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>were u able to get around speaking english or were u using >google translate constantly?
both. from a commerce perspective, most folks speak and understand "shopping english' even if they can't hold a conversation. like 'small coffee' is understood, numbers of things you want, where's the toilet etc etc
beyond that, we used google translate for EVERYTHING..the photo function is so fuckking dope...like we can see whole ass menus in English right before our eyes...it was wonderful
>where did u stay most of the time? hotel, airbnb?
we mixed it up...we started out at an Airbnb in Tokyo for a couple days, then switched to a hotel for another couple days, stayed in a traditional ryokan (inn) in Hakone, then stayed in a hotel in Kyoto...we wanted to have a range of experiences in that way. The hotels are best when you want to stow your luggage for sightseeing. The Airbnb had a hella complicated entry system, with codes and video calls etc etc ...it seems most of them are licensed "rooms" that no one actually lives in. I actually hate that that's what they are now. Might as well just get a hotel without all the strict checkin and house rules hassle. > >what did the demographics look like? a lot of non-japanese in >the places you've been?
definitely at least 90% Japanese in Tokyo. 99% outside of Tokyo. we got stares (very brief furtive looks cuz Japanese people don't stare) in smaller towns and on the buses.
did u come across other blk folks?
we did our best to try to talk, at least briefly, to every Black person we saw LOL I was annoying but whatever..some engaged. We saw the most Black folk in Tokyo, which shoulddn't surprised anyone cuz its a major metropolitan city...however upon talking to them, most of them were carribean & African. maybe we saw like 4 Black americans.
Outside of Tokyo...especially on more local trains and buses, we were almost always the only Black people...and he has locs and I have natural hair..so we stood out EVERYWHERE..got alot of looks and double takes and kids stared lol. but it never felt unsafe...just odd.
>japan is definitely on the bucket list for me.... for a 7-10 >day family trip with a young child (8-9 years-old)... which >cities should i visit/stay in?
We saw so many more kid-focused things in Tokyo..., however, Super Nintendo World is near Osaka and its HIGHLY recommended..a kid that age will have the time of their life! We couldn't go cuz we didn't book online ahead of time (like a month ahead) so make sure you do that.
But yes, Tokyo is very kid-friendly. you'll even see kids travelling alone on buses to and from school. its safe for them cuz adults leave them the hell alone (imagine)
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"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz "But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly
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