Quote:
Originally Posted by Nagoyankee
Thank you, guys, for the responses so far!
I happen to be old enough to remember the days when the exchange rate was still 360 yen per U.S. dollar. Back then foreign tourists stayed at the most expensive hotels and they always sat in the Green Cars of Shinkansen trains. I'm sure they bought all the pricey stuff in Japan as well.
Now I often see tourists shopping at 100-yen stores and actually eating at Yoshinoya. What a change! In a sense, I still can't believe this is happening even though I see it almost on a weekly basis. Old images die hard...
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we r actually talking pre-plaza era here. i always love to hear stories from ppl that were actually here during the bubble years. the only thing i can bring to the table in this matter is being in japan when the yen was under 90:1. needless to say there were no green cars for me then, and no, there r no green cars for me now either.
as for souvenirs, i must be the worse souvenir buyer there is. for me it ranks as number one of めんどくさい things on the "things-to-do-when-leaving-the-country list.
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come to think of it, having to go to shinagawa to get the re-entry permit might be even worse, but it is indeed tight between the two.