Times I Felt Like a Tourist in Japan

tea was here

When I arrived at the airport and skipped the squat toilet telling myself I was “too tired to aim.” Maybe I need more target practice…

Whenever I had no idea where I was or how to get somewhere because everything was in Japanese characters and no one understood my crappy pronunciation. Sadly, it wasn’t as cute as it’s portrayed in Rom-coms.

Being one of those annoying people and pointing and talking English or Dutch in the hope they will understand something. Maybe if I just say it s…l…o…w…e…r or LOUDER will help?

Keep this one a secret….that one night I switched rice and noodles for taco and avocado and had Mexican food. Like oh em gee! How dare I eat something different than the country’s cuisine?

When the Ghibli exhibition was only in Japanese. Though ‘cute’ is of course a universal language, it still would have been great to have some written context.

Whenever I was a baaaad tourist and stood on the wrong side of the escalator or stairs. In my defence: it changes per station in Japan.

Walking around with my DSLR and posing in front of tourist (and non tourist) attraction.

When not sure if you can use the train with your ticket, use it anyway and tell yourself that you can use your being stupid tourist as an excuse, plus act cute, rather than rude.

“English menu o onegaishimasu?”

Being the only ‘Western’ people in a place, possibly in the neighbourhood. It’s like wearing a police siren which shouts ‘FOREIGNER FOREIGNER FOREIGNER HERE! LOOK!.

When I picked something that looked like yoghurt and it turned out to taste nothing like yoghurt.

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8 Comments

  1. “When not sure if you can use the train with your ticket, use it anyway and tell yourself that you can use your being stupid tourist as an excuse, plus act cute, rather than rude”

    Done so many times 😀

  2. I’ve never been to Japan, but I’ve definitely done all those things on various other travels. Especially the not eating another country’s cuisine. Whilst I will do so most of the time, sometimes you just want something a big different! x

  3. Weirdly, I never felt particularly ‘foreigner’ in Japan, maybe it’s their super politeness, compared to China or Myanmar for instance. I’ve met a lot of Japanese tourists both from working in the tourist industry in UK and travelling. They are such well travelled people that I felt comfortable being a tourist in their country!
    I was a little terrified of eating though, as a vegetarian the point and hope option is risky!

  4. Oh wow I wanna go to Japan so badly! Never been…

    I feel like a crazy tourist here in Singapore, but since I look Asian, no one sees me as a tourist, so when I behave like a stupid tourist they just look at me as if I’m crazy. they just don’t know I’m technically german… haha!