This is a follow-up to my question from yesterday. My “toxic trait” is that long-distance travel is what really excites me, so Europe is off the list. My initial top choice was South Korea, but the drinking age is 19 and I really want to be able to go clubbing, so that’s also off the list.
Japan’s pros are obvious, it’s one of the top travel destinations in the world. The downside for me is that I’ve already been there with my family, so it might not feel as exciting as going somewhere completely new.
China wasn’t even on my radar at first, but then I saw that Swiss citizens can travel visa-free for 30 days between March 14, 2024 and December 31, 2026, which really sparked my interest.
Taiwan is another option, but I honestly don’t know much about it.
Personally I’m far more interested in natural and historical wonders of our world than I am in modern man-made creation. It should be noted that China’s major cities are really fucking cool though if you are tavelling for that sort of experience. Both China and Japan have absolutely stunning ecosystems to explore but the absolute enormity of China gives it a greater diversity of environments. They both have fantastic rail infrastructure too so you can see quite a lot of it. Personally I’d choose China specifically for Zhangjiajie national park.
Zhangye is also super famous for obvious reasons
Lastly, the Li river is basically paradise imo
Japan. Having lived in China for 2 years after fantasizing about it for years, even though I loved my time there, it was still disappointing. Similar to the Paris effect.
Japan. West Taiwan doesnt like me
Off to the gulag, you filthy counter-revolutionary!
Oooh scawwy democracy ooh scawwwy freedom of people and no elite. Wäääh wäääh wæææh!
Edit: didnt expect to meet metusalix on here
What are you implying here? *menacingly brandishes cane*
West Taiwan made me lol
Daaaaamnn
Um, the drinking age in Japan is 20.
Yeah, I found out right after posting. For some reason, I just had 18 in my head.
I don’t want to disappear, so, it’d have to be Japan.
What do you want to do? If you’re mainly going to party I could suggest Thailand, it’s got one of the most developed tourism economies in the world, it’s basically a year round party destination for young people from every part of the world. It’s a bit “edgier” Japan or China but if you’re looking to go to clubs, meet people and generally have a fun time in a tropical paradise as an 18 year old, I don’t think there’s anywhere better on earth.
Japan all day. Better food imo.
Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, China in that order.
If you’re already thinking about the excitement of a new country, China or Taiwan is the way to go. If you go to Japan again, you’ll be wondering about the new country you didn’t choose half the time.
China’s mountains are amazing , their cities are fun, the food is still my favorite after 30 countries, the transportation across the entire country is very convenient and cheap, you can buy the newest electronics at rock-bottom prices, the celebrations and community activities are fun, my Chinese friends are the only people I’ve met traveling who I still stay in regular contact with, the street food the foooood.
I have four episodes dedicated to my favorite chinese foods, you should go to China and get the food.
It’s going to feel a lot different(and louder) than Japan since there’s still basically zero non-Chinese people living in China, so everyone will be confused about your presence and there won’t be much English, but if you plan your stays ahead and check the transportation(I can help you with that if you like, I lived in China for over 6 years), you’ll be good to go.
you’ll have to use alternative apps, Didi is their rideshare app, for example, but it has an English version that’s easy to sign up for and works just as easy as uber/grab/whatever you’re familiar with and of course it’s china so everything including taxis will be dirt cheap.
I also love Taiwan, and if you want a more relaxed new adventure, that’s a great place, it’s a much quieter and more organized version of China and they still use the traditional characters, which is cool to see. Taiwan is definitely worth visiting as well, but it will feel a lot like Japan and you probably won’t be surprised and confused every twenty minutes like you will be in China.
Oh, and the island sea-goddess pilgrimage in Taiwan will begin mid April, looks like the 17th this year, so there will be a lot of fairs and things going on leading up to and during that time. They walk around the island visiting different temples to honor Mazu, the resident sea goddess.
Ooh, and Taiwan has amaaaazing vegetarian buddhist food, that should be mentioned.
Okay! Reach out if you like, have fun!
Haven’t been to either, but I’ve always wanted to eat authentic sushi, wouldn’t mind that.
China’s got a lot of natural beauty but it’s the same problem as the US, where it’s way too big to see more than one or two things in a reasonable timeframe. Pick a must-see place and anticipate that you likely won’t have an opportunity to go anywhere else.
I wouldn’t worry about the drinking age, you can go clubbing literally anywhere. Go somewhere to do things you can’t do anywhere else.
China if you want to drink, Japan if you want SPECTACTLE
Japan.
if I go to China I’ll never be seen again.
China
Honestly because it seems like a weirdly high percent of others in my generation go to Japan. That makes China the more interesting trip automatically.
Edit: also you’ve already been. You’re only going to get the chance to go so many places in your life. Take the option to do something new.
China for the scenery, Japan for the cities/culture. Hard to choose, tbh.
Japan is good if you want to enjoy city life and get drunk every day (I currently live in Japan), but the drinking age is 20, so if that’s your issue, you need to go elsewhere. However, if you’re interested in the wonders of nature and the occasional city life, China is the place to be. The last few episodes of YouTuber “Itchy Boots”, where she travels through China on an adventure bike, are stunning.
