Forum - View topicTales Of The Industry - Wanna Go To Tokyo In 3 Days?
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mewpudding101
Industry Insider
 Posts: 2206 Location: Tokyo, Japan |
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Cutiebunny got it pretty on the mark. On the note of price, well yeah, you can't get stuff for 100 yen or anything, but you can get a full meal for under 1000 yen. Also, there are not that many DIY drink machines at fast food restaurants there, so yeah, no free refills. But it's pretty much the same drinks... That level of inflexibility is just beyond me. |
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miken
Posts: 52 |
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free refills are generally very uncommon outside the US by the way.
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Kyon27
 Posts: 95 Location: Lake Stevens, WA |
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Sadly, this. I have an employee who has no desire to ever leave the state, much less the country because, and I quote, "I don't see the point in going anywhere else." I don't get it, but I feel like this might be a more and more common attitude with young people. It's sad. |
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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Why would the author think that anyone in the group would be interested in meeting up with the author's old boss & friends at a karaoke bar? They were irritable, tired from working & jetlag, and homesick. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to travel when you're compelled to by work. I like traveling, but going to a foreign country and dealing with a language barrier can be hard on anybody, let alone people who didn't really want to go to begin with and have to work while they're there. I think the author couldn't relate with them because he had been there before and was already familiar with the area, language and culture. Makes a big difference.
Scouting out a place and then not using it, though...how rude. |
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Lemonchest
Posts: 1771 |
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At least they didn't have to call the consulate for counseling or insist on taking a hundred photos of the sign describing the historical object they're not looking at.
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vallum
Posts: 58 |
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Can't get stuff for 100 yen at McDonalds? Yes, you can: http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/100yen/index.html And a full meal for WAY under 1000 yen is very common, not only at McDonalds... No free refills at fast food restaurants, but other kinds of restaurants usually offer free water or tea (with free refills), and some have the so-called "drink bar" option, where you can drink as much as you want. |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5824 Location: Virginia, United States |
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The crew should have articulated that they were tired and just wanted to rest in the hotel. The author was just doing the job he was hired to do. A karaoke bar allows them to unwind a little and drink a little as a group, without being surrounded by strange foreigners. It is also rude to make arrangements with strangers to intrude on them and their property, and then at the last minute change your mind. It is rude, because you have wasted the property owners time. But I guess since they were Americans, their time is more important than some lowly Japanese serf. |
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belvadeer
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It's funny because a few months ago here, we were discussing a similar case with today's Japanese young folks having the same attitude. They're encouraged to go abroad because many of them aren't making anything of themselves in their homeland, but some sources showed that they're either too afraid of the culture shock or don't see the point in leaving Japan to study in the U.S. (to be fair though, their parents, peers and generally society itself pressure them constantly to take off and study overseas). Maybe it's just a sign of the times? |
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Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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It's definitely rude. That's what I meant when I wrote
As for the karaoke bar, the author should have asked if they were interested, and if they wanted to stay at the hotel, the author could've asked if s/he could go alone. |
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Mature-Kun
Posts: 32 |
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{I am sorry, but requesting identifiable info. is not permitted for this particular column. ~nobahn}
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Greboruri
Posts: 376 Location: QBN, NSW, Australia |
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I hardly ever managed to crack 1000 yen on any meal when I was over there. I don't know why people would go to McDonalds when there are literally thousands of other options more tasty and just as cheap (certainly I'd prefer to go to Mos Burger or Freshness Burger if I was up for a burger). Yeah, generally family restaurants have cheap drink bar options. Saizeriya and Jonathans are pretty good and cheap. |
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Lemonchest
Posts: 1771 |
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Any time I've been on holiday to a place with the golden arches, it's always been packed. People find comfort in finding things they know when in places they don't. |
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Greboruri
Posts: 376 Location: QBN, NSW, Australia |
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I know, but you can have McDonald any day of the week anywhere on the planet. I don’t get why you’d want to do that while on holiday. You can always check on Tripadvisor what restaurants are good and which ones might have English menus or picture menus. It just baffles me. |
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Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
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@Greboruri - Simply because it's a trip doesn't mean you can't be homesick or want the familiarity/comforts of home at times. Personally, I loved my trip to Japan 2 years and wanted to try all the different foods, but my parents and sister weren't as keen, so we had the occasional McD's during my week there. Additionally, despite enjoying my time there, I was ready to go home by the time we left. Being in a place where you know you stick out like a sore thumb or are obviously a tourist can be a bit daunting as well if you're the kind of person that prefers blending into crowds. I don't ever see myself traveling to a place like Japan on my own - I would need to be in a group.
A year later, when we visited Paris, Rome, Germany, and Luxembourg for a week, I had wanted to stay in my parents' apartment during the last day of vacation and just relax and play around on the computer (my dad had to live there half of the year when he was still employed and so had an apartment in Luxembourg). But my parents were all, "No, this is a vacation, you can't just do what you normally do at home." And so I got dragged along to a winery and castle-visiting. I was in a snit the entire day (I'd already seen plenty of castles on this trip, I didn't need to see another), and drinking the wine at the winery only caused me to pity myself more and start to cry. At first I tried to be quiet, but as time went on I just got more and more frustrated to the point I wanted everyone else to know how miserable I was. At the end of the day, my parents came to the realization that they should have just left me to my own devices. Some people absolutely love the adventure and have boundless supplies of energy to try different things and always be on the move. My parents plan vacations the same way where you try to make the most of it and do/visit as much as you can. But if you're the kind of person who values being comfortable or is a home-body, even if you're enjoying the trip there's a certain point when you hit a brick wall or need to recharge. The past two trips have shown me I can go about a week before I hit mine. Eventually, I just want to take a break from my vacation and stay in my room and fool around on the computer for a while. Or I was just tired from doing too many things in such a short time. Maybe I wouldn't have worn out so quick if everything was more spread out. But I was ready for the comforts of home again after a week, regardless of how tired I was. |
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Cutiebunny
 Posts: 1747 |
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It tastes different, and IMO better, in Japan. And who doesn't go there for the promo sandwiches? Honestly, I love going to McDonalds in other countries because they have stuff I can't find locally. In Japan, you have funky promo burgers, fry seasoning packages (they have different versions in other countries) and drinks. In Spain, I loved the fact that the salads came with olive oil and vinegar, not the heavy Ranch dressings we have in the US. Trying local variants of the products you know and love is enjoyable, and in some cases, you almost wish you lived there so you could enjoy it all the time. |
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