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

V

Valkerionseven

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...

Theres way more than raw food in Japan. How some people assume we only eat sushi here is beyond me haha.

But also traveling to Tokyo for Ultra music festival and TGS this Friday from Kagoshima. First time exploring the Tokyo area after living here for about 11 months now. -excited- no idea what to do aside from see the Gundam, AKB shop, and go to the clubs. Got 3ish days to burn if anyone has some recommended places.

Landing in Tokyo Friday afternoon, going to go for food, drinks, and what not with friends.
Saturday is a free day, probably going to check out TGS, spend money shopping there.
Sunday is Ultra, going to be there all day
Monday is a holiday for the country so using that morning for last minute shopping and food. Then returning to Kagoshima that afternoon.
 
B

BioFan

Member
Valkerionseven said:
Theres way more than raw food in Japan. How some people assume we only eat sushi here is beyond me haha.

But also traveling to Tokyo for Ultra music festival and TGS this Friday from Kagoshima. First time exploring the Tokyo area after living here for about 11 months now. -excited- no idea what to do aside from see the Gundam, AKB shop, and go to the clubs. Got 3ish days to burn if anyone has some recommended places.

Landing in Tokyo Friday afternoon, going to go for food, drinks, and what not with friends.
Saturday is a free day, probably going to check out TGS, spend money shopping there.
Sunday is Ultra, going to be there all day
Monday is a holiday for the country so using that morning for last minute shopping and food. Then returning to Kagoshima that afternoon.
Click to expand...

We love sashimi and was looking forward to eating it but its one thing that we cant eat atm but I know there are tons of non raw dishes. Just wondering if there are any we need to check out.

Didnt know Monday is a holiday. We'll be in Osaka on Monday. We'll see if there are any festivals we can check out during our stay.
 
D

Darksol

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...

Most people are aware of Japan as the land of raw food, but it is also the land of fried food. Pig out!
 
M

Marion Cobretti

Member
Alright, someone here must know who this model is.

I saw her all over Japan. Anyone got a name for me?

bun183.jpg
 
V

Valkerionseven

Member
BioFan said:
Didnt know Monday is a holiday. We'll be in Osaka on Monday. We'll see if there are any festivals we can check out during our stay.
Click to expand...

Not a festival holiday, its like Granparents day or some such. There might be something to see locally for Osaka shrines and such, but I would doubt it to be honest. The big festival season is mostly over here sadly. If you want to see the yukata's, fireworks, and festival foods and events you have to come in mid summer. Though most people complain about the heat, it really is a great festival season.

Though! Now is a good time to get deals on yukata's since the season is over and the shops are usually selling their summer stock at a discount/to make room for the fall and winter sets.

And I'll see if my friends wants to join the meetup for a bit. Since I am not going alone I din't want to promise I could make it, especially since they have friends they want to meet there too in Tokyo.
 
R

Rowena

Neo Member
Leave early in the morning! Can't wait. I'm hoping the storms in the area won't delay or alter flight plans. I'm afraid of that.
 
Z

Zeouterlimits

Member
Since the Kumano Pilgrimage is a multi-day hike, doing it by myself sounds like a bad idea..
Wonder what I should do instead. I'm sure I'll find something.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
My trip to Japan can't possibly be this amazing #2
Started the day walking to a nearby hyakuen to get us some umbrellas, my two friends lost it at the amount of nifty stuff we could get for 108 yen each, and we ended up with lots of nice QOL stuff such as tupperware, a couple assorted ziploc bags and tablecloths (since the one at our house's shared area doesn't look all that good and sanitary). Then we rode the Yamanote from Sugamo to Ueno, walked around the park, and finally got our data SIMs from a Yodobashi Camera.

Then we visited some more shops on our way to Akiba, picked up a monitor from Tsukumo that we needed for showcasing our game at TGS, I got myself a portable BluRay player and we all had some gyudon for lunch at a nearby Sukiya.

I was happy that I got to find a Hachikuji nendo at Mandarake for ¥6,000, and also picked up a Ness amiibo on the cheap at a Book-Off. I stared at the ReLife manga that was on display for a while until I found myself unable to tell which volume I was supposed to get, so in the end I didn't get any.

Time to go back to 108 yen food for a couple days to offset the costs, I guess!
 
J

JulianImp

Member
MikeHattsu said:
You became a light novel? That can't be good :p
Click to expand...

I stood in front of the ReLife manga for an eternity while I was cursing at the lack of clarity on its wikipedia page and polietly waiting for a clerk to stop sorting stuff before I asked him about it, and of course he didn't know and it all only resulted in a bad, awkward anime gag.

It's also kind of shocking how people tend to downright avoid groups of foreigners, while they weren't acting that warily around me when I was travelling alone. The fact that I have to speak Spanish with them probably makes thing harder though, since I could just avoid speaking in anything but Japanese when I was alone, making it less likely that they'd get the impression that I was just another non-Japanese speaking tourist right off the bat.

Now I'm wondering whether I should go watch Kizu part 2 tomorrow with the ¥400 discount even though I haven't watched the first yet (since I've read the light novel anyway), or if I should just wait a bit longer until I can order the BD and watch it, running the risk that the movie might get pulled out of theatres before then since it looks like it's on its last legs right now, with just a single screening per day per venue.
 
P

Priz

Member
Divvy said:
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?
Click to expand...

I was crazy sick my last trip to Japan and at a 2 day concert at Budokan my head was stuffed up and it was hard to enjoy the first day. I realized I left my Claritin at home and so I did my usual trick in JP - bring up English Wikipedia entry for Claritin, go to generic name of drug, view in another language -> Japanese and then took it to a pharmacy (in this case Matsumo KiYoshi on the main strip across from Akihabara station) and showed it to someone wearing a lab coat. She said that is prescription only and recommended Contac Z instead. That cleared me up and taking it I felt great the rest of the trip. Came back to the US and a doctor friend of mine who goes to JP regularly read the Japanese name and told me it was Zyrtec. (I've since been buying the Costco generic version since it's insanely cheap, same with Claritin but it doesn't work as well on me as Contac Z did). Just an FYI.
 
M

Mononoaware

Banned
I feel like all I do is ask questions, but I have just one more before I start booking stuff because I'm just about ready....

I did look at the OP, and I realize there are probably more cost effective ways to get around Japan then others when it comes to the public transportation. I ready somewhere that a rail pass might not be the best idea, especially if I'm only gonna be in Tokyo for a few days, and it only works in Tokyo...while there is some type of pass that might be good for the Kansai region.

If someone could give me the best and most cost effective approach for my trip plan, I'd appreciate it.

I'll probably land in Tokyo on the 3rd of January...stay over night, then go to Kyoto on the 4th. Planning on staying in that region until the 8th, where I'll go back to Tokyo, and stay there until I leave on the 13th.

I'll probably travel to a specific region each day, as to limit my traveling around each day as little as possible.
 
M

Mononoaware

Banned
I still haven't really played out my specific day to day activities just yet. I just know the dates, and I have ideas of where I would like to go.

I can say that in Tokyo, I will probably stay here which is where a friend has stayed:

http://kimiryokan.jp/

In Kyoto, I will probably stay at K's house.

While I'm Kyoto, at least on one day, I would like to go to central Kyoto, and the places I'm hoping to see are: Kyoto Railway Museum, Kyoto Manga Museum, Kyoto Aquarium, and Kyoto Tower.

On one day, if the weather is nice enough, I would like to take a trip to Nara. Seeing Nara park is one of the places I would like to see a lot.

There are several temples I'd like to see in Eastern Kyoto on one day.

When I go back to Tokyo, I imagine I might be going to Akihabara for most of a day. There's probably so much there I'll want to see.

In Northern Tokyo, I'd like to see Tokyo Skytree and some places surrounding it. If it is close enough, I'd also like to go to Ryogoku.

Not sure how far it is, or how long it'd take to get there, but the Ghibli Museum would be nice to see if I can.

There are a few places in Western Tokyo I'd like to see, and some sound big, so I imagine I might not get to them all. Shibuya, maybe Shinjuku, Meiji Shrine, and Nakano Broadway.

And in Southern Tokyo, I would like to try and see Tokyo Tower, and one of the near Temples.

Once I figure out how close certain things are to other places, and what sounds feasible, I will make a more specific itinerary before I go.
 
V

Valkerionseven

Member
shorty_symd said:
Landed last night and holy crap dat heat X(
Click to expand...

It's not that hot this time of year lol. Try visiting the south of Japan (which I highly recommend, its awesome living here) it's like 28C before 9am haha.

Kinda upset though, feel like I might be getting a cold and if the timing is usual it will hit full force by Friday or something... hopefully just a sore throat.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Mononoaware said:
I still haven't really played out my specific day to day activities just yet. I just know the dates, and I have ideas of where I would like to go.

Once I figure out how close certain things are to other places, and what sounds feasible, I will make a more specific itinerary before I go.
Click to expand...

Well, if you're only going to Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara, a JR Pass is most likely not worth it. Get these discount Shinkansen tickets though for going to Kyoto and back:
http://www.japanican.com/en/tour/detail/VJOPENTK1/


shorty_symd said:
Landed last night and holy crap dat heat X(
Click to expand...

Not good for us living in northern Europe :p
 
J

JulianImp

Member
Currently trying to rope my mates into watching Your Name in theaters. They don't understand the slightest bit of Japanese, but I don't think it's going to be that bad as it isn't going to be so big on words like Monogatari.

And after checking TOHO Shinjuku, it looks like Kizu 2 will sill be on theaters next week, so I might just wait and see if I can get the BD and watch it sometime before I go watch its continuation.

Also, would I be able to get madogatari exhibition tickets on Lawson machines like with the Ghibli Museum? Guess we could try and see if we can go together, Mikehatsu, since my teammates aren't all that keen on going there (their loss!). Saturday might be a bit iffy for me though, since we're checking out of our AirBnB lodging that morning.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
JulianImp said:
Also, would I be able to get madogatari exhibition tickets on Lawson machines like with the Ghibli Museum? Guess we could try and see if we can go together, Mikehatsu, since my teammates aren't all that keen on going there (their loss!). Saturday might be a bit iffy for me though, since we're checking out of our AirBnB lodging that morning.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you can. I could probably got at 18 on either Thursday or Friday if you can't do Saturday. I can get us both tickets if you give me your preferred day.
 
P

Piichan

Banned
Came back from a 3 month business trip in Bangkok last weekend. People seem to be complaining about the dreary weather the last couple of days in Tokyo, but I fucking love it after the sweaty heat in Thailand.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
MikeHattsu said:
Yeah, you can. I could probably got at 18 on either Thursday or Friday if you can't do Saturday. I can get us both tickets if you give me your preferred day.
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me! Either day would be fine, but I guess the opening day would be best.

By the way, would I be able to go to the venue earlier in the day to buy merchandise without paying the entrance fee?
 
F

Fritz

Member
So, ordered a ticket for a matinee performance at Kabukiza. I checked the day they opened up sale (8 h delay since I am in Europe) and the tickets for my planned Sunday evening performance were completely gone.

Also I keep shuffling my activities around. I think my schedule is too crowded. Aargh.
 
C

cablenathan

Member
Zatoth said:
Make sure to get your ticket as soon as possible.
Click to expand...

This is the beat advice. We missed getting tickets for our trip...they were booked up for a few months. Also we tried to go to the Ghibli Expo in Roppongi Hills, but the wait was over an hour the evening we went to go, but we had plans later that day and we were travelling with a one year old - so queuing for that length of time
just wasnt feasible. It's like there's a conspiracy against us getting our much needed Ghibli fix. It looks like we are going to have to go back to Japan again!!!
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
JulianImp said:
Sounds good to me! Either day would be fine, but I guess the opening day would be best.

By the way, would I be able to go to the venue earlier in the day to buy merchandise without paying the entrance fee?
Click to expand...

Most likely not. I'll get tickets for Thursday unless they're sold out when I get back from dinner. Edit: Check your DMs.


cablenathan said:
Also we tried to go to the Ghibli Expo in Roppongi Hills, but the wait was over an hour the evening we went to go, but we had plans later that day and we were travelling with a one year old - so queuing for that length of time just wasnt feasible.
Click to expand...

Was 2.5 hours on the last day :p
 
G

GringoJB

Member
Hi there!

Flight question for you all: I'm in the very beginning stages of planning a trip from here in the Midwest for next year (June for a couple of weeks).

I know it's still way far out, but generally how far in advance do you typically book flights? I have no real concept of prices, so I'm not really sure what a "good" one would be. The lowest round trip prices right now are hanging around $1500 (Canada Air, etc).

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere in the thread... it's huge and super-helpful but I haven't navigated through all of it yet. Thanks!
 
F

Fritz

Member
From the two times I booked flights from Europe roughly half a year in advance was best. With sites like swoodoo you should be able to set email notifications for price changes.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
Headed to Osaka next week. The flight suuucks...Montreal to San Francisco and then a 13 hour overnight layover. Then straight to Osaka.

Opted to not get a JR Rail pass. I've spent a few days in Tokyo before and decided that this time I would stick around Osaka. So definitely Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and hopefully Hiroshima.

Still haven't booked my Air BnB yet. I figure I might just book a few days in Osaka and then decide what to do since availability seems really high. Since Hiroshima is a piece away I'll probably spent a night there. But Kyoto seems really close so it might just be a day trip.

In any case...any advice for choosing the right Air BnB? Any advice on places to visit?
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
GringoJB said:
Hi there!

Flight question for you all: I'm in the very beginning stages of planning a trip from here in the Midwest for next year (June for a couple of weeks).

I know it's still way far out, but generally how far in advance do you typically book flights? I have no real concept of prices, so I'm not really sure what a "good" one would be. The lowest round trip prices right now are hanging around $1500 (Canada Air, etc).

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere in the thread... it's huge and super-helpful but I haven't navigated through all of it yet. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Watch out for deals. I got my round trip tickets from Montreal to Osaka for $535 Canadian. The flight absolutely blows though with an awful 13 hour layover. I also live in Ottawa so I need to travel 2 hours to get to my flight...but I'm just going to spend a night in Montreal and visit. Otherwise, most flights from Ottawa go down to around 900/round-trip when most of the good deals come up. Normal price is closer to 1100.

What airport are you flying out of?
 
N

nabe_shogun

Member
MikeHattsu said:
Not good for us living in northern Europe :p
Click to expand...

I live in a hot desert and it was bad for me too. Though mostly because of the high humidity.

Hopefully he didn't make the mistake I did and bring mostly long sleeve shirts. I ended up going to uniqlo the next morning after I got there and bought three t-shirts.
 
M

Mononoaware

Banned
Just bought my plane tickets today, and submitted my application for a passport... xD getting nervous now that its actually happening.

Is there anything else crucial to traveling out of the country that I should know about? Something I still might need, etc.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Mononoaware said:
Just bought my plane tickets today, and submitted my application for a passport... xD getting nervous now that its actually happening.

Is there anything else crucial to traveling out of the country that I should know about? Something I still might need, etc.
Click to expand...

If you're from a country that uses 220V then make sure your chargers and devices support 100-110V. If you're from the US, then no problem :p

Oh, and get a good pair of shoes that are comfortable to stand and walk around in for 8+ hours. Cause you will be standing (even when taking trains) and walking around a lot.
 
M

Mononoaware

Banned
MikeHattsu said:
If you're from a country that uses 220V then make sure your chargers and devices support 100-110V. If you're from the US, then no problem :p

Oh, and get a good pair of shoes that are comfortable to stand and walk around in for 8+ hours. Cause you will be standing (even when taking trains) and walking around a lot.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I should be good in both those departments. The one part on my trip I'm still a little fuzzy on is how to pay for my transportation. I will probably take your advice, and buy the shinkansen tickets from the site you linked to earlier, but as far as traveling within Tokyo, and Kyoto, I'm still not sure what the most cost effective way would be.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Mononoaware said:
Yeah, I should be good in both those departments. The one part on my trip I'm still a little fuzzy on is how to pay for my transportation. I will probably take your advice, and buy the shinkansen tickets from the site you linked to earlier, but as far as traveling within Tokyo, and Kyoto, I'm still not sure what the most cost effective way would be.
Click to expand...

Which airport are you landing at and leaving from?
 
M

Mononoaware

Banned
MikeHattsu said:
Which airport are you landing at and leaving from?
Click to expand...

Narita...I know it's further away, but most of the arrival times were very late in the evening, and I'd prefer to land while it's still daylight out, or the layover time between stops was really really long.

Edit: To save some trouble, I think to and from the airport, I will take the Airport Limousine Bus. The Hostel I am staying at in Tokyo recommends it for first time travelers, and it's stop is not too far from where I'll be staying.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Mononoaware said:
Narita...I know it's further away, but most of the arrival times were very late in the evening, and I'd prefer to land while it's still daylight out, or the layover time between stops was really really long.

Edit: To save some trouble, I think to and from the airport, I will take the Airport Limousine Bus. The Hostel I am staying at in Tokyo recommends it for first time travelers, and it's stop is not too far from where I'll be staying.
Click to expand...

Nah, take the NEX, and since you're staying less than 2 weeks get this discount round trip package:
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/nex_round.html

It's cheaper than taking the bus and takes you directly to Ikebukuro (if you're still planning to stay at kimi ryokan).

At the same time as getting NEX tickets, also ask for a SUICA card:
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/suica.html

This makes taking trains/subways in Tokyo, Kyoto and between Kyoto and Nara easy. For buses in Kyoto (which is the main kind of transport there) get 1 day bus passes that costs 500 JPY for each day. It's cheaper than paying with SUICA if you ride more than 2 times a day since a single bus trip costs 230 JPY.
 
M

Mononoaware

Banned
MikeHattsu said:
Nah, take the NEX, and since you're staying less than 2 weeks get this discount round trip package:
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/nex_round.html

It's cheaper than taking the bus and takes you directly to Ikebukuro (if you're still planning to stay at kimi ryokan).

At the same time as getting NEX tickets, also ask for a SUICA card:
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/suica.html

This makes taking trains/subways in Tokyo, Kyoto and between Kyoto and Nara easy. For buses in Kyoto (which is the main kind of transport there) get 1 day bus passes that costs 500 JPY for each day. It's cheaper than paying with SUICA if you ride more than 2 times a day since a single bus trip costs 230 JPY.
Click to expand...

Ah, thank you! I feel like I knew some of this information, but I didn't know where to find it again. Arigatou gozaimasu.

I know this might be a tough question to answer, considering you don't know exactly where I'm going and when...neither do i, but let's say I use the Suica card primarily for travel. How much would you recommend?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Mononoaware said:
Ah, thank you! I feel like I knew some of this information, but I didn't know where to find it again. Arigatou gozaimasu.

I know this might be a tough question to answer, considering you don't know exactly where I'm going and when...neither do i, but let's say I use the Suica card primarily for travel. How much would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Just get a 3000 JPY one and then top it up at a station if you need more. There's machines at each station that accepts IC cards that allows you to do that. The ticket gates will show you your remaining balance each time you use it.
 
P

plastik

Member
TheExodu5 said:
Headed to Osaka next week. The flight suuucks...Montreal to San Francisco and then a 13 hour overnight layover. Then straight to Osaka.

Opted to not get a JR Rail pass. I've spent a few days in Tokyo before and decided that this time I would stick around Osaka. So definitely Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and hopefully Hiroshima.

Still haven't booked my Air BnB yet. I figure I might just book a few days in Osaka and then decide what to do since availability seems really high. Since Hiroshima is a piece away I'll probably spent a night there. But Kyoto seems really close so it might just be a day trip.

In any case...any advice for choosing the right Air BnB? Any advice on places to visit?
Click to expand...

Hey, I'll be in that area from September 22-25, and then Tokyo until October 1. How about you?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
GringoJB said:
Hi there!

Flight question for you all: I'm in the very beginning stages of planning a trip from here in the Midwest for next year (June for a couple of weeks).

I know it's still way far out, but generally how far in advance do you typically book flights? I have no real concept of prices, so I'm not really sure what a "good" one would be. The lowest round trip prices right now are hanging around $1500 (Canada Air, etc).

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere in the thread... it's huge and super-helpful but I haven't navigated through all of it yet. Thanks!
Click to expand...

3-6 months in advance. Set up a price alert at Kayak or something. And check priceline as well, since they sometimes have flights that doesn't show up in other flight comparison engines for some reason.


TheExodu5 said:
In any case...any advice for choosing the right Air BnB? Any advice on places to visit?
Click to expand...

Check the reviews and ask the host questions if needed. Make sure to check all the pictures of the place as well. Get something close to a train station or central bus stop :p
 
S

sfedai0

Banned
TheExodu5 said:
Still haven't booked my Air BnB yet. I figure I might just book a few days in Osaka and then decide what to do since availability seems really high. Since Hiroshima is a piece away I'll probably spent a night there. But Kyoto seems really close so it might just be a day trip.

In any case...any advice for choosing the right Air BnB? Any advice on places to visit?
Click to expand...

IMO youre booking a bit too close for comfort. Certainly, some units wont be available with such a close time frame. I usually book a month or two ahead. As for choosing the right one, its best to have one close to major stations if its your first time there. For Osaka, anywhere near Namba area is fine. For Kyoto, if you can swing the budget, get somewhere close to Kyoto station, so you can traverse east and west Kyoto easily.
 
M

Mononoaware

Banned
I still can't believe I purchased my tickets xD I'm both so excited and terrified at the same time.

It's gonna be a little weird going some places by myself. I'm usually too afraid to go to a place to eat by myself when I'm in my local area.
 
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