most negative impact on the population.

@5ifty6ixmediauk

15 күн бұрын

@@TokyoXtreme I don't agree about negative aspects, it's a multi billion dollar industry. If people stopped coming, you'd notice the effect. Of like you say Tourism is insignificant then its Japanese damaging their economy?

I don’t understand what the problem is? Im from Hawaii and locals complain about the very reason Hawaii doesn’t go bankrupt! Seriously! This is a necessary evil, it’s called making a living. If this is not the way you want to go then create another industry of value that is international observed and supported

The drinking will just move somewhere else, maybe another district or underground

how do they know tourists are coming from a higher currency strength? we're not all americans.

@Matmat123_5

18 күн бұрын

The JPY depreciated against all major currencies not only the USD. The fall against the EUR is as much as against the USD. It is not a problem of strong USD but weak JPY.

Not say anything, no people need to complain to the restaurants and government for gouging the tourists.

I see a two tiered pricing system and I’m out. Screw the business owners who think that’s ok. Luckily there’s likely something just as good nearby that won’t try gouging me.

But what kind of attractions you need to book in advance really? If you want to visit only shrines and temples there’s no need for that I think

Izekaiya ???

Double pricing is a not a good thing. Not every country is having a great exchange rate. Also at some point the exchange rates will change, thus potentially making it too expensive as who thinks they will really remove the two tier prices later? Also those fines for the really bad behaviour is way too low. Needs to be 10x higher at least and the law to come down harder on them. Especially as they are soo disruptive to the locals and paints all tourists with the same brush.

This is what happens when you unnecessarily close your country off from the rest of the world for 3 years, then a weak currency turns the tap on to full blast.

I’m from Hawaii and we have Kama’aina (resident) pricing for us that visitors don’t get… I think that the Japanese businesses should do that. Over tourism is a problem not only for Japan but for many places like Hawaii etc.

@hannesRSA

28 күн бұрын

Yea but if it's all over, it becomes a signal that tourists are unwelcome, and turns it into only being worthwhile to high cost of living countries like the US. But if it's only applied where foreign tourists outnumber local tourists to push then elsewhere, it's ok.

@ichirakuramen2255

28 күн бұрын

Hawaii’s commerce and revenue is highly based on tourism. Is it bad for Hawaii bringing in the money it does due to tourism? I don’t believe so, many jobs in Oahu only exist for tourism.

If you like, please also go to Mount Tsurugi in Tokushima, there is an ancient Jewish temple there, and there is also the Lost Ark legend. After the war, America and Israel came to investigate many times.

I plan on going in March 2025 hopefully the ten will still be weak

I wonder if we can also do the same here in the Philippines with charging tourists more than locals. Lots of foreigners here as well. 😅 Charge quadruple the price for Chinese mainlanders. IYKYK.

Hearing what people have been doing to geisha makes me so mad…the cigarette one really ticked me off. Giving tourists a bad name 😡

Banning drinking in Shibuya must have been passed by a bunch of women not concerned about increasing tax revenue. I do not drink but appreciate the freedom to do so anywhere you like. On trains it is usually elderly men drinking on the train at any time of day.

So the ban is for 1 hour that’s pretty useless

@harblife

27 күн бұрын

6pm to 5am -- 11 hours.

Did you lip sync your own voice over? 😬

Hawaii has tourist and local pricing for major attractions. Food is not subject to that.

8:00 That is some ridiculous sensationalistic scaremongering. A megalopolis such as Tokyo should be perfectly able to handle those visitors and more. Less populated countries than Japan receive proportionally much larger numbers of tourists without getting into these hysterics as we're witnessing in Japan in the last year or so. What Japan needs to do is to learn to handle these increasing numbers of visitors, not to instill fear of them amongst the population. The problem of tourism in Japan is that most tourists go to the same few spots and crowd them out, coupled with the relatively restricted tourism calendar that concentrates visitors in two yearly windows of opportunity, Spring (march-april) and Autumn (october-november). What Japan should do is promote other destinations within Japan out of the Tokyo - Kyoto axis, as well as try to promote different kinds of tourism for the Winter and Summer in order to spread out visitors rather than concentrate them.

@juanpabloperezgomez4349

9 күн бұрын

And the double pricing system is not understandable at all, it is officializing discrimination against tourists, making it legitimate to rip them off.

Tourists who are self absorbed and self righteous are the problem , sometimes it’s cultural related like with the Chinese,.

Tier pricing is a good idea. Additionally they should get rid of "tax free" shops. Have everyone pay the 10% taxes.

Well actually for the dual pricing, it's pretty common in the eastern side at least for tourist attractions and less commonly food. Personally I'm alright with higher tourist pricing for attractions, because at least where I'm from, it's pretty normal. It was more of a "subsidized pricing" for locals and permanent residents, which is common especially in South East Asia. I'm against food prices being higher for tourists, unless they're being upfront about it.

I'm absolutely OK with higher prices for tourists. In Hawaii, we have Kamaaina rates (cheaper) if you have a local ID. Japan could do the same. Tourist can complain, but they'll get over the new prices.

Should we boycott japan 😅 Bro moving to Tokyo this September ❤ I'll see you in Yokohama 😅

@egofan98

28 күн бұрын

Why would we boycott Japan?

@jonathansakura

28 күн бұрын

@@egofan98 I’m trollin lol because they dislike the tourists

@elisahonda9518

28 күн бұрын

@@jonathansakuraThey just don't want nuisance tourist or bad visitors and that's makes sense. Are you infavor of those selfish people who ruins other's daily lives as your words say so.... same species

@jonathansakura

28 күн бұрын

@elisahonda9518 you don't live in Japan or Asia so you're not aware that the news constantly is making all foreigners look bad just for the fact they have more money and making it seem like we're all bad. They purposely only show the white and black foreigners which are tiny percentage to scapegoat and blame when the highest majority of tourists are actually coming from Korea, China, and the Phillipines. That's my issue. But also I'm trolling a bit lol stop taking everything so seriously 😂

@leooogomez3028

22 күн бұрын

​@@elisahonda9518 I feel so bad for Japan because I'm assuming that the most language tourists speak is English they are the reason for the inflation tbh and I've seen people on TikTok blatantly saying to use the Japanese currency and move there😭 hell no it's the same people complaining about price inflation when they are the ones doing it to Japan? and locals have to suffer

We can put all the blame on Johnny Soma** for ruining it

I don't mind paying more as a tourist. I am more difficult than a person who is fluent in

I dont really blame Japan for charging tourists extra. Their economy is pretty bad currently, much like Canadas.

@rpatriot8661

5 күн бұрын

Maybe they should make it cheaper to draw in more people.

@_Zane__

5 күн бұрын

@@rpatriot8661 they have enough tourists, my friend just went and he said a huge majority were chinese

Japan should just let tourist tip 😂😂

@JalaalElasmar

28 күн бұрын

no id rather just pay more and not tip. tipping is a ridiculous practice that i despise

@annieloh

28 күн бұрын

Do respect the locals. Tipping is considered impolite to some Japanese.

Charging tourists extra isn't only a Japan thing, other countries have been doing the same too so especially SEA 🫢 I live here so I know lol