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

V

victreeb3l

Member
Dingens said:
Most restaurants in big cities have some sort of english menu. More "traditional" restaurants often got pvc replicas of their food in their window. If you're completely lost, you could also just go for a pizza or some indian food.

Are you arriving at Narita or Haneda? Narita got the NEX and the Narita Sky access (mentioned above), which are special trains with large luggage areas, you can't miss them. I don't know for sure about Haneda, since I never rode the monorail, but I know that you wouln't wanna ride the Keikyu line with a large case.
The Shinkansen and most non-commuter trains have some room above the seats for medium sized suitcases, but they usually got enough legroom so you could just put it in front of you. Although I would recommend the smallest possible suitcase you can manage with.
Click to expand...

MikeHattsu said:
Depends on the train. Skyliner and NEX from Narita got designated space as said. Some Shinkansen trains got luggage areas in addition to the areas above the seats and you can put them behind the last row of seats in the train car you're in as well if it's something really big that doesn't fit overhead. The most troublesome is taking big luggage on buses in Kyoto though...

You can buy food and drink on the Shinkansen, but it's cheaper to buy at the train station before you leave. There's lots of ekiben meals for sale at the stations where the Shinkansen stops.
Click to expand...

Yup I'll be flying to Narita and plan on taking the NEX to Shinjuku. I'm arriving at night time and heading to Kyoto the following morning so I figured I could just send my suitcase to my hotel in Kyoto from the airport via Yamato Transport or something. I guess I'm just worried about dragging this thing on regular subways. I hate carrying luggage in NYC subways and I can imagine it'll be way more packed in Tokyo.

Looking at pictures on Google, it looks like the Shinkansen seats have enough legroom if I really need to put it in front of me. It'll be tight but whatever.

Definitely dont plan on taking it on any busses :p

LonelyGreyWolf said:
Most restaurants in city centre have English menus, so that list is completely useless. Also, in Japan the menus are pretty much always right on the door, so you don't even have to go inside to see whether they do indeed have an English menu or not. And lastly, even if the menu isn't in English, it often has pictures, so unless you have allergies, just point and say "kore onegaishimasu".
Click to expand...

Laevateinn said:
If you're staying in the cities, you shouldn't have to worry about not knowing what you're eating unless you have allergies.
Click to expand...

Thats reassuring! If there are pictures then that should be good.
 
N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
MikeHattsu said:
More than enough, unless you splurge like crazy and stay at the fanciest hotels. :p

Also, Summer is among the worst times to visit Japan. Never again!
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Nah won't be splurging on fancy hotels. In fact the opposite. I plan to stay in the cheapest places I can find within a convenient distance of what I'd like to see. The idea of traveling abroad just to stay in a hotel always confused me. I plan to spend the least amount of time in one outside sleep.

LonelyGreyWolf said:
I've never even had that much money in my possession, and I've traveled the world.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't have that money in my possession if I've traveled the world either. I've never taken a vacation outside the eastern US.
 
U

upandaway

Member
I need to book a domestic flight from Kagoshima to Tokyo, there's a couple airlines that offer it... anything to look for/be careful of except for total amount including checked baggage?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
NoblesseOblige said:
Nah won't be splurging on fancy hotels. In fact the opposite. I plan to stay in the cheapest places I can find within a convenient distance of what I'd like to see. The idea of traveling abroad just to stay in a hotel always confused me. I plan to spend the least amount of time in one outside sleep.
Click to expand...

Could probably last 3+ months with that kind of money then :p


upandaway said:
I need to book a domestic flight from Kagoshima to Tokyo, there's a couple airlines that offer it... anything to look for/be careful of except for total amount including checked baggage?
Click to expand...

If you're tall prepare for it to be cramped. :p
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
Got asked if I wanted a sex massage within my first 15 minutes in Shinjuku. Nice! Time to grab some food and pass out. Narita Express was awesome! Got tight with my luggage but there werent many people on the train so I took over the seat next to me and it worked out.

Thanks everyone for your help so far!
 
T

ThreePiMatt

Member
effingvic said:
Got asked if I wanted a sex massage within my first 15 minutes in Shinjuku. Nice! Time to grab some food and pass out. Narita Express was awesome! Got tight with my luggage but there werent many people on the train so I took over the seat next to me and it worked out.

Thanks everyone for your help so far!
Click to expand...

Shinjuku or specifically Kabukicho? If it's the latter, then yeah, that checks out.
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
Is the Kyoto Sightseeing 1-Day Pass like a regular paper ticket or a plastic card? Do I insert it like a regular ticket on busses and trains? Also, does it cover Keihan lines or is that separate?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
effingvic said:
Is the Kyoto Sightseeing 1-Day Pass like a regular paper ticket or a plastic card? Do I insert it like a regular ticket on busses and trains?
Click to expand...

It's a thin plastic ticket you use like a normal ticket. Only difference is on the bus, where after the first time using it the date will get printed on the back and you just have to show the back of the ticket to the driver any other time you want to get off the bus.

effingvic said:
Also, does it cover Keihan lines or is that separate?
Click to expand...

It only covers buses and subways, no trains. So no JR, no Keihan, no Hankyu, no Kintetsu, no Keifuku and no Eizan.
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
MikeHattsu said:
It's a thin plastic ticket you use like a normal ticket. Only difference is on the bus, where after the first time using it the date will get printed on the back and you just have to show the back of the ticket to the driver any other time you want to get off the bus.
Click to expand...

Sounds good!

MikeHattsu said:
It only covers buses and subways, no trains. So no JR, no Keihan, no Hankyu, no Kintetsu, no Keifuku and no Eizan.
Click to expand...

Ack. For the locations I mapped out, Google suggests taking trains for most of them except one occasion where I have to take a bus. I guess theres no need to get passes then? Is there a way to know which busses are flat fare and which cost more, besides knowing the routes?

I wish I had an extra day in Kyoto :/
 
E

Eridani

Member
PdotMichael said:
Talking about Kyoto. I recently read that renting a bike is a nice option for Kyoto, is this true?
Click to expand...

I rented a bike in Arashiyama, which is what a lot of guides recommend, and it was nice. It gets you to everything quickly and without much hassle, it isn't terribly expensive and there's a lot of bike rentals near the station. It's been a couple of years since then though, so I don't know if the increase in tourism/crowds makes it more of a hassle - the roads were practically empty when I was there and I don't know if that's still the case.

Not sure how it is for the entirety of Kyoto though. The buses were convenient enough that I didn't really see the need for that.
 
D

Dingens

Member
MikeHattsu said:
That's the Skyliner, not the Sky Access trains.

[...]
Click to expand...

god damn... I knew there was something wrong when typing this -_-. there's just too many special trains from Narita... and hardly any from Haneda.



PdotMichael said:
Talking about Kyoto. I recently read that renting a bike is a nice option for Kyoto, is this true?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if this also applies to rented bikes as well, but I've heard many times that the police preferably targets foreign bike riders and stops them every chance they get - can't confirm that though, since it never happened to me so far.
(I only borrowed a bike in Nara for a day)
 
D

Deleted member 12837

Unconfirmed Member
In Osaka for the night. Any recommendations for fun bars? Dive-y or fancy both work, no preference. Staying at the Hilton but will probably be wandering around Dotonbori for most of the evening.
 
P

PdotMichael

Banned
Eridani said:
I rented a bike in Arashiyama, which is what a lot of guides recommend, and it was nice. It gets you to everything quickly and without much hassle, it isn't terribly expensive and there's a lot of bike rentals near the station. It's been a couple of years since then though, so I don't know if the increase in tourism/crowds makes it more of a hassle - the roads were practically empty when I was there and I don't know if that's still the case.

Not sure how it is for the entirety of Kyoto though. The buses were convenient enough that I didn't really see the need for that.
Click to expand...

Dingens said:
I'm not sure if this also applies to rented bikes as well, but I've heard many times that the police preferably targets foreign bike riders and stops them every chance they get - can't confirm that though, since it never happened to me so far.
(I only borrowed a bike in Nara for a day)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies.

Well, maybe I should use the buses in Kyoto. Though I imagine it would be quite comfy riding through Kyoto but well
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
Eridani said:
I rented a bike in Arashiyama, which is what a lot of guides recommend, and it was nice. It gets you to everything quickly and without much hassle, it isn't terribly expensive and there's a lot of bike rentals near the station. It's been a couple of years since then though, so I don't know if the increase in tourism/crowds makes it more of a hassle - the roads were practically empty when I was there and I don't know if that's still the case.

Not sure how it is for the entirety of Kyoto though. The buses were convenient enough that I didn't really see the need for that.
Click to expand...

I was in Arashiyama earlier today and it seemed kinda busy. Most of the crowd was near the Togetsu bridge with a decent amount on bikes.

A lot of people suggested I rent bikes to get around and it does seem convenient.

MikeHattsu said:
Google maps doesn't handle buses in Japan very well. Better to just download the Kyoto bus map here:
https://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kotsu/webguide/files/busnavi/en_busnavi_2.pdf

And then take buses as much as possible :p
Click to expand...

Ah I see. Google does give me bus routes once in a while but it definitely prefers the trains. I ended up taking trains. My anxiety would be through the roof if I had learn ANOTHER mode of transportation :p To be fair, I'm super comfortable with the trains now. It's silly how nervous I was just 48 hours ago, heh.

Zatoth said:
Gonna start the remaining climb to the top of Fuji soon. Can't helieve how cramped this hut was.
Click to expand...

I wanted to climb Fuji on this trip but I assumed the season was over. I'm surprised it's still this busy. I cant imagine what its like during July :(

How was the trek up and down? Any tips for lodging, pacing, gear, etc.?
 
B

Boy Wander

Member
Got back yesterday from 2 weeks in Japan with my 12 year old son. We had an awesome time. This was our second trip and we did:

Tokyo - Ueno Park / Zoo, Tokyo Dome City, Namja Town, Pokémon Center, Shinjuku.
Sapporo - Curb Market, Shiro Kobito Park, Mt Moiwa
Furano / Biei - Blue Pond, Flower / Melon Farms, Cheese Factory
Otaru - Canal, Le Tao Cake Shop / Sushi
Noboribetsu - Hell Valley / Hot Springs / Onsen
Lake Towada - Oirase River / Lake Towada
Matsushima

We took:

3 shinkansens
10 express trains
4 local trains
2 trams
1 boat
2 buses
1 car (hired for our day in Furano)

Really awesome trip - will post photos when I get chance to upload.
 
T

ThreePiMatt

Member
dustytruly said:
Ok so someone posted about the VR zone in Shinjuku and I tried it today. Just did a walk-in, was basically no lines for many of the experiences and so far loved every one. Did skiing, Mario kart, dragon ball z, evangelion, hospital escape terror, and argyle shift and finally felt too sick to do anymore but highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys VR.

Very fun with friends, many of the experiences are up to three players. As I was leaving around noon the lines did begin to add up and a few of the experiences were around 30 mins.

At 4400¥ for four experiences plus admission I think it was worth it!
Click to expand...

Just curious, how long overall did you spend there? My friend will join me in Tokyo in a week and we're doing Ghibli in the morning at 10 and then figured come back and do the VR zone and Robot Restaurant since they're right next to each other. Was just curious how long you were there for. Also, how does that 4-ticket thing work? You said you did 6 things, but the ticket seems to imply you only get to do one of each of the colors?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
ThreePiMatt said:
Just curious, how long overall did you spend there? My friend will join me in Tokyo in a week and we're doing Ghibli in the morning at 10 and then figured come back and do the VR zone and Robot Restaurant since they're right next to each other. Was just curious how long you were there for. Also, how does that 4-ticket thing work? You said you did 6 things, but the ticket seems to imply you only get to do one of each of the colors?
Click to expand...

You can buy extra door tickets:
https://vrzone-pic.com/en/ticket.html

Go down to about 3/4's of the page
 
K

kubus

Member
Oh shit didn't realize there was VR Zone talk in here. Thanks for the impressions!

I actually have VR Zone planned tomorrow with 2 friends but we won't get there until around 16:00. I'm just worried all the single ticket will be sold out by then. Does anyone know how fast those tickets sell out? Summer break is over and it's a weekday so I was hoping we could just walk in around 4 PM and cherry pick the things we want to do.

Well, we'll see tomorrow I guess. Hopefully they have the info about sold out attractions / waiting times posted outside... prob not lol
 
M

Menthuss

Member
I'm going on vacation to Kyoto from the 24th till the 7th of October. Any Gaffers interested in doing a meetup of sorts during that time?

Also, I really wanna see the Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba but taking the Shinkansen is expensive as hell (and a JR pass isn't an option since I won't be travelling that much). What's my next best alternative?

EDIT: i dont know how months work
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Menthuss said:
I'm going on vacation to Kyoto from the 24th till the 7th of September. Any Gaffers interested in doing a meetup of sorts during that time?

Also, I really wanna see the Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba but taking the Shinkansen is expensive as hell (and a JR pass isn't an option since I won't be travelling that much). What's my next best alternative?
Click to expand...

Uh... 7th of September? Don't you mean October? :p

Well... The cheapest option is to take a bus for 8 hours:
http://willerexpress.com/st/3/en/pc...184&off=1&hkn=30&kns=15&oR=2301001&fR=1301001

Depending on which day you're going a bus pass for 10K/12.5K JPY might be cheaper to get instead of 2 single bus tickets:
http://willerexpress.com/st/3/en/pc/buspass/
 
A

Anony

Member
i ordered my tickets
sept 23 - oct 8th

the only question now regarding travel is, 14 day or 7 day JR pass?
gonna be doing half and half at tokyo and osaka
i'm thinking of setting up camp at osaka and using JR pass to do a day travel to somewhere further; in that case 7 day pass
if i want to do the same thing for tokyo; i would need get 14 day pass

in any of these cases, i would still need a passmo/suica card
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
Booo I didnt know the shinkansen seat arrangements flipped going towards Tokyo. Wanted fuji view seats but screwed up :(

Ah well, theres always next time.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Anony said:
if i want to do the same thing for tokyo; i would need get 14 day pass
Click to expand...

Um... Where are you going? If you're going to Hakone or Nikko there are other passes you should get instead. And for places like Kamakura, Yokohama and Chiba you just use your Suica/Pasmo.
 
T

ThreePiMatt

Member
Quick question, can you activate and use a JR Pass the same day? Wondering if I should bother exchanging it as soon as I land in Narita, or the following day at Tokyo Station before I actually leave for Hiroshima.
 
D

danowat

Banned
ThreePiMatt said:
Quick question, can you activate and use a JR Pass the same day? Wondering if I should bother exchanging it as soon as I land in Narita, or the following day at Tokyo Station before I actually leave for Hiroshima.
Click to expand...

As above, yes, one caveat I'd add is, if you exchange it at Narita, be prepared for big queues, upwards of an hour in some cases.

That said, the exchange counters at many stations are almost as busy, so.......
 
T

ThreePiMatt

Member
MikeHattsu said:
Yes
Click to expand...

danowat said:
As above, yes, one caveat I'd add is, if you exchange it at Narita, be prepared for big queues, upwards of an hour in some cases.

That said, the exchange counters at many stations are almost as busy, so.......
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was my concern. Last time I had a JR Pass I landed in Haneda and the line was like 5 people long. I'll probably check the line and if its too busy I'll just go do it at the train station.
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
Anyone have Verizon who's used a travel sim? I was looking into whether I had to pay off my phone last night before I went but it looks like all Verizon phones are unlocked by default. Is that true?
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
Laevateinn said:
Anyone have Verizon who's used a travel sim? I was looking into whether I had to pay off my phone last night before I went but it looks like all Verizon phones are unlocked by default. Is that true?
Click to expand...

I've been using Verizon's Travel Pass on my current trip, which is about $10/day to use your phone and service overseas like you normally would back home. I believe all Verizon plans come with it, but just talk to their customer service to make sure.

It's more expensive than getting a SIM or renting a MiFi device but its instant and super convenient.
 
T

ThreePiMatt

Member
effingvic said:
I've been using Verizon's Travel Pass on my current trip, which is about $10/day to use your phone and service overseas like you normally would back home. I believe all Verizon plans come with it, but just talk to their customer service to make sure.

It's more expensive than getting a SIM or renting a MiFi device but its instant and super convenient.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I thought about going Travel Pass route but was turned off by how it is more expensive than an MiFi rental. Also, I need to share the connection with a friend and tablet.
 
D

Deleted member 245925

Unconfirmed Member
I made a video from some of the photos and videos I took on my Japan trip in August so I can share it easier with my family and friends. Then I thought why not post it here as well, maybe it gets someone interested in visiting Japan. A few things are missing due to bad footage/weather but the video turned out better than I expected for the limited effort I put into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO_vOXMpovg

Thanks again to all the people in here for their help and recommendations, especially MikeHattsu! It was a fantastic experience and I already know I want to go there again some time in the future.
 
A

Anony

Member
MikeHattsu said:
Um... Where are you going? If you're going to Hakone or Nikko there are other passes you should get instead. And for places like Kamakura, Yokohama and Chiba you just use your Suica/Pasmo.
Click to expand...

i dont know where i'm going, lol

right now, if i follow my friend's itinerary, i would have to be in tokyo 23-27, osaka 27-3, back to tokyo 3-8
i'm leaning towards only getting the 7 day JR pass now for osaka
there's ~ a 200$ cad difference (519 vs 327) https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/
i don't think i'll be spending 200$ on transport for tokyo for 7/8 days

on a side note, the same website has data sim card: https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/services/simcard
15 day/3gb @ 34$ or 30 day/6gb @ 51$
what do you all think?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Evon said:
Thanks again to all the people in here for their help and recommendations, especially MikeHattsu! It was a fantastic experience and I already know I want to go there again some time in the future.
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One does simply not visit just once ;P


Anony said:
i dont know where i'm going, lol

right now, if i follow my friend's itinerary, i would have to be in tokyo 23-27, osaka 27-3, back to tokyo 3-8
i'm leaning towards only getting the 7 day JR pass now for osaka
there's ~ a 200$ cad difference (519 vs 327) https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/
i don't think i'll be spending 200$ on transport for tokyo for 7/8 days

on a side note, the same website has data sim card: https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/services/simcard
15 day/3gb @ 34$ or 30 day/6gb @ 51$
what do you all think?
Click to expand...

Yeah, just get the 7 day one.

Could just get one from b-mobile directly with 5GB:
http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/index.html
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
So I bought a round trip NEX ticket and my return ticket says "Valid for an ordinary reserved seat on one Narita Express". How do I select my seats? It says to look at guidance but I dont see any other instructions on the ticket.
 
D

Dartastic

Member
Having a hard time finding a really good ramen shop in Nagoya through the Internet. Anyone have any recommendations sort of near the main train station?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
effingvic said:
So I bought a round trip NEX ticket and my return ticket says "Valid for an ordinary reserved seat on one Narita Express". How do I select my seats? It says to look at guidance but I dont see any other instructions on the ticket.
Click to expand...

Isn't it just a voucher for a ticket? Just show it and ask for a reservation at the ticket office when you're gonna use it I guess.
 
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