You said it very well.

Well considered and well expressed, Pickles.

But this doesn't happen if you are a 'lady' ;)
However, man don't have to worry about the chikans (gropers) - something that is finally being tackled as a side effect of the Madrid train bombing.

I thought you made some very good points Pickles!
Worth also knowing that you will rarely see anybody give their seat to an elderly or pregnant passenger in Tokyo, and I seemed to acutely offend a young lady when I offered a seat to her when she seemed about to faint.

Tokyo really is an onion - yet it will be mostly everything you expect it to be, so the challenge is to open your assumptions and expectations before you get there.

This thread has really opened my apetitie for Hong Kong.

The reason you don't give your seat to an old lady is that invariably, they will givr it to a kid. ;)

I will live in Sydney one day! Next on my list of places to live..

BTW - I lived in Hong Kong for 2 years working for a big financial services company..Spend at least part of one day in the Outer Islands..There is great hiking and wonderful seafood..Very easy to get there because ferries leave all the time from the Central Pier..Have a great trip.

Just wanted to say thanks for this thread. My boyfriend and I are considering Japan in the spring (courtesy of AA fly3 get one 1free) and were also considering Hong Kong as a stopover on our way to India this November. Good food for thought!

huh? :confused:

I've given my seat to dozens of obaasans (old ladies/grannies) in Tokyo and they've always seemed very pleased - resting their bones to the end of their journey.
It was only when I once tried to give to give my seat to someone younger (a kid, I suppose) that things went pear shaped.

What did you mean? I'd LOVE this insight into Obaasan behaviour :)

Same thing happened to me. I was taking the 5:00 AM train after a night out on the town. I had a seat near the door and this young lady looked very tired. She was actually sitting on the floor of the train. I got up and offered her my seat and she looked at me like I was crazy. She took the seat anyway.

Children are worshiped (spoiled rotten) in Japan. People tend to to cater to the kids. While it may not happen in all cases, it was the running joke when I lived in Tokyo. As a matter if fact I have seen in happen.

So if I go to Japan and act like a child, will I be spoiled rotten as well? :confused:

Doubtful unless you wear your diapers ;)

HKG is just a lot more fun than Tokyo. (IMHO). Also love the hotels, food and yes, even the rudeness. Think of a Far East New York City and you'll get the idea.

The setting of Hong Kong sandwiched between a mountain and the harbor is too spectacular for words. It's a thrilling and exciting sight and it never gets old (mostly because there is a new skyscraper each time I look!). Kinda like NYC that way; I never get tired of seeing the skyscrapers of Manhattan. They're awe-inspiring. I guess I'm an urbanite :)

As for rudeness, perhaps that's the spoken language? Japanese is very genteel and flowy and the people are such but Cantonese is a somewhat brusque and halting language. Perhaps that's where the perception of HKGers being rude is formed?

FWIW, I've never encounterd rudeness on a commerce level in HKG. The staff at the airport, subways, restaurants, hotels, shopping malls etc. are all extremely pleasant and helpful.

BlueDC, you got quite an idea. Cantonese is a very fast language, and there is a major difference between western and chinese cultural practice. As fas as people talking loud, it is a cultural thing that they use even during meals. You are supposed to talk loud. Another example is: You are supposed to eat noddles loud with noise of enjoyment to please the chef in Japan. For western culture, it might be rude, but it is considered in the manner in those places.

Also, please be informed that Hong Kong government banned smoking in all public enclosed places: Shopping mall, bus, subway, train etc. If you are in an restaurant, you can be asked to be seated in a smoking area. I personally don't smoke and find it a plus for me!

I'm jumping in late but I've got to get my $0.02 in...

First off to state that I've lived in HK and my wife is from Tokyo (which I've visited many times) so I've got some experience behind this.

For a first time visit, go for HKG. Waaayyy easier if you can only speak/write English (as opposed to Chinese/Japanese) and way more people actually understand English as well. The metro and bus system is extremely simple to understand. If it's a short stay, you'll have enough to do. However, I really feel it's quite overrated and if you're there for more than a week, it'll start wearing thin. Yeah, it's a short hop to Macau but how long you stay there depends on how often you go to Vegas. ;)

As for Tokyo, woo-hoo! Definitely one of my favorite places (in the world). As others have said, you find more and more as you "peel back the onion". How about doing a side trip to the hot springs? It's also a very short hop to Kyoto/Osaka. However, you definitely need a lot more patience due to the dearth of English and you might not get to the "good" places if you don't have someone take you around. Understand the metro on the first try? Good luck! Multi level platforms and with some trains making every stop, some every other stop, and some every 4th or 5th stop, it's pretty bad. BTW, your guidebook will show the stops but won't tell you what trains do what.

As for food? Well, the range and quality of food in Tokyo is incredible. Most top restaurants around the world have a branch (and sometimes the only branch) there. La tour d'argent, Taillevent, Enoteca Pinchiorri, etc. However, I find the Cantonese food horrible, yes, even in Yokohama Chinatown.

In HK, the Cantonese food is incredible of course. Other food? Well, so-so. But, it can be cheap so it's balanced. Yeah, they have the continental restaurants as well but I find it's just a notch below.

Ok, that's my $0.03. :D