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

M

MikeHattsu

Member
Mononoaware said:
Naturally I'd be flying into Narita airport
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There's HND in Tokyo as well, so just search for all flights to any Tokyo airport. Or you could try flying into KIX in Osaka if it's cheaper and you're going to Kyoto.



KillGore said:
So guys airbnb or hotels?

Been seeing a few airbnb around and they look pretty good. Does anyone have any experience with them? Specifically in Japan. Do you ever meet the owners? They should know some English, right?
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Depends on the AirBnB. Some are basically hostels, some got owners you don't meet, and some don't speak English at all. Try mailing some questions before you book a place and see what kind of response you get. Oh, and make sure to read all the reviews.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
F

Fritz

Member
KillGore said:
So guys airbnb or hotels?

Been seeing a few airbnb around and they look pretty good. Does anyone have any experience with them? Specifically in Japan. Do you ever meet the owners? They should know some English, right?
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I did in Kyoto. It was a younger guy renting out his room in his parents house. The parents were perfectly fine but it always felt a bit like trespassing. There wasnt enough sumimasen in the world since they were going out of their way to help.

I'd make sure in the future that its not a room in a family home.
 
K

KrisB

Member
ys45 said:
So I just came back from my trip on Sunday, it was my first time going to Japan and a long time dream.

And I had such a great time, too much I guess because since I got back I'm feeling so depressed (and the jetlag is not helping I either).
So I'm asking you guys who got more traveling experience than I do, is this normal ?

I really feel intense anxiety and feels like doing nothing I have not talked about this to my girlfriend yet because she was happy to be back, she enjoyed her trip but she was happy to be back and did not want to bother her with that .
But for me I don't know, I feel empty inside I don't know if it's because the country clicked so much with me but I am not happy at all to be back .

GAF what's wrong with me ?
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It's normal, I've been wanting to go again as soon as I returned home lol.
 
C

catpurrcat

Member
Those of you who have used a bmobile SIM in your iPhone, did you just pop in the Sim card and it worked right away? Or did you have to go through that hassle of finding Wi-Fi after installing the sim card and downloading their "profile" and installing that on your iPhone first?

Most times when I travel to countries, I can just pop in the local Sim card and it works without changing any configurations, or having to download profiles, it automatically finds the APN. So i find it odd the bmobile website says to download their APN profile first.
 
P

Priz

Member
Mononoaware said:
Hey all, I got another question, this time about airfare. I haven't done much traveling, and where do you recommend for the best possible price?
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I used travelpirates.com to find my current ticket in November from here ($398rt, 17 layover in Shanghai tho...).

https://www.travelpirates.com/fligh...t-and-west-coast-to-asia-just-dollar-399_4129

Wished I could have gotten in on this one - https://www.travelpirates.com/fligh...for-dollar-194-round-trip-taxes-included_2930

Hotel I've always booked on http://travel.rakuten.com/ but for Shanghai I used booking.com - https://www.booking.com/hotel/cn/sh...ji-jing-pin-jiu-dian-chuan-huang-lu-dian.html

I booked at the same place as Jan. 2015 - Agora Place Asakusa but I just switched it recently to an AirBNB place as it seemed like a much better deal/sized place.
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
ys45 said:
So I just came back from my trip on Sunday, it was my first time going to Japan and a long time dream.

And I had such a great time, too much I guess because since I got back I'm feeling so depressed (and the jetlag is not helping I either).
So I'm asking you guys who got more traveling experience than I do, is this normal ?

I really feel intense anxiety and feels like doing nothing I have not talked about this to my girlfriend yet because she was happy to be back, she enjoyed her trip but she was happy to be back and did not want to bother her with that .
But for me I don't know, I feel empty inside I don't know if it's because the country clicked so much with me but I am not happy at all to be back .

GAF what's wrong with me ?
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First time I came back from Japan it was like that for me. While I love America there are so many things I wish we could experience on a daily basis that is the norm in Asia.

Give it a week or so and just go about your routine. When I came back I lost my appetite for shitty food thats for sure.
 
S

sfedai0

Banned
I dont know how Mike and others go to Japan so frequently and still have the same passion. Im saying this in a positive aspect. I went to Japan this past Jan and had the chance to go again in Dec, but passed on it for fear of being burnt out. Going to Taiwan instead, and going back to Japan again next year. I just want to save that urge and craving for Japanese food.
 
R

Rowena

Neo Member
I leave for Tokyo this coming Tuesday. I have pretty much everything planned out but to those that have gone, what are some must see things that you enjoyed doing? Things I must not miss. Can't wait for this trip.
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
sfedai0 said:
I dont know how Mike and others go to Japan so frequently and still have the same passion. Im saying this in a positive aspect. I went to Japan this past Jan and had the chance to go again in Dec, but passed on it for fear of being burnt out. Going to Taiwan instead, and going back to Japan again next year. I just want to save that urge and craving for Japanese food.
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Mike is secretly a character in an anime. As for me, I'm going to give it another year or two, not because I worry I'll get tired of it, but because the yen sucks right now. There's so much in Japan, I don't know if I could get tired of it.

Rowena said:
I leave for Tokyo this coming Tuesday. I have pretty much everything planned out but to those that have gone, what are some must see things that you enjoyed doing? Things I must not miss. Can't wait for this trip.
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When I go back, I want to make sure that I get to spend more time in Kamakura. The first time I went, I spent part of the day there and the rest of the day in Yokohama, next time I'd like to spend a full day and try to see more temples.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
sfedai0 said:
I dont know how Mike and others go to Japan so frequently and still have the same passion. Im saying this in a positive aspect. I went to Japan this past Jan and had the chance to go again in Dec, but passed on it for fear of being burnt out. Going to Taiwan instead, and going back to Japan again next year. I just want to save that urge and craving for Japanese food.
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Well, I go to some different places. Checking out several places in Chubu + Tottori this time.


Laevateinn said:
Mike is secretly a character in an anime.
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Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

No ;P
 
W

Won

Member
Welp, returned home yesterday from my 2 week trip and you can put me in the "I don't know what to do with my life now" camp.

Expectations were pretty high too before I took off, alone because it has been a while since my last away trip, but the country managed to blow them away. Japan is everything you think it is and then some.

Especially surprising, because I ended up planning nothing beyond the hotels and grabbing a railpass. But it is so easy to get around, the country is so dense and filled with oh so many different things that it didn't matter at all. Tokyo especially is great to just walk around semi aimlessy and stumble over things.

Definitely going to go again, much sooner first planned. Though need some with me the next time, if only to stop me to climb on every damn mountain I come across.
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
Won said:
Welp, returned home yesterday from my 2 week trip and you can put me in the "I don't know what to do with my life now" camp.

Expectations were pretty high too before I took off, alone because it has been a while since my last away trip, but the country managed to blow them away. Japan is everything you think it is and then some.

Especially surprising, because I ended up planning nothing beyond the hotels and grabbing a railpass. But it is so easy to get around, the country is so dense and filled with oh so many different things that it didn't matter at all. Tokyo especially is great to just walk around semi aimlessy and stumble over things.

Definitely going to go again, much sooner first planned. Though need some with me the next time, if only to stop me to climb on every damn mountain I come across.
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I think this is the best way to travel. Vacations shouldn't be about stress and having a schedule. You're much more likely to see things normal tourists don't see this way too.
 
T

ThreePiMatt

Member
Laevateinn said:
I think this is the best way to travel. Vacations shouldn't be about stress and having a schedule. You're much more likely to see things normal tourists don't see this way too.
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Generally my trips have been about planning a handful of things I know I want to see, and just filling in the time around it with "whatevs."
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
ThreePiMatt said:
Generally my trips have been about planning a handful of things I know I want to see, and just filling in the time around it with "whatevs."
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That's true. You should at least have an idea of what's there and how to get to it. I just cringe every time I see an itinerary that goes into details like "Tuesday AM: Go to Asakusa". Also, if there's things that require scheduling in advance (like a reservation at the Robot Restaurant or attending a concert for a band you like) that makes sense to schedule as well. When we travel, we usually have a few things that we decide we need to work into our trip but we don't stress about it and go whenever.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Time to get Ghibli Museum tickets :p


Edit: Wow. The English site is terrible.
Cr9EgQjWEAA7Wjb.jpg


I gave up and got tickets on the Japanese site which was actually able to handle the traffic.
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
Rowena said:
I leave for Tokyo this coming Tuesday. I have pretty much everything planned out but to those that have gone, what are some must see things that you enjoyed doing? Things I must not miss. Can't wait for this trip.
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Check out Tsukiji Market as this November it will be closing and its replacement will not be able to replace the character it has built up after almost a century.
 
C

cablenathan

Member
Rowena said:
I leave for Tokyo this coming Tuesday. I have pretty much everything planned out but to those that have gone, what are some must see things that you enjoyed doing? Things I must not miss. Can't wait for this trip.
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In Japan for the next few days then back home to the UK and work. What a trip, because we have a one year old (whose birthday is today, what a way to celebrate your first birthday right?!) it has been pretty limited to staying around Tokyo and Osaka. Given that we have been in the city my two pieces of advice are not about recommendations or plans of what to see or do per se, but to allow yourself to be flexible and potentially do things spontaneously I strongly suggest you get pocket wi-fi sorted and download the Navitime Japan Travel App.

Enjoy your trip! I can't wait to come back and explore and experience more.

Oh, also have a read over some of the previous posts too, there has been some invaluable hints and tips throughout. Thank you 'Gaf!
 
R

Rowena

Neo Member
Thanks to all who replied so far. I already have Tsukiji on the itinerary, we will be staying in a little capsule hotel called "First Cabin Tsukiji" with doing so in hopes of getting to view the auction.

As for Kamakura, this has now been put on the list of "must do". Was going to go to both days of TGS but will only go Satuday and go to Kamakura on Sunday. Looks like a fun time.
 
D

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
I'll be travelling to Tokyo this coming friday, and I'm really excited!

Can't wait to explore the city, though I am not looking forward to the 15 hour flight.

Quick question, someone brought to my attention that certain over the counter medication here in Canada is strictly illegal to bring in. We wanted to bring in some allergy meds, but that seems to be one of the things that are a bit sketchy to bring. I guess it's safer to just buy allergy meds in Japan?
 
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Mononoaware

Banned
This thread has been super useful in how to gather information, so I am extremely grateful to you folks here for it.

That japan-guide website to use as a place to look for locations to consider visiting was super helpful, because there are types of places I wanted to see, but it helped me put a name to some. I still need to plan more specifically where I would go, and how many days in each city, but I've been able to make a tentative list.

Now that I got a tentative list of interest, I sorted them by region in the city...I figure if I was going to one part in Northern Tokyo, then I should get the Northern Tokyo locations I want to visit probably within the same day. I am just very uncertain how long certain activities might take. Like if I go to Akihabara one day, will I even have time to go to other locations? How many places in Akihabara will catch my eye, and how long might I end up spending there, I have no clue. Or like when I'm in Kyoto, even with a list of temples I'm interested in seeing, not sure how long visiting one might take, I have no clue, especially when this is one of the first trips I'm taking by myself.

Of the locations I have put on my list so far, Tokyo isn't quite as long surprisingly, I think because I knew not to try to add everything on my list, since I know I wouldn't get to them all. However once I got to Kyoto, my list was really starting to get long for each part of the city. I had no specific places I knew I wanted to see in Kyoto prior to looking, and everything just looked so great, that I didn't know where to stop adding. Just so many temples and areas that sound worth visiting.

Perhaps anyone whose been there can help me make some cuts, or based on previous experience, help me knowing how I might be able to fit the locations in? Just would appreciate any advice. I'll quote the list I've made so far...

Places to see:

- Tokyo:
-Central:
Akihabara
Tokyo Dome City

Northern:
Tokyo Skytree
Tokyo Solamachi
Sumida Aquarium
Ryogoku (sumo center)

Western:
Shibuya
Yoyogi Park
Nakano Broadway (mall)
Meiji Shrine
Shinjuku (very busy sounding)
Kagurazaka (trendy district)

Southern:
Tokyo Tower
Zojoji Temple
Sengakuji Temple

Outer Tokyo:
Disneyland
Ghibli Museum

Kyoto:
Central Kyoto:
Nijo Castle
Nishiki Market
Sento Palace
Kyoto Railway Museum
Kyoto Manga Museum
Kyoto Aquarium
Kyoto Tower

Eastern Kyoto:
Kiyomizudera Temple
Higashiyama district (historic)
Nanzenji Temple
Gion (geisha district)

Southern Kyoto:
Temples and sake breweries


Northern Kyoto:
Kinkakuji (temple covered in gold)

Outside Kyoto:
Nara (where deer park is located)
Kinosaki (old fashion hot spring resort)
Himeji (beautiful feudal castle)
Osaka (largest city in region, and location of kansai gaidai)
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I put in that part at the end there about Kansai Gaidai, because I may be studying abroad there in the future, and was sorta interested in seeing it before hand.

Edit: To give an idea of how long I am thinking about staying there...the hostels seem mostly booked up for New Years, so sadly I'd have to make my trip shorter than I wanted. The dates I was thinking about were Leaving January 2, 2017 (arriving January 3), and returning on January 13, 2017. With about 4-5 days in Tokyo and Kyoto each, give or take depending on what I plan on seeing in each location.
 
W

Wolf Dawgz

Member
Well it looks like I'll be able to go to Japan after all these years. My parents said they will cover my flight costs there as my graduation present. I'm kind of nervous since I've never traveled internationally.

My gf wants to go too, since her mom, and siblings live in Saitama. Our plan was to go for two weeks. She assumed this would mean that we would get to stay at their place to make accommodation cheaper, but apparently I'm not allowed because of her stepdad.

Should I still go for 2 weeks on a budget of 120,000 yen(myself , flight free)? Or should I just cut it down for a week? If I was to stay for 2 weeks, what's a more realistic amount of yen to have?
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
Wolf Dawgz said:
Well it looks like I'll be able to go to Japan after all these years. My parents said they will cover my flight costs there as my graduation present. I'm kind of nervous since I've never traveled internationally.

My gf wants to go too, since her mom, and siblings live in Saitama. Our plan was to go for two weeks. She assumed this would mean that we would get to stay at their place to make accommodation cheaper, but apparently I'm not allowed because of her stepdad.

Should I still go for 2 weeks on a budget of 120,000 yen(myself , flight free)? Or should I just cut it down for a week? If I was to stay for 2 weeks, what's a more realistic amount of yen to have?
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Both times we went, we went for two weeks. The first time, the two of us spent somewhere between 3 and $4000 total. The second time, we spent about 3000 each. It's definitely possible to do two weeks frugally but you might be tempted to go over budget. Both times, we stayed at Kimi Ryokan, which is about 70-80 a night for two people. A small room for one is only about 45. That would eat up most of your budget. I'm sure there's places that are cheaper, especially outside of Tokyo near Saitama. AirBNB is also probably a good option.

Do you have a credit card? If not, now might be a good time to get one. I got a new one recently through my bank and got a year of no interest.

When were you planning on going? Soon? If you can put it off a few months, you could save up a bit more.
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
Mononoaware said:
This thread has been super useful in how to gather information, so I am extremely grateful to you folks here for it.

That japan-guide website to use as a place to look for locations to consider visiting was super helpful, because there are types of places I wanted to see, but it helped me put a name to some. I still need to plan more specifically where I would go, and how many days in each city, but I've been able to make a tentative list.

Now that I got a tentative list of interest, I sorted them by region in the city...I figure if I was going to one part in Northern Tokyo, then I should get the Northern Tokyo locations I want to visit probably within the same day. I am just very uncertain how long certain activities might take. Like if I go to Akihabara one day, will I even have time to go to other locations? How many places in Akihabara will catch my eye, and how long might I end up spending there, I have no clue. Or like when I'm in Kyoto, even with a list of temples I'm interested in seeing, not sure how long visiting one might take, I have no clue, especially when this is one of the first trips I'm taking by myself.

Of the locations I have put on my list so far, Tokyo isn't quite as long surprisingly, I think because I knew not to try to add everything on my list, since I know I wouldn't get to them all. However once I got to Kyoto, my list was really starting to get long for each part of the city. I had no specific places I knew I wanted to see in Kyoto prior to looking, and everything just looked so great, that I didn't know where to stop adding. Just so many temples and areas that sound worth visiting.

Perhaps anyone whose been there can help me make some cuts, or based on previous experience, help me knowing how I might be able to fit the locations in? Just would appreciate any advice. I'll quote the list I've made so far...



I put in that part at the end there about Kansai Gaidai, because I may be studying abroad there in the future, and was sorta interested in seeing it before hand.

Edit: To give an idea of how long I am thinking about staying there...the hostels seem mostly booked up for New Years, so sadly I'd have to make my trip shorter than I wanted. The dates I was thinking about were Leaving January 2, 2017 (arriving January 3), and returning on January 13, 2017. With about 4-5 days in Tokyo and Kyoto each, give or take depending on what I plan on seeing in each location.
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It depends. Akihabara and Nakano can easily take a day each if you really want to look in every store and browse for stuff. If you just want to take in the surroundings, you can do Akiba in a couple of hours and can skip Nakano. Oh, and Nakano is a bit off the western central part of Tokyo, although it's easily accessible from Shinjuku.

Temples... well, there are a few really special ones and I'd love to go spend a day at a really serene mountain temple some time. But mostly, you'll go in, walk around and get out in twenty minutes. Maybe buy a prayer scroll or something. They get old (hah) pretty quickly. The ones right in the middle of the city tend to be much the same - it's the environment that can make them interesting.

Shibuya, Yoyogi and Harajuku can be done in a day. We spent nearly a day in Shinjuku, first in the park and then browsing the shopping streets until the cafés and bars opened.

Odaiba is worth a day too. So much to see just walking around - coming from Sweden it was walking into the future. Tokyo doesn't have the 120 year old buildings that I'm used to, mostly generic 50ish year old skyscrapers with the odd architectural experiment. But Odaiba really feels state-of-the-art.
 
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sheamus

Member
I would recommend Tokyo to any one last time I was in Tokyo I broke out with my girlfriend in a parking up was out drinking till 8 am and taking home like this Korean girl
 
Z

Zeouterlimits

Member
Hey folks, as a follow up to my travel plans mentioned 2 pages ago, I've booked my first night, post tiredness off the plane in Osaka and my second in Miyajima, out past Hiroshima.

My thinking for the the trip is -

1 night in Osaka (post plane ride tiredness night) booked,
1 night in Miyajima booked,
1 night in Hiroshima booked,
1 night in Hattoji booked,
1 night in Himeji Castle & Kobe booked,
4 nights in Kyoto (with potential day trip to Nara),
1 night in Kinosaki,
1 night in Koya-san,
4 nights in Osaka

Thoughts?
Any tips on changing it up before I book more accommodation at the different places?
 
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woodland

Member
Zeouterlimits said:
Hey folks, as a follow up to my travel plans mentioned 2 pages ago, I've booked my first night, post tiredness off the plane in Osaka and my second in Miyajima, out past Hiroshima.

My thinking for the the trip is -

1 night in Osaka (post plane ride tiredness night) booked,
1 night in Miyajima booked,
1 night in Hiroshima,
1 night in Naoshima,
4 nights in Kyoto (with potential day trip to Nara),
1 night in Kinosaki,
1 night in Koya-san,
1 night in Kumano Kodo,
4 nights in Osaka

Thoughts?
Any tips on changing it up before I book more accommodation at the different places?
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Sounds pretty good. I studied abroad in Osaka and loved it and while I didn't spend AS much time in Kyoto, it's a great little city with a bunch of cool little holes-in-the-wall that you can find. Hiroshima is beautiful along the river.

One thing I suggest is if you're into hot springs, depending on the water, I'd try to go to Mt. Kurama which is like an hour from Osaka by train. It's a gorgeous little town with an awesome hot spring up in the mountains. It's nicer in the winter with snow, but if it's cool in fall it should be pretty nice too.
 
Z

Zeouterlimits

Member
woodland said:
Sounds pretty good. I studied abroad in Osaka and loved it and while I didn't spend AS much time in Kyoto, it's a great little city with a bunch of cool little holes-in-the-wall that you can find. Hiroshima is beautiful along the river.

One thing I suggest is if you're into hot springs, depending on the water, I'd try to go to Mt. Kurama which is like an hour from Osaka by train. It's a gorgeous little town with an awesome hot spring up in the mountains. It's nicer in the winter with snow, but if it's cool in fall it should be pretty nice too.
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Huh, cool, thank you for the suggestion.
Apparently there's a fire festival in Kurama every year on the 22nd of October...

Edit:
Doing some reading about the Kumano Pilgrimage, doing it by myself sounds like a bad idea - http://kumanokodo.com.au/
 
R

Rowena

Neo Member
My trip is coming really soon. One day left. I'm sure it's. I'm sure it's been asked but I don't have much time to search. Question is I'm bringing cash as my main source of money and using card as a back up. Where would I get the best Exchange Rates? Basically where would I get the most money. I plan on exchanging $2600. Thank you

If I were to exchange $2,600 the going rate before fees is 266,984JPY. Using the conversion chart on the first post using Narita Airport Exchange i would get 258,128JPY. I'd be losing 8,816JPY. Anyone know any thing better? Would love not to lose $90.00USD right off the plane.
 
K

KillGore

Member
So last year JR pass was $373 for 14 days, now it is $441. That's a pretty heavy mark up. Any reason for that? Is the Yen that much stronger? Maybe they added a new JR line? New offers? Was JR Hokkaido always included in that offer?

Edit: Is the JR Pass even worth it anymore? I know it's good if I use the shinkansen a lot but I'm thinking of just buying a 7 day pass and use the shinkansen during those 7 days, then just pay for the tickets individually? Last time it wasn't that expensive for the regular JR lines.

Rowena said:
My trip is coming really soon. One day left. I'm sure it's. I'm sure it's been asked but I don't have much time to search. Question is I'm bringing cash as my main source of money and using card as a back up. Where would I get the best Exchange Rates? Basically where would I get the most money. I plan on exchanging $2700. Thank you
Click to expand...

In my case. I made the mistake of exchanging my american currency in LAX. That was a terrible idea. When I got to Haneda, the exchange rates were much much better than LAX.
 
C

Colin.

Member
I just found out about this threads existence after it was linked elsewhere, subbed! Really hope to go over within the next year (especially after vicariously living through some of the pics in the OP). I'll be sure to make use of this thread nearer the time when I plan on booking up. While I'm here, how rough is the language barrier if you don't know Japanese? Also, how did you solo travellers get on over there? It would be my first solo venture, so slightly nervous about the prospect (and anxiety is a bitch)
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Mononoaware said:
This thread has been super useful in how to gather information, so I am extremely grateful to you folks here for it.
Click to expand...

Maybe go to Osaka Aquarium instead of the Kyoto one?



Zeouterlimits said:
My thinking for the the trip is -
Click to expand...

Looks like a good plan.


KillGore said:
So last year JR pass was $373 for 14 days, now it is $441. That's a pretty heavy mark up. Any reason for that? Is the Yen that much stronger? Maybe they added a new JR line? New offers? Was JR Hokkaido always included in that offer?

Edit: Is the JR Pass even worth it anymore? I know it's good if I use the shinkansen a lot but I'm thinking of just buying a 7 day pass and use the shinkansen during those 7 days, then just pay for the tickets individually? Last time it wasn't that expensive for the regular JR lines.
Click to expand...

The price have been unchanged from April 1st 2014 in JPY.

The JR Pass has always only been worth it if you're travelling far. If you're only staying in one area it's a waste of money.
 
K

KillGore

Member
Colin. said:
I just found out about this threads existence after it was linked elsewhere, subbed! Really hope to go over within the next year (especially after vicariously living through some of the pics in the OP). I'll be sure to make use of this thread nearer the time when I plan on booking up. While I'm here, how rough is the language barrier if you don't know Japanese? Also, how did you solo travellers get on over there? It would be my first solo venture, so slightly nervous about the prospect (and anxiety is a bitch)
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The barrier isn't as hard as you think. You will almost always find someone who speaks basic English. If not, you can always point to whatever you want lol really, I was very afraid of this and it was pretty easy.

MikeHattsu said:
The price have been unchanged from April 1st 2014 in JPY.

The JR Pass has always only been worth it if you're travelling far. If you're only staying in one area it's a waste of money.
Click to expand...

Thanks
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Colin. said:
While I'm here, how rough is the language barrier if you don't know Japanese? Also, how did you solo travellers get on over there? It would be my first solo venture, so slightly nervous about the prospect (and anxiety is a bitch)
Click to expand...

All train stations (in the larger cities) got English signs and such, so you'll get around easily.

And I've travelled around Japan solo without knowing Japanese, and it has been perfectly fine.
 
W

woodland

Member
Colin. said:
I just found out about this threads existence after it was linked elsewhere, subbed! Really hope to go over within the next year (especially after vicariously living through some of the pics in the OP). I'll be sure to make use of this thread nearer the time when I plan on booking up. While I'm here, how rough is the language barrier if you don't know Japanese? Also, how did you solo travellers get on over there? It would be my first solo venture, so slightly nervous about the prospect (and anxiety is a bitch)
Click to expand...

Like everyone else said, the barrier's like nonexistent. Only time I ever had trouble was in Ishigaki, one of the southern-most islands in Okinawa/Yaeyama islands.
 
C

Colin.

Member
Thanks for the reassurance everyone! One less thing to be concerned about now. I'll probably be aiming for Spring/Autumn when it's a bit cooler. It's been on top of my go-to list for years now.
 
B

BioFan

Member
Will be in Japan in Thursday for TGS! Not my first but bringing my wife this time around.
I usually only go to Akihabara when alone lol.
Any recommendation on where I should take my wife?
Im a bit lost when it comes to shopping and food. Sadly she can't eat raw cos she is expecting too.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
BioFan said:
Will be in Japan in Thursday for TGS! Not my first but bringing my wife this time around.
I usually only go to Akihabara when alone lol.
Any recommendation on where I should take my wife?
Im a bit lost when it comes to shopping and food. Sadly she can't eat raw cos she is expecting too.
Click to expand...

Ginza and Shibuya if you want to go shopping I guess.
 
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