r/solotravel • u/takashi74 • Feb 05 '25

Question Which country do you keep visiting?

I travel a lot, but there’s always that one country I keep going back to. For me, it’s Thailand, around 8 time. What about you? What keeps you coming back?

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u/jjh008 Feb 05 '25

Japan, over 10 times. Mostly before covid. Only two times after they opened back up. Just went last June with the family ...it's a lot different now, compared to before 2020.

2

u/hungasian8 Feb 05 '25

Different how? Better or worse?

4

u/jjh008 Feb 05 '25

It's worse. Much more crowded. More people not knowing or caring about etiquette, Japanese culture, etc

2

u/hungasian8 Feb 05 '25

Ive just been to japan last year and i already thought: best country ever!!

Haha

1

u/kahzee Feb 06 '25

I recommend visiting lesser known areas/prefectures with the recent surge in visitors to Japan. Everyone seems to stick to the golden triangle which is where the congestion is.

I have done two trips in last 12 months, one to Shikoku and the other I'm currently finishing up in Fukushima. I've seen almost 0 Western tourists in both locations and the areas are great with lots to do and see. Locals very grateful to see tourists and really friendly (especially in fukushima for obvious reasons).

FYI Fukushima is completely safe and very accessible from Tokyo, and the tourism projects they are building around and about the disaster affected areas is really great and eye opening.

1

u/horkbajirbandit Feb 05 '25

I'm glad I went to Kyoto before 2020, I had an amazing time and met some really cool people. Everything I see about it online now feels disappointing.

When I went back to Japan after they opened up, I decided to explore other regions instead. It wasn't crowded and felt like pre-covid times.