Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know there are going to be people on here who will disagree with me, but I visited Japan recently and although most of the people were polite, I wasn't amazed by it like I thought I would be.
I got some head bows and they are generally polite although reserved, but most of them were just ordinary people going about their business. Many of them seemed like they were in a rush. The only real over the top politeness I got was from a few service people, but they were being paid to be nice. I've visited plenty of other places with nice and polite people, like the southern and midwestern parts of the U.S., as well as other places in the world.
I just don't see how the Japanese are that different from other people. Human nature is about the same anywhere.
The definition of politeness varies between different cultures. Even in the one country there can be variations. I have found, as an example, that people in Northern Queensland are more inclined to chat to strangers whereas in Sydney and Melbourne it is not polite to do that on public transport and in other places. I think that more crowded environments, and I expect that Japan is one, have more behaviour norms that enable people to keep some personal space.
And in most of the developed world, people are just going about their business.
Personality comes into it too. My friend says her husband drives her crazy with his habit of chatting to strangers. She can see no need whatsoever to ask the waitperson where he lives or whatever.
I always wonder why people just can't enjoy travel without all the criticism, expectations and comparing everything with things back at home.
If they tend to be disappointed with other cultures and the ways other people live, they just should stay home. Human nature isn't about the same everywhere. And human nature in the US isn't the only right way to live...
This seem to be a very hard to understand to many American travellers. If they want everything like back at home - they should stay at home.
Those complaints about smiles, customer service, politeness, food etc. get really old...
Every time we go on vacation, we travel for US. We plan the trip, what we wish to see and do...
We're not the chatty type. We pretty much keep to ourselves. But we do go out of our comfort zone and ask locals about localized restaurants and things to see and do when we're not following our itinerary.
I experienced this in Macchu Pichu. I'm not sure what I was expecting, probably some out-of-body experience lol, but it was just crawling with tourists. I was so disappointed.
I experienced this in Macchu Pichu. I'm not sure what I was expecting, probably some out-of-body experience lol, but it was just crawling with tourists. I was so disappointed.
Not sure if you realized, but when you go to Machu Picchu and look up at that very tall mountain with the vertical drops just in the distance, that is Huaynu Picchu, and there are Inca ruins up there too. If that is not impressive, I don't know what is. If boggles my mind that they could have gotten stones up that high with those treacherous drops.
As for my answer, not exactly, because I don't have a lot of expectations. But whereas I greatly enjoyed and appreciated both Venice and Paris, there was to me nothing "magical" about them. They were just very nice places.
Modern culture has seeped into even the most remote places so our expectations and stereotypes are very obsolete. I recall watching an Anthony Bourdain segment where he was at some remote SE Asian tribal village seemingly at the edge of the stone age and they were spending their free time singing western karaoke. They had a generator set up to power the machine. The people were still living in communal long-houses and hunting for food but the culture was rapidly changing.
Bucket list places like Machu Picchu, or maybe Venice, are swarming with tourists and the services that tourists require. I think I would shoot myself if I had to go back to the Sistine Chapel. On the other hand, going to the Grand Canyon in December was wonderful as I had the place almost to myself...far different without the usual crowds.
SunGrins said it well, that the surroundings or atmosphere can skew our experience when visiting extraordinary places. I visited the Maya ruins of Chichen Itza 6 years ago in the Yucutan Peninsula of Mexico. The pyramids and structures were a wonder to look at, but you had to go through a gauntlet of vendors and hawkers to get there. Kind of takes the moment away. I visited some other less known ruins in the Yucutan, where there were few visitors and few others trying to sell me stuff, and the experience was different in a good way.
Yogi Berra said it well, "nobody goes there anymore, its too crowded..."
Angkor Wat. As everyone else oohed at the sun rising over the ruins, I listened to the amazing account by my one-legged driver of growing up as a child in Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. An then a visit to his family and village. I wouldn't trade that for the 700 wonders of the world.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
