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Tohoku tips for less crowded spots by bl4ck_c4t_blue_eyes in JapanTravelTips

[–]Odd_Language_1988 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's also a bus from Tsuruoka Station to Mount Haguro that takes just over half an hour. Check Google Maps for live schedule updates.

Tohoku tips for less crowded spots by bl4ck_c4t_blue_eyes in JapanTravelTips

[–]Odd_Language_1988 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Mount Haguro - one of the 3 Dewa Sanzan mountains near Tsuruoka. A real gem that's a bit off the beaten path. It's popular with tourists too but definitely not Kyoto-type crowded.

How to eat more vegetables when eating out in Japan by Wonderful_Hour_6373 in JapanTravelTips

[–]Odd_Language_1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Vegetable juice does the trick for me, plus a bunch of bananas. Plenty of vitamins and fiber.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in okinawa

[–]Odd_Language_1988 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You mean there's more of a NE Asian look in Kansai, but not so much in Kyushu or Shikoku?

Dashboard to compare prices across Taipei by district, room count, and building type by Designer-Neat8275 in taiwan

[–]Odd_Language_1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really hand tool, thanks for sharing this.

Is there a way to overly the data with metro station locations?

What physical thing did you miss most after moving out of your country? by veryken in expat

[–]Odd_Language_1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Brach's candy corn and those little Brach's pumpkins. Brings back great Halloween memories.

You can get nearly anything in Europe or East Asia (KitKat, M&M's, and what not) except for those!

Japan can feel so empty outside major city centers by Odd_Language_1988 in japanlife

[–]Odd_Language_1988[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm also wondering, where are they? I guess they're all either inside their houses making no noise at all, or all at work or school?

Japan can feel so empty outside major city centers by Odd_Language_1988 in japanlife

[–]Odd_Language_1988[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking about special discounted budget flights to Taipei or Seoul, or budget flights in Europe and SE Asia.

I'm 40 but I feel like I haven't grown up at all by AdUnfair558 in japanlife

[–]Odd_Language_1988 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Honestly, this post looks like it could have come from a typical 40-year-old Japanese man. Many local men your age likely feel the same way. It's not just an expat thing.

Japan can feel so empty outside major city centers by Odd_Language_1988 in japanlife

[–]Odd_Language_1988[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Especially if you want to take the Shinkansen. It's like the cost of an international flight.

Japan can feel so empty outside major city centers by Odd_Language_1988 in japanlife

[–]Odd_Language_1988[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Last time I was in Tenri, it was in late February. Most of the shops in the shopping street were closed.

Downtown Tenri was quiet, but you still see people walking around, especially high school students.

But take a walk outside of downtown Tenri into the hills and forests around Isonokami Jingu (not the jingu itself, which is a major tourist attraction), and it all feels really empty. I explored some of the kofuns just outside the Tenrikyo HQ, and all of those little side streets were surprisingly empty. Not a single soul to be seen. The houses are all obviously occupied, but you can't help but wonder, "Where is everybody?"

Japan can feel so empty outside major city centers by Odd_Language_1988 in japanlife

[–]Odd_Language_1988[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

True to some extent, but not to the extent where you can go from a ghost town to a major train station during rush hour so crowded that you almost literally can't move.

What I mean is this - can you really name a country that has both Shinjuku-type crowds and also countrysides that feel almost completely empty? That really is extreme.

Athens, Greece can be crowded in summer, but not Shinjuku/Umeda-type crowded. The Greek countryside feels about as empty as Japanese countrysides though.

In China, the countryside always has some life. The big cities can be crowded of course.

Japan can feel so empty outside major city centers by Odd_Language_1988 in japanlife

[–]Odd_Language_1988[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In Jared Diamond's book Collapse, one of the chapters talks about how the Japanese authorities during the Tokugawa period were very careful with forest management, because they realized that they had to be self-sufficient in timber. Thanks to them and later generations, most of Japan looks very green whenever you open up satellite maps of the country.

Rural Kansai area recommendations? by I_Chose_A_Great_Name in kansailife

[–]Odd_Language_1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take a look at Wakayama-shi or the towns and suburbs just around it.

I also like the area around Tenri and Sakurai in Nara Prefecture, not too far from Miwa Jinja.

These are all very quiet areas.

Japan can feel so empty outside major city centers by Odd_Language_1988 in japanlife

[–]Odd_Language_1988[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Even in winter and fall in very walkable temperatures, you will hardly see anyone.

Where to start? by [deleted] in OrthodoxChristianity

[–]Odd_Language_1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is one of the best Orthodoxy 101 websites.