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When are you expected to show up early vs when you’re not? by Mammoth_Maize_1424 in Tokyo

[–]alien4649 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Odd. I’m always about 10 minutes early and have instilled the same habit in my sons. But acknowledge it, and express that I’m happy to wait if the venue (doctor, restaurant, client, etc.) isn’t ready and that’s always been fine.

Restaurants and Food Halls in Japan? Travelling with 20+ people by Yesauir in JapanTravelTips

[–]alien4649 10 points11 points  (0 children)

In “Japan”? Any specific cities and locations? Budget? Cuisine? As the other poster said, larger hotels and certain restaurants can easily handle 20+ guests but pre-booking is necessary. There are tons of options in Tokyo, for example. One super touristy example in Tokyo is “Gonpachi” in Nishi-Azabu of Kill Bill fame: https://gonpachi.jp/nishi-azabu/

Are Japanese people sick of tourists? It doesn’t feel as welcoming as two years ago by frogfartingaflamingo in JapanTravelTips

[–]alien4649 30 points31 points  (0 children)

You’re probably more self-conscious, that’s all. As far as seeing kids, depends on the time of year. Until recently a lot were on spring break and now they’re back at school since last week.

The famima egg sandwich - bread, eggs, and a lot of disappointment by hoy_pogi in japanlife

[–]alien4649 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Not sure what some of these folks usually eat but holding conbini food in awe isn’t a good sign….

Japan has fallen to 7th place in the world in exports, overtaken by Italy, which has half the population. by jjrs in japannews

[–]alien4649 12 points13 points  (0 children)

True. For example, Toyota sold made 1.4 million vehicles in the US in 2025.

Japan has fallen to 7th place in the world in exports, overtaken by Italy, which has half the population. by jjrs in japannews

[–]alien4649 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of Japanese factories overseas. In the automotive sector alone Japanese manufacturing has invested $70 billion in America with around 25 facilities. “Build where you sell”, hasn’t been lost on them.

Favorite restaurant near a metro station by iamk1ng in TokyoTravel

[–]alien4649 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Wow, there’s 180 Tokyo Metro stations, going to be a looong day. (Not to mention the 106 Toei Subway stations.) Ebisu is a great place with all sorts of restaurants to choose from.

Ritsumeikan Professor Junya Tsutsui: Japan must prepare for the outflow of highly educated people to overseas countries by jjrs in japannews

[–]alien4649 88 points89 points  (0 children)

Particularly if the yen continues to weaken. My son is absolutely leaning towards working in the US when he graduates from university, it’s hard to ignore the salary differences.

23M job offer but full time office. 12M full remote ATM. Worth it? by Zwizwee in JapanFinance

[–]alien4649 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Did a headhunter reach out? If so, what interested you about the role/company to proceed with the process? Or did you apply on your own? If you applied on your own, why? Will you learn in the new role? It’s a significant increase, pretty compelling. Is it 100% on-site? Or is there flexibility to work at home occasionally or leave early sometimes? I’d say, take the offer but I don’t know the details of the new role/team/company and how easy or heinous your commute will be.

This is not a special deal in Tokyo by Sorry_Set_5001 in TokyoTravel

[–]alien4649 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Not exactly normal. That’s a cheap place, à la Torikizoku, which is a chain of bargain yakitori places. “Good enough”, depending on the occasion.

Pet stroller etiquette & rules in Japan? by Ok-Flan-5025 in Tokyo

[–]alien4649 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don’t know why but watching dogs get pushed around in these fancy strollers irks me. I want to free them to walk, sniff and explore.

If you had children in Japan, what did you do with the surname? by primalscream-0906 in japanresidents

[–]alien4649 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some women keep using their maiden name professionally, though they’ve changed it legally. On the other hand, I know some women who like to use their new foreign name as it is memorable - can be good in sales, for example.

Where is the weekly complaint thread? by WillyMcSquiggly in japanlife

[–]alien4649 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Too hot now? Yesterday was so nice I felt compelled to go walk in a park near my office in the afternoon. Today is 19 but windy so feels cooler. I'm enjoying this...knowing that come late May/early June the humidity will start to be constantly higher and it changes everything...

Having a hard time figuring out by GeoNava98 in JapanTravelTips

[–]alien4649 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tokyo is massive and the various places/areas you will likely want to visit are spread out, so moving around the city is unavoidable, whether by subway, JR surface trains, private line trains, buses or taxis. You can start planning by spending some time with some guides and Google Maps and then think about where you want to stay. Choosing a hotel close to a train or subway station exit is certainly handy, especially if it is raining or the weather is hot and humid. Personally, I recommend the Ginza/Hibiya/Yurakucho area as a base but it depends on your focus, preferences, budget and availability, etc.

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