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Japan Travel |OT| One does simply not visit just once

G

Galava

Member
Going with 2 friends on june 18th to Tokyo, 27th to Kyoto & Osaka until july 9th. We got an amazing deal on a Ryokan for two nights at Kyoto for 50€/night. The rest of the stay we picked shared rooms on Hostel World. We got the JR Pass and the internet-thingy that gives private wifi to the three of us so we don't need roaming (100€ for 21 days).

We know what we want to see and do, but any suggestions on when and where to go when going out at night for some party?
 
F

Fritz

Member
Patrick Bateman said:
We saw one in Nara, went in and had a short look around. I mean owls are cool. But they sit around and I don't find it quite good to keep them that way with dozens of people coming in each day..
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True dat. I mean frankly from what I have seen Japan's attitude towards animal cruelty is "different". What about those pet shops with micro puppies displayed in micro fish tanks?
 
R

Raw64life

Member
MikeHattsu said:
It only gives you data, no calls:
http://wifi.tocoo.jp/en/
Click to expand...

Thanks. I just ordered one of these. Or so I hope, never got a confirmation e-mail.

Another thing I just thought of. Since I'm now doing...

Raw64life said:
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
Click to expand...

...do I need to go back to Osaka before returning to Tokyo having bought this already?
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
BronsonLee said:
Eh it was cool, I just wanted to check it off the bucket list
Click to expand...

Owl cafes are better.

Fritz said:
I REALLY want to visit an owl cafe when I am down in Tokyo.
Click to expand...

Patrick Bateman said:
We saw one in Nara, went in and had a short look around. I mean owls are cool. But they sit around and I don't find it quite good to keep them that way with dozens of people coming in each day..
Click to expand...

3yTYPd6.jpg
Click to expand...
 
R

Red Blaster

Member
horrendous fucking weather in tokyo today, back in my hotel after the nth time of my umbrella getting turned inside out

visited akihabara, gotta say i was pretty underwhelemed--i bet that place was the shit like 15 years ago but it feels overly tacky and just plain old these days
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
Red Blaster said:
horrendous fucking weather in tokyo today, back in my hotel after the nth time of my umbrella getting turned inside out

visited akihabara, gotta say i was pretty underwhelemed--i bet that place was the shit like 15 years ago but it feels overly tacky and just plain old these days
Click to expand...

Tacky? Yes. Old? I guess... It seems that most of the appeal is finding old stuff, it's all like a huge Ebay shop.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
MikeHattsu said:
So, who here is gonna be in Tokyo on September 17th or 18th (aka TGS public days) again?
Click to expand...

Two friends and I are definitely attending to showcase a game we've been working on. We're arriving on Monday 12th, I come back to Argentina on the 24th, and my friends intend to hand around for the full 90 days' worth of visa visiting as many places as they can and trying to keep costs low as well.

We're thinking about booking our lodging through AirBnB (at least for the two weeks I'll be staying there), and I intend to at least go around Tokyo as much as I can.

This time around, my plan's to arrive with little to no luggage besides some gifts for friends living in Japan (lots of yerba mate and dulce de leche, of course), and then proceed buy lots of stuff throughout my two-week stay. A classmate from my weekly Japanese class told me she found lots of nice and really cheap second-hand clothes, and I wanted to buy an extra pair of shoes or two like the ones I got two years ago after the ones I had brought with me just ceased to exist.

You guys just reminded me that I'll absolutely have to go to the owl cafe this time around, and it's cool that we might even be able to get tickets to the Ghibli Museum as well.
 
M

Marion Cobretti

Member
Hey guys, here's my current itinerary. Was just wondering if you guys think I should buy individual train tickets for each trip, or if I'm better off buying a 2 week pass.

Keep in mind, my girlfriend is coming with, she'll be with me for the first 2 weeks of the trip, I'm staying for a month.

6/23 - Thurs - depart LAX - Tokyo

6/24 - Fri - Arrive Tokyo

6/25 - Sat - Tokyo

6/26 - Sun - Yokohama / Tokyo

6/27 - Mon - Depart Tokyo - Fukushima by Shinkansen

6/28 - Tues - Fukushima

6/29 - Weds - Fukushima

6/30 - Thurs - Fukushima

7/1 - Fri - Castles? Onsen, Bandai azuma skyline drive and crater lake hike

7/2 - Sat - Trip to Nikko? Tokyo?

7/3 - Sun

7/4 - Mon - Return Fukushima

7/5 - Tues - Fukushima

7/6 - Weds - Fukushima

7/7- Thurs Depart Fukushima - Kyoto
Depart by Shinkansen

Options for next 4 nights
Kyoto 1-2 nights
Koyasan 1-2 nights?

7/8 Fri -

7/9 sat -

7/10 sun-

7/11 Mon -Last Day in Kyoto/Tokyo?

7/12 Tues - Girlfriend depart Tokyo
Options: depart Kyoto straight to Narita Airport? Or stay overnight in Tokyo?

7/13 - I'm still in tokyo

7/14 - return to Fukushima?

7/21 - Depart Tokyo - SFO - LAX
Click to expand...

So yeah, just wanted to know what type of train pass you guys think I should get. Will it be cheaper to pay for each individual ride, or am I better off getting a 2 or 4 week pass?

Also, considering the dates that I'm gonna be there, should I get some rain shoes?
 
P

Patrick Bateman

Member
I don't quite understand your trip. Especially all these days in Fukushima.

Tokyo to Fukushima are 3.5 hours by train.


depart Kyoto straight to Narita Airport? Or stay overnight in Tokyo?
Click to expand...

And I'd like to mention that Kyoto to Narita are almost 7 hours by train. If I were you, I'd stay overnight in one of those motels in Narita, right next to the airport and on the next day you go straight to your gate. Easiest and least stressfull option. I'd never do it any else.

You might also look at the Japan Rail Pass. It's only for non-Japanese people and quite an interesting option when you do lots of long distance travels by train in Japan: http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/index.html
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Marion Cobretti said:
So yeah, just wanted to know what type of train pass you guys think I should get. Will it be cheaper to pay for each individual ride, or am I better off getting a 2 or 4 week pass?
Click to expand...

Well, first of all there's no 4 week pass, so that's out of the question. And you should try grouping your stays instead of going back and forth between Fukushima and Tokyo.

You know you won't get anywhere near the actual nuclear plant, right? Everything near it is a no-go zone.

Oh, and some of the areas near Mount Azuma is closed off because of volcanic activity, including the main crater, so you might not be able to see everything you've planned there:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7754.html

And you'll need an international drivers license and a rental car unless you know someone who can drive you there or you go in the weekend.


Patrick Bateman said:
Tokyo to Fukushima are 3.5 hours by train.

And I'd like to mention that Kyoto to Narita are almost 7 hours by train.
Click to expand...

Tokyo to Fukushima itself is just a bit over 1.5 hours by Shinkansen. Of course, since he's going to Aizu it's just under 3 hours total.

And Kyoto Station to Narita is a little over 4 hours, not 7 (with a JR Pass, even faster without).
 
M

Marion Cobretti

Member
MikeHattsu said:
Well, first of all there's no 4 week pass, so that's out of the question. And you should try grouping your stays instead of going back and forth between Fukushima and Tokyo.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I have to be in Fukushima those dates, it is the main priority for the trip. Everything else is icing on the cake.

Do you recommend getting the 2 week pass? Or is it likely that individual tickets will be noticeably less expensive?

MikeHattsu said:
You know you won't get anywhere near the actual nuclear plant, right? Everything near it is a no-go zone.
Click to expand...
I wasn't planning to visit the nuclear plant. On that note though, what about any ghost towns in the surrounding areas?

MikeHattsu said:
And you'll need an international drivers license and a rental car unless you know someone who can drive you there or you go in the weekend.
Click to expand...
I will likely have a ride.

Any advice or suggestions are very greatly appreciated.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Marion Cobretti said:
Unfortunately, I have to be in Fukushima those dates, it is the main priority for the trip. Everything else is icing on the cake.

Do you recommend getting the 2 week pass? Or is it likely that individual tickets will be noticeably less expensive?
Click to expand...

Well, are you staying in Aizu the whole time or are you gonna take trains all over Fukushima? You said your girlfriend is joining you for 2 weeks, but it looks like 3 weeks based on the schedule unless she arrives later on?
 
M

Marion Cobretti

Member
We're staying in the same location in Fukushima the whole time.

We arrive the same day, she just leaves before me by about 10 days. So I guess shes there for almost 3 weeks.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
Marion Cobretti said:
The Japan Rail Pass for 21 days is roughly $550.

Is that better value than buying each ticket individually? It sure seems like it.
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No way. If you're not leaving town, it's not worth it, especially if you want to take non-JR trains.

You can plug in some trips to travel sites to verify, but i really doubt it would be worth it. The pass is meant for people travelling all over, particularly via shinkansen.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
Marion Cobretti said:
The Japan Rail Pass for 21 days is roughly $550.

Is that better value than buying each ticket individually? It sure seems like it.
Click to expand...

When I told my Japanese friend that I intended to use my 7-day JR Pass to go to Kyoto and Osaka, she told me to at least go visit Hiroshima as well in order to actually make the pass worth it.

Basically, only get a pass if you'll be making many shinkansen trips in that time span. If you know you'll be hanging around a particular place for a while, I'd rather recommend that you get a shorter pass, activate it the day you ride your first shinkansen and plan your trips around using it for at least two or three more shinkansen trips during the pass' duration. Anything less than that and you'd probably be wasting money in the long run.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
I haven't been to Fukushima, but also keep in mind that trains are less common the further out you get from the major metros.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Marion Cobretti said:
The Japan Rail Pass for 21 days is roughly $550.

Is that better value than buying each ticket individually? It sure seems like it.
Click to expand...

If you're staying near Aizu when in Fukushima and you're dead set on your itinerary then yes.

You should have your JR Pass from 6/24 to 7/14 when you return for the last time to Fukushima. If you return later to Fukushima on 7/15 or 7/16 then you should have your JR Pass from either 6/25-7/15 or 6/26-7/16.

Your girlfriend should have a JR Pass for her whole trip from 6/24 to 7/12.


Zoe said:
No way. If you're not leaving town, it's not worth it, especially if you want to take non-JR trains.

You can plug in some trips to travel sites to verify, but i really doubt it would be worth it. The pass is meant for people travelling all over, particularly via shinkansen.
Click to expand...

He's traveling back and forth between Tokyo and Fukushima by Shinkansen 5 times within the JR Pass validity period + a Shinkansen trip to Kyoto :p
 
S

sfedai0

Banned
Ken said:
Looking up some stuff, the Shinkansen stops at Tokyo Station so if I'm living near Shinjuku Station, I'd take a train from Shinjuku Station to Tokyo Station and then transfer to Shinkansen? Is that right?
Click to expand...

Well, for maximum efficiency you should probably go to Shinagawa station to save the most time.
 
R

Red Blaster

Member
just got back from 8 days in japan last night

fukuoka was really nice and relaxing, canal city and nakasu were a little tacky for my tastes but the surrounding areas were wonderful, very walkable too. baller ass ramen as well.

less impressed with tokyo which can largely be attributed to my lack of planning. i stayed at the courtyard marriott near tokyo station so not the best location. as i mentioned earlier, akihabara was underwhelming. wanted to get a copy of yakuza ishin but was hoping it wouldnt be as expensive as it was (3600 yen), when to a mandarake and book off so maybe not the right places to look for deals. arcades were really run down too, was hoping to play some tekken 7 but didnt see a machine until i went to an arcade in kabukicho. shibuya was interesting but major sensory overload that began to wear on me after a while, tower records and uobei sushi were great tho. recommend uobei if you're on a budget, had a pretty hefty meal for only 660 yen or so. shinjuku was a little meh, kabukicho in the flesh was interesting just to comp it to how it is in the yakuza games--theater square is way smaller in reality though all the hawkers trying to get you into their clubs is true to form. aoyoma was probably my favorite area, there's an awesome sake shop in omoetasando hills called hasegawa sakenten--highly recommended if you're interested in bringing some home. i tended to err towards western tokyo, sadly didnt have time to see ueno.

MikeHattsu said:
Huh... Guess somebody in Japan noticed us:
http://sow.blog.jp/archives/1056898371.html

:p


Edit: 2 more:
http://sow.blog.jp/archives/1031092394.html
http://sow.blog.jp/archives/1049872400.html
Click to expand...

are they talking shit about me
 
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