12 Things Americans Over 50 HATE About Japan

📖 Buy the book: “Before You Land in Japan” : 37 years at the concierge desk, every question a first trip asks → https://marikoaono.com You booked the traditional inn as the highlight of your trip. Then dinner arrived, and there were no chairs. Two hours on the floor, eleven courses, and your knees on fire. Nobody warned you. Japan isn't perfect, and the travelers who loved it most were the ones who knew the hard parts before they came. I spent 37 years at a hotel concierge desk in Tokyo, and these are the twelve things Americans over 50 complained about most, with exactly what I told each of them to do. 1️⃣2️⃣ No trash cans anywhere, and where the hidden bins are 1️⃣1️⃣ Why nobody will box up your leftovers 🔟 The country of the future still wants cash 9️⃣ The menu will not bend (and the one word that fixes it) 8️⃣ Cigarette smoke in the little bars 7️⃣ Nowhere to sit down, and where the hidden seats are 6️⃣ The rock-hard bed and the bean pillow 5️⃣ The morning rush hour 4️⃣ You can't read a single word 3️⃣ The bicycle you'll never hear coming 2️⃣ The stairs in the stations 1️⃣ The dinner on the floor, and the one sentence to send your inn 🗒️ Mariko’s cheat sheet Carry a Ziploc bag for your trash; bins are at convenience stores and next to vending machines Order a little at a time; leftovers rarely go home Carry ¥20,000 to ¥30,000 in cash; Seven-Eleven ATMs take US cards Say “nuki” (without): “wasabi nuki”, “negi nuki” Look for “kin’en” (no smoking) on the door Department stores have free seats on several floors Ask for a softer pillow, or a second futon underneath Avoid trains from 7:30 to 9:30 am and 5:30 to 7 pm Google Translate camera for menus and signs Glance over your shoulder before you step sideways Follow the yellow elevator signs in stations Email your inn: “We are both over sixty, so please could we have a room with beds, and dinner at a table with chairs?” In the book: chapter 15 (money), chapter 20 (trains), chapter 12 (where to sleep and choosing a ryokan) 💬 Which of these twelve would you have hated the most? I read every single one. If you know someone planning their first trip to Japan, send them this video. It will save them a few sore knees. #JapanTravel #TravelOver50 #JapanTips