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

cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Worthintendo said:
I gotta admit I'd love to try something like that one day, just a trip with the goal to spend hardly anything and enjoy what I can for free.
Click to expand...

I crunched the numbers, I knew I had enough for food, arcades, and to pick up a few things. That was mostly what I went for. It was the train fare from Narita to Tokyo that threw me off.
 
W

Worthintendo

Member
cj_iwakura said:
It was included with the flight. It was one of the cheapest ones there, so Travelocity had a deal for it. The Omori Seaside Inn in Shinagawa(right by the Omori Kaigan station).
Click to expand...
Ahh ok, gotta say dude, kudos to you for doing it, given I'm going to be buying a place of my own next year if I ever want to travel to Japan again I may have to hit you up for some tips on pulling something like that off.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Lodging tax in Kyoto and some tourism numbers:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...ity-government-set-pass-lodging-tax-visitors/

As early as next year, visitors to the city of Kyoto may see their hotel bills jump by possibly ¥100 to ¥300 per night as the city moves to implement a lodging tax.

On Monday, a committee formed to study the issue submitted its final report to Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa, advising that all hotels, traditional inns, and minpaku (private lodging) businesses charge their customers a small tax, regardless of their rates. Student groups on official school trips would be exempt from the levy.

The number of visitors spending at least one night in Kyoto climbed from 10 million in 2011 to over 14 million last year. This includes the explosion in foreign visitors, which shot from 520,000 in 2011 to 3.18 million last year. Half of all those who stayed in Kyoto spent at least one night, while 34.4 percent spent two nights and 10.4 percent three nights.

A municipal 2016 tourism survey showed that 89 percent of Japanese visitors and 96 percent of foreign visitors expressed at least some satisfaction with Kyoto. However, the survey also revealed that overcrowding at train stations, bus stops, and major tourist sites remains a problem.
Click to expand...
 
L

LonelyGreyWolf

Banned
Half of all those who stayed in Kyoto spent at least one night, while 34.4 percent spent two nights and 10.4 percent three nights.
Click to expand...

This sentence makes no sense. Either that "while" should say "of which", or "at least one night" should be simply "one night".
 
W

Worthintendo

Member
danowat said:
I'd imagine, just as everything, some are, some aren't.

A similar boom happened in Iceland in recent years, which lead to some residents actively 'dissuading' people from visiting!
Click to expand...
Thing is, Japan has an olympics coming up so anyone not happy with the Tourists now is going to be in for a shock in a few years.

Anyone here spent much time in Nagasaki, want to know what you did, thinking about skipping some things I have planned for there just so I can spend more time in China Town.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
Worthintendo said:
so out of interest are the Japanese not happy about the increased Tourist numbers?
Click to expand...

I would imagine that it's good for business owners but bad for domestic tourists (probably why they're exempting school trips). The Kansai area was definitely the worst as far as crowding goes when we went a few years ago.
 
M

Megalosaro

Banned
Worthintendo said:
so out of interest are the Japanese not happy about the increased Tourist numbers?
Click to expand...

You couldn't ask for more hospitality than from the Japanese. They are the most welcoming hosts ever.

I legitimately was given a birthday gift from a complete stranger at a restaurant after they found out that that day was my birthday. No joke.
 
W

Worthintendo

Member
Megalosaro said:
You couldn't ask for more hospitality than from the Japanese. They are the most welcoming hosts ever.

I legitimately was given a birthday gift from a complete stranger at a restaurant after they found out that that day was my birthday. No joke.
Click to expand...
^-^
That is the most awesome thing ever, my favorite memory of how nice they were was just this little Takoyaki place in Osaka and the old couple running it just asking me questions about where I'm from and getting me to sign a book to say I was there :) Wish I could remember where it was so I can go there again.

Laevateinn said:
Guys, Japan is pretty horrible. You should stop going there. Especially if you buy retro games.
Click to expand...
Is it OK if I just buy Gamecube & DS games or all retro games?
 
M

Mendrox

Member
Dingens said:
I'd say that if you're going purely with AirBnB you're missing out on a lot of what Japan has to offer.
For one there are thousands of small Ryokan, traditional japanese guest houses, most even come with some hot springs attached. For couples there are more luxurious ones with private spas (the general ones are separated by gender). If those are too expensive there are small family pensions on the country side which may not offer a real Onsen, but many have a private small outdoor pool attached to every housing unit. And if you get lucky, you may even able to stay at a shrine or a temple - japanese skills may be required for this option (I think).
For more urban areas there a dozens of exciting hotels. Waking up on the 65th floor around 270 meters above ground is an incredible experience. And for the more adventurous traveller I'd recommend a Love hotel or two. They are incredibly cheap (can be even cheaper than airbnb), usually in good locations and depending on the area well maintained (and the themed rooms are quite something...)

I've probably spent more money on Japanese accommodations than food for all years I lived there combined - and haven't regretted it a single second. I'd never go airbnb, there's just too much to discover

if you're going to Kyoto and Osaka, staying in Nara would be a nice (and cheap) alternative btw.
Click to expand...

I can see that point, but only staying in Ryokans is also not that exciting. I recommend a mix and it was an awesome experience to have a good sized apartment in Kyoto in a typical japanese neighboorhood and all and I loved talking with my neigbors and getting invited to dinner etc.

I really really don't recommend typical western or business hotels though.
 
D

Dingens

Member
Worthintendo said:
I'm super tempted to stay at a Ryokan while in Nagoya, instead of travelling back to Nagoya after my first day in Kyoto thinking about staying in one but I honestly have no idea what I'm looking for or what is a good price for one thats for one person.
Click to expand...

I'm not super familiar with Nagoya, or rather not at all sadly. But depending on the location, 5k-10k per person per day seems normal. You may look for them on Booking.com, at least that way you know which ones are prepared to deal with people who don't speak japanese. There are a few Japanese sites I used in the past which usually offer better deals (price/packages). I can look them up if you want (although all of them are japanese only...)

Worthintendo said:
[...]
Anyone here spent much time in Nagasaki, want to know what you did, thinking about skipping some things I have planned for there just so I can spend more time in China Town.
Click to expand...

I did. Actually I wish I stayed for 2 days since I quite enjoyed the town. Went to see Gunkanjima in the morning, which took till noon. Went to get some lunch in Chinatown (which was somewhat disappointing for someone who used to live in Yokohama), then had to skip dejima to make it to the Atomic bomb museum in time - which I highly recommend. I'd even recommend it over the one in Hiroshima. The atmosphere is way different, and the way the event was presented was much more to my liking.
Would've loved to see the Mitsubishi Warehouse too (was recommended to me on my way to Gunkanjima).
So basically: don't waste your time with China Town, I'd rather go to Yokohama for that.

Mendrox said:
I can see that point, but only staying in Ryokans is also not that exciting. I recommend a mix and it was an awesome experience to have a good sized apartment in Kyoto in a typical japanese neighboorhood and all and I loved talking with my neigbors and getting invited to dinner etc.

I really really don't recommend typical western or business hotels though.
Click to expand...

That's why I said don't go purely with airbnb.
As you could probably gather from my recommendation, I stayed at all kinds of "hotels" over the years. I guess AirBnB can be interesting for people who've never lived in Japan and want some of that experience...?
My point is: don't treat your accommodations as some sort of pesky necessity, but rather try to turn it into a part of the experience!

but yeah, I agree: western/business Hotels are a waste of time (and money). I only had to stay at one once (in Osaka) because I took the last Shinkansen and was to tired to look for something better... Not gonna make that mistake twice
 
W

Worthintendo

Member
Dingens said:
I'm not super familiar with Nagoya, or rather not at all sadly. But depending on the location, 5k-10k per person per day seems normal. You may look for them on Booking.com, at least that way you know which ones are prepared to deal with people who don't speak japanese. There are a few Japanese sites I used in the past which usually offer better deals (price/packages). I can look them up if you want (although all of them are japanese only...)
Click to expand...
Cheers for that will check it out :)

I did. Actually I wish I stayed for 2 days since I quite enjoyed the town. Went to see Gunkanjima in the morning, which took till noon. Went to get some lunch in Chinatown (which was somewhat disappointing for someone who used to live in Yokohama), then had to skip dejima to make it to the Atomic bomb museum in time - which I highly recommend. I'd even recommend it over the one in Hiroshima. The atmosphere is way different, and the way the event was presented was much more to my liking.
Would've loved to see the Mitsubishi Warehouse too (was recommended to me on my way to Gunkanjima).
So basically: don't waste your time with China Town, I'd rather go to Yokohama for that.
Click to expand...
I'm tempted to head down to Yokohama on a weekend to check the place out while in Tokyo, so might have to do that to check it all out, kind of a bummer to hear the Nagasaki one isn't that crash hot though, is it still worth it just for somewhere to eat or are there better eats in Nagasaki?
Kinda wish I had another day booked in Nagasaki (and to be fair I could easily move stuff around an extra day and not the day and a half I have at the moment) but it'll mean less time in Osaka. That said If Chinatown isn't that worth it, it means I'll get to have more time doing the other places there.

Another question to the group, can anyone recommend Voyagin?
https://www.govoyagin.com/things_to_do/japan
Seeing some good deals on going to universal there and am tempted to book somethings from them.
 
T

Trevelyon

Member
Pretty sure I'm in a reserved seat car on my way down to Nobeoka. I can't see any reserved seat signs, don't think I'm in a green car either. After standing in the in between for 90 minutes from Kokura to Oita, think im just gonna chill here for the moment, less I do the walk of shame to the backside of the train.
 
D

Dingens

Member
Worthintendo said:
[...]
I'm tempted to head down to Yokohama on a weekend to check the place out while in Tokyo, so might have to do that to check it all out, kind of a bummer to hear the Nagasaki one isn't that crash hot though, is it still worth it just for somewhere to eat or are there better eats in Nagasaki?
Kinda wish I had another day booked in Nagasaki (and to be fair I could easily move stuff around an extra day and not the day and a half I have at the moment) but it'll mean less time in Osaka. That said If Chinatown isn't that worth it, it means I'll get to have more time doing the other places there.[...]
Click to expand...

you should absolutely go down to Yokohama for a day if you got the time. It's quite a nice place with a vastly different vibe than Tokyo. The foreign influences can be felt at every corner and if you're into Jazz you'll love the night life.
I'd reccomend you just take the Toyoko Line (which turns into the Minato mirai line) from Shibuya and go straight to Minato Mirai. From there you can walk to moto machi and pass by all historic areas in almost a straight line.
If you're going with JR take the Keihin-Tohoku Line (turns into the Negishi line) to Sakuragi-Cho and walk from there (may be easier to find your way around). A good route would be something like train station -> Akarenga -> Osanbashi -> Chukagai (China Town) -> Motomachi -> Yamate (of if there's time you could also take the bus No.58,99 or 101 to bus station Honmoku to get to Sankeien, which is a nice Park)
On your way you pass by 2 Museum Ships and the Yokohama History/Wharf/Harbor Museum, I found all of them to be quite interesting, but If I had to pick one, I'd probably go with the NYK Hikawamaru.
To go back to Tokyo you can just take the Minato-Mirai Line from China Town back to Shibuya or JR from Motomachi
And if you've got some money to spare... you could also stay a night at the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel. As I said in an early post... waking up on the (up to the) 69th floor is not something you can do every day. the standard rooms aren't even that expensive, although it's the corner rooms where it's at.
https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/yokohama-royal-park.en-gb.html

regarding the second part: yeah that's why I usually don't book beforehand since I never know how long I want to stay somewhere. With Nagasaki I didn't expect to like it as much as I did so I put it at the very end of my Journey (which was a mistake) so I HAD to return before my railpass lost it's validity.
Maybe there was more to the Chinatown there than I thought since I only passed through twice (it was only a single street with a few narrow alleys) and I wasn't too interested, just went there to have some champon because my wife insisted. Champon is one of the famous dishes in Nagasaki and since it's only (?) available in Chinatown, you may as well just go there to eat some (but it seemed quite expensive for what you got)
In case you decide that china town isn't that great after all you can always just go to Dejima which is almost across the street.
If you plan to go to Gunkanjima make sure to make a reservation at least 1 day ahead! (I think you'll also need a credit card for that (?))
 
W

Worthintendo

Member
MikeHattsu said:
No, but they're listed on the USJ website:
http://www.usj.co.jp/e/travel/
Click to expand...
Mike, have I said your the best, cause you are :) Free Vegemite on me if you want it should we get a chance to catch up when I'm there :D

Dingens said:
you should absolutely go down to Yokohama for a day if you got the time. It's quite a nice place with a vastly different vibe than Tokyo. The foreign influences can be felt at every corner and if you're into Jazz you'll love the night life.
I'd reccomend you just take the Toyoko Line (which turns into the Minato mirai line) from Shibuya and go straight to Minato Mirai. From there you can walk to moto machi and pass by all historic areas in almost a straight line.
If you're going with JR take the Keihin-Tohoku Line (turns into the Negishi line) to Sakuragi-Cho and walk from there (may be easier to find your way around). A good route would be something like train station -> Akarenga -> Osanbashi -> Chukagai (China Town) -> Motomachi -> Yamate (of if there's time you could also take the bus No.58,99 or 101 to bus station Honmoku to get to Sankeien, which is a nice Park)
On your way you pass by 2 Museum Ships and the Yokohama History/Wharf/Harbor Museum, I found all of them to be quite interesting, but If I had to pick one, I'd probably go with the NYK Hikawamaru.
To go back to Tokyo you can just take the Minato-Mirai Line from China Town back to Shibuya or JR from Motomachi
And if you've got some money to spare... you could also stay a night at the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel. As I said in an early post... waking up on the (up to the) 69th floor is not something you can do every day. the standard rooms aren't even that expensive, although it's the corner rooms where it's at.
https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/yokohama-royal-park.en-gb.html
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm def heading down to Yokohama on a weekend now :D Looking into day trips and stuff there and it looks like it'll be a nice change of pace from the Tokyo stuff, also lets me knock off another Pokemon Store :D Sankeien Garden looks really good and the Landmark Tower would be a great view of everything.

regarding the second part: yeah that's why I usually don't book beforehand since I never know how long I want to stay somewhere. With Nagasaki I didn't expect to like it as much as I did so I put it at the very end of my Journey (which was a mistake) so I HAD to return before my railpass lost it's validity.
Maybe there was more to the Chinatown there than I thought since I only passed through twice (it was only a single street with a few narrow alleys) and I wasn't too interested, just went there to have some champon because my wife insisted. Champon is one of the famous dishes in Nagasaki and since it's only (?) available in Chinatown, you may as well just go there to eat some (but it seemed quite expensive for what you got)
In case you decide that china town isn't that great after all you can always just go to Dejima which is almost across the street.
If you plan to go to Gunkanjima make sure to make a reservation at least 1 day ahead! (I think you'll also need a credit card for that (?))
Click to expand...
I've already booked my reservation for one of the tour groups out to the island, its an afternoon course so what the current plan is, leave Osaka at 6 in the morning, get to Nagasaki at 11:30, go to Chinatown for lunch or something, then head to the tour meeting point by 1. Once I get back head up to Mount Inasa spend a few hours soaking in the view and then head back down to get dinner at Chinatown before checking into my hotel for the night.
The next day before I head back to Osaka at 5pm will be checking out the bombing memorial stuff and Dejima, maybe the Glover garden if I get time but still on the fence about that.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Worthintendo said:
Mike, have I said your the best, cause you are :) Free Vegemite on me if you want it should we get a chance to catch up when I'm there :D
Click to expand...

Vegemite, eh? :p



BoatAck said:
If I'm going to Japan at the end of October, then tickets for the week I'm there wouldn't go on sale until Sept 10th? Do I have that correct?
Click to expand...

Sept 10th at 10:00 Japan time. Gotta be there early, especially if you want morning tickets. The English site tickets usually sell out in a few hours.
 
T

ThreePiMatt

Member
BoatAck said:
If I'm going to Japan at the end of October, then tickets for the week I'm there wouldn't go on sale until Sept 10th? Do I have that correct?
Click to expand...

If you're buying from Lawson, I guess some travel agencies get a block of tickets and may sell on a different schedule. And bear in mind that the 10th in Japan, so if you're buying from the US it'll be on the 9th.
 
V

Vhalyar

Member
I booked my flight tickets, November 24th to December 10th. I kept putting it off for one reason or another... Now I guess I should mention to my boss that I intend to take some days off and hope there's no conflicts :x

As a solo traveler, interested in a little bit of everything, how worthwhile would it be to simply follow the Japan-Guide itinerary recommendations (16d/15n)?

It would look like this if I just do as J-G recommends (Shuffling some of the Tokyo days to the end due to attending an event):

qtBOWCu.png


I'm thinking of dropping a day trip and a Kyoto day to make room for Nagoya.
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
Regarding SIM cards, how does airport pickup work? I'm flying to Narita. How early should I purchase my SIM?

The SIMs are data only, so would I be able to call Uber with it?
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
effingvic said:
Regarding SIM cards, how does airport pickup work? I'm flying to Narita. How early should I purchase my SIM?

The SIMs are data only, so would I be able to call Uber with it?
Click to expand...

I don't suggest getting an Uber from Narita... a train would be MUCH cheaper. Assuming it's even possible.
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
cj_iwakura said:
I don't suggest getting an Uber from Narita... a train would be MUCH cheaper. Assuming it's even possible.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, def not from the airport. But I might Uber around at times since it might be easier to just enter my destination on the app instead of trying to explain where I'm going.
 
A

Anony

Member
gonna need some opinions

my friends are going to be in japan from the last week of september to the end of the first week of october

i'm thinking of joining from in october and take an additional week (or less) by myself
(so like, oct 1 to oct 10-14)

they're going to be in the osaka/kyoto region during this time, so if i go to japan, i'm either flying direct to osaka or going to tokyo and using a JR pass (unlimited) right away to go to osaka, then go to tokyo on the last day of use for the JR pass and spend the remaining time in tokyo

i've been to tokyo twice already, osaka/kyoto once, i still havent gone to mt fuji and i REALLY want to do it this time
what i'm really trying to ask is, how do you guys think I should stay such that i don't overstay my welcome
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
effingvic said:
Oh yeah, def not from the airport. But I might Uber around at times since it might be easier to just enter my destination on the app instead of trying to explain where I'm going.
Click to expand...

Using any kind of taxi in Tokyo is a bad idea. You can get everywhere much cheaper (and probably faster) by train or subway.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Vhalyar said:
As a solo traveler, interested in a little bit of everything, how worthwhile would it be to simply follow the Japan-Guide itinerary recommendations (16d/15n)?

It would look like this if I just do as J-G recommends (Shuffling some of the Tokyo days to the end due to attending an event):

I'm thinking of dropping a day trip and a Kyoto day to make room for Nagoya.
Click to expand...

Seems like a very packed schedule at least. Dunno if I'd do something like that for a first trip, if it is your first trip to Japan that is.



Anony said:
i've been to tokyo twice already, osaka/kyoto once, i still havent gone to mt fuji and i REALLY want to do it this time

what i'm really trying to ask is, how do you guys think I should stay such that i don't overstay my welcome
Click to expand...

Could try going to other places on day trips or overnight while in Tokyo? And you know it's not climbing season for Mt. Fuji in October if that's what you were thinking about doing?
 
D

Dingens

Member
Anony said:
[...]
i've been to tokyo twice already, osaka/kyoto once, i still havent gone to mt fuji and i REALLY want to do it this time
what i'm really trying to ask is, how do you guys think I should stay such that i don't overstay my welcome
Click to expand...

As Mike already said, if you intend on climbing to the top you're around 2 months late... if you just wanna go there... well there are tour buses from Shinjuku, or you could also take a train to either the north or the south side.
Or if you just wanna "see" it you could also go to Hakone. It's quite nice (especially Sengokuhara) and there's enough to see/do to fill 1,5-2 days and you'll see plenty of Mount Fuji in the background (unless you get bad weather...)
 
D

danowat

Banned
Dingens said:
As Mike already said, if you intend on climbing to the top you're around 2 months late... if you just wanna go there... well there are tour buses from Shinjuku, or you could also take a train to either the north or the south side.
Or if you just wanna "see" it you could also go to Hakone. It's quite nice (especially Sengokuhara) and there's enough to see/do to fill 1,5-2 days and you'll see plenty of Mount Fuji in the background (unless you get bad weather...)
Click to expand...

I was more than happy with seeing Fujisan from Kawaguchiko, I was suprised and impressed just how close and imposing it was.

18342598_101548877109jyxom.jpg
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Dingens said:
As Mike already said, if you intend on climbing to the top you're around 2 months late...
Click to expand...

1 month too late. Some people ITT are planning to climb in September before the season is over even.



danowat said:
I was more than happy with seeing Fujisan from Kawaguchiko, I was suprised and impressed just how close and imposing it was.
Click to expand...

Ya photobucket account needs upgrading (or just re-host on imgur to save money) ;P

Anyway... I already posted some of my Mt. Fuji pics here from Tokyo:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=244076572&postcount=11390

Here's one from outside Fuji-Q Highland as well:
3Uzhnwl.jpg
Click to expand...

And a bad one from Hakone :p
mPugPR8.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Ennosuke

Ennosuke

Member
I have been in Japan my first time in April this year. I am still thinking back, I am officially in love. And I am already planning a trip for next year. 2018 can't come soon enough.
I think the second time it will be more relaxed, at least this is what I try to achieve with my plan. As I sad it was awesome this year, but everything was new and most of the days were too packed. So I definitely recommend you guys, don't overdo it.

I have one question regarding the best month. I am currently all set for May. This year we arrived late in march, then 2 weeks in april and unfortunately we felt it was too rainy and cold. Sakura were beautiful, but in Kyoto there was not even one picture we took with sunshines on it. Is May a solid plan? Sunshine and no Jacket would be perfect.
 
D

Dingens

Member
Ennosuke said:
I have been in Japan my first time in April this year. I am still thinking back, I am officially in love. And I am already planning a trip for next year. 2018 can't come soon enough.
I think the second time it will be more relaxed, at least this is what I try to achieve with my plan. As I sad it was awesome this year, but everything was new and most of the days were too packed. So I definitely recommend you guys, don't overdo it.

I have one question regarding the best month. I am currently all set for May. This year we arrived late in march, then 2 weeks in april and unfortunately we felt it was too rainy and cold. Sakura were beautiful, but in Kyoto there was not even one picture we took with sunshines on it. Is May a solid plan? Sunshine and no Jacket would be perfect.
Click to expand...

If you've already experienced "Sakura-season" then I'd probably go for autumn instead, like October or early November to get the full Japan experience. Red leafs are more or less the cherry blossoms of the 2nd half and they can be quite nice, depending on where you go.

I always enjoyed some hiking around that time of the year

There is sunshine... but it may be a little bit chill - not freezing or anything like that though.
If you wanna go during spring again, than probably April... I'd say

MikeHattsu said:
1 month too late. Some people ITT are planning to climb in September before the season is over even.

[...]

And a bad one from Hakone :p
Click to expand...

Sry, my bad. For some reason I thought the season ended in early September

(I'm pretty sure I got a worse bad one from hakone... )
 
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