Asia travel hotspots quiet as Chinese tourists stay away

In the bad old days lots mentally distorted individuals were bashing Japan

To some extent, I can understand your perspective on this. I love Japan, I love living in Japan, and I have a generally positive view of the culture and people. I have defended Japan on a lot of occasions, particularly in regards to the Yasukuni Shrine, anti-Japanese foreign boycotts/sentiments, or their passive rejection of woke culture that we so often see in the US.

But no country or group is immune to scrutiny or criticism. Actually, in the Covid-19 era, especially over the past three years, Japan deserves a lot of the bashing that it has been getting. An absurdly strict travel/tourism ban that really overstayed it's welcome, a doctrine of extreme conformity and irrelevant hierarchy, and a worsening economic situation has lowered my image of Japan. It's not subjective culture shock: these are realities. Prior to 2020, I think Japan more or less had lightning in a bottle, and kind of blew it. Now that they are finally downgrading Covid, I mean, they've kinda been exposed.

China certainly deserves the lions share of the blame for Covid. But many of the things I have seen said about their people kind of rub me the wrong way.

In the bad old days lots mentally distorted individuals were bashing Japan, now it's China's turn, but back then they didn't have the internet and these bashers could only read, see, and hear what their masters wonted them learn. Now we have the internet and the masters can control and manipulate lesser of their slaves.

All I wanted to point out is that regardless of the HATE and what many said and thought about Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and many other successful and thriving economies their people could care less about what others may thinks or say about them based on what I am witnessing, in fact many of these bashers are living and thriving in the very same nations that they are bashing.

Funny but true, my Chinese born step daughter can't stand China or the Chinese. In public they can be rude, spitting, smoking, scratching their privates and boy do they have sharp elbows in a crowd! One on one they are nice but a big crowd of Chinese is another matter.

China is unfortunately a dark and dystopian dictatorship with an evil government; but the people are actually quite sweet, I think. Japan is a functional republic, a beautiful country, and a relatively good place to live; but deep down, a lot of the people are nasty, judgmental, and incapable of having actual fun. It's sad - among the two, there's only one I would actually live in. But said country is held back and not being realized to its full potential, due to its culture that many fanatics are do desperately trying to keep 100% pure. At some point, people have to be willing to make compromises.

In some ways you are right but from personal experience I would sure as heck much rather have a Japanese boss than a Chinese boss. I worked for a time as a temp with a Japanese company in the US. The managers were from Japan and there were I think among the best people I worked for in the private sector. It was one of the few places in the private sector I ever worked for that was honest. Chinese bosses are harder driven and willing to cheat.

Regrettable. I don't have any problems with Chinese people. Long before Covid-19, my younger sister lived in Beijing for a short period of time. While she was there, she fell ill, and at one point, collapsed on the street while walking. A stranger immediately came over to help her, and called medical personnel, acting as an interpreter to explain her symptoms. People there were very kind to her, generally. Certainly, not everyone she met there was spectacular - but as far as the people were concerned, she had an overall positive impression of them. On the other hand, I've heard stories in Japan of elderly people collapsing near a train station, and hundreds of commuters just walk by without even helping.

I imagine the majority of Chinese people are not Japanese loathing ultranationalists, but rather, mostly ordinary people trying to make their way in the world; blue jean wearing, rock n roll listening, sushi fanatics. They've shown not only that they want to resist Zero Covid, but also insane work culture in the forms of "Lying flat" and "Let it rot". In Japan though, no major social movement has arisen to challenge this - only more "Gamman" philosophy. And as a foreigner living and working in Japan, sometimes I feel like people who don't even outrank me on the hierarchy scale are seemingly obsessed with my work productivity, even though I am extremely busy. I am constantly probed with questions about what I am working on even if I'm visibly busy, or why I am leaving the office early, even though it has already been fully established if I have external meetings or a holiday booked in advance. I've never left on short notice, once. It's just awkward and ill-mannered to be barraged with these kinds of questions all the time.

Chinese tourists are chatty and want to take selfies a lot, but I don't think they're anywhere near as rude as people on this website make them out to be. On the other hand, I actually find Japanese people to be far less polite than their public relations tourism image suggests. Especially when they drink. They scream loudly, reference things they think are funny but are actually really cliche and/or annoying, overtly and directly comment on people's weight or appearance right in front of them, assume foreigners are stupid and need to be talked to like children, ect. Not only that - but I am sick and tired of being recommended terrible content on YouTube or Instagram wherein a Japanese person stands in front of a camera and lectures the listener about the "Dos and Don'ts" of being in Japan - again, repetitive, cliché, garbage. A conformist society ultimately produces lots of uninteresting, cookie cutter people.

China is unfortunately a dark and dystopian dictatorship with an evil government; but the people are actually quite sweet, I think. Japan is a functional republic, a beautiful country, and a relatively good place to live; but deep down, a lot of the people are nasty, judgmental, and incapable of having actual fun. It's sad - among the two, there's only one I would actually live in. But said country is held back and not being realized to its full potential, due to its culture that many fanatics are do desperately trying to keep 100% pure. At some point, people have to be willing to make compromises.

All this HATE on this board, how sad and SICK.

Do people really want a bunch of social media wanna be influencers with the bad cough and fever coming and hang around? Otsukaresama desu.

That said, nothing ruins a tourist spot faster than a hoard of Chinese travellers.

Nah. Sorry Nads. Look at the picture. Nothing ruins a tourist spot faster than a deadly disease. Even the pigeons are scared.

Never heard of anyone dying due to colds.

Many very elderly people, the same group who account for basically all COVID-19 deaths, die from colds and influenza.

I have nothing against Chinese travellers however the cases of COVID-19 is skyrocketing in China so it is better to keep them away for a while.

If they really want to come they should show a proof of vaccination or take a test before coming to Japan.

Illogical. There is no reason for this, as COVID-19 is endemic in every country, including Japan. That said, nothing ruins a tourist spot faster than a hoard of Chinese travellers.

Never heard of anyone dying due to colds

I'll take the medical experts opinion on the danger of Covid rather than some internet hearsay.

Me too Fighto.

Indeed. But the word around the campfire is that Rona now is like a cold and harmless, despite what the experts say.

I'll take the medical experts opinion on the danger of Covid rather than some internet hearsay.

however the cases of COVID-19 is skyrocketing in China so it is better to keep them away for a while.

Indeed. But the word around the campfire is that Rona now is like a cold and harmless, despite what the experts say.

Isn't that GOOD NEWS! It helps achieve SDGs by 2030!