Is Japan a friendly place?
This is the question I’ve been asking myself recently after a friend of mine on a tour of Asia pointed it out to me.
He has been living in Canada for years and then decided to quit his job and travel ( after saving like crazy and buying bitcoin).
He traveled to Thailand: loved it! The people were friendly and the vibe was exciting.
Then he went to the Philippines: loved’it, people were friendly and greeted him
wherever he went. “ Hello Po, what’s up?”
Afterwards he traveled to Vietnam: friendly again, a little less compared to the first two but nonetheless, friendly.
And then he went to Japan and felt isolated. No one would greet him in the streets. If he said “hello/ Konichiwa” people would turn away and try not make eye contact. He told me he felt a very unfriendly vibe in the air and wasn’t comfortable at all unless he was around me. He cut his trip short and went on to his next destination, Hawaii, where he is having the time of his life.
What I believe started this was his first impression of Japan at immigration. They weren’t friendly, especially due to the fact that he was traveling from Manila. ( And Japan is going through a phase of over tourism)
“Why were you in Manila!!!” Four Japanese immigration officers interrogated him upon arrival. And before that he was greeted by an officer shouting at him and everyone else who had just arrived on the island to “have your QR code! Get back if you don’t have, write on paper!!!!”
I really think it all went downhill for him from there, but is there something else going on in Japan. I try to explain in the video.
