# This is why we can't have nice things: asshole tourists in Japan **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 1, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391 "2024-06-01T21:03:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/101 "2024-06-19T18:54:36Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > OMG I forgot that Lawson is a big thing in Japan! It was a Cleveland staple for decades… Yep, I remember Lawson from when I was a kid in Erie, PA. There are a surprising number of businesses that are gone (or nearly so) in the US, but still thriving in Japan and some other countries. Mister Donut is one, and Shakey’s pizza is another. Tower Records, gone from the US since 2006, is still doing well in Japan and elsewhere; I bought a CD from their Shibuya store just last year. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/102 "2024-06-19T19:08:38Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I was also asked not to photograph items at an antique store. The owner was nice about it, he explained that people were posting images of collectible items and advertising them for sale at a higher price without actually buying them. When the item sold, they would come back to the store to buy it for resale. People providing free advertisements and generating sales, without getting a cut of what you think is a fair price, sounds like a great business opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/103 "2024-06-19T19:40:47Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Mister Donut is one, and Shakey’s pizza is another. Holy shit, they have Shakey’s in Japan?! There’s still one in Renton, WA (I drive past it every once in a while) but the others vanished it seems like. I loved going there as a kid. Not just the pizza but the arcade games. The first time I ever played Street Fighter (both the original and the second one everyone knows) was at Shakey’s. I just looked up the restaurant and they are also in Singapore and the Philippines. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/104 "2024-06-20T04:20:53Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I don’t understand taking pictures of paintings in museum. I can’t think of any museum painting that can’t be found with an image search, and at better quality than you’d get yourself. That actually isn’t true. There is often stuff in traveling collections or just is pretty obscure where you simply can’t find good images online. I mean it’s improving all the time - years ago I was searching for this painting of the slightly notorious [**Ana de Mendoza de la Cerda y de Silva Cifuentes, Princess of Eboli, Duchess of Pastrana**](https://www.gogmsite.net/_Media/ana-de-mendoza-y-de-la-2.jpeg) online and came up with nothing. So the situation is better than it once was. But it still isn’t all-encompassing. But beyond that I very occasionally like using images of fine art I’ve seen in person as the background on my phone (I change the backgrounds on my phone and computers constantly) and it’s just convenient to snap a shot and pull it from my phone’s gallery without bothering to download anything 🙂. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/105 "2024-06-20T09:27:00Z")
Not a museum but we were at a Church in Venice that requested no photos. - I think the Santa Maria di Nazareth. And yet there was some woman with her ginormous tablet taking photos. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/106 "2024-06-20T09:49:36Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > And yet there was some woman with her ginormous tablet taking photos. “Oh, that just means I can’t use a CAMERA…” ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/107 "2024-06-20T13:15:47Z")
Maybe it was video. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/108 "2024-06-20T16:05:00Z")
I glared at her. She noticed, said something in Swedish? Norwegian? Danish? to the man standing next to her and put it away. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/109 "2024-06-20T16:15:25Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Maybe it was video. Recording video is just taking a bunch of pictures quickly. (And an audio recording of course for nitpickers.) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/110 "2024-07-07T23:32:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > There’s still one in Renton, WA (I drive past it every once in a while) but the others vanished it seems like There’s still one in Culver City CA (one of those 40 suburbs in search of …). We used to go there in high school – over 50 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/111 "2024-07-08T17:51:36Z")
Seems like half of those suburbs have their own Shakey’s. Seriously, there’re 20 Shakey’s in LA County. I had no idea it was a moribund company until this thread. I guess they still have the most important markets. What’s the old saying? If you can make it in LA, Singapore, and Japan, that’s good enough. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/112 "2024-07-08T18:20:23Z")
Yeah, I knew of another one in Monterey Park or Alhambra. We used to go to lunch from work sometimes. But it was not my favorite lunch spot. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/113 "2024-07-08T18:46:55Z")
I’ve not thought of them in eons. Thanks for that reminder. “Mojo potatoes”: Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time … a long time. Their website makes clear they’ve almost entirely retreated to their original 1950-1970s home market of suburban SoCal and NorCal. They were a fixture of our family’s weekly existence from about age 6 to about 14 for me, so latter 1960s into the early 1970s. Our local outlet shut down maybe 1990 IIRC. Now I want a Shakeys pizza. The funny thing is having no remaining connection to Greater LA I can’t really pick which current store would be convenient or nostalgic to visit, although of course my unthinking default was nearest to my old home where no family has lived for coming up on 30 years. Once I thought about it, I had no way to choose. An odd sort of anti-nostalgia. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/114 "2024-07-08T20:29:41Z")
Mojo potatoes! Those were actually pretty good. And Shakey’s food wasn’t really bad, but I usually wanted something a bit less carb-intensive. Their salads were pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/115 "2024-07-08T20:39:48Z")
I liked the Shakey’s salad bar. Though mostly my mom would get a salad and I’d steal her croutons. I found what looks like a pretty faithful way to do mojo potatoes at home: > **[Easy Crispy Mojo Potatoes - Shakey's Copycat](https://pudgefactor.com/crispy-mojo-potatoes/)** > > Mojo Potatoes are amazingly crispy and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. They are a snap to make and are perfect for anytime.  Though I am giving side-eye to the insistence that this is quick and easy when it has 13 ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/116 "2024-07-08T22:09:53Z")
Mix up a big batch of the dry stuff once. Whisk together some milk and an egg. Slice the potatoes into thin disks. Dredge the pots in egg/milk then in dry mix. Flop coated pots onto baking sheet. Bake. Eat. Burn mouth. Wait for pots to cool. Eat again with more success. 😉 See? Not so hard once you chunk it correctly. The key thing for any homemade spice blend is whip up a couple pounds of it, not a couple tablespoons. Dry spice blends freeze swell. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/117 "2024-07-09T04:43:07Z")
The Monterey Park location is the one I went to as a kid. Nostalgia, man! Although, thinking about it now, I don’t think it was my favorite food or ambiance, as it were. The Mojo’s are awesome, though. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/118 "2024-07-09T18:37:16Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The key thing for any homemade spice blend is whip up a couple pounds of it, not a couple tablespoons. Word. I have a recipe for a curried couscous salad that I made a couple of times before I wised up and made my six-spice blend in bulk. It’s been a minute since I’ve made that recipe, but I use it In my rice cooker when I’m doing a week’s worth of meal prep, or when I’m stir-frying vegetables on the stovetop. ETA: Did everyone see how I mentioned stir-fry in order to cleverly bring the topic back to East Asia (which is where Japan is, IIRC)? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/119 "2024-08-20T15:06:34Z")
Mister Japanese Guy, tear down that wall! > **[Japan’s Mt. Fuji convenience store view-blocking screen has finally been...](https://soranews24.com/2024/08/21/japans-mt-fuji-convenience-store-view-blocking-screen-has-finally-been-taken-down-on-on-condition/)** > > Screen was put in place as response to tourists, many from overseas, littering and blocking traffic. The screen is down. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391/120 "2024-08-28T16:05:29Z")
Well, some dipshit parent allowed his 4 year old kid to pull over and break a 4000 year old intact jar at the Hecht museum in Haifa, Israel. Note: I am in no way blaming the kid. They’re curious and don’t know better. But fuck the Dad who couldnt be bothered to keep an eye on his kud around ancient pottery. ETA: [Story](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/08/28/style/israel-haifa-museum-boy-breaks-artifact-hnk-intl) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-asshole-tourists-in-japan/1002391.md?page=7)