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I'm gonna put it to you this way - all the Chinese people are going to Japan
💯
They’re totally different vibes
Incredibly different experiences. I lived in Beijing for a while and have traveled a lot of China, have also visited Japan about 5 times. Feel free to DM but my immediate reaction is that Japan is a much easier place to travel and you’ll have a phenomenal time; China requires a little more effort to be as enjoyable unless you know the language or are with someone who does.
Key differences IMO are the degree to which language barrier impacts your experience (low impact in Japan - there’s just more English around and signage icons are visually very clear), cleanliness (you’ll feel the grit and dirtiness in China more - even in modern cities,), convenience (higher in Japan - public transport is legendary, vending machines and family marts everywhere with snacks, potable water).
Food is incredible in both places. Both are extremely welcoming to respectful tourists. Idk your situation, but I’m a white American and so really stick out as a tourist in east asia - I felt my race more in China than in Japan, but also spent more time in less modern/urban areas in China.
Japan’s also one of the best places in the world to travel with a baby. Tons of built-in amenities and services catered to young families.
China! It has everything that Japan has and more!
Japan!
Japan
Japan
I enjoyed both but they’re different experiences. In Japan now and it’s pretty incredible.
No that was end of March/very early April. We arrived April 18th. Our timing was centered around our kids’ spring break. I think going after cherry blossoms and before golden week made the crowds much more manageable.
Japan
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Japan
Both are worthwhile destinations. Depends on what you are looking for. Japan is cleaner (it’s the cleanest place I’ve ever been), more expensive, and smaller. China has a wider variety of cuisine, climate, and culture due to its size and history. China has way more negatives IMO but you can deal with them for a short trip.
People describe visiting Japan as a formulating, life changing experience. I haven’t been to China, but I haven’t heard the same sentiment about it.
Rising Star
I haven’t been to China in many years so it’s an unfair comparison but I’d say Japan. The air is clean, the infrastructure is top notch, it’s civilized, and their culture is unlike any other. I’ve heard China has evolved quite a bit, so I do want to qualify my statement
I think China is a lot more fun but you won't be able to enjoy many of the best things unless you're fluent in Chinese. Japan is a lot more accessible to foreigners (no arduous visa process, no services locked behind a local phone number requirement, no firewall (so dont need to vpn), and no language requirement (setting things up on wechat)). There are also way better guides for english speakers to japan since it's so much more traveled by westerners. There are incredible places in China that are finally making things more accessible for western travelers (like zhangjiajie) but there's still a lot more work to do. It would probably call to adventurous folks more because you simply won't be nearly as comfortable as you would be in japan.
Lol, I'm sorry, I have trouble making decisions, but if I had to choose, it would definitely be China