Are these the most OVERHYPED Things in Japan?

Im planning my trip to japan, ive bever been before but thought the same things you had listed. Except for the last couple ones because it didnt cross my mind to go. Nice to know! Ty.

Where do you think is a worthwhile place to visit for an entire 1 week long stay? Not the usual touristy places but somewhere that feels more authentic/less crowded.

Tangential, but: NEVER go to a Caracas zoo … or, at least, decades ago, I went to the zoo in Caracas, after having first been to the renovated Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago on a visit to see my United States family, and the Lincoln Park Zoo had enormous habitats for the animals, enrichment activities — it was the beginning of a period of zoos realizing living souls should be treated humanely, so the gorillas seemed happy, the tigers seemed happy, even the bears seemed happy — so seeing the Caracas zoo after that, with my Venezuelan family … I won’t describe it, I’ll just say it left me in tears, and memories of it haunt me to this day. It’s been a few decades since I was there, so I hope things have improved.

Actually any mass group experience involving food and/or drink can end up the same as your experience of izakaya. I hate rounds of drinks nights when I can only drink a couple of small ciders and others buy large drinks or spirits and lots of them. I end up paying Lots for very little 😢

You go to Ginza for a few reasons: Shima; flagship watch stores; people watching. You never know who you'll bump into on your lunch in Ginza. I ended up at a donburi place and had a conversation with someone who was high-up at Olympus Cameras (I guess it's OM-D now).

always a pleasure to hear from these 2 regardless of what channel they are on

Emma your face has turned into a round dumpling.

You have to get up super early to beat the tourists. Of course, you can also go to shrines at night. Fushimi Inari Taisha is great after dark. Just get your act together and get to Kyoto Station by 6AM. Or walk. I can't tell you how many miles I've walked in Japan at 5 or 6AM. It's totally safe and peaceful. And you won't be the only one. Mid-day is for recuperating in your hotel room until the tourists get hungry.

I’m surprised splitting a bill like that is common in Japan, you’d think that would be considered incredibly rude.

A place where everyone is bare foot… uhhhh, enjoy the toe fungus.

In 2016 we visited Seoul and on the first day we were pretty much just bumbling around exploring the area when we found a queue. Since it was lunch time we thought it must be for a really popular restaurant... it was for a Baskin Robin 31, the wait for a single scoop of ice cream was an hour long. I decided that I could live with some popsicles from the 7/11.

Lots of good advice.

First time I went to Japan I got lost in Tokyo Station...

Ueno zoo was the last zoo we visited. Hopefully ever. It just made us feel bad.

I've been to Japan several times and been at least 4 times to Kyoto where I have stayed. I first went in 2012 and only has 2/3 days spare to do things like the Ryoanji rock garden and walk around the Gion and go to the main shopping street with all the department stores such as daimaru etc. I feel like I haven't really explored the North of Kyoto around lake Biwa etc. We were lucky to catch the Jidai Matsuri parade in October 2012 though. I've also been in 2016/2017 and 2019 and travelled all around Western Honshu and northern kyushu. I will go to Nagoya in September next year but haven't decided all the other places I want to go yet such as Matsumoto or Gunma prefecture etc. I'm not sure whether my favourite Japanese City is Nagasaki, Kyoto, Kobe, Kanazawa or Himeji.

Oh no, Team lab! Thank you for the warning.

1) Ginza is absolutely amazing. You can watch the Mitsukoshi opening ceremony and see their gourmet floors and the aquarium expo, watch a show at the Kabuki-za, enjoy some of the best sushi and ramen in Tokyo, visit the Itoya flagship store or Kyukyudo for some incredible stationaries, visit the Sony store and the 12 stories high Uniqlo flagship store, check out one of the 20 or so art galleries in Ginza, explore Tsukiji right next door and visit Tokyo station and its many galleries, character street and ramen street etc, drop by Hamarikyu garden etc etc and that's all on a budget and just off the top of my head. (Yeah, Tokyo station, Hamarikyu and Tsukiji markets aren't TECHNICALLY in Ginza but they literally bordering Ginza and are all 10-15 min walk from the center of Ginza). I have no idea what you've been doing in Ginza that you couldn't find stuff to do.

2) Kinkaku-ji and Ryonan-ji are right next to the other and if you actually know what you're looking at there isn't any place in Kyoto or Japan that is an equivalent. If you are just a tourist that wanna mark off a checklist then I think that you'd regret not going there if only for how well known they are (it's easy to suggest to skip them if you live there and have seen them like 5 times, but asking someone to skip them when it might be their only time in Japan is asking a lot imo). But I would recommend that if you go there then plan to be there as early as possible and especially in the case of Ryoan-ji do your research in advance.

3) Tokyo station is incredible and basically have everything on a single axis of the passageway from the main entrance of Marunouchi next to the Imperial Palace and the other main entrance of Yaesu near Ginza. Which is a straight line. Not sure why it's that confusing to you. It's really not like a Shinjuku station situation. Maybe your issues with Tokyo station is part of why you hate Ginza so much tbh.

4) I'm pretty sure that you're not the demographics for Maid Cafe.... like... isn't it like going to a butler cafe as men and complaining that all the customers are women? And to try and "encourage" the guys as much as possible as a dude visiting so that not to look awkward? If you felt like that then maybe it's not for you... I wouldn't say that this makes it overrated...

5) Who thinks that Zoos are great in 2023? 🤔

Agree with everything else though, so I guess that I'm like 50% on board with you guys lol

Ugh. I just bought tickets to TeamLab

Suggestion for Team Labs: UV light room disinfectants. The same they use in hospitals. End of day, blast those rooms in UV light.

Ueno zoo was great went Dec 2022 and the line was a hour + to see 🐼 so skip but the zoo was good and only $12 AUD so cheap. Got to see animals I don't see in Australia

You both wreaked my full Japan plan 😂 now I dunno where to visit.

I have only one hard and fast rule when it comes to food: "Never eat a century egg (again) and never eat fugu for it might kill you." I am with you on this, Emma.

anybody hating on teamlab planets probably still gonna be the first to go to the one in osaka 🙄

Second Tokyo station. I got lost there trying to find a coin locker. It is like a maze. I remember it as the worst part of my trip.

I have to agree with some of these points. Fugu is really a pretty bland type of fish, and the only notable aspect is the risk if the cook made a mistake.

You mention there ar better, more interesting areas to stay than Ginza and I agree (I like to stay in Shaimbashi; it's quiet, and there's nice little coffee shops and food around), but I honestly think it's the proliferation of hotels that aren't too expensive that bring people over there versus say Shibuya where prices are higher. What are some places you would recommend to stay?

Shinjuku I could never find the south exit 😀

We went to Ginza for about 10 minutes. Looked around, realised there was nothing, then left.
Also: I miss the sting of the intro music! 🎶 Doo-doo-doo, doop, doo! 🎶

I've been to Japan 3 times. What I found so overhyped in Japan were: Kinkakuji, Chikurin no Michi (path of the bamboo), Tsukiji, Shinjuku (but I found a 5 stories building selling all kinds of porn >:D), seeing deers in Nara. What I liked and would definitely come back were: Fushimi Inari Taisa (I dunno, but I really love the vermillion path), Kiyomizu Dera, Okunoin, Nakamise street in Asakusa Sensoji temple.

Great video, btw. Thanks for the info

Something I felt VERY uncomfortable with when I was in Japan, was animal cafes. I went to an owl one and they seemed scared of everyone allowing to touch them, while chained to a fake tree branch. Then there also was a sea-otter cafe but once I saw the otters state, I left immediately. Over-hyped and definitely not worth it!

Most overhyped is Tokyo.

Don’t let these opinionated westerners put you off teamlab it’s worth the visit especially if it’s your first time in Japan.

Think i agree 100%.
Been to Tokyo 12 times and on the last two trips I’ve gone to places that don’t have tourists and loved it. I’ve never joined a queue for food as I’m not wasting my time no matter how good it might be. Did get an Ekiben a couple of times as I found a really good one in Shibuya.

As someone who lives in Japan, I would agree with most of these! My most overhyped thing is Osaka, the city itself. The food is good but that’s pretty much all I like about it. Generic castle, overcrowded theme park, and generally not much to do. It’s a great destination for your hotel to visit other/better places in Kansai. Not worth putting on an itinerary if your days are limited in my opinion.

Teamlab is overhyped 😅

I completely agree with this list!

I disagree about Kinkakuji. I'm biased I lived on the same street when going to Ritsumeikan University. Kinkakuji, Tōji-in Temple, Ryoanji, Ninnaji are all in a row and a must visit, then take the Randen to Arashiyama. Or start in Arashiyama and take the randen to Ninnaji, the walk to Ryoanji, then Tōji-in and finally Kinkakuji before it closes.

living here for over 8 months now. most of it is overhyped

however, i cant stress this enough that the big cities is just the tip of the iceburg (which is where most of the overhyped stuff are). go out in the countryside. you'll be surprised to see what japan really has to offer

Hi Emma!! I follow you since the tiny apartment video! Could you do a video of your top 20 things you would visit if you would be a first time tourist in Japan but knowing everything that you know now?

I was really bummed out about Borderless closing, so I am holding out for the new TeamLabs...
TeamLabs Planets has never appealed because of the footbath aspect.

Dayum my Itinerary just got crushed 😅

I honestly don’t know why you live there. And it seems that a lot of your followers are also Westerners who are largely tourists instead of travellers.

Great video. Fushimi Inari was so so busy when I went. The higher up we got the emptier it got though. Which is only good if you’re able to do that of course. Plenty of opportunity to get those classic photos! I took loads of pictures for other people too so that was nice!

Also didn’t go to Team Lab as it was a super long queue and a really rainy day. I was sad at the time but I think looking back I’d have been upset if I’d spent hours of my last day in Japan queuing for it!

Alsooo, animal stuff... zoos and aninal cafes are a big no, no on my list... 😔

Also, personally, when I go somewhere for the first time I want to experience the touristy stuff also, and then when I come back (or if I have the time) another time I can try the "off the beaten path" stuff. People always say this: don't visit the popular spots! Yeah, but also, you already went there several times, I have not seen those places not even once, so, let me see them and then I can decide if next time I will go there again. 😅
But, fun video nonetheless. ❤

What I liked in Ginza: tall buildings (I come from a small city with comunist buildings 😅) and Itoya for stationary. 🥰

Are they talking about teamlab in Tokyo or the other teamlab ? I bet they only have gone in the one in Tokyo (i'm not trying to defend the other teamlab but to understand )

Also wainting for good food are part of japan. You can definitivly avoid it but generaly , from what i experience , it's worth it.

More importantly , Fushimi Inari is not OVERHYPED ! it's one of the most amazing temple i visited in my life. Of course if you go here stupidly in the middle of the day , especialy on the golden week , it probably suck because it will be crowled as F . But Fushimi Inari is open 24/24 , so no excuse here! It's amazing by night , with the cat and the monkey , the path are lighted and you can walk at your own pace , i was here this year and a lof of the time , i was alone (if not for my friend , most of the time i would said ).

Anyways , i agree on a lof of other point to be honest .

I remember my first day in Tokyo Station, it had to be the most stressful day of my time in Japan - I put my luggage in a storage locker and proceeded to lose where that locker was for the best part of an hour.

I have to be honest, i have zero intention on visiting the normal tourist spots. The shimanami kaido, 60 km bike route doubt it'll be crowded haha and then just get lost and explore tokyo for a week, the more quester areas and interesting back streets and hidden gems.