if only there was some way to remedy this.
She carried a tiny device the size of a typical compact (make-up thing for person who wants/needs to make up). She had no idea about English but can communicate via her device and it was pretty good at that time. I was pleasantly surprised and amazed by that. Imagine translator devices/apps ten years hence.
As a UK citizen, we have the opposite problem.
For ordering at a restaurant it's fine. For trying to find a way to go to the consulate because your bag was stolen, it's not ideal.
Nowadays you just put the address into google/Apple/etc maps, or get an Uber.
Many countries also won't have Ubers, and/or you'll need a local credit card to use the taxi apps.
Having a smartphone still helps a lot, I'd probably bet on actually reliable web resouces for standard help phrases
China is probably the main tricky part, last time I went about 5 years ago I had issues paying with cash, although at least visa was accepted pretty much everywhere.
Basically, the shenanigans they pulled to get a foothold in the local markets didn't work everywhere. You'll find local alternatives, but that means local account registration etc.
Sure you wont want to have a nuanced philosophical discussion, but you can easily have a conversation with it.
It standed out for me because:
a) he was clearly in his early 20s
b) he asked me this after boarding the bus on the same stop as me
c) he could find out the directions just by using a plethora of map/navigation (GPS for Americans) apps available here
d) he was going the wrong way
Just yesterday I saw a woman trying to find out which route she needs to board. She was in ~50s and I can bet $10 she had an Android phone => at least Google Maps. She just didn't even though about using it.
So despite it's 2023 there are people there who still live like it's 1990.
A habit I picked up when building digital/technology features -- how does this compete with pen/paper or an analog method.
I find interacting with sign posts or humans more enjoyable than living in the matrix where I have to find the correct bus provider website, learn to navigate its crappy user interface, finally having to revert to Google maps, and then get the suggestion to go by boat.
Also, typing in the destination still is cumbersome. I hope we can agree on that.
And hunting for working wifi might be complicated as well.
Even I, an HN tech god, rely on McDonald’s Wi-Fi and the Here app, even when I do have data enabled, as it’s often painfully slow.
Last time I travelled was pre-pandemic before esims were common place, so I just pre-ordered a SIM card online that I just needed to pick up from an airport booth after showing my passport.
Depending on the country and how rural you are travelling it can also be worth checking out the coverage and frequency band compatibility to ensure you get the best reception possible.
living in europe all my life, almost everyone has been abroad here, but much much fewer have ever left europe, which is essentially what japanese people would have to do to go anywhere that doesnt view them with suspicion
A common school trip in the USA is visiting Washington, DC; for some that’s a six+ hour flight. The same flight in most places in Europe would put you in Asia or Africa.
A huge portion of socal is Hispanic but the culture overall is more American than Mexican IMO
plus only ~30% of LA is hispanic, which is roughly akin to all of the US, regardless of what Latin country or area they're from. peruvians ain't mexican, amigo.
I know the whole country is not like that, but it is not a vacation spot I would go without a plan unlike the US where you can do a cross country drive and rely there will be services almost everywhere.
But I'll grant that Mexico is another country, unlike Canada :D
A common vacation is to drive to the mountains in Colorado, a state to the north west.
To even get out of Texas from my house is an 8 hour, 500 mile (800k km) drive. It is crazy how big the US is.
6 hours will get you to the US from EU.
South Korea is one of the top international destinations for Japanese people. It has varied over time, but right now it actually may be the top destination.
There is also internal Japanese tourism - such as to Okinawa or Kyoto
- South Korea
- Thailand
- Taiwan
- Hawaii
The CNN article does this too, but "traveling" doesn't just mean going to the US or EU. Japanese used to travel a lot to neighbour countries and that didn't cost that much, nor require much english skills.
Now money is clearly a factor, but this would go deeper than travel and more into how many Japanese are giving up on many luxuries as they feel the pressure. Hell, part of the younger generation doesn't want to date because it feels like a money pit.
While I understand it's neither the same country or culture, but for the sake of example, I live in one of the more expensive US cities and dating isn't expensive unless you insist on going to fancy restaurants (which is fine to want to do, but if neither of you feel you can afford it, who are you trying to fool by spending so much?). Coffee shops or similar seem to be the most popular cheap date choices and unless you judge people for not wanting to splurge on dates, I see no downside to them. When the weather is nice there's lots of outdoors stuff that is free / the only cost is transit to and from.
* Lack of money
* Lack of time off from work
* Lack of English skills, making travel abroad intimidating. In previous generations this was counteracted by bus tours with Japanese guides, but those are seen as lame by the younger generations.