Recently, on China's SNS, Xiaohongshu (RED), there was a question asking "What's the most unbearable thing about traveling in Japan?", and many responses were received from Chinese netizens.

The most common complaints were related to "no trash cans." Comments like "You can't eat while walking, and even after you finish eating, there are no trash cans," "Because there are no trash cans, you end up carrying your trash all day. Even back at the hotel, the trash cans are small," and "Since there are no trash cans, I have to keep carrying empty plastic bottles in my bag" were seen. An anecdote was also shared: "After eating soft serve ice cream with my child, I tried to ask a watch shop if I could throw away the trash because there were no trash cans, and ended up buying a watch."

Next, comments about the complexity of subways and stations were prominent, such as: "The subway is too complicated," "It's hard to escape Shinjuku Station's underground mall," "There are quite a few subway stations without escalators," "Finding the subway platform is a bit difficult, but otherwise, I think it's perfect," "Many subway stations don't have elevators, and my arms hurt from constantly lifting my suitcase," and "You have to go up and down stairs in the subway, and transferring when you make a mistake is really troublesome. Multiple railway companies use the same station, so it's not as simple as just going to the opposite platform like in China." Such experiences were observed.

Also, several comments mentioning the thinness of toilet paper were received, such as: "The toilet paper is super super super super thin," "At first, I couldn't get used to how thin the toilet paper was, it felt thinner than life itself," and "The toilet paper is too thin. However, I understand why. Japanese toilet paper can be flushed directly down the toilet and dissolves very easily in water."

Regarding means of transportation, voices mentioning the high cost were also seen: "Taxi fares are too expensive (so they can't be used), which means my feet and shoes get worn out," "Taxi fares are too high. But the taxis themselves are really clean. Bright, orderly, spotless, and even equipped with air purifiers. I guess they're expensive because of that Japanese-style customer service," and "There's no car. Taxis are expensive, and charters are also expensive. I can't drive right-hand drive cars, so I end up walking everywhere."

Furthermore, people mentioned differences in food culture, such as "There are no breakfast specialty shops," "Only cold water is served," "Most importantly, there are few warm vegetable dishes," and "There are many raw or cold dishes, and vegetables and fruits are expensive." Others expressed dissatisfaction with the queuing culture, saying things like "Reservations, and then queues," and "You have to queue for everything, queues everywhere." And voices like "Shopping malls close too early," "There are few places to sit. I struggled to find benches in shopping malls," "Hotel check-in times are inconvenient, and check-out is too early," and "There are few options for takeout and delivery. I wish there were more" were also raised.

On the other hand, comments like "Compared to China, most things are bearable," "I was truly surprised by the high sense of order among Japanese people," "There's too much delicious food, but my stomach is too small," "If I had to pick one thing, it would be not having enough time to shop," and "The most amazing thing about Japan was the cleanliness of public toilets. This is truly incomparable, except for areas with many Chinese tourists" were also received, indicating a high level of satisfaction with the Japan trip itself. (Translation/Editing: Iwata)