Forums Interracial Couple Travel & AdventureJapan trip report: amazing for us, but a few awkward moments I didn’t expect

Japan trip report: amazing for us, but a few awkward moments I didn’t expect

Rachel Kim

BASIC

12 posts

Rachel KimBASIC

We just got back from 10 days in Japan and I wanted to share because I kept reading mixed stuff before we went. I’m a Black woman and my husband is Japanese-American, so I figured we’d blend in more than most couples there, but it still ended up being a little more noticeable than I expected in some places. Tokyo felt super easy, especially Shibuya and Asakusa. Kyoto was beautiful, but we definitely got a couple long stares in smaller temples and at one ryokan. Overall it was a great trip, just not totally the “nobody cares” vibe I had built up in my head. We used Suica on our phones, planned most of the train stuff with Google Maps, and ate way too much convenience store food at 11 pm. If anyone’s thinking about Japan for a couple trip, I’d say go, but maybe prepare for a few moments where you’ll feel very visible. I’m curious if other couples had better luck in certain cities or just rolled with it more than we did.

Mar 16

2 replies

Aisha JohnsonPREMIUM

#1 · Mar 16

We had a similar experience in Japan, especially outside the bigger cities. My wife is white and I’m Nigerian, and in Tokyo it was honestly fine, but once we got to smaller towns on the way to Hakone people looked like they weren’t used to seeing us together. Not rude exactly, just curious in a way that made us feel on display. That said, I’d still tell anyone to go. The train system is ridiculously easy once you get used to it, and places like Osaka felt more relaxed to us than Kyoto. If you go back, I’d also suggest staying in one of the bigger hotel chains for a couple nights just to give yourself an easy base after long travel days.

Brittany S.BASIC

#2 · Mar 17

I loved your note about convenience store food because same. We did a Japan honeymoon and honestly the 7-Eleven egg salad sandwich carried us through a jet lag meltdown. I’m Filipina and my husband is white, and we didn’t get much attention in Tokyo, but in rural areas we definitely felt more noticed. One thing that helped us was picking more modern neighborhoods for dinners and late walks instead of trying to do everything in super traditional areas. In Kyoto, we stayed near Gion one night and it was gorgeous but a little intense with the crowding. Next time I’d split more time between Tokyo and Osaka, maybe add Nara as a day trip, and keep Kyoto as a shorter stop. Still worth it though.