Recently got back from an incredible 19 days in Japan. I’m really feeling the post-Japan blues now, but writing about the trip and sharing what I learned feels like a nice way to honour the memories I made.
I (35M) travelled to Japan with my partner (41M) from Canada. We were there from March 26 to April 13 - these dates were “chosen” for us because we were attending a wedding in Tokyo. We got to wear hakamas, walk in the procession at Meiji Jingu, and observe a Shinto wedding ceremony first-hand.
We did the Golden Route + Kanazawa, however, many travelers have already written about this route so I’ll try to offer new stories to interested readers instead.

About us and high-level trip summary:

• Our entire itinerary consisted of: Tokyo (+ trip to Kawaguchiko), Hakone, Osaka (+ trips to Himeji and Nara), Kyoto (+ trip to Hiroshima), Kanazawa (+ trip to Shirakawa-go), and then Tokyo again for the final night in Kichijoji.
• Stayed at a total of 7 hotels and made good use of the luggage delivery service. Usually took 1 day, but sometimes 2, so plan ahead.
• We got the JR West All Area Pass, which let us go to Hiroshima, Himeji, and Kanazawa from Osaka/Kyoto (plus a few other small trips). Not only was this worth it for us in terms of monetary value, but the built-in flexibility came in clutch i.e taking the train at our leisure and feeling much less stress over seat reservations or waiting in line. I used this website to help me determine which pass to get: https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/
• As mentioned earlier, we attended our close friends’ wedding in Tokyo, which took place at Meiji Jingu and Meiji Kinenkan. It was a truly special and once-in-a-lifetime event. Being photographed by the sightseers at Meiji Jingu was also an interesting experience!
• We went out on weekend nights and checked out the popular places in Shinjuku Nichome (i.e the gay village). While they were fun, you need to dig deeper to find the places that make Nichome stand out from other gaybourhoods around the world.
• Did not make a lot of food reservations because we read how easy it was to find good food around every corner. We found this to be largely true and ate well on our trip (including many konbini meals and bento boxes on the train), but we look forward to diving deeper into the culinary world on trip #2.
• One of my favourite phrases was: Nani ga oishii desu ka? It means ‘What is tasty here?’ and is like asking the restaurant for their recommendation. I never got a bad result with this question.
• The ryokan, onsen, and kaiseki from our 1 night stay in Hakone were all amazing. It was probably our favourite room and meal on the trip. We would certainly return to Hakone and stay 2 nights next time.
• Saw a geisha performance in Kanazawa that was geared towards visitors and it was so fun and fascinating. My partner got to play taiko drums with a geisha!
• The big tourist must-sees were nice, but I’ll fondly remember all the times we just wandered the streets, witnessing small slices of other people’s lives.
• Kichijoji ended up being our favourite area of Tokyo.
• I planned this trip meticulously, but many items still ended up falling through or needed to be re-arranged due to various reasons (fatigue, sickness, timing mistakes). I think you will need to make peace with this and be prepared to be flexible with your plans, outside of pre-booked reservations.

Detailed report:

Before the flight

There were a few things we did before the trip began to help us out:

• Picked up a Wise card, allowing us to withdraw cash without paying extra fees. The fees can really add up.
• Reserved a pocket wifi router for pick-up at Narita.
• Made reservations for popular activities, namely the Ghibli Museum and USJ Express Pass.
• Adjusted our bodies to the new timezone a few days before our flight using an app called Timeshifter.
• Installed the Japan Travel by NAVITIME app, which I preferred over Google Maps when it came to anything involving the shinkansen.
• Watched Perfect Days, a meditative film that follows a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. It got us even more excited for Japan, plus the washrooms featured in this film are real and inspired us to look out for them in real life!

Landing in Japan

• After passing through customs, we picked up the pocket wifi router we had reserved. There are multiple drop-off locations, so you can pick up at one location and drop off at another. We chose the plan that gave us unlimited data for 3 weeks and it was worth it.
• I wanted to get our IC cards, but the line at the JR ticket office was so long that we just opted to buy individual tickets to take the Keisei Access Express. If you are going to be staying near any major metro stations (Ueno, Tokyo, Shinjuku, a few others), you can go there for your tickets because the lines seem to be shorter and you’ll ideally be rested by then.
  • I got my IC card at Ueno Station. On the ground floor, at the JR travel centre, you can line up for the Suica. However, I really wanted the cute Pasmo Passport instead. It took some asking around, but we eventually found the ticket office in the metro station, which is underground and had no line at all. We showed our passports and picked up our Pasmo cards without issue. It’s cash only.
• I also purchased an eSIM from Airalo. It was my first time doing so and I found the process fairly straightforward. I only got 3 gigabytes of data, which was for situations where I might find myself separated from my partner (who held onto the pocket wifi). Ended the trip with over 1gb remaining.
• On our first night, we wandered and found some restaurants in the alleyways behind our train station; we ate delicious ramen for around ¥800. It’s true what they say about your first night being a write-off, however, so don’t expect to do much else.

A note about the trains and ticketing system

I loved taking the shinkansen, they were so comfortable and predictable. The ticketing system, however... that’s a different story entirely. I think everyone just has to go through it like a rite of passage. I also couldn’t get SmartEx to work, which would’ve saved us a lot of hassle.
Regarding the JR West pass, I learned that you can’t make online seat reservations with it after you pick up the physical pass. You must use a specific machine or visit a ticket desk. To use the machines, find the ones with the green head boards and then select the option that mentions using a ‘discount ticket’ or something like that. Insert your pass and choose the destination and train you want to take. You’ll then get your pass back along with the printed tickets. Fortunately, there’s usually an attendant there to help you out.
I will miss having bento on the train while watching the scenery pass by (and listening to Fujii Kaze, haha).

March 26 - 28: A gentle introduction to Japan.

Places: Asakusa, Akihabara, Ueno, Ginza, and Chiyoda
Hotel: Route-Inn Grand Tokyo Asakusabashi
We chose this area because it was budget-friendly and gave us easy access to all the places we planned on visiting. A lot of people recommend staying in Asakusa, but we found Asakusabashi to be even quieter and cheaper.
Highlights:

• Itoya Ginza is a stationary lover’s paradise. Each of the ten floors is immacuately curated, filled with beautiful things to look at and use. If that wasn’t enough, a nature-inspired soundtrack plays the entire time to really put you in the mood. I picked up a Shupatto bag and liked it so much (great design and durability) that I went back and bought a few more as gifts.
• I found a place called the Okuno Building and it felt like a hidden gem for anyone who’s into art and architecture. Try to time your visit with when Room 306 is open: https://room306project.tokyo/about-en/
• Stepping outside of Tokyo Station, you feel small and the grandeur of Tokyo really hits you. Across the station in the building with the Beams store, there’s an observation deck that offers a gorgeous nighttime view of the area. There’s also a food hall with a great energy and vibe.
• About 10-15 minutes walk north of Akihabara station is an artisanal market tucked away beneath the train tracks. It was quiet and cute with a lot of interesting shops. Many handmade giftable items to be found: https://www.cntraveler.com/shops/tokyo/aki-oka-artisan
• I had a reservation for the Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe in Akihabara - it was something I had wanted to do for a long time, though it felt underwhelming in the end. The food and drinks were photogenic, but forgettable. There are a number of cafes like these around and I imagine the gimmick is similar in each (at least, the ones run by Pasela Resorts). Still, no regrets!

Notes:

• Most of the hotels we stayed at did not allow use of stairs except in emergencies. This was usually fine, but during one busy morning rush we waited a ludicrously long time to get down from the 4th floor! We became acquainted with a charming Japanese woman as a result of waiting for the elevator, so there was a silver lining.

March 29 - April 3: Unforgettable memories made over a weekend.

Places: Shinjuku, Shibuya, teamLab, Kawaguchiko, and the wedding
Hotel: Yuen Shinjuku
Atmospheric hotel. Situated on a quiet street in Shinjuku while remaining within walking distance to all the fun places. Onsen on the top floor with amazing city views.
Highlight: The wedding

• To prepare for the wedding, we had a fitting at a kimono rental shop (Vasara) along with some friends. The men in the group wore hakamas, which are like trousers reserved for very formal occasions. Wearing a kimono and hakama was interesting - there’s a lot of tucking and wrapping under those robes, forcing you to stand straight while also having your organs squeezed in. But damn did we feel and look good in them, haha.
• The wedding itself was one of the most gorgeous and well-organized weddings I’ve ever been to and I’m still in a bit of awe. It began in the early morning with a Shinto ceremony at Meiji Jingu. The ritualistic garments worn by the bride and groom as well as the attendants were beautiful. After conducting the tea ceremony in a semi-private reception area, we gathered into a two-column procession and slowly walked to the main ceremonial site deeper within Meiji Jingu, led by a priest and two shrine maidens. Everything was solemn and immaculate. You can read about what these ceremonies are like online, but there were a lot of rituals, rules, and even audience participation e.g. standing, sitting, clapping, and drinking sake. Being photographed by hundreds of people while walking to and from the ceremonial site was also something I didn’t think I’d ever get to experience - I imagine this is what a celebrity feels like!
• The reception afterwards was at Meiji Kinenkan and followed a more familiar Western reception format, with an MC, music, multi-course meal, and live performances (including mochi pounding and spectacular Japanese Bollywood dancers) - but no dancing for the participants, haha. There was also an after-party at an Indian restaurant in Shibuya and it was a much more casual and colourful affair.

Highlight: Nichome

• Nichome - one could easily miss this entire neighbourhood during the day, but boy does it come alive at night. We visited most of the major bars: Eagle, Eagle Blue, Dragon Men, Arty Farty, etc. What immediately struck me about those places was how similar they felt to bars back home i.e Toronto. There were lots of foreigners and the vibe and music reminded me of our own bars. It’s still a fun time and you can meet other travellers if you put yourself out there.
• When I said that one needs to dig deeper to find what makes Nichome stand out from other gaybourhoods, I was referring to the hundreds of tiny bars in the basements and upper levels of the buildings all around Nichome. To really get something out of this experience though, you need to either: i) speak Japanese, or ii) be accompanied by someone who can speak Japanese. I was lucky to fall into the latter group and had a few nights of uproarious karaoke, bantering with drag queens, and intimate conversations with bar staff.

Other highlights:

• teamLab Planets was mind-blowing and I highly recommend anyone go at least once. The less you know about it, the better. The area around teamLab Planets (which includes the famous Toyosu Market) was also pleasant to walk around. In fact, we had a picnic by the water with a clear view of the Tokyo skyline.
• I find malls in Asia to be on another level and the one we visited - Shibuya Parco - was no exception. There was a large terrace on the top floor with expansive views of the city and the basement housed an impressive food hall with a wide range of cuisines. The floors in-between had many unique offerings as well, even if only to window shop.
• We found one of the washrooms from the film Perfect Days, the one in Nabeshima Shoto Park. The exterior was incredibly designed, though the interiors were just fine. The park also houses a tranquil pond that was nice for a stroll around and the neighbourhood itself was enjoyable to walk through.
• Got my hair cut at a place called Assort Tokyo with English-speaking hair stylists - shout out to Yutsuki who gave me one of the best cuts I’ve ever had!
• Karaoke Manekineko is prevalent in Japan and we had the fortune of going to one with our Japanese friends. It was fun, affordable, and equipped with all our favourite songs (both Japanese and English). Indulge in the bottomless drink machines - their corn soup is a best seller and after trying it myself, I can see why!
• Seeing Mt. Fuji in person is an out-of-this-world experience - pictures don’t do it justice. However, the popular places we visited (Chureito Pagoda, northern shore of the lake) were extremely busy despite the lack of cherry blossoms e.g. the queue to access the observation deck at Chureito was 1 hour long. Getting around Kawaguchiko also wasn’t easy or cheap - the buses were packed and unpredictable and taking a taxi across town cost us a pretty penny. If I were to return, I’d get a private tour guide or just stick to the not-famous places and aim to be there in the early morning.

Notes:

• We switched hotels from Asakusabashi to Shinjuku and it was worthwhile to do so. We valued being able to walk to and from the bars, especially at night after the trains close
• I made the mistake of thinking we could get tickets on the express/direct train to Kawaguchiko the day before - nope. You should book these early. We took the shinkansen to Otsuki and then from there took a local train the rest of the way.

April 3 - 7: Embracing the calm after Tokyo.

Places: Hakone, Osaka, Himeji
Hotels: Mount View Hakone and Onyado Nono Osaka Yodoyabashi
The hotel in Hakone was itself the highlight. This one was a bit higher up in the mountains, but still easily accessible by bus. Top-notch hospitality and amenities. Our Osaka hotel was also comfortable and had an onsen and was located in a convenient area - not in the thick of things, but close to the important metro lines.
Highlights:

• I wish we stayed longer at our Hakone ryokan. Their kaiseki dinner and breakfast were exquisite. The private onsen consisted of two large basins for our exclusive use with a view of an illuminated bamboo grove. That said, I think you could choose any 3+ star ryokan in Hakone and have a stellar time. The town was calm and charming; it was especially haunting with the light rain and mist when we were there.
• We took a bus that went directly from our hotel all the way to Odawara, where we caught the shinkansen to Osaka. Unlike at home, where riding the bus feels like a chore, I felt that taking the various transport options in Japan was an experience unto itself - always something to see and admire outside the window.
• Osaka’s nightlife was vibrant, though we preferred Shinsekai over Dotonbori if only because the former was way less crowded. I also went out to Doyamacho (Osaka’s gay district) on my own, which seemed tiny in comparison to Nichome. I visited the newly opened Eagle Osaka and met a Canadian expat; it was fun to hear stories about being gay in Japan from people who’ve lived there for a long time.
• Sunset at Osaka Castle with all the sakura was magical. The crowds were minimal here. My favourite shot to take was a close-up of the flowers with the castle in the background.
• My partner was very keen on visiting USJ and getting the Express Pass - I’m glad we did that because we got to experience (almost) everything we wanted to. Super Nintendo World was the absolute gem of USJ: going there felt like going to another dimension.
• Right outside USJ is a large shopping and restaurant complex. There’s a place on the fourth floor called TAKOPA Takoyaki Park and what a joy it was - pick any of the restaurants here, order a combo meal, and let your taste buds soar.
• Himeji is an easy day trip from Osaka and the famous castle is a straight walk down from the station. It was very picturesque - definitely visit the gardens while you’re there.

Notes:

• My partner started to feel unwell at this point of the trip, so we had to slow down our pace and also reshuffle a few itinerary items.

April 7 - 10: Sakura, temples, and museums.

Places: Nara, Kyoto, Hiroshima
Hotel: TUNESTAY Kyoto
A modern hotel that also feels like a hostel with its communal amenities and young vibe. Rest assured, the rooms are private and include your own bathroom. Minutes away from Kyoto Station and situated on the same street as the sightseeing buses.
Highlights:

• The sakura were now in full bloom and made for magnificent strolls around Kyoto’s famous districts, but like all other famous sites, they are best enjoyed early. We got up early for Philosopher’s Path and it was breathtaking and tranquil, just as we imagined it to be. It started to get crowded i.e noisier after 9am.
• The 10th floor of the Isetan building at Kyoto Station is a dedicated food hall, with one side being just ramen shops. Very yummy and very short lines!
• I read about how emotional the Hiroshima Peace Museum made people feel, but I still wasn’t prepared for the sheer gravity of it once we were there. I can only describe the experience as powerful and poignant. Certainly take your time to go through and read the cards on the exhibits. It was one of the rare places we visited that was both busy and quiet.
• Visit Okonomi-mura for delicious Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki and good vibes. It’s another food hall, but one that feels much more down to earth and gritty.
• We happened to stumble upon a night market at Murayama Park in Kyoto. The cherry blossoms were at their peak; they looked especially splendid under the glow of the lanterns. There were food stalls aplenty and we ate to our heart’s content: grilled fish, fried yam rolls, bamboo on a stick, and barbequed meats. Several restaurants and tables were set up in the middle of the park so you could sit down for a meal and some drinks while partaking in hanami. People were in very good spirits and we ended up chatting to a young couple sat next to us, where we bonded over our shared love for Howl’s Moving Castle and all things Ghibli. I’ll remember this particular night very fondly.

Notes:

• It’s possible to visit Nara on route from Osaka to Kyoto or vice versa. That’s what we did and we just stored our luggage at the station in Nara.
• It makes more sense to go to Hiroshima from Osaka - not only is it closer, but our JR West Pass did not include shinkansen travel between Osaka and Kyoto (even if we were riding on the same train going from Osaka to Hiroshima). We only did it this way because our original plans were changed due to my partner’s change in health status.

April 10 - 12: Winding down and enjoying small city life.

Places: Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go
Hotel: Hotel Kanazawa Zoushi
Our second favourite hotel of the trip. We had the warmest reception here, with complimentary tea and dango provided at check-in. The room was very comfortable, while the bathrooms were surprisingly spacious.
Highlights:

• Everyone comes here for Kenrokuen and... yeah, it’s an absolutely stunning garden, dressed in wide swathes of pink thanks to the pretty cherry blossoms. Having said that, we noticed other areas of the garden weren’t as lively because the plants had not yet flowered. I think coming here when you know certain flora will be in season will make for a more memorable experience.
• Right next to the gardens are the Kanazawa Castle Ruins, also home to some gorgeous blossom-lined paths. It was way less busy here, as if people didn’t realize they could walk another few minutes to this beautiful location.
• On the surface, Higashi Chaya looked similar to the historic districts in Kyoto. We primarily went there for the Geisha Evenings in Kanazawa performance held at Kaikaro Tea House and it ended up being one of our favourite highlights of the entire trip. Lady Baba is a fabulous host and storyteller; the two hours we spent here flew by, filled with laughter, music, and cultural learnings.
• Omicho Market feels a lot more like a real food market than Nishiki and smells like the sea. We enjoyed some huge oysters here and grilled scallop and octopus skewers.
• We dined at Gen-zae-mon on the recommendation of a local who worked at Kaikaro. It’s a cozy izakaya in downtown Kanazawa serving plenty of scrumptious regional specialties. Try asking the service staff for their recommendations if you’re overwhelmed by the menu options.
• Shirakawa-go was quaint, almost like being transported to a different era. The entire village is easily traversable by foot and it’s worthwhile to visit at least one of the historic houses that have been converted into a museum. If you can climb to the top of the observation deck, you’ll be rewarded with a serene lookout of the entire village. That said, I don’t think spring is the optimal season for Shirakawa-go to shine; I think any other season would colour it better, because it was still grey and barren when we went.

Notes:

• I mistakenly thought we could get tickets for the highway express bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go last minute... nope. Thankfully, our JR West pass let us ride the shinkansen at no additional cost to Toyama, where we caught the bus there - and that bus was mostly empty. It only added about 30 minutes more to our travel time.

April 12 - 13: One more outing in Tokyo’s most desirable neighbourhood.

Places: Kichijoji, Haneda
Hotel: Tokyu REI Kichijoji
Standard hotel with few frills, but great price and location. We chose it because it was a last minute decision to switch from Akihabara to Kichijoji for our last night.
Highlights:

• I’m glad we stayed in Kichijoji for the last day of our visit. Walking the streets of this neighbourhood was exactly what we envisioned a peaceful Tokyo to be like and there was much to please the senses. It just felt like the whole package - picturesque, relaxed, easy to get lost in, and bustling to a degree that felt exciting without being overwhelming. The Internet claims that Kichijoji is the most desirable neighbourhood in Tokyo; I definitely believe that now.
• Ghibli Museum was delightful and I’m a big fan of the “no indoor photography” rule. The attention to detail was incredible. Treat yourself to a walk in Inokashira Park before or after your visit. It was late afternoon when we went and the park was filled with young families and students playing after-school sports. It just felt like a pinnacle “slice of life” moment.
• My very fashionable friend (the one who got married) said Kichijoji is her favourite place for consignment shopping and we saw plenty of those stores here. A bit deeper into the residential parts of Kichijoji is an artisanal market and cafe called Sippo: it was filled with one-of-a-kind goods at reasonable prices and everything was made in Japan. I know there are a lot of great shops in Tokyo, but this one stood out to us and we would certainly return on future trips.
• We hopped on an airport shuttle bus from Kichijoji Station to Haneda. No reservations, but the bus was only a quarter full. We gave ourselves three hours at Haneda and still felt like we ran out of time - lots of great shops for last minute gifts (including an Itoya outpost!) Take note that the higher rated restaurants are located outside of the security gates.

Now that some time has passed since departing Japan, the emotions that swept over me in that country have left a deep impression. Like a reminder of what I’m chasing after in this life, Japan excited me, fulfilled me, and left me wanting more. I know that being Japanese in Japan is an entirely different experience, but I still yearn to experience even just a sliver of that life.
Thanks for reading and I hope you got something out of this trip report. If you’re interested in seeing some of the photos I took on this trip, I’ve shared them on my Instagram account, which is the same handle as my Reddit username.

There is not a single reason as to why they are against only Hinduism.They praise Islam and Christianity so that they can get popularity among the minorities and can get back the desired profit of making the movie due to it. There is another reason for this which is the whole Bollywood industry is under the control of Don Dawood Ibrahim. Everybody knew that all the Khan actors have a connection with this Don and obeys him. There are even photos of these actors taken together with Dawood Ibrahim. For the past 25 years , these khan actors are the superstars in the bollywood industry and nobody could replace them. One can’t find other actors like Govinda, Vivek Oberoi or any new comers to the industry and becoming a superstar.The whole industry is controlled by Khan actors whether they knew to act or not.
Also, there was an attempt by the bollywood industry to bring the Pakistani actors and actresses to the industry and to make them popular in India. Fortunately, they have been sent back to their nation.Otherwise, the whole industry would be under the control of these Pakistani actors and actresses.The industry can’t respect the real talent of actors and actresses, but can offer chances for these Pakistanis.
The movies like Oh My God was taken to insult the faith of Hindus.The director of the movie has degraded the idol worship of Gods in the hindu temples.He does not have the courage to take movies that shows the hatred for the minority religions in India. He knew that if he does such movies on Islamic terrorism where Radical Islamic terrorists are responsible, he would be in a big problem

people on quora smoking some high quality shit

I find Katrina Kaif fascinating. Her success in Bollywood as an outsider and a foreigner is an anomaly. Others like Nora and Jacqueline either started from reality shows or won pageants. I feel like everyone’s past can be traced to at least some certainty. But Katrina seemingly came out of nowhere, did ‘Boom’, met Salman and her career shot up. I know people credit Salman for her success, but I actually think it is Akshay who cemented her position in Bollywood.
I feel like most other celebrities have childhood friends or family who share anecdotes about their childhoods. Katrina however has never had anyone share anything about her pre-fame.
I understand that she lied about being half Indian and having relatives in India. So her not even being half Indian makes her entry into Bollywood even more mysterious.
How did a woman who grew up in the west with no Indian connection even decide to try her luck in India?
I understand that she was a model before joining Bollywood. And I have seen photos of her of her from that time. But again, none of her colleagues from that time or friends have ever shared stories about her. How is that even possible?
She says she was 17 when she met Salman, did she start modelling after meeting Salman or before? She has picture with Deepika from her modelling days so they were modelling around the same time. Their age difference is 2 years according to google. Again, not even Deepika has ever talked about modelling with Katrina.
The only person who has shared a vague anecdote about her from her struggling days is Anaita Shroff. How has no one else ever decided to spill some tea or even share a sweet story about Katrina.
Did she have no boyfriends? No friends? Where has this woman come from?
I feel like Bollywood is conservative about possibly scandalous pasts/tough childhoods. I feel like that’s why we’ll never know any actual details about Katrina’s past. But she has made it so so big in India and it would be so cool to find out how she even got here.
The woman did it before the prevalence of the internet and social media. HOW?
Edit: I feel like some people are getting defensive on her behalf and projecting their own conservatism onto me. I don’t want to know because I want to judge her. I just want to know because she is such a successful figure in the Hindi film industry and unlike nepos/privileged folks, outsiders stories are actually interesting. I’m interested in her background in the same way I am interested in SRK’s background. In Hollywood, the stories of celebrities who come from hardship are celebrated and talked about openly. But here, people are much more judgemental and iffy about peoples’ backgrounds.
Her past may not even have been insidious. Maybe she was just poor like Nargis. But again, if her family was poor why did she come to India? That’s a massive risk to take. Foreigner women now have Katrina to look to as evidence of possible success in Bollywood. But where did her conviction in this decision come from?
When foreigners come to Bollywood now, it is less surprising. Social media has made these things easier. Nora talked about how her family watched bollywood, I know for a fact that a lot of middle east families watch Bollywood and even know some actors by name. Nargis was a model and Imitiaz Ali reached out to her personally after seeing her poster.
But Katrina is more successful than all these women after coming into the industry in the early 2000s. It’d just be cool to know more about her. How does someone become Katrina Kaif? What dots did she connect to become so successful?
I imagine she had a few years in India before she became successful. No one who knew her from that time has shared stories about her. How has she managed to keep everything so under wraps? All her stories pre-fame start with Salman. How did meet Salman Khan? I know her sister introduced them but how did she meet Salman Khan’s sister? I don’t get it. It is crazy! I know rich kids personally who want to be actors and struggle to get into rooms with even low level Bollywood folk. But Katrina somehow managed to get to Salman with no connections. Is it just crazy luck?

I have finished researching about him and even got to talk to his new team members!
So basically Dark Days Warrior (Kshitiz) aka Walker #44690 was contacted by team alan for the music video shoot of Somebody Like U (2022) song at Royal Norwegian Embassy on 18th April 2022.
Dark Days Warrior met Alan Walker, Julie Bergan & AuRa there along with other members from team alan, Kreatell (formerly known as MER) and Sony Music. Before the shoot, they had lunch together on one table which we can even see on Dark Days Warrior's Instagram (@darkdayswarrior) photos where he uploaded behind the scenes. After the lunch they had their video shoot and then by the evening everything was packed up and everybody left from the location after a great day at video shooting.
Dark Days Warrior has appeared in 2 Alan Walker music videos by now. One is Somebody Like U (2022) and other is Who I Am (2024). I still have no clue how he gets leaks and private perks from team alan before any of us. Just like I told you guys in my last post that he gets leaks 6 months earlier than Alan Walker actually posting them on internet.
Apart from that, After collaborating with Alan Walker on Somebody Like U MV, he got to work with 5-Minute Crafts and an Indian celebrity in 2023. Fast forward to April 2024, he's collaborated with another Indian celebrity who's apparently working in Bollywood industry and Netflix.
I'm honoured to be able to talk to his team member to get all this info while also researching about him on google, IMDB and other news articles and sources. If you guys wants to know more about him you can search him on google as "Dark Days Warrior" there is all the source material available for this and my previous post out there on google! Just search his official name and all the information will appear on his verified Google profile!

• Glitch Walker

Hey, learnmachinelearning community!
I'm reaching out for some guidance and advice on a machine learning project I'm eager to dive into. As an absolute beginner in machine learning but with experience as a full-stack developer, I'm excited to embark on a project to build a large-scale celebrity identification system.
My main goal is to develop a system capable of identifying millions of celebrities from various industries, including Hollywood, Bollywood, K-pop, J-pop, and more, in order to organize a huge collection of unsorted images. These images range from paparazzi shots and professional photoshoots to various wallpapers. I'm looking to create a tool that can automatically categorize these images into appropriate folders based on the celebrities featured in them.
However, I understand that this is a complex task, and I'm not sure where to start or what topics I need to understand to tackle it effectively.
Here are some specific questions I have:

1. Preprocessing: What are the best practices for preprocessing a large dataset of celebrity images?
2. Model Architecture: As an absolute beginner, which neural network architectures would be suitable for this task? Should I use a traditional CNN approach or consider alternative architectures?
3. Scalability: How can I ensure that the model is scalable and efficient, considering the potentially large number of classes (celebrities) and the computational resources required for training?
4. Deployment: Once the model is trained, how can I deploy it to classify new images efficiently? Are there any best practices or tools I should be aware of for deploying machine learning models in production?
5. Continuous Learning: How can I incorporate new celebrities into the model over time? Are there strategies for updating the model with additional data without starting from scratch?

Additionally, if this project turns out to be successful, I'm considering releasing it as a product not specific to celebrity but as a generic photo categorizing tool. Any insights or advice on this aspect would also be greatly appreciated.
I'm open to any resources, tutorials, or advice you can provide to help me get started on this ambitious project. Additionally, if you have any suggestions for breaking down the project into manageable steps or recommended learning paths for someone in my position, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thank you in advance for your support and guidance!
Edit: Articles I found https://bencho264.medium.com/face-recognition-with-celebrities-8e2767315fd1

Check out previous posts in the series here: List
For me, Neeti Mohan's ten songs would be:

1. Kashmir Mai Tu Kanyakumari
2. Nainowale Ne
3. Kehte Hai Hamko Pyar Se Indiawale
4. Bang Bang
5. Baki sab first class hai
6. Tune Maari Entriyaan
7. Galat Baat Hai [Mai Tera Hero]
8. Ishq Wala Love
9. Kheech Meri Photo
10. Meri Jaan [Gangubai Kathiawadi]

​
What would you replace in this list?

I am just a simple guy, and I've lived my life like a typical very lower middle class 90s kid. I have had the trials and tribulations of relationships and navigated them the best I could. I just felt that there are a lot of questions appearing here on relationships, marriage etc that I dealt with for a long time. I guess I wanted to summarize my thoughts, maybe it'll help you all get some perspective. These are things that your elder brothefather should have taught you, but I know they didn't because that's how India is. I am speaking from my experience of dating women and ofcourse its just my experience, so take it for what its worth.
Disclaimer: I am a guy - so my perspective can be flawed. But for what its worth, since this is a subreddit - if you are a girl and have a different view, feel free to voice it and put me in my place. Also if you think there's any worth to this, support it so others know that this is indeed beneficial.
Boys - inability to get into relationships, misconceptions, thoughts and theories
Number 1:
I can get the girl if I am rich/successful/ripped/topper of JEE: Girls don't care about any of these things. You have to understand that none of the above will let you date that girl that you want to date. I will come back to this point, but this misconception needs to be removed. The important thing about getting a girl to like you is to get them to notice you, and get them to realize that your intentions aren't 'to be just friends'. You need to escalate, you need to slowly understand what she is comfortable with by slipping in a dirty joke in the conversation to see how she is responding. You have to touch her (non sexually) like hold her hand etc - and see her reaction. Now some will never have a good reaction to such advances - that just means she isn't ready for any relationship, or she doesn't want to be with you and both those outcomes are alright. Now I've gotten this wrong many times - sometimes I slid in a joke too dirty and girls were put off by it, sometimes it wasn't dirty enough and they didn't get it. But YOU HAVE TO KEEP ON DOING THIS. In the west they call this 'social skills'. Girls are a very emotional bunch and they react to the moment. And you have to create the moment.
Think of it from a girl's perspective - in her mind a romance is something that has been defined by bollywood movies/romance novels. There are probably sunsets, some mischief, some fun, some adventure in that framework. You have to play to the framework. It doesn't have to be grandiose, but it's the small things: like if its raining then ask her to hangout at some good place. She will interpret these gestures as gestures of romance because she has learnt that THIS IS ROMANCE. Play bollywood to your advantage.
Number 2:
Be Decisive: You need to be decisive. If she asks where do you want to go, don't respond by saying 'Where would you like to go?'. Know everything about everything, especially the first few times you take her out on a date. Never be indecisive, because she needs to trust that you have your shit together. If you are going out on a 5 hr date - make sure you have it planned. If its a movie, know which movie you are going to, where you are going to sit, where you will go when the movie ends, where you will eat. That way you display reliability. I've found this approach works.
Number 3:
Look good: Look man this is the 21st century, and if you are ugly thats on you. If you have lots of marks on your face or pimples - GO TO A DERMATOLOGIST. Don't listen to your mom or some other relative who tells you smearing your face with some mud or haldi is going to fix it. It is a medical problem, it needs medical answers. I have personally experienced this - I used to have a lot of pimples, and each time I went to my parents with the problem, they would either dismiss it, or they would suggest home remedies. Stop doing that. If you are too young and your parents won't pay for a dermatologist then try to get money from somewhere or get a job and then go to a dermatologist.
Also here, follow a skin care routine and find what skin care product works for you AND NEVER CHANGE IT. Lots of youtube videos are out there on skin care stuff - but for starters your skin is probably oily or dry. If it is oily you need to use a different set of products, if it is dry its different. Whatever is advertised on TV is bullshit. You should have a cleanser, a moisturizer, a sunscreen that you use twice a day EVERYDAY, and an exfoliant once or twice a week. If you cant afford all these things, start small. Start with the cleanser. But to see which brands, and which ingredients work for you watch youtube videos and once you have the right mix - NEVER CHANGE IT FOR LIFE.
Number 4:
Clothes: You need to plan your clothes shopping. We are poor, so we do not have infinite money to buy clothes. So think about clothes shopping as a scientific thing. Make a list of all the events for which you might need clothes for. A party, wedding, college, formal occasions like interviews, semi formal occasions like work parties. And buy 1 pair of clothes for each occasion. You should add 2 jeans with that and a few T-Shirts. A few shoes are important too - formal, sports, semi formal. And you should never have anything else in your wardrobe. If I ask you what clothes are in your wardrobe, you should be able to tell me which clothes you have and for what occasion they are in 30 seconds. Over time mix and match and add to it, but get the baseline correct. That is the foundation to dressing well. Don't just decide one day that lets go to the mall and start buying stuff. Plan it in advance, that I am going to the mall to buy such and such clothes for such and such occasion. Look at pictures on the net to find what you like. And never compromise, if you don't get what you are looking for, don't buy. Try another time. Focus on building the base line of clothes, its an art, its not a mindless buying spree.
Number 5:
Body: Go to the gym. Much has been said but one thing I like to add is that I've seen atleast in my case my parents were always against me going to the gym. They said ridiculous things like you should do freehand on the roof top, or lift heavy stones, or I know so and so who achieved great results for doing yoga. All that is to save money. The truth is they don't want to pay for your gym. So find a way to go to the gym and really understand your body, what exercises are working for you, what is your body responding to. Keep a diary to record your observations.
Number 6:
Confidence: This is why there is a general misconception that girls only go for the rich and successful. Its not about the richness or the success its about confidence. In India only 2 kinds of people have confidence - the rich dudes and the poor chapris. And both of them will get a girlfriend before you do. But that doesn't mean you lost. Try to build confidence somehow.
Number 7:
Find a girl early: If you are in school, college etc - this is when the girls are the most open minded. Get a girlfriend. Because it only gets exponentially harder from there. Don't wait for THE ONE. Tinder is not your friend. Girls in India aren't like that in the west, contrary to what you believe the hook up culture in India is limited to a small number of girls, and for those small number of girls that are open to the idea, there are many objectively better men out there for them. Chances are you have to find love through other avenues such as social gatherings/hobby groups etc.
Number 8:
Hobbies: This is something no one has control over. So I wont stress on it much, but have an outdoorsy hobby that lets you meet people. Like hiking, dancing etc. Don't have a hobby that is solo - like gaming.
Number 9:
Disregard your parents: Indian parents have an age old thing to say about love - be successful and then there will be a line of girls waiting for you. But you have to understand they are talking from an age old perspective that isn't true anymore. They say that because in the erstwhile arranged marriage scenario this used to be true. And back then girls had a lot less say in the marriage decision. Fathers would find a boy and the girl usually said yes. Nowadays girls have social media, they have more freedom (which I greatly support) - so these days just success won't get you a girl. Don't believe me, ask any friend of yours who has the best job and has tried to get a girl through Bharatmatrimony. See what they say. Jobs are no longer the be all end all, and the girls now want more than that. Our parents lived in a generation that was too antiquated and is no longer adjacent to the modern world. Suffice to say their advice is also shit.
Number 10:
Arranged marriages and the girl's past: Don't worry about her past. And don't worry about whether she will love you because of that past relationship she had. These days a girl doesn't need to marry, the social stigma is not as bad. And parents do not have 7 kids that they want to get rid of. If a girl doesn't want to marry most fathers will just let her stay at home. They just have 1 daughter and they wont mind keeping her near to them. The fact that she is willing to marry again despite the past relationship is because she wants to take the next step in her life. And she is optimistic about taking it with you. Now if you reduce it to a numbers game then things wont work. And no, the fact that she had a past relationship does not mean she will seek out something new after marriage, if anything she has already experienced what a bad relationship looks like so chances are she will be even more committed to making this one a good one. Ofcourse, caveat being that if she was someone who put too less a value on sex - that is if she hooked up with a different guy every night, chances are she will not understand why you care about such things in the first place and keep on sleeping around. So if that's not for you, steer clear. You need to realize that the world has moved on. Sure it isn't fun knowing your girl has had a few boyfriends before. But the fact that you didn't have a few girlfriends before is on you. You could've tried harder. You could've done something about it. You didn't.
If you are still insecure about body count - then go hire a prostitute, raise your body count, then get married. If you were too busy to get a gf, and are too afraid to hire a prostitute - AND if you are too insecure of having a girl with a past - DUDE YOU'LL NEVER GET LAID. You've then closed all the doors for yourself. I won't have any sympathy for you when you are old and bitter and nor should anyone else.
Number 11:
Photos: No one looks the way they do on photos. Go to a mirror, contort your face, smile, see what looks good. Click selfies, find which angle looks good on you. Go to instagram - find what filters look good on you. Use apps like Snapseed to improve these photos. A lot of how you look on a photo depends on the angle you click it from. Girls have a tendency to click a lot of photos, trust me, they don't all look so good all the time. Just that they have had more practice and they know the camera angles, filters etc that they need to look good. You can do that too.
Number 12:
Hair: Your hairstyle is like 50% of how you look. Go to a good salon. Don't go to the guy who charges Rs 20. Change the barber (I know its a huge taboo, but it is important). Go to different barbers, see photos on the internet that resemble your face shape. See if there are some cuts that look good on you. I was shy when I was in my teens, and couldn't do this, but don't be shy. Go to the barber and talk to him normally about the kind of cut you want. Bring a pic in your mobile of a few samples and ask his opinion. Talk to him as if he is your friend, he will then want to give you the best cut possible because through this conversation your are elevating the barber from a dull hair cutter to an artist.
Number 13:
Skin tone: If you are like me - a dark skin toned guy - oh man things are bad. You can't change this so you better be spending a lot of time in the gym. Everyone in India prefers the fairer tone, so - yeah tough luck I guess.
Number 14:
Food: Don't eat whatever, whenever. Have a broad plan. You don't have to follow a strict diet, but much of what you eat results in how you look. All ailments from pimples to fat - you need to atleast recognize eating what results in what. Like I have oily skin, and if I eat a lot of oily foods, I end up getting pimples and in general 'chip chipa' skin. So if I want to look better, I try to avoid those foods. I try not to overeat. Trust me, when maintaining weight, losing weight is far harder. To burn off a scoop of ice cream you'll have to run for 20 mins. I am lazy, and hence I can't run like that regularly, so I try not to eat such stuff in the first place.
Number 15:
Why doesn't she like me: We all fall in love when we want to fall in love. That's the truth. A girl is the same. You can be the perfect guy, but if she is not in a stage of life / state of mind where she is open to the idea of a relationship, she won't be in a relationship. You have to move on and find some one who is willing. So even if you follow all these steps you may not be able to find the right one. But you'll see that you'll still feel good. Atleast you tried.
Conclusion:
This sounds like a lot of work. And trust me this is what adulting is all about.
Why are we having all these issues. I think its because we are at a point in time when hell has broken loose. The laws of the old times - arranged marriages, factors for success, access to information, access to people of the opposite sex have changed very drastically. Our parents (for 90s kids atleast) belonged to a generation that used to watch black and white TVs and used to go to the STD ISD PCO to make a phone call. And here we are. So those values they tried to instill and the learnings they had collected in their lifetimes are no longer applicable to the world around us now. Back then needs were few, and if you had a good job everything else was sorted - relationships, finances, job security, status - everything. That is the code by which they lived by. But in these times financial success and social success are to an extent disjointed. So you need to adapt. You need to focus on all aspects of life and not just one.
Goodluck with your relationships fellow Indians. I'm out.

I have seen a lot of posts asking what to text next or what I did wrong etc. So I thought of sharing my experience and learning so far.

1. The girl needs to be INTERESTED IN YOU. Most important. This is a simple thing most guys cant wrap their head around, simply because it is not in your control. This bollywood notion of "ladki ko patana" implies that a guy need to woo or impress a girl. But in reality its a 2 way street. A girl is probably talking to multiple guys, a like or a match does not guarantee she is most interested in you. Ghosting will be common. Please accept and move on. You did nothing wrong, she was just not interested in you enough.
   
2. There is no fixed playbook. The same line for some girls will be flirty, for others it might be cheesy. For some it might be sexy, for others it might be creepy. Stop generalising girls. Everyone is unique with a different personality. Stop sending same lines to everyone. Be creative. Be unique. I have tried the same line on multiple girls, received different reactions everytime. Ultimately what worked for me was using creative lines that I came up in the moment.
   
3. Stop taking apps seriously, have fun. None of the girls take the app seriously. Many are there for validation. Those who are not are overwhelmed with matches. You are just some another match for them. Try to have fun. Giving too much effort will make you look try hard, which is a turn off.
   
4. Grow some balls. Dont be afraid to try out new things. It really pisses me off when people post ss of what to type. Why are you afraid to try and fail? If you dont fail enough, you will never get good at it.
   

If you are not getting enough matches, you need to ask why you are on the app. I myself did not get enough matches. I hit the gym, improved physique, photos etc to start getting matches.
Those who have read till here please let me know your opinion.