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[EuricaeriS]

I'll check tomorrow!

Hope it works out

On a different topic, does anyone have recommendations for karaoke in the Tokyo area? Planning to do it on the next trip, but I have no idea which one is best for English-speakers. Basically looking for a good mix of English and Japanese songs. Thanks!

 

[Worthintendo]

In regards to google maps

Thanks for taking me an hour out of the way to Tama Zoo :/

 

[hwalker84]

I'm back to the grind now and have finally started to feel somewhat awake again. I took almost 1000 photos so I thought it might be best if post in little bursts, both for my own sanity and for your sakes in case you are only interested in parts of my trip. I'll start with the first couple days. I've already posted these to the Shenmue thread but you guys might not have seen them yet.

The full gallery is here. Here's some samples.

The first couple days, I visited Ryo Hazuki's hometown of Yokosuka. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a Shenmue fan or affiliated with the US Navy since it's out of the way and there's nothing particularly special about it outside of those two things. I had a good time though.













This is a shrine in an electronics/cable shop in Akihabara

Added to the OP. Any other picture albums am I missing?

 

[u_neek]

So Japan GAF, for a while I have been planning on taking a month off work to focus on my hobby which requires only my laptop and an internet connection. I want to get away from London, where I'm currently based, and have been seriously considering Japan.

My question is: Where should I go? Since I will most likely be going in February/March, I would like to stay in an area that isn't too cold and keep the accommodation relatively cheap (like a private hostel room, guesthouse etc), but other than that, I don't have many requirements. I have previously visited both Tokyo and Kyoto so these are not necessarily on my bucket list.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

I was thinking: is there anything in terms of really cool tech that is currently only available in Japan? There's not much point in getting a phone or something since they are available everywhere and improve all the time, but something unique. 15 years ago it would have been an Aibo - what's the consumer robot market like now? Something like that would be worth spending the money on if it's something that is very hard to get outside Japan.

 

[Laevateinn]

Added to the OP. Any other picture albums am I missing?

Meant to add more earlier but I came back with a nasty sinus infection. Here's some more.

Meguro Matsuri, Sunshine City, Pokemon Cafe

Ameyokocho and Sunshine City Aquarium

A city official was very forceful about getting me to take this tax quiz

I really enjoy Taiko drumming

I ate these the last time I was in Japan.

 

[Laevateinn]

We went to the Penguin Bar. It was fine but kind of expensive (are all bars? I don't drink). The penguins were molting so they looked gross and were just laying around. They didn't even regale us with bad rakugo.

Penguin Bar, Nakano etc

Robot Restaurant

Tokyo Station Pikachu is the cutest

 

[Ayumi]

lol

 

[hwalker84]

Added all your links to the OP.

 

[MikeHattsu]

So Nikko is pretty nice this time a year with some autumn colors and all:

 

[Worthintendo]

So conundrum time, I only have 3 days left in Tokyo, I was planning on head to Kyoto, but I'm having an amazing time here and don't want it to end, I still haven't done Shibuya, gone to a cat cafe and a heap of other things I'd thought about doing.

Really tempted to ditch Kyoto for an extra day in Tokyo, I know I'll regret it but I'm just soo in love with Tokyo at the moment ._.

 

[Laevateinn]

More photos: First Jimbocho, Ginza and Akihabara, followed by Nippori and a few other places.

Walking to Jimbocho there's a wealth of guitar shops. It's pretty amazing. I asked and they would ship them to America for us but in the end I decided against it. I really wanted this Kyary Pamyu Pamyu mameshiba guitar though.

In Ginza, there's a bunch of mini grocery stores that are themed to different parts of Japan. In the Tosa shop, is the best ice cream we had in Japan. It's is easy to find by looking for this statue of Kazuma Kiryu... I mean Sakamoto Ryoma statue.

We ran into a random idol group performance in Akihabara. I love getting pictures of people telling me not to take pictures. We got a lot of them on our last trip but I think this was the only one this time.

We ended up cutting our trip through Yanaka short because my girlfriend kept getting bit my mosquitos and was swelling up pretty bad. By the way, if anyone experiences a bug bite in Japan, Muhi S worked pretty well.

It was a foggy day but I liked being able to see the Tokyo Skytree in the distance from the Meiji era cemetary.

Yanaka Ginza is a really neat shopping street that looks out of place in Tokyo. At this point, my allergies were flaring up pretty badly so I didn't get to eat as much as I would have liked but the pastries from the pastry shop were pretty good that night.

So conundrum time, I only have 3 days left in Tokyo, I was planning on head to Kyoto, but I'm having an amazing time here and don't want it to end, I still haven't done Shibuya, gone to a cat cafe and a heap of other things I'd thought about doing.

Really tempted to ditch Kyoto for an extra day in Tokyo, I know I'll regret it but I'm just soo in love with Tokyo at the moment ._.

How long were you planning on spending in Kyoto? I've never been but only because I think it would be inappropriate to go without dedicating at least a week to it. My advice is, if you're running out of time, spend it in Tokyo and come back in a year or two and make Kyoto your base. You'll never run out of things to do there. If you're not, definitely go now. I kind of regret not making it to Kyoto yet but I think next time we go we'll make Kyoto our base. It's too culturely rich to ignore.

Also, are you going to Osaka? If you are and want to spend more time in Tokyo, I would consider skipping Osaka to make time for Kyoto. Do you not have reservations places?

 

[Worthintendo]

How long were you planning on spending in Kyoto? I've never been but only because I think it would be inappropriate to go without dedicating at least a week to it. My advice is, if you're running out of time, spend it in Tokyo and come back in a year or two and make Kyoto your base. You'll never run out of things to do there. If you're not, definitely go now. I kind of regret not making it to Kyoto yet but I think next time we go we'll make Kyoto our base. It's too culturely rich to ignore.

Also, are you going to Osaka? If you are and want to spend more time in Tokyo, I would consider skipping Osaka to make time for Kyoto. Do you not have reservations places?

I was going to go there for the day, I e decided it's not worth the train time to head out there at this stage. I e got 2 days in Nagoya and 4 in Osaka so I may use one of the days there for a day trip to Kyoto if I get time

And yeah reservations in place for places to stay

 

[EuricaeriS]

I e got 2 days in Nagoya and 4 in Osaka so I may use one of the days there for a day trip to Kyoto if I get time

Osaka is pretty close to Kyoto, so pop over there for a bit while in Osaka if you really want to do it. But don't worry too much about it, you'll be back.

 

[inafking]

Finally we had a meetup today with LollipopDave and MikeHatsu and I must say guys please forgive me for the akward introduction. Having a cold, having spent all the night in a karaoke in Kyoto, the shinkansen trip and having my eyes so damn red didn`t help at all.

At first I met them I didn`t even ask his real names (and the funny thing is that they knew mine since I posted that on my twitter). I was supposed to pay Mike the money for the Ghibli museum tickets but I didn`t have change so I asked him if he did. After all the fuss, I ended asking someone in the tourist information center to change 5000 yen for 1000 yen notes but they just told me to buy something in a convenience store, LOL.

When Mike asked me what did I do in Tokyo my mind just went blank and I mentioned just 2 or 3 places that came to my mind (One Piece Tower, J-World and a maid cafe) and the rest of the time I was just standing like an asshole trying to remember the rest (^_^.

I guess the lack of rest, having a cold and being too much time away from home contributed to having the most awkward introduction for a GAF member. With my red eyes I just looked like some kind of weirdo that just smoked a joint or sth.

I brought a camera and I didn`t take any pictures, and mainly because it was our first meetup and there wasn`t enough confidence between us to take shots of GAF members and invade their privacy.

Well, in the end, it was nice to meet some GAF people. We`ll meet at the Arcade/Robot Restaurant and I`ll bring the 2000 yen I was supposed to pay for the Ghibli museum tickets.

I hope we can arrange more meetups to go to another places here in Tokyo. I`m interested in doing anime pilgrimages, which of that Mike is an expert

Hugs buddies!

 

[ClayStatue]

Hi travelers,

So I'm heading on my first trip to Japan in early November. Staying in Tokyo for 3 Nights before heading to Kyoto for the remaining 8 nights. I just have a few questions:

1. Still a bit unsure of how the whole public transport system works. I have a JR Pass for when I head to Kyoto but in Tokyo I can get a different card or just pay per train if I've read correctly?

2. I'm planning on climbing a mountain or two in Kyoto and surrounds, any suggestions for hiking trails and the like?

3. It's been a few years since I've studied Japanese. How much Japanese do I need to know to get around easily or what kind of phrases are handy to know?

 

[Stuart444]

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-fe...lmster-official-store-opens-in-makuhari-chiba

For anyone in Japan between now and March 29th and is an IM@S fan.

Might see if I can make it on the 28th (day we arrive in Japan) just to see the store before it closes. Can't check in until 2/3pm so we'll have plenty of time since we arrive at 8:30 on the 28th

 

[Laevateinn]

Hi travelers,

So I'm heading on my first trip to Japan in early November. Staying in Tokyo for 3 Nights before heading to Kyoto for the remaining 8 nights. I just have a few questions:

1. Still a bit unsure of how the whole public transport system works. I have a JR Pass for when I head to Kyoto but in Tokyo I can get a different card or just pay per train if I've read correctly?

2. I'm planning on climbing a mountain or two in Kyoto and surrounds, any suggestions for hiking trails and the like?

3. It's been a few years since I've studied Japanese. How much Japanese do I need to know to get around easily or what kind of phrases are handy to know?

1. Normally I'd recommend a SUICA but if you're just there for three days it might be better to just pay per train unless you want to keep the card as a souvenir. The card requires a 500 yen deposit so for such limited use it probably doesn't meet the convenience vs cost threshold.

3. The problem with key phrases is you will have to know what they say back to you. With a little bit of nihongo you'll probably be okay. My girlfriend's Japanese is limited to things like "gohan" and "ebi ha dame". A few times we got separated including a whole day she spent in Akiba without me and she got along fine. Although, I guess there was a moment where she went into a food court looking for just rice and people thought she was nuts when she made a bowl with her hands and said "gohan?" to them.

I would recommend that you can at least say "zenzen wakaranai" and "eigo o hanasemasu ka?" to them.

 

[ClayStatue]

1. Normally I'd recommend a SUICA but if you're just there for three days it might be better to just pay per train unless you want to keep the card as a souvenir. The card requires a 500 yen deposit so for such limited use it probably doesn't meet the convenience vs cost threshold.

3. The problem with key phrases is you will have to know what they say back to you. With a little bit of nihongo you'll probably be okay. My girlfriend's Japanese is limited to things like "gohan" and "ebi ha dame". A few times we got separated including a whole day she spent in Akiba without me and she got along fine. Although, I guess there was a moment where she went into a food court looking for just rice and people thought she was nuts when she made a bowl with her hands and said "gohan?" to them.

I would recommend that you can at least say "zenzen wakaranai" and "eigo o hanasemasu ka?" to them.

Sounds like I may just pay per train then, given most of the train rides will probably be from the hotel to the inner city.

My travel buddy has 1 to 10 down-pat, everything else... I'll try to brush up on some stuff before I leave but hopefully I'll be okay as long as they talk slowish.

 

[Splash Wave]

Can anyone recommend some neighborhoods to explore after seeing all of the most popular ones? I've been in Japan for almost a month (and will be here for two more), so I want more things to check out that are off the beaten path.

 

[meltingparappa]

There are probably plenty of answers buried in the thread, but does anyone know of any cool things to do in Tokyo (or Kyoto) during New Years?

I was planning on traveling the second half of December, but am considering pushing it back a few days if I can find something nice that isn't booked up. Romantic or exciting, my girlfriend and I are up for anything.

 

[Moral Panic]

Am on the plane! Thanks for all the advice in this thread hopefully I can put it to good use. 12 hour direct flight from London Heathrow to Haneda.

 

[hwalker84]

Am on the plane! Thanks for all the advice in this thread hopefully I can put it to good use. 12 hour direct flight from London Heathrow to Haneda.

Don't be a stranger even while there. Enjoy. Take pictures and still ask questions.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

We thought about spending 15 days in Japan from March 25th til April 9th.
4 days Tokyo
4 days Kyoto
3 days Nara
3 days Osaka
1 day at the airport

We already booked the flight, yet have to book hotels, motels or hostels. Does anyone have a tip what we could get for cheap money?

Toyoko Inn looks kinda expensive.

 

[MikeHattsu]

We thought about spending 15 days in Japan from March 25th til April 9th.
4 days Tokyo
4 days Kyoto
3 days Nara
3 days Osaka
1 day at the airport

We already booked the flight, yet have to book hotels, motels or hostels. Does anyone have a tip what we could get for cheap money?

Toyoko Inn looks kinda expensive.

Well, you're going during the sakura flower season so everything is going to be more expensive than usual.

 

[Zoe]

There are probably plenty of answers buried in the thread, but does anyone know of any cool things to do in Tokyo (or Kyoto) during New Years?

I was planning on traveling the second half of December, but am considering pushing it back a few days if I can find something nice that isn't booked up. Romantic or exciting, my girlfriend and I are up for anything.

We're gonna go get crushed in the crowds at Sensouji.

 

[Stuart444]

Well, you're going during the sakura flower season so everything is going to be more expensive than usual.

Yup, it's why I'm glad I booked things when I did. Sooner the better during popular seasons.

 

[bluethree]

I live in Japan, but this is about air travel so I'll post it here.

Anyway, I have 2 months left to find a job or get out of the country, and I'd like to start preparing for that possibility now. I'd like to buy a one way ticket that's not too expensive and refundable. American Airlines seems to have them for reasonable prices still, and the cancellation fee is a few hundred USD (which I am willing to deal with). Haven't heard too many good things about AA's reliability and customer service though. Any other options? I am trying to get something around 150,000 yen.

 

[inafking]

We thought about spending 15 days in Japan from March 25th til April 9th.
4 days Tokyo
4 days Kyoto
3 days Nara
3 days Osaka
1 day at the airport

We already booked the flight, yet have to book hotels, motels or hostels. Does anyone have a tip what we could get for cheap money?

Toyoko Inn looks kinda expensive.

Maybe you can shorten the time in Nara by on day and extend your stay in Osaka. There are far more things to do in Osaka than in Nara.

In Nara you have mainly the Todaiji temple with the big Budha and the deers. You may even make just a day trip there, while in Osaka you have:
- Osaka Castle
- Kaiyukan Aquarium
- Den Den Town
- Dotombori
- Kuromon Ichiba
- Universal Studios Japan
- Maybe a baseball match of Hanshin Tigers or Orix Buffaloes
- Umeda/Osaka Station City (Water clock at the south building of Osaka station)
- Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine (a very old and peaceful shinto shrine)
- Abeno Harukas
- Tennoji Zoo
- Tetsujin 28-go (I think it was called gigantor in America) statue in Kobe which is close to Osaka
- Kobe port and tower
- Maybe a soccer match of Gamba or Cerezo Osaka
- Kobe Chinatown

At the end it's your call. Have a nice trip!

 

[Jaimonster]

Hello Again JapanTravelGAF!! I am just ONE WEEK away from leaving Mexico and going to Japan for the first time.

I already made my schedule and arrangements, but one last thing has come at the very last minute as usual. It seems that there are tickets for the One Piece Kabuki act and I would very much like your help in making a simple RSVP for it!

The website is this, can anyone help me translate or guide me through so I can get me some tickets for it? And also, anyone would like to join me? Im planning to go there on the Friday before Halloween [Oct 30] and if not, on Monday [Nov 2].

Once again, THANKS!

 

[Zatoth]

Hello Again JapanTravelGAF!! I am just ONE WEEK away from leaving Mexico and going to Japan for the first time.

I already made my schedule and arrangements, but one last thing has come at the very last minute as usual. It seems that there are tickets for the One Piece Kabuki act and I would very much like your help in making a simple RSVP for it!

The website is this, can anyone help me translate or guide me through so I can get me some tickets for it? And also, anyone would like to join me? Im planning to go there on the Friday before Halloween [Oct 30] and if not, on Monday [Nov 2].

Once again, THANKS!

https://www2.ticket-web-shochiku.com/eticket/top.do

I think you can order tickets here.

 

[Zatoth]

We thought about spending 15 days in Japan from March 25th til April 9th.
4 days Tokyo
4 days Kyoto
3 days Nara
3 days Osaka
1 day at the airport

We already booked the flight, yet have to book hotels, motels or hostels. Does anyone have a tip what we could get for cheap money?

Toyoko Inn looks kinda expensive.

It was already mentioned. But 3 days Nara sounds quite long. Do you have plans there? I've been there only once for one day and was able to see pretty much everything I wanted to.

As for Tokyo Inn? What are the prices?

Did you check hostelworld already? Many hostels also offer private rooms. Assuming you don't want to stay in a dorm.

 

[SKINNER!]

Early in my trip, we made our way to a few arcades and then that Saturday we went to Tokyo Game Show. Overall, I'm glad I went but it's not an experience I would repeat. There were far too many people and the lines to see anything were just too long.

Same experience I had in TGS back in 2013. Loved the atmosphere and how different it was from my experiences at PAX and E3 but have no intentions of attending it again. Far too many people and lines are too long if you're lucky to join them before they're shut. Plus, looking at stuff that'll only be released in Japan makes me sad

 

[Moral Panic]

Pretty decent first day in Japan. A ridiculous amount of salary men in suits during lunch kinda scared me away from trying some of the smaller restaurants/izakaya near where I am staying. Instead I decided to go to the burger place and try a weird burger place Lotteria. I had a Toribogou burger which looked great in the image but Japanese advertising is 100% fraudulent. And then I got confused at the trashcan between all the different types of trash and one of the staff rushed over to relieve that burden from me. Walking around I got a few stares but nothing overall too harrowing.

Shibuya at night is really nice and there's actually something relieving about seeing other foreigners around. Saw a street band for a bit but they don't have a hat out to collect money? Spent a good while in Shibuya 109 mens. The staff working at the different shops there are really, really nice and humoured my poor attempts to explain what I wanted. Had a Tonkatsu curry at Hikarie and talked to an American girl who was staying for 6 months. I can't use chopsticks (clumsy hands) so just asked for a fork, which like most things, was more daunting to think about than to actually do.

Tomorrow I think I'll do Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.

 

[N0VAM0D]

So, this is my first post in here. Nice to meet you, JapanTravelGAF!

Not too long ago Jetstar had this great sale on flights to Japan, and I spontaneously bought myself a ticket! I'm going to be in Japan from May 10th until June 21st. I can't wait, I've been wanting to go for something like 9 years now.

I'll probably be posting in here a lot just looking for general advice and such. I'm currently planning where I'm actually going to be going and just sussing out AirBnB and Couchsurfing. I'll be travelling solo, and I'm pretty okay with having quite a loosely planned schedule. I would also really love to meet some new people while I'm away, and just really dive into what the country has to offer.

Any suggestions on locations? I sort of want to spend a lot of time in Tokyo because I wanna indulge in it. The things I'm most interested in doing are probably eating (from the absolute best to the hidden gems), going to bars/nightclubs, local gigs, sake/tea tasting, sussing out graphic design studios, aquarium, arcades, shopping, taking photos of nice architecture... and a lot of other things... sightseeing is a bit of a no-brainer! I think I would really like to visit Kyoto and Osaka and perhaps embark on some day trips from there.

Anyone?

 

[Zoe]

OMG OMG, Shimabukuro Hiroko just announced a live for when I'm gonna be in Tokyo!

T_T <-- happy tears

Now to just find someone to do all the legwork.

 

[hwalker84]

Anyone?

How long out of that time do you want to spend in Tokyo and how much seeing other cities? That's a long time to just stay in Tokyo. You can't day trip Osaka or Kyoto from Tokyo. Maybe start in Tokyo have some fun for a week. Head to Nagasaki or Fukuoka and start working your way back.

 

[N0VAM0D]

How long out of that time do you want to spend in Tokyo and how much seeing other cities? That's a long time to just stay in Tokyo. You can't day trip Osaka or Kyoto from Tokyo. Maybe start in Tokyo have some fun for a week. Head to Nagasaki or Fukuoka and start working your way back.

I said I'd like to visit other cities such as Kyoto and Osaka, and day trip to places, not that I'm going to stay in Tokyo and day trip everywhere from there. I'm not that stupid, haha.

But yeah, some sort of loop pattern could be good! I have to leave from Tokyo, too, because it's a return ticket, so it makes sense to do it that way.

 

[Zatoth]

I said I'd like to visit other cities such as Kyoto and Osaka, and day trip to places, not that I'm going to stay in Tokyo and day trip everywhere from there. I'm not that stupid, haha.

But yeah, some sort of loop pattern could be good! I have to leave from Tokyo, too, because it's a return ticket, so it makes sense to do it that way.

Did you consider Okinawa? You said you are interested in aquariums. They have a pretty cool one there.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7109.html

 

[N0VAM0D]

Did you consider Okinawa? You said you are interested in aquariums. They have a pretty cool one there.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7109.html

Ahh, that looks awesome! How do you get to Okinawa though, and how long does it take? I've heard there's another cool aquarium in Osaka?

 

[hwalker84]

Ahh, that looks awesome! How do you get to Okinawa though, and how long does it take? I've heard there's another cool aquarium in Osaka?

It's pretty nice

 

[hwalker84]

Ahh, that looks awesome! How do you get to Okinawa though, and how long does it take? I've heard there's another cool aquarium in Osaka?

You can fly to Okinawa for pretty cheap.

Here's my 3 week trip for example in 2013.

Tokyo
Nagasaki
Fukuoka
Hiroshima
Miyajima
Himeji
Kobe
Osaka
Kyoto
Nara
Hakone
Tokyo

Second trip I visited some same places and new places.

Tokyo
Kamakura
Nagano
Fukuoka
Hiroshima
Okayama
Himeji
Osaka
Nagoya
Kanazawa
Tokyo

I love to eat and shop. I start getting burned out going temple to temple. Fukuoka, Tokyo, and Osaka are my foodie spots.

 

[Zatoth]

Ahh, that looks awesome! How do you get to Okinawa though, and how long does it take? I've heard there's another cool aquarium in Osaka?

By plane. Not too expensive. You could go from Tokyo to Okinawa and than from Okinawa to Osaka for example.

When I was on Okinawa I stayed in Naha and took a ferry to reach the aquarium. I think there was also a bus tour available and the visited some kind of brewery. Some guests in my hostels told me about it.

As you are staying quite long in Japan, a few days on Okinawa may be a good idea.

 

[Zoe]

Anybody use proxies for fanclubs and concert tickets? Some of these fees are ridiculous

 

[Gacha-pin]

Anybody use proxies for fanclubs and concert tickets? Some of these fees are ridiculous

Have you tried a vpn software?

https://www.tunnelbear.com/
(^500MB data transfer for free)

I guess you can get a better solution for avoiding ip/region blocking in steam thread.(or Japan thread

 

[MikeHattsu]

Have you tried a vpn software?

I think it's about proxies as people buying stuff for you kind, not the getting around ip blocking kind.

 

[Zoe]

I think it's about proxies as people buying stuff for you kind, not the getting around ip blocking kind.

Yeah

The one my friend used to get tickets for the MAX 20th Anniversary is wanting a 4500 yen fee for the fanclub alone (on top of the normal membership fees). The fanclub doesn't even send out anything by snail mail anymore--it's completely online

 

[BronsonLee]

I did Nara in a day. It was the best damn day of my trip, but it only needed one day.

Extend the Osaka portion.

 

[Splash Wave]

What's the best/most cost effective way to get from Tokyo to Osaka?

 

[Zatoth]

What's the best/most cost effective way to get from Tokyo to Osaka?

Maybe an overnight bus?

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4006.html