Worst tourist attraction in Japan?

[mdchachi]

I've never understood the appeal of Tokyo in general as a tourist destination.

I think if you go to just one place (region) in Japan Tokyo is the best all-around choice. If you're a foodie or even just like good food there are endless choices including great ethnic options. There are plenty of rural areas even mountains with good hiking such as Okutama. Plus it has all the Japan oddities. Maid cafes. Hedgehog cafes. Robot cafes. Amazing urban metropolis. Not to mention events -- art galleries, concerts, festivals. Venturing nearby you can hit Kamakura or Nikko in lieu of Kyoto . Go to the coast for beach, scuba or fishing charters. And enough shrines and temples to get tired of them.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

But you're not saying Tokyo is the best place; you're saying something more like Kanto is the best place to visit, aren't you?

As a tourist, I like Kamakura but not Tokyo. I've never been to Nikko, sadly. I will admit that I'm strongly biased towards Western Japan.

I'd argue that if you're looking for a good bang for your buck, you're much better off visiting the Kansai area. If you have more time, the Kinki area is great, too. Setonaikai has a lot to offer. Kyushu has so many hidden gems. But Tokyo? I mean, it's nice if you have the time, I suppose. It's just so...vanilla.

ETA: This may be influenced by the fact that I've never much been to Tokyo as a tourist. When I went there it was usually to meet someone I knew, and I usually would stay at friends' places. I've been to Tokyo Disneyland, but that's actually in Chiba, is it not?

 

[thomas]

There was an elephant called Hanako that was on display in Kichijoji. She was chained up in a small, exposed platform that was either made out of stone, or made out of concrete that was painted to look like stone. It was the most depressing thing ever. The elephant had some kind of dementia as a result of being chained up in about a 20ft x 20ft space all day, where all she could do was pace back and forth. That to me was the worst tourist attraction ever.

Utterly heartbreaking! I looked up her story, and she died at Inokashira Zoo in 2016:

At the time she died Hanako was the oldest elephant in Japan. A ceremony to mark the unveiling of the bronze statue on May 6th was attended by a member of the Sarasas family from Thailand, which originally gave the animal to Japan. The statue is 1.5 meters tall and 2.5 meters long. It was created by local artist Aki Fueda at a cost of ¥13.6 million, which was covered by donations, including from Thailand. Though the statue has prompted an outpouring of press coverage and gushing about Hanako's popularity, she actually accidentally caused the death of a zookeeper at Inokashira Park Zoo and had to be chained up for some time. While she inspired a book and TV drama, she was nicknamed the world's loneliest elephant, reports Kyodo, because she was kept in captivity alone in an empty cement enclosure for many years. In fact, her treatment sparked criticism and even a petition as people urged Japan to send her back to Thailand so she could live out her life with her fellow animals.

Famously lonely elephant Hanako honored with statue at Kichijoji Station

Tokyo has a new landmark, but it's not in the center of the city and it's certainly not a sight you might immediately associate with Japan's capital. A popular elephant called Hanako now has a statue in her honor standing outside Kichijoji Station in west Tokyo. The elephant was a resident of...

www.japantrends.com

 

[thomas]

I'd argue that if you're looking for a good bang for your buck, you're much better off visiting the Kansai area. If you have more time, the Kinki area is great, too.

I always thought Kansai and Kinki referred to the same region. And I agree that Kamakura is a historical and cultural gem, second only to Kyoto.

 

[mdchachi]

But you're not saying Tokyo is the best place; you're saying something more like Kanto is the best place to visit, aren't you?

As a tourist, I like Kamakura but not Tokyo. I've never been to Nikko, sadly. I will admit that I'm strongly biased towards Western Japan.

Well Kanto is quite large. So I meant Tokyo and nearby places. I probably shouldn't have included Nikko since that's relatively far but you can do it on a day trip.It really depends on what you want to do "as a tourist." But still Tokyo and environs has almost everything a first time visitor with limited time might want to see. Yes including Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea which are in Tokyo.

How is Tokyo vanilla? Vanilla means ordinary and plain. Tokyo is like nowhere else. Of course I'm biased since that's the only place in Japan I lived although I've traveled through most other areas at least once. It really depends on what you want to do "as a tourist."

 

[Ukigumo]

Tokyo has A LOT of historical and cultural attractions to offer, but most of them are not the "rad Instagram honeypots" around Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Akihabara. Thank goodness most tourists are confined to those areas.

Yes, it'd be foolish to suggest that Tokyo didn't offer some amazing places of historical and cultural interest; it certainly does. I suppose like any big (huge) city, it has it's difficulties and inconveniences and those tend to stick in the mind post-visit.

PS: I'm excited to see a 22-year-old thread resurfacing.

I applied a thread defibrillator and gave it a couple of shocks! ️

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I always thought Kansai and Kinki referred to the same region. And I agree that Kamakura is a historical and cultural gem, second only to Kyoto.

You may be correct about that. I always think of Kansai as Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe and Kinki as also including Nara and some other territories. But this guy disagrees.

What’s Kansai or Kinki?

関西 [KANSAI] (かんさい) means

second-home-japan.com

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Well Kanto is quite large. So I meant Tokyo and nearby places. I probably shouldn't have included Nikko since that's relatively far but you can do it on a day trip.It really depends on what you want to do "as a tourist." But still Tokyo and environs has almost everything a first time visitor with limited time might want to see. Yes including Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea which are in Tokyo.

How is Tokyo vanilla? Vanilla means ordinary and plain. Tokyo is like nowhere else. Of course I'm biased since that's the only place in Japan I lived although I've traveled through most other areas at least once. It really depends on what you want to do "as a tourist."

Tokyo Disneyland is in Chiba Prefecture. I remember when I was taking a law class in Japan, we were discussing topics of law to write a paper about. One of the students was talking about fraud (詐欺), and his half-joking example was Tokyo Disneyland. That's actually how I learned that Tokyo Disneyland is really "Chiba Disneyland."

Tokyo Disneyland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I do think Tokyo is vanilla. That's probably because it's the mass communications hub of the country, so being in Tokyo always felt like being on TV, but not in a good way. The first time I went to Tokyo was after I was well indoctrinated on Western Japan, and Kansai in particular. For me, becoming interested in Japan was a byproduct of a personal relationship I had instead of something born through pop culture or WWII or feudal history. So that probably has a lot to do with how my opinions formed, too.

 

[mdchachi]

Tokyo Disneyland is in Chiba Prefecture.

My brain was saying Chiba but somehow I typed Tokyo. I actually I make those kinds of mistakes a lot these days. It's kind of worrisome.

I do think Tokyo is vanilla. That's probably because it's the mass communications hub of the country, so being in Tokyo always felt like being on TV, but not in a good way.

Well I'm biased because I lived there and my wife is from there. It's basically home.

 

[Ukigumo]

My brain was saying Chiba but somehow I typed Tokyo. I actually I make those kinds of mistakes a lot these days. It's kind of worrisome.

Don't start worry until the urinary incontinence starts and someone called 'nurse' feeds you three times a day!

Well I'm biased because I lived there and my wife is from there. It's basically home.

You live in Tokyo Disneyland and you wife is from there? Is she Snow White?

I have an ambition to visit the Katori Shintō Shrine in Chiba and the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shintō Ryu dojo!

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

My brain was saying Chiba but somehow I typed Tokyo. I actually I make those kinds of mistakes a lot these days. It's kind of worrisome.

Well I'm biased because I lived there and my wife is from there. It's basically home.

I hear you. I do that sometimes when I speak. It is worrisome.

I'm sorry if I insulted you by calling Tokyo vanilla. As I said earlier, I have my own biases. Feel free to bash Kansai all you want (but keep you hands off of Aichi! lol). That's what this thread is for, after all.

 

[mdchachi]

I'm sorry if I insulted you by calling Tokyo vanilla. As I said earlier, I have my own biases. Feel free to bash Kansai all you want (but keep you hands off of Aichi! lol). That's what this thread is for, after all.

It's ok I have a thick skin. I've only been to Aichi a handful of times, mainly for business trips to Kariya. But if I want to eat at Yama-chan's, well I can do that in Tokyo.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

There was a Meitetsu hotel built adjacent to Kariya station in 2005. It had to be torn down before it even opened because it didn't meet building codes. Now that was a disappointment!

asahi.com： 愛知の名鉄イン刈谷、解体工事始まる　耐震強度偽装 - マンション耐震強度偽装

耐震強度偽装問題で、強度不足が判明したため休業していた愛知県刈谷市のビジネスホテル「名鉄イン刈谷」（１１階建て、１６２室）で、全面建て替えに向けた解体工事が１０日、始まった。耐震偽装が判明した同県

www.asahi.com

ETA: The article states that the hotel had suspended operation (休業) but I went by that area a lot back in those days. If the hotel truly had opened, it was only for a very short period of time before suspending operations.