Subpar Scrub
Banned
I'm staying at the mystays Sakaisuji Honmachi ATM. It's fine, but a bit of a walk to the local stations. Luckily I'm fine with that though.
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Japan Travel |OT| One does simply not visit just once
- Thread starter hwalker84
- Start date
I'm staying at the mystays Sakaisuji Honmachi ATM. It's fine, but a bit of a walk to the local stations. Luckily I'm fine with that though.
If you want a more local feel in Osaka, the U Community Hotel is pretty good.
http://www.u-community.co.jp/english/about/
It's a bit out of the way in Higashi-Osaka and requires a bit of a trip on the subway line into places like Nipponbashi, etc but it's a pretty nice area with a more local feel compared to the bigger hotels in cities and stuff. Also got a good game store nearby, several convenience stores and a drug store all within a 5 minute walk.
But if you want to be closer to places you'd want to go to (or a wider option of transport since the only one here is the subway line) then what the others said probably works better ^.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=884540
Ask there, it's the general thread for people that are living there.
http://www.u-community.co.jp/english/about/
It's a bit out of the way in Higashi-Osaka and requires a bit of a trip on the subway line into places like Nipponbashi, etc but it's a pretty nice area with a more local feel compared to the bigger hotels in cities and stuff. Also got a good game store nearby, several convenience stores and a drug store all within a 5 minute walk.
But if you want to be closer to places you'd want to go to (or a wider option of transport since the only one here is the subway line) then what the others said probably works better ^.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=884540
Ask there, it's the general thread for people that are living there.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
Don't click on the following if you don't want a stupid story that doesn't 100% relate to the topic of travelling japa:
Edit; it's 1:50am took, so this sucks.
So tonight I was wandering around dotonbori and when I went to grab dinner, I bumped into a fellow English speaker at an udon place. She was from Michigan in the US and invited me to a bar nearby for later (she wanted to go shopping first).
So I'm at the bar talking to some Canadians and she rocks up, we start talking and everything is going pretty good. Canadians leave a bit after she arrives. She's drinking beer with juice (weird I guess, never seen it before) and I'm drinking 2 shots of whiskey with soda. Ofcourse after 4 I'm pretty trashed and she's still alright (this is part one of me fucking up).
Part two is me talking to her about her teaching job here, and asking her age when she moved here. Turns out she's 27 but I thought she was 21ish. That's cool, but when I reply with "I'm 20" she seems surprised and said she thought I was 24 or something (part 2). I of course said I thought she looked 19, which is true, and got me some brownie points.
So we talk about our respective countries and hobbies, but it's me mainly starting the convos. I tell her "hey, so what are you up to after this? (It's 11.30pm)z she replies with "maybe hitting up a club down the street, not sure yet."
So instead she says we should drink a bit more, after which I feel pretty fucked up after a couple whiskeys on the rocks and she's still mostly fine as far as I can tell (pretty tipsy though). She still wanted to hit the club maybe, but couldn't make up her mind and it was 1am and I was messed so yeah. Implied I was heading back to my hotel but she wasn't really biting, so I told her it was nice meeting her and hope to see her again soon.
So now I jogged 3ish km to my hotel to take a leak, sitting on the bed typing this nothing of a story and I'm pretty fucked up. And she's not here (she was pretty easy on the eyes, I'll say. Liked her accent, and she seemed to enjoy my Aussie accent (atleast she said so at the start of the conversation)). I don't know how this pertains to travelling in Japan but yeah, it happened in Japan while travelling so I guess I'll post it. Man I wish I had more game. Ahhhh well. Better luck next time, am I right? She was pretty cool though, shame about that.
TLDR: Dotonbori bars are pretty cool for meeting some English speakers, but most are Europeans and sometimes have a limited amount of English skills. Get game guys. Also don't drink so much that you can't will yourself to go to a club afterwards. 😔😭
So I'm at the bar talking to some Canadians and she rocks up, we start talking and everything is going pretty good. Canadians leave a bit after she arrives. She's drinking beer with juice (weird I guess, never seen it before) and I'm drinking 2 shots of whiskey with soda. Ofcourse after 4 I'm pretty trashed and she's still alright (this is part one of me fucking up).
Part two is me talking to her about her teaching job here, and asking her age when she moved here. Turns out she's 27 but I thought she was 21ish. That's cool, but when I reply with "I'm 20" she seems surprised and said she thought I was 24 or something (part 2). I of course said I thought she looked 19, which is true, and got me some brownie points.
So we talk about our respective countries and hobbies, but it's me mainly starting the convos. I tell her "hey, so what are you up to after this? (It's 11.30pm)z she replies with "maybe hitting up a club down the street, not sure yet."
So instead she says we should drink a bit more, after which I feel pretty fucked up after a couple whiskeys on the rocks and she's still mostly fine as far as I can tell (pretty tipsy though). She still wanted to hit the club maybe, but couldn't make up her mind and it was 1am and I was messed so yeah. Implied I was heading back to my hotel but she wasn't really biting, so I told her it was nice meeting her and hope to see her again soon.
So now I jogged 3ish km to my hotel to take a leak, sitting on the bed typing this nothing of a story and I'm pretty fucked up. And she's not here (she was pretty easy on the eyes, I'll say. Liked her accent, and she seemed to enjoy my Aussie accent (atleast she said so at the start of the conversation)). I don't know how this pertains to travelling in Japan but yeah, it happened in Japan while travelling so I guess I'll post it. Man I wish I had more game. Ahhhh well. Better luck next time, am I right? She was pretty cool though, shame about that.
TLDR: Dotonbori bars are pretty cool for meeting some English speakers, but most are Europeans and sometimes have a limited amount of English skills. Get game guys. Also don't drink so much that you can't will yourself to go to a club afterwards. 😔😭
Edit; it's 1:50am took, so this sucks.
killertofu
Member
you should've went clubbing bruh
cj_iwakura
Member
Yep, that called for initiative.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
I wanted to! Haha I just woke up.
I said "yeah let's go, where is it at?" And she was like "uhhh, I don't know if I'll go, etc." To be fair I wasn't quite as flirty at the bar as I should have been.
Ah well, onto Nipponbashi den den town and tsutenkaku tower today. I might meet more people, who knows.
Edit: oh damn that post was a lot more rambly than I remember, bahaha.
ZackieChan
Member
Did you get her Line, at least?
I hung out with two local dudes in the Hub bar in Shinjuku for a while, tried to hit on a waitress, then they left. Struck up a conversation with two girls at the table next to me and the rest is history. Fortune favors the bold. Also, drink highballs if you want whiskey. They're weak enough that you won't get too drunk.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
Had a highball at dinner before heading to the bar, was pretty good.
Nah, no digits. I'm leaving Osaka early in the morning so yeah. If I was staying longer I would've grabbed them though, that's for sure. Initially we both just wanted the conversation so that we could hear English again haha.
-----------------------------------------------
Went to den den town area today, got some figures I was chasing that were miraculously on sale and some super famicom stuff (and a super famicom itself). I saw a ryuko matoi figure I wanted in a shop but it was one of those shops where you have to win the rigged games to get the figures, so I didn't bother.
Man, love live, one piece and girls und panzer are everywhere. I've had to hunt for anything persona, kill la kill and even some Jojo stuff.
The little restaurants with ticket machines for the food have actually been pretty okay so far, they surprised me.
I'm going to head back into dotonbori for a bit tonight and get back to the hotel earlier to pack for Nara tomorrow.
killertofu
Member
Man I wish I bought more Gudetama stuff 
Awesome, thanks for the specific and helpful replies. Much appreciated!
Subpar Scrub
Banned
So far I've only encountered one jerk, people are pretty nice over here. Had a couple people complain about the "gaijin" when I've drank water in areas I'm not supposed to though, doesn't help if the signage they point to after telling me is in Japanese and has no pictures 😐
killertofu
Member
Wait what? Drink water?
ZackieChan
Member
Maybe he was drinking water from a shrine or sacred spring. Don't touch that Jusenkyo water, bro.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
I was at a small covered area while walking up the mountain near Nara parklands and was drinking water from my bottle when a guy who had boxes stacked there said "I have drinks to sell from boxes, no drinking water undercover, drink in sun, sorry!" Exact words. He then laughed with the other people undercover in Japanese but I heard "gaijin" a bunch.
Like, how should I have known? The covered area was concrete, and open on both sides, didn't realise it was a private shop or something. There were a bunch of Japanese people drinking drinks undercover but I didn't know if they bought it from his boxes or whatever. The only sign outside said "rest stop".
No, never. I'm very careful about that sort of stuff and I've been only drinking bottled water haha.
ZackieChan
Member
How do you tell someone to "get bent" in Japanese?
Subpar Scrub
Banned
Lmao. He wasn't even the jerk, because I don't know if that covered area is rented or something. Some fuck in the park outside one of the shops suddenly shoved his arm into my shopping bag to grab one of the crackers I was feeding the deer. He got it and threw it into a deer's face. Nearly decked the moron. No excuse for that shit, dude was middle aged. He was obviously already an asshole because there were school kids everywhere and him and his friends were smoking up a storm outside the store the kids were standing around.
Must've been a school trip because there were hundreds of them.
Oh well.
MikeHattsu
Member
Finally had some time to upload some of my photos from my spring trip:
https://goo.gl/photos/wgbe1qzk8CQgNPS79
There's also pictures from Korea in there.
https://goo.gl/photos/wgbe1qzk8CQgNPS79
There's also pictures from Korea in there.
Lol, that random Germany pic.
Really pretty shots though. May I ask where that flea/crafts market was?
MikeHattsu
Member
2 hour layover in Germany since I flew with Lufthansa ;P
The market was in Osaka Expo '70 Commemorative Park when I were there.
Too bad I won't make it to Osaka this time around. I hope to catch the antique market at the International Forum in Tokyo again but then I understand that there are several regular markets on temple grounds scattered around the city.
MikeHattsu
Member
Ah, well, I think that market was there because it was in the middle of cherry blossom viewing season and there were lots of visitors to the park.
ZackieChan
Member
it's probably a bad idea if you don't understand what they are saying in Japanese
#よろ
So I've been convinced that going from Osaka straight to Kyoto is probably for the best. My itinerary is now
June 18 - Arrive at Tokyo
June 19 - Go to Osaka, stay there overnight
June 20 - Go to Kyoto, stay there overnight
June 21 - Go back to Tokyo
June 22 - June 30 - Tokyo
Which rail pass should I get for this itinerary?
Also, I was looking into getting the B-Mobile Data Only Visitor Sim mentioned in the OP. Assuming I get this for my iPhone 6 (looks like I need the nano one?) am I gonna need of those micro screwdriver things to open up my phone and put the chip in?
June 18 - Arrive at Tokyo
June 19 - Go to Osaka, stay there overnight
June 20 - Go to Kyoto, stay there overnight
June 21 - Go back to Tokyo
June 22 - June 30 - Tokyo
Which rail pass should I get for this itinerary?
Also, I was looking into getting the B-Mobile Data Only Visitor Sim mentioned in the OP. Assuming I get this for my iPhone 6 (looks like I need the nano one?) am I gonna need of those micro screwdriver things to open up my phone and put the chip in?
ZackieChan
Member
I get them at Bic Camera or Labi or something. They have all the tools and will know what kind of sim to put in your phone.
Don't know about airport. Probably a ripoff anyway.
MikeHattsu
Member
The cheapest option is still the discount Shinkansen tickets from Japanican:
http://www.japanican.com/en/tour/detail/VJOPENTO1
You probably have to go back to Shin-Osaka station from Kyoto station the day you leave Kyoto, but you'll save more time overall in total compared to a JR Pass anyway since you can take the faster Nozomi trains.
killertofu
Member
I just asked the mail office person for a paper clip
ZackieChan
Member
There's that, too. I need one to travel with me. Lost my original
I just booked a trip to Japan (Narita) arriving Dec. 4 and leaving on Dec. 22, for my girlfriend and I. We're the kind of travelers that like having time to breathe and walk around and relax, so we're thinking of visiting 3, maybe 4 cities. We're for sure staying in Tokyo for a bit, but after that there seems to be an overwhelming amount of places we could visit.
I'd appreciate some recommendations for 3-4 places/cities to visit with little overlap in terms of the sort of stuff we'd see, if that's a thing. We want temples, statues, culture, since it's December maybe some winter festivals? that sort of thing. We also very much like nature, so maybe cool forests or trails would also be a plus.
Is AirBNB a good alternative in Japan? We used it for our Europe trip last year and fell in love; we don't mind staying with hosts or anything, but I have no idea if Japan's legislation makes it illegal or something.
Any other suggestion is of course welcome
I'd appreciate some recommendations for 3-4 places/cities to visit with little overlap in terms of the sort of stuff we'd see, if that's a thing. We want temples, statues, culture, since it's December maybe some winter festivals? that sort of thing. We also very much like nature, so maybe cool forests or trails would also be a plus.
Is AirBNB a good alternative in Japan? We used it for our Europe trip last year and fell in love; we don't mind staying with hosts or anything, but I have no idea if Japan's legislation makes it illegal or something.
Any other suggestion is of course welcome
BronsonLee
Member
I leave for Tokyo on Friday! I have planned nothing.
What're some good rooftop gardens/bars/restaurants? I'd love to take in as many of those as I can when I'm there.
What're some good rooftop gardens/bars/restaurants? I'd love to take in as many of those as I can when I'm there.
ZackieChan
Member
That sounds like fun. Awaiting answers from the experts.
There's not as many rooftop as some other cities due to climate I think.
There's some amazing high up bars though. I would definitely recommend going to New York Bar in Park Hyatt Hotel during a clear day. It's the Lost in Translation bar.
ZackieChan
Member
Shit, I work out of the Registration office in that building.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
I just booked a trip to Japan (Narita) arriving Dec. 4 and leaving on Dec. 22, for my girlfriend and I. We're the kind of travelers that like having time to breathe and walk around and relax, so we're thinking of visiting 3, maybe 4 cities. We're for sure staying in Tokyo for a bit, but after that there seems to be an overwhelming amount of places we could visit.
I'd appreciate some recommendations for 3-4 places/cities to visit with little overlap in terms of the sort of stuff we'd see, if that's a thing. We want temples, statues, culture, since it's December maybe some winter festivals? that sort of thing. We also very much like nature, so maybe cool forests or trails would also be a plus.
Is AirBNB a good alternative in Japan? We used it for our Europe trip last year and fell in love; we don't mind staying with hosts or anything, but I have no idea if Japan's legislation makes it illegal or something.
Any other suggestion is of course welcome
Kyoto is good for temples and shrines, Osaka was much nicer than I expected. I looked at Airbnb but the prices weren't a whole lot better than hotels if you look around for deals.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
Back in Tokyo for the next 6 days, I still don't understand all the love for pachinko and pachislot stuff.
I want to buy a bunch of figures but there's a sale this weekend and last weekends sale I got two of them that I was searching for for 70% off in an Osaka branch, so I guess I'm waiting haha. Also 7/11s here sell bourbon... I'm in love.
I want to buy a bunch of figures but there's a sale this weekend and last weekends sale I got two of them that I was searching for for 70% off in an Osaka branch, so I guess I'm waiting haha. Also 7/11s here sell bourbon... I'm in love.
I just booked a trip to Japan (Narita) arriving Dec. 4 and leaving on Dec. 22, for my girlfriend and I. We're the kind of travelers that like having time to breathe and walk around and relax, so we're thinking of visiting 3, maybe 4 cities. We're for sure staying in Tokyo for a bit, but after that there seems to be an overwhelming amount of places we could visit.
I'd appreciate some recommendations for 3-4 places/cities to visit with little overlap in terms of the sort of stuff we'd see, if that's a thing. We want temples, statues, culture, since it's December maybe some winter festivals? that sort of thing. We also very much like nature, so maybe cool forests or trails would also be a plus.
Is AirBNB a good alternative in Japan? We used it for our Europe trip last year and fell in love; we don't mind staying with hosts or anything, but I have no idea if Japan's legislation makes it illegal or something.
Any other suggestion is of course welcome
You could look into the mountain ranges of the Japanese Alps. There are great hiking areas, old villages and onsens in abundance.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
Is super potato expensive or did I get pretty good deals in Osaka? Picked up an SFC and games like super metroid for nearly a quarter of what super potato has them for.
MikeHattsu
Member
Both I guess ;P
Koyasan may be something you'd enjoy. Not as crowded as Kyoto (at least when I was there). I'd recommend to stay one night at a temple.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
Haha that's good I guess. The game selection upstairs wasn't amazing, do you know what would be the closest arcade to akihabara station with some good fighting games there?
MikeHattsu
Member
Go to Taito Hey (not to be confused with the regular Taito Station)
Both. You probably got a good deal, and Super Potato is expensive.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
Thanks for the heads up, was pretty cool! I was the only one playing skull girls and persona though, everyone else was Tekken 7, blazblue, guilty gear and sf4. Man I wish SFV had arcade cabs that could be updated remotely.
In Osaka I went to a stores reopening I think (couldn't quite read the signs) so I got the SFC console for 980 yen (they had like 40 of them there, I made sure to ask if they were working haha) and super metroid for 1300, star fox for 600, chrono trigger for 400 etc. got quite a few I was after except f zero.
Thanks. Should I still get a JR Pass for traveling within Tokyo or just buy tickets as I need them?
Subpar Scrub
Banned
For travel within Tokyo a suica card has been easy to use in my experience. The jr pass costs so much money you'd never travel enough to make use of it. Most short rides on the train haven't cost me more than 260 yen.
It's a really weird but fun game. Tried it a couple of years back. Can't remember how much I spent but I collected enough balls to win a drink and a snack haha. All I did was stare at the pretty lights and tried to get the balls to fall in a particular light. That's it hahaha.
MikeHattsu
Member
Yes, get a Suica or Pasmo card at the airport. That will work all over Tokyo and also work for the train trip from Osaka to Kyoto and back to Osaka.
While in Osaka use the 1 day pass you get with the discount shinkansen tickets on the subways. If you need to take the trains then use the Suica/Pasmo card.
While in Kyoto buy a 1 day bus pass for 500 JPY and use that.
Subpar Scrub
Banned
Agreed. Buses in Kyoto were usually the quickest way to get around.
So I'm trying to come up with a schedule for my ~18-day trip in December. Here's what I've got so far:
I'd appreciate any feedback but I have some specific questions as well:
Again, my gf and I aren't interested in running around trying to catch a glimpse of everything just to run to the next destination, so I'm trying to find a balance between seeing plenty of what Japan has to offer and being able to actually take in the sights.
I'd appreciate any feedback but I have some specific questions as well:
- Is it worth it to stay all those days in Osaka, or should I turn it into a day trip like Nara?
- Is Nara worth visiting as a day-trip?
- This being December, is it likely we'll be able to see Mount Fuji if we take one of those tours from Tokyo? Or will it be unlikely that it'll be visible due to the weather?
- Am I scheduling too many days in Tokyo/Kyoto?
- Is there any special December-specific happening or festival I don't want to miss in those dates?
Again, my gf and I aren't interested in running around trying to catch a glimpse of everything just to run to the next destination, so I'm trying to find a balance between seeing plenty of what Japan has to offer and being able to actually take in the sights.