Traveling as a black girl to Asia is always very interesting as I never know what to expect. I have always felt very welcome though and I always enjoyed the random conversations and/or questions from the locals. Sometimes they are very intrigued by my skin color, or my hair so I get praises or I even get asked for pictures, that I will sometimes respectfully decline.
This time was no different as I landed in Japan from South Korea on Saturday, March 20th 2023. I arrived there at about 8pm so we took the JR Narita Express (NEX) to Tokyo, then got on a taxi to our hotel. We didn’t really like the hotel, nor the location so we found another hotel that night and the front desk (a guy) was kind enough to call a taxi and even helped us carry our luggage to the taxi. We then drove to the Hilton hotel, unfortunately they were all booked for the night so for a minute we had no idea what our steps were.
The front desk lady saw we were anxious and confused so she asked what activities we wanted to do while in Tokyo. I told her what we were interested in, so we went to the back and returned with two maps and another lady that spoke more English. They went through the map with us showing us where our activities were located and where we should stay to be able to get access to public translation. She also mentioned that this Hilton Hotel was an hour plus away from all the activities we were interested in. We then went through Expedia together and she gave me her honest opinion on some of the hotel options, then we settled on one and I completed the reservation. That wasn’t all, she then requested a taxi pickup, gave the driver the new hotel location and then the concierge packed our luggage in the taxi. She wished us the best and hoped we enjoyed our stay in Tokyo and we left. Now, this is what you call going above and beyond and this happened only a few hours after I arrived in Japan. Trust me when I say I felt so welcomed and I got very emotional on my way to the hotel.
The next day we officially started our tour, we got a few stares here and there but nothing overwhelming. The streets were so busy and everyone was very polite. We were very well taken care of when we went shopping at Charles and Keith and the Gucci store. No awkward stares at the stores but genuine customer service so we felt very comfortable completing our purchases. At the Gucci store they even offered us Matcha latte and water and showed us a Photo Booth to take pictures and print them out. Apparently, only this Gucci store in Japan has the Photo Booth.
Another encounter/experience that stood out to me is when two very kind Japanese locals offered to go out of their way and walk us to our destination. First, we were walking to Takeshita Dori but the google maps wasn’t really helping so I stopped this guy, showed him my phone and asked for directions and he said “follow me”. We did and he kindly led us to our destination, we thanked him and he walked away. We also had a short conversation and learnt that he had lived in Seattle, Washington as an exchange students for 2 months. So he mentioned that he is very pleased to meet us and practice his English which he seems to be forgetting as he doesn’t use it very often.
The second instance, we got off the metro and were confused about the walking directions to Omoide Yokochō, in Shinshuku. I saw this lady, smiled and greeted her and showed her my phone to indicate where we were going. Once again, she went out of the way and offered to walk with us to the location. On our way there, she even offered to take some pictures for us and was just the sweetest person ever. She let us know, once we arrived, told us to enjoy our dinner, and she left us. Man, I was so amazed and I got so emotional.
I was in Japan for only two days, but I can confidently say that the Japanese are now the sweetest people ever and Japan has officially joined Singapore as my top two Asian countries I have visited so far and I will definitely be back very soon.
When traveling to other countries, it is important to note that this is their home so be polite, be pleasant, and also respect their culture. I have always done the above, and never had any issues while traveling. Being nice goes a long way so have an open mind, be respectful and enjoy your time.
Itís hard to come by knowledgeable people about this subject, but you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
As I travel around the world, I have learnt to always have an open mind and be kind. I hope to be treated the same way by the locals.