Feb 26, 2025
Family, friends -- how often (if at all) do they visit you here?
I'm from Australia originally, and I'm fortunate that we have budget airline carriers that fly direct to Japan, so it's relatively easy and not too expensive for family and friends to visit me here. How difficult is it for your loved ones from home to visit you here? Have you had many opportunities to show people around, or has it been fairly slim pickings in the visitors stakes for you?
Best Answer
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on Nov 7
There is no direct flight between Ireland and Japan, so between that, the distance, time difference and cost, it does impact the amount of Irish people that travel to Japan. However, due to the cheap yen, it has become more popular. I am lucky though, that I have both family and friends that never let money, distance, time etc put them off and I've had a fairly regular stream of visitors over the years. It did go quiet during COVID naturally and I am currently at home so I am catching up with extended family and friends so they mightn't feel as much as a need to visit in the next year or two, but I know I will see at least one friend from home in Japan next year because she's already booked her ticket!
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on Feb 26
Lots of Americans I know visit frequently as their US dollar goes very far, and many of them are repeat visitors. However, Canadian family members infrequently visit. The high cost of living at home, their perception that Japan's expensive, and the narrow gap between yen and Canadian dollar values put them off. My parents have never visited but my brother has. I've also met up with family members who worked in other Asian countries, catching up in Thailand for a cheap holiday.
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on Mar 2
@TonetoEdo I like that idea of a third country meetup! I've visited a few Southeast Asian countries before and had great experiences, and the value aspect certainly stretches out a lot more.
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on Mar 2
@genkidesu My brother working in Thailand and I did reciprocal trips. He's a Thai speaker, I'm a Japanese speaker, so we were tour guides for each other. An option my Canadian and American relatives suggested was Hawaii for a family reunion.
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on Mar 2
@TonetoEdo very cool! Impressive that you and your brother have both mastered different languages. I've visited Hawaii before, but I felt it was pretty expensive. Food especially so, since a lot of things there are imported from the US mainland. I think it would be a great option for cutting down on the travel time on either end and bridging Asia and North America (obviously that can be a big consideration depending on how much time folks can take off work, etc.) but a lot pricier than some other destinations.
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on Mar 2
I've never had family or friends visit! There were a lot of canceled pre-pandemic plans that have yet to be rescheduled. Some of my family members are not able to travel due to age and caretaking duties. And most friends have a hard time taking time off work and affording international / any travel. I don't have a problem with visiting every few years. Would like to go more. We did meet my parents in Hawaii last year which was a nice change. Unfortunately, the flights to the west coast of the US/Canada are only a couple hours longer!
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on Mar 4
@helloalissa the pandemic really did throw a spanner in the works when it came to travel plans! I'm glad you got the chance to go to Hawaii, though!
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on Mar 6
@genkidesu The Hawaii as an option for my far-flung relatives spread around Asia and Canada is off the table now that the US has started a trade war with Canada. Canadians are canceling trips to the US and Canadian leaders are urging Canadians to buy Canadian goods and services. And good point, costs on Hawaii are steep compared to Japan.
8 Answers