on being unhelpful

One of Sam's co-workers is going to Japan in June for a conference. I was asked to give her some good suggestions for what to see and do while there. So I sat down today to make a list of the best places to eat, the best temples to visit, and the best areas to wander around soaking in modern Japan. By the time I was finished, I'd written a book.

Unfortunately, it probably wasn't a very helpful book. The problem with personal recommendations are that tend to be too oriented to the giver of information, rather than the receiver. Try as I might, I could not stop thinking about the great restaurants that I wanted to eat at again, the temples where no other tourists go, and the cheap shopping for students like me. But normally, when someone goes to a country for the first time, these are not the things they are looking for. They want the glamor, the recognizable landmarks to show pictures of to their friends, and the most "authentic" version of the stereotype they have in their mind.

For example, if I were to go to Kyoto tomorrow, I would not visit Kinkakuji, Sanjusangendo, Heian Shrine, or Arashiyama. Why? Because everyone and their mother's brothers are there. Constantly. And seriously, a postcard of the place is gonna give you a better idea of what it looks like, because you won't be able to get a decent shot without six grade school girls flashing the peace sign in the way.

Instead, I'd go wandering down some streets I don't know, pass some old houses, smell the dinners cooking, and perhaps happen upon some little temples and shrines along the way. But I can't really suggest that to people new to Japan. Most obviously, because they'd get incredibly lost.

Oh well. Despite my discrimination toward the tourist traps, I hope I was helpful to Sam's friend, and I hope to helpful again to someone else heading to Japan. I'm just glad I never have to actually write a book about it.