Traveller Letters: We’re flocking to Japan and locals are getting irritated

Letter of the week: Mind your language

We’ve just returned from a couple of weeks in Japan, our fifth trip over about 20 years. A new phenomenon, in Kanazawa, is that a number of small local restaurants of the kind that we delight in, had signs on the door “Please speak Japanese in our restaurant.” There has clearly been a huge upsurge in inbound tourism, and, I believe, some entirely understandable dismay from the locals. There’s nothing more irritating than your favourite seat at the izakaya being occupied by raucous tourists.

A surge in tourists in Kanazawa has been met entirely understandable dismay from the locals, writes one Traveller reader this week.Credit: iStock

Having said that, stand looking puzzled at a map on a street corner or elsewhere, and someone invariably approaches you, solves the problem, and quite likely walks you to the desired destination. Overall, we received outstanding kindness and courtesy. But clearly, the limits, in some places at least, are being stretched. We need to tread carefully, and mindfully, in this truly wonderful country.
Noel Bayley, Carlton North, Vic

They giveth…

In March this year I booked return flights to Bangkok for my husband and I, starting on December 22. We were delighted with the cost of $2346 and all of the rewards points we would accrue. Two weeks ago, we were advised by Virgin that there was “no accommodation” on the flight we had purchased, and no alternative flight could be offered. We had no choice but to accept a full refund. Replacement flights with an alternate airline cost $5574, an additional $3228. We complained to Virgin and were offered 5000 Velocity points as compensation. We declined. It is high time the airline industry in Australia had a regulatory body with some teeth that can hold carriers to account.
Alan Iveson, Windsor, Vic

Set for offsets

Danni Moore (Traveller Letters, October 26) and many others may like to explore an excellent website, atmosfair.de, with information about carbon offsets and more. My late partner academically studied various carbon offset schemes and concluded that most were useless but he found atmosfair.de the most effective and reliable. I use it to offset my air travel, which I try to keep to a minimum.
Pauline Nunan, Queenscliff, Vic

Power trip

On a recent trip to Frankfurt, we hired a Polestar, thinking Germany would be a great option to experience an electric vehicle for the first time. While the car was fantastic and we appreciated our lighter carbon footprint, charging the car was exceptionally difficult. While there was an abundance of charging stations, most required a charging card that our hire company did not provide. Despite new regulations meaning all new charging stations in Germany are required to accept credit/debit cards, this does not apply to existing stations. It became a stressful part of each day trying to locate a station that would accept credit cards or had an app supported by our Aussie phones, and often involved switching from our e-sims back to roaming for authentication with our banks.
Rhea Longley, Pascoe Vale South, Vic

Check-ins and outs

Michael Gebicki suggests one advantage of online check-in is that the line at the airline counter (to drop your bag only) will be shorter than for those who are also checking in (Traveller, October 31). Not so with Singapore Airlines, for one. I recently checked in online and received my digital boarding pass, which I then duly added to my Apple Wallet. At the airport, however, there was no separate counter/kiosk for baggage drop only, and when I finally got to the front of the long queue I was also given a printed boarding pass. So, in this case, the reason for online check-in, and a digital boarding pass, eludes me.
Ross Duncan, Potts Point, NSW

A plus for CBA

Beware of pickpockets in Paris.Credit: iStock

We all love to bag the banks but credit where it’s due. I was pickpocketed at Montparnasse Station, Paris. I lost credit and travel cards, as well as personal ones. In the hour before I discovered my loss and stopped the cards, the thief had made numerous smallish transactions. When I reported my card stolen, Qantas Pay transferred my balance via Western Union so at least I had some cash. CBA Mastercard immediately sent me a new digital card so I could make contactless hotel and restaurant payments. When I was back in Australia, both CBA Mastercard and CBA Travel Money Card refunded me the majority of the purchases made by the thief in his frantic hour of fraud. Exceptional care from CBA and Qantas Pay. And yes I was aware of Paris pickpockets and thought I’d taken precautions, but they are so good.
William Cameron, The Hill, NSW

Editor’s note: This week we published some advice on dealing with pickpockets from an expert. Read the story here.

Cancelled out

Your letter from Kristin Sloane (Traveller Letters, November 2), confirms my feelings about the CBA credit card insurance with Cover-More. Within the past year, my wife and I had a half world cruise with Virgin cancelled by Virgin – officially for safety concerns, but I feel in reality it was for financial considerations. While Virgin returned the cruise cost, I still had some out of pocket expenses. I placed a claim to CBA and when that went unanswered, I sent another few emails, the last eliciting a response to contact a different email address. Again, I sent the forms multiple times and eventually rang them to be given yet a third email address.

Eventually, after some months, I was rejected and given the opportunity to appeal, which I did. After yet more emails, I waited well outside their stated time to reply but received none. When this was brought to their attention, they ignored it and again refused my request. If this is the standard of service one expects, I will definitely go with a different insurer – regardless of the level of credit card and length of time of being a CBA customer.
John Rodger, Connells Point, NSW

Percentage game

During a recent UK holiday, I was reminded of another rip-off by the banks regarding overseas international transfer commissions at 3.5 per cent. Using a travel card is a better option as long as you don’t use an ATM, but, if using a debit card, regardless of the amount, the 3.5 per cent applies. Surely the amount is unimportant. It should be one small flat fee regardless of the amount for a single transfer. Banks are happy to use your savings to re-lend at exorbitant rates and gouge as much from you as possible. Millions if not billions of savings get eaten up by the greedy banks. Time for the PM to take on the banks in the interest of travellers, savers and borrowers alike.
Denis Suttling, Newport Beach, NSW

Tip of the week: Short but sweet

A shrine to Buddha at Tham Ting Buddhist Cave on the Mekong River, Luang Prabang, Laos.Credit: Getty Images

I have just returned from a short, nine-day family trip to Laos. We visited three cities, Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Vang Vieng, travelling independently by fast train, private mini-bus and tuk-tuk along with lots of walking. Those three cities, all different, provided a wealth of memorable and instructive experiences such as a village homestay, visiting an elephant rehabilitation facility and understanding the ongoing impacts of historic US cluster bombing. Then there were the Buddhist temples, limestone caves buried in the mountains, hot-air ballooning and launching celebration lanterns skywards. The list goes on. The Lao people, most of whom live a subsistence lifestyle, are peaceful and welcoming. They appreciate respectful visitors to their beautiful country.
Ray Witherby, Kings Langley, NSW

Tipple tip

Get the view without paying for Skypark entry at Marina Bay Sands.Credit: iStock

My best travel tip comes from when I was in Singapore last year. Forget about paying the $32 to visit the Skypark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands. Head to tower 1 and the Lavo Restaurant desk at the ground floor. Tell them you don’t have a reservation and you just want a drink at the bar. They will notify the restaurant and a waitperson will greet you at the top and show you to the bar. You can order a drink and sit and enjoy the view in comfort. You can walk around the outdoor deck and it only costs you the price of the drink. It is so nice. I did learn this from TikTok but it worked and was amazing.
Jackie Braganza, Sunbury, Vic

Low rent

I fully sympathise with C. Jackson and their car rental experiences with Rocket and Europcar, (Traveller Letters, November 2). We had a similar experience a couple of years ago booking a month’s rental in Germany through a broker and Europcar. At their office, the next day however Europcar had no cars available. Despite this, they debited the full rental to my card immediately. They subsequently admitted this was a mistake and would be reversed, which it eventually was. Since this experience, I only book cars via car rental websites themselves and I avoid Europcar and third parties.
Guy Ward, Nunawading, Vic

Paradise found

Paddling in paradise.Credit: iStock

Fiji Airways took us to Nadi and then a fascinating ferry ride across to Musket Cove Island Resort & Marina on the island of Malolo Lailai. This is a big island with amazing walks. Musket Cove itself has two restaurants (one casual and one formal), an island bar and a shop selling food that caters for everyone. You can lie around the pool under umbrellas and be waited on, or go for walks to the top of the island where the views area amazing. You can also snorkel in deep water among myriad fish, go kayaking, sailing, fishing or take boat trips to other islands. But the real joy was the Fijian people – warm, friendly, always smiling and good at their jobs.
Susan-Gaye Anderson, Albert Park, Vic

Value proposition

I have just read a letter from one of your readers about Ho Chi Minh City (Traveller Letters, November 2) and would like to thank her, and Traveller for publishing it. My husband and I have been Vietnam Airlines platinum members for the past seven years and fly to Europe once a year in business class and did not know about the mentioned free transit tour. We have had to purchase visas and hotels in Vietnam as the option of staying at Ho Chi Minh Airport for 14 hours was not considered. I religiously read Traveller letters and this one in particular has been the most beneficial to me (and, in the same section the letter entitled, “Go Blues”, was equally valued as I am going to Bali in March and will be needing taxis).
Judith Metcalf, Mosman, NSW

Gutter talk

In response to your reader’s letter suggesting “tight right and loose left” for driving in the US (Traveller Letters, November 2), I always go with a more amusing version given to me by a friend years ago. It’s “PIG” (Passenger In the Gutter). Remembering that whichever way you are turning the passenger side should always be closest to the gutter/footpath.
David McDonald, Lindfield, NSW

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com