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Japan Travel |OT| One does simply not visit just once
- Thread starter hwalker84
- Start date
Zoe
Member
Even for the Yokoso ones? When I tried to register it on the Suica website, it said that kind of card couldn't be registered.
ThreePiMatt
Member
Zoe
Member
It was a special tourist Suica that was given out years ago.
I got mine in 2010 as part of the NEx package deal.
MikeHattsu
Member
Just tested my 'special tourist' ICOCA cards and they read fine.
cj_iwakura
Member
Passport get. Now the hard part...
cj_iwakura
Member
Of course all the flights went up in price over the last day.
FML.
FML.
ZackieChan
Member
The flights I found went up by $40-50 in a couple hours yesterday. I was sad, but they are still ultra-cheap.
cj_iwakura
Member
I had a package at Travelocity that was around $1060, now it's $1460.
Zoe
Member
I'm getting errors with FareBot.
You should keep checking it. Our tickets doubled from the original price, but then after another day they went even lower than before.
cj_iwakura
Member
MikeHattsu
Member
MikeHattsu
Member
Seems to show the last 20 transactions.
Ah, I see. Will they be including more fare cards from around the world? Would be great to use my HK Octopus card.
MikeHattsu
Member
Dunno, but you could try downloading one of the similar apps that support Octopus, like NFC TagInfo by NXP or NFCard.
cj_iwakura
Member
Travelocity customer service basically told me to go kick rocks. I'll just wait and hope that the 4/9-4/16 fares drop again... I think I have my heart set on the Seaside Omori. It's within walking reach of places I'd like to visit(the Shinagawa) and reasonable enough by train to everywhere else.
Is there a farebot app or similar for iOS?
Check out Theflightdeal.com and register for the email and/or RSS.
Check out Theflightdeal.com and register for the email and/or RSS.
MikeHattsu
Member
Hm... Looks like the NFC reader is locked down to ApplePay on iOS, so you can't make such apps?
You've tried browsing in a private window or clearing your cookies and cache in the browser? It's less than a month to your travel date now though, so it's a high chance that the price will not go down again.
Sigh...well I'll put it on my sister's moto g then haha.
http://www.japan-guide.com/sakura/
http://www.tenki.jp/lite/sakura/expectation.html
The sakura forecast has been updated. Those going the last week of March are really lucky!
Tokyo Mar 28
Kyoto/Osaka Apr 2
Himeji Apr 5
Hiroshima Apr 4
I'll have to decide if I should go to Arashiyama or Himeji during the day on Apr 2 based on the bloom. Arashiyama might not be worth the trek if the sakura is on the ground by then.
MikeHattsu
Member
Hm? April 2 is when it's full bloom based on the forecast, aka best time to go.
Awesome, great timing for me.
for both Tokyo and Kyoto. Assuming they don't change too much that is.MikeHattsu
Member
Awesome, great timing for me.
If it continues to be warmer than usual in the coming weeks I guess it could be 2-5 days earlier than forecast right now, but not much more than that.
I got slightly confused because Japan-Guide's estimate is Mar 31 to Apr 8 but tenki lists one day on Apr 2.
How long does full bloom lasts typically? I know it depends on the rain, wind, etc. but on average is it like a couple of days?
MikeHattsu
Member
Japan Guide lists best viewing period, while tenki lists just the actual full bloom date. And it lasts a few days, yes.
Edit: Oh, and these are the dates of the most popular type of cherry trees. There's other kinds that have different blooming dates.
Time to subscribe to this thread. Going to Japan for about 2 weeks end of August/early September. Not the best time as far as I can gather, but I waited long enough for an opportunity to do it.
Working my way through this thread and damn is it overwhelming.
Decided to keep it simple. Don't want to rush things nor drag my luggage all around the country and there is always the next time.
Rough outline for now is 5 days of Tokyo, 6-7 Kyoto and 1-2 nights at a Ryokan away from the big cities at the end. (no idea where though)
I hope I can narrow this down by the end of the week, so I can start booking hotels.
Working my way through this thread and damn is it overwhelming.
Decided to keep it simple. Don't want to rush things nor drag my luggage all around the country and there is always the next time.
Rough outline for now is 5 days of Tokyo, 6-7 Kyoto and 1-2 nights at a Ryokan away from the big cities at the end. (no idea where though)
I hope I can narrow this down by the end of the week, so I can start booking hotels.
Anyone been to Hokkaido? GF and I are planning to grab a cheap flight to Hokkaido from Tokyo in September and then take the train down to Tokyo after a few days of checking it out. Aside from checking out Sapporo, anyone know any cool towns/places to check out in Hokkaido and even areas between Hokkaido and Tokyo? We can get off at a stop and check it out.
Otaru canal
MikeHattsu
Member
Yeah, I've been. You could do a day trip to Otaru and check out all the glass works and music boxes they sell there. There's also Noboribetsu where you can check out the hell valley with the volcanic activity and hot springs. If you're just interested in hot springs then Jozankei is closer to Sapporo though. I also went to the Asahiyama Zoo where I checked out the neat penguin glass tunnel on a day trip.
Of other big cities you could check out Hakodate where there's lots of western influenced buildings like Fort Goryokaku, the old British consulate, the old Hakodate public hall (they sometimes have concerts or other music performances there in the weekends) and the Russian orthodox church (didn't visit that one myself though). They also got a reconstruction of the former magistrate office inside Fort Goryokaku if you're more interested in Japanese buildings. And there's a pretty nice night view from Mount Hakodate.
You could also do a stop at Aomori if you want to check out the Nebuta Warasse museum and see some of the paper floats they use for the Nebuta Matsuri festival.
Oh, and check out the pictures I took in the Fall 2015 album in the OP ;P
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Alright, just booked my flight and hotel for Kyoto and Osaka. Five days at the end of March. I hope it's good timing for cherry blossoms.
My Pasmo from Tokyo... Is it good for traveling in the Kyoto area? Or do I need something else? My biggest gripe about traveling to Japan is how it's a cash economy. So annoying.
My Pasmo from Tokyo... Is it good for traveling in the Kyoto area? Or do I need something else? My biggest gripe about traveling to Japan is how it's a cash economy. So annoying.
MikeHattsu
Member
Yes*, but buying bus passes will in most cases be cheaper in Kyoto itself though.
*Buses outside Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe is an exception though, they'll not take Pasmo.
CountBlack
Member
So I'm going to be in Japan when Civil War comes out.. I was wondering if I'd be able to watch it there when it releases? And if so is it dubbed over or with Japanese subtitles?
You can use your Pasmo. Bus pass is 500 yen all day, but there are few areas where you have to pay extra
Probably Japanese subtitles. I saw Jupiter Ascending (Ugh) in Japan that way.
MikeHattsu
Member
That's still inside Kyoto. I'm talking about other cities in Kansai like Nara and Himeji where you can only use ICOCA and other regional IC cards.
I'm not correcting your answer, just quoting you ...
Just read this Bboy AJ
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html
MikeHattsu
Member
Oh, ok.
Looks like they changed the Icoca and Haruka deal if you're arriving/departing from KIX:
https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/pass/icoca-haruka/
The good news us that if you already have an Icoca card you can get the discount Haruka ticket without buying a new one. The bad news is that they've increased the old flat fee price of 3030/4060 one-way/return trip.
It's still the easiest way to get to Kyoto from KIX though, without any transfers.
cj_iwakura
Member
Still no luck on the flights... struggling with travelocity customer service, but you can imagine that's not going well.
Nothing's any cheaper throughout the year, either. April 9th-16th or bust.
Nothing's any cheaper throughout the year, either. April 9th-16th or bust.
I spent 5 days in Kyoto and day trip to Nara and Osaka 2 years ago, it feels too long. Not a fan of Osaka, but I love Nara
You should try the Kurama onsen in Kyoto!
5200 yen for a round trip with ICOCA!? Oh wow
Luckily I already have all the Wind & Thunder gods and The Hello Kitty edition.
MikeHattsu
Member
I went to Moriya since they had A5 grade Kobe beef:
http://www.mouriya.co.jp/en/head/index.html
I'd also recommend a Nara day trip. Check out all the deer. I also like Osaka though ;p
It's still a decent deal. Especially if it's the first time in Japan and you don't want to mess about with train transfers right away on the first day.
I got 3 ICOCA cards myself since it was cheaper than just buying Haruka tickets separately
MikeHattsu
Member
Late November if it's in Tokyo.
If you take a daytrip to Nikko you can go in mid to late October though.
I wanna go to Nikko since 2 years ago, but never had the time.
But this time I'm planning to take a day trip to takaragawa onsen in Gunma
MikeHattsu
Member
You could check out the autumn colours around Takaragawa Onsen in mid/late October.
Nikko looks awesome and it's definitely gonna be on my list of places to go whenever I do another Japan trip; however it's unfortunate the Yomeimon gate is covered up --kind of makes me question if it's worth going there before they finish renovations.
Also, for those who have eaten ekiben, which one is your favorite? I just found out there is a plethora of choices and they all look delicious. I was thinking of just going to a conbini and buy cheap food, but ekiben looks better.
Also, for those who have eaten ekiben, which one is your favorite? I just found out there is a plethora of choices and they all look delicious. I was thinking of just going to a conbini and buy cheap food, but ekiben looks better.
MikeHattsu
Member
I spent a whole day in Nikko and didn't even have time to check out Toshogu, so there's plenty of things to do there for a day at least
So I have to sacrifice Tokyo or the onsen? Ugh
Which spot in Tokyo is best for Momiji? Shinjuku gyoen?