Japan

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50 Shades of Japanese

A very insightful and personal story from Inkling about racism in Japan. Racism, discrimination, stereotyping, whatever you call it, is a rather serious issue but has become invisible in the eyes of travelers and the Japanese themselves.

To respond to Inkling’s rhetorical question “…does that mean that Japan’s free of racism, or that because it’s less visible it’s more okay?” No, of course not! In fact, invisible racism is much much worse. I myself never thought of it before reading this article (thanks again for sharing).

“Quite a few people who’ve lived in Japan longer that I have, say that no matter how long they live in Japan, no matter how well they know Japanese, they are still treated as an outsider.” I bet some of you understand this feeling, wherever your country of residence. Racism is every where, and need to be dealt with. First step is understand what it is and how you can help combating it (raising awareness).

It’s a long post but I encourage you to read on. Inkling has done an amazing job making it educational and entertaining at the same time. Something worth sharing.

An Inkling

I know, I know, I’m following a terrible trend. There are so many 50 Shades posts right now it’s unbelievable. I think 50 Shades is outdoing The Interview on the controversy level right now. Anyway, if you’re here to read about 50 Shades of Grey, you’re in the wrong place. I’m sure you can find something else to read rather quickly.

Actually, I wanted to talk a little bit about racism in Japan, and as 50 Shades was everywhere I looked, I realized it would be a good pun for this blog post that could be interpreted a few different ways. I’ll let you decide what it means.

Part of this post was written a year or so ago and saved in my drafts. I hadn’t finished it because I felt there was too much to talk about, and I would be doing the topic an injustice.

But this week…

View original post 1,537 more words

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Things to do in Japan

In previous post, my girlfriend talked about accommodations in Japan. In this post, I’ll focus on things to do while you are there as well as some tips.

Japan is the most amazing and entertaining country I’ve been to. There should be no shortage of things to do there, whether it’s art, food, culture, scenery, entertainment, shopping, weird stuffs (see here for a list of specific attractions in Tokyo. There are many things but I’ve boiled it down to some unique and fun stuffs that you can easily do while in Japan.
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Attractions in Tokyo

As promised, below is a list of attractions in Tokyo. I’ve categorized them by interests and the time when you should visit. I also listed some suggestions for day trips from Tokyo. Together with my list of things to do in Japan, you should be well equipped for your adventure in Tokyo!
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Accommodations in Japan

I was never a big fan of Japan. To me, Japan means strict traditions and conservative people. I always thought of Japan as a typical Asian country which is why it is not that appealing to someone who grew up in Asia like me. My boyfriend, Tri, however has always been dreaming about visiting and living in Japan. Last year, we were debating whether to spend our vacation in Mexico or Japan. Out of the odds, there was this amazing flight deal to Tokyo so we booked our flights right away. Being an obsessive vacation planner, I dived into looking up on what to do in Japan so we could hit as many places as possible. To my surprise, the more I read about Japanese culture and history, the more I got attracted to this country. Continue reading →