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[Stuart444]

Yeah, it's basically a "Welcome to the store" type of greeting that you'll get from employees.

If they happen to be looking at you when they say it, I'd say just smile at them (a smile never hurts anybody) and maybe nod and then just move on with whatever you're doing.

At least that's what I plan on doing. Give a quick smile and nod and move along. Can't hurt anyway

 

[neojubei]

https://www.govoyagin.com/activities/japan-tokyo-get-tickets-to-ghibli-museum-in-tokyo/186

Wow I might have to visit this place.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Wow I might have to visit this place.

Well, that is basically the last resort option since they're expensive scalper tickets.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Those jerks are exactly why I couldn't get tickets.

 

[clay_ghost]

Hi guys, any one mind sharing sample Itinerary for Kyoto and Osaka?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Hi guys, any one mind sharing sample Itinerary for Kyoto and Osaka?

Check out Arashiyama, Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, Kiyomizudera, Fushimi Inari Shrine and Gion in Kyoto.

Check out Osaka Aquarium, Dotonbori, Osaka castle (if you're not going to Himeji) and Den Den Town in Osaka.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Well, that is basically the last resort option since they're expensive scalper tickets.

It was quite frustrating for us to actually get tickets. We did it first over the official ticket agency in Europe months before our trip. At first they told us "Nope, too early." when were actually in the official time frame the website told us. Then we tried it the time again the agency told us: "Nope, too late."

I've never experienced such a poor organisation than the ticket sale of Ghibli museum. And as you said it really was our last resort.

 

[MikeHattsu]

It was quite frustrating for us to actually get tickets. We did it first over the official ticket agency in Europe months before our trip. At first they told us "Nope, too early." when were actually in the official time frame the website told us. Then we tried it the time again the agency told us: "Nope, too late."

I've never experienced such a poor organisation than the ticket sale of Ghibli museum. And as you said it really was our last resort.

You have to basically book right away on the day they go up. If you wait too long almost everything will be gone. That goes for both international and Japanese tickets

 

[Patrick Bateman]

That was probably the mistake we made. Yet the dates of the website and those we've been told were different and somehow didn't match up.

 

[rrvv]

Anything to do in Hiroshima?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Anything to do in Hiroshima?

Visit Miyajima and Peace Park with the A-Bomb Dome and the museum. Oh, and eat some Okonomiyaki.

 

[Enjolras]

So, I'll be over in the Kansai area for 10 days next week. I've been looking at the JR passes, specifically the Kansai Area pass as a possibility and the All Shikoku pass for a trip with my sister and her friends.

What I'm trying to work out is if it's mandatory to buy these in advance, or if my passport with the visitor stamp is sufficient for buying at a JR station. Obviously, I need to work out if it's cheaper to just buy return tickets, but if I need to book these before I fly, I need to do it soon!

Any advice is appreciated.

I'm gonna be based in Kobe, with trips to Kyoto, Himeji, Osaka, Shikoku, and maybe Hiroshima or Koya-San as well.

 

[MikeHattsu]

So, I'll be over in the Kansai area for 10 days next week. I've been looking at the JR passes, specifically the Kansai Area pass as a possibility and the All Shikoku pass for a trip with my sister and her friends.

What I'm trying to work out is if it's mandatory to buy these in advance, or if my passport with the visitor stamp is sufficient for buying at a JR station. Obviously, I need to work out if it's cheaper to just buy return tickets, but if I need to book these before I fly, I need to do it soon!

You can buy the Kansai area pass here:
http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai/

Since you're staying in Kobe it will probably pay off to get the Kansai area pass.


Info about where to buy the All Shikoku pass here:
https://shikoku-railwaytrip.com/railpass.html

 

[Enjolras]

You can buy the Kansai area pass here:
http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai/

Since you're staying in Kobe it will probably pay off to get the Kansai area pass.


Info about where to buy the All Shikoku pass here:
https://shikoku-railwaytrip.com/railpass.html

Thanks for the links! So, best to book the Kansai pass online before, and buy the Shikoku one at Takamatsu after arriving there?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Thanks for the links! So, best to book the Kansai pass online before, and buy the Shikoku one at Takamatsu after arriving there?

Yeah, sounds good.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Has anyone seen the Gear performance in Kyoto? It looks pretty awesome.

http://www.gear.ac/en/

I can't find any tickets for next week, though. Veltra also has nothing.

 

[stryke]

Damn, would love to go to the meetup. Not gonna be in Tokyo that day though and can't exactly just ditch the family.


Edit: quick question - does Japan observe the easter weekend much or is it business as usual?

 

[MikeHattsu]

does Japan observe the easter weekend much or is it business as usual?

Business as usual. Some stores might have easter goods for sale though

 

[stryke]

Is there an overhead rack for small luggage inside the Access Narita bus?

 

[Gritesh]

Is there an overhead rack for small luggage inside the Access Narita bus?

I can't read.

 

[Red Blaster]

cheapest flight for me is surprisingly air canada via toronto to tokyo. anyone taken this route, how is it? as i live in florida i aint ever touched air canada before so i dont know shit about them.

 

[sfedai0]

Its mid tier airline. The food is low tier though. It was bad enough that on the return flight, I declined the food. If you get to fly the 787 though, it is definitely more comfortable that the 777.

 

[Cripplegate]

cheapest flight for me is surprisingly air canada via toronto to tokyo. anyone taken this route, how is it? as i live in florida i aint ever touched air canada before so i dont know shit about them.

They suck. They're the flag carrier airline though so the fleet is nice, as sfedai0 suggested; depending on the plane, the flight will be more than fine. Good lord though, the arrogance of this airline. Terrible customer service. Flying domestically, I stick to WestJet and Porter as much as possible.

For my first international flight? I'm going Delta. I live in Toronto, but it would cost twice as much to fly Air Canada to Tokyo than flying through the USA, so I get to experience TSA screening, whatever the hell that is. I have to be at the airport at 4am for when the TSA office at Pearson opens.

 

[openrob]

Heading to the airport in a few hours!
Anything I should really consider packing that might be useful?

 

[Zatoth]

Heading to the airport in a few hours!
Anything I should really consider packing that might be useful?

Tissues for your pocket. I always bring a lot with me. In my experience you have a hard time finding those in Japan. (Do they even have them?)

 

[SiegfriedFM]

I'm locating all the suggestions I've gotten before in this thread on a map app, so that I can use it offline. Also found other interesting places nearby. Currently, I have the following:

Nakano:
Nakano Broadway (nerd shops)

Mitaka:
Ghibli Museum

Shinjuku:
Robot Restaurant
Capcom Bar
Square-Enix Cafe

Shibuya:
Shibuya Crossing (general shopping?)
Tokyo Snake Center
JS Burger (burgers)
Toy Sapiens
Calbee (chips)
Togo Shrine
Tonkatsu Shotaro (curry)
Yoyogi Park

Asakasa:
Ninja Akakasa (restaurant)

Ginza:
Godzilla statue
Sony Showroom (is there anything cool here?)
Uniqlo (clothes)
Hakuhinkan Toy Park

Akihabara:
Forest of Owl (owl cafe)
Super Potato
Friends
Trader
Mandarake

Odaiba:
Sega Joypolis
Gundam statue
Lego Clickbrick

other:
Tokyo Budokan (there's open naginata sessions being held here - I need to check that out)
Tokyo Skytree
Meiji Shrine (is it worth going so far out of my way for this?)

Shibuya is definitely at least two days. Maybe Shinjuku as well, although it doesn't appear to have any standout shopping for me, just a ton of gimmicky bars. Nakano Broadway is a definite detour for at least a day. Ghibli Museum is booked for one of the last days. There are also a few concerts that might keep me in some areas on certain days. Either way, we have plenty of time to just look around.

Slightly related: Akiba's Trip is for sale now. Is it any good as a virtual tour of the area?

 

[cj_iwakura]

Slightly related: Akiba's Trip is for sale now. Is it any good as a virtual tour of the area?

Yakuza 5 would be better.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

This is probably more of a just a general travel related question, but any of you guys have tips on sleeping on a flight? May will be my third trip to Japan, and I'm determined to actually get some legitimate sleep this time around. I'm ditching my old "around the neck" travel pillow and just ordered a J-Pillow. Being on the tall-side, my neck is a bit longer than average, so a regular travel pillow doesn't provide enough support. I try to take melatonin, which does make me tired, but I never end up actually falling asleep. But at the same time, I don't really want to go stronger, like getting a prescription for Ambien or something.

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

I'm locating all the suggestions I've gotten before in this thread on a map app, so that I can use it offline. Also found other interesting places nearby. Currently, I have the following:
...

Shibuya:
Shibuya Crossing (general shopping?)
Tokyo Snake Center
JS Burger (burgers)
Toy Sapiens
Calbee (chips)
Togo Shrine
Tonkatsu Shotaro (curry)
Yoyogi Park

...

Meiji Shrine (is it worth going so far out of my way for this?)

Yoyogi and Meiji Shrine are basically right next to each other if you're leaving from Harajuku station. Since you mentioned clothes elsewhere you should probably walk through Harajuku and Omotesando anyway. Probably just to window shop, but there are a bunch of cool stores and buildings to explore there.

 

[hwalker84]

This is probably more of a just a general travel related question, but any of you guys have tips on sleeping on a flight? May will be my third trip to Japan, and I'm determined to actually get some legitimate sleep this time around. I'm ditching my old "around the neck" travel pillow and just ordered a J-Pillow. Being on the tall-side, my neck is a bit longer than average, so a regular travel pillow doesn't provide enough support. I try to take melatonin, which does make me tired, but I never end up actually falling asleep. But at the same time, I don't really want to go stronger, like getting a prescription for Ambien or something.

Honestly. Fly international business or first class. Sleept like a baby and was able to perfectly time my sleep to Japan. I got legitimate rest and was up and running almost immediately with more energy than the first time.

Edit: Fixed cellphone quick post errors.

 

[Zoe]

Honestly. Fly international business or first class. Sleep like a baby and times my sleep to Japan. I got legitimate rest and was up and running way more energized than the first time.

Not everybody is loaded

 

[Agent_ShortBus]

I was going to rent a sim card but then it dawned on me that portable WiFi is a thing. Now I just need some help on where or which one I should get. Anyone have any experience with mobile WiFi? I have free international sms and data capped at 2g on my cellphone anyways. With this pocket WiFi I'd be able to do WiFi calling and have my buddy connect to it also.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Looks like I'm booking tonight for sure... I'm nervous about the lack of seat availability though. :/ I had Travelocity cancel on me once after booking, and the refund process was ugly.

Also, how much would you all suggest having on hand for a week? I'd be kind of on a tight budget.

 

[Stuart444]

Yakuza 5 would be better.

Good for Kabukicho (and other areas outside of Tokyo) but not for Akiba

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth has a small section of Akiba along with what appears to be a rather good recreation of Nakano Broadway along with Shibuya, Shinjuku and a small section of Asakusa.

Going to go hunting to see if I can get some good comparison shots while there

 

[Divvy]

Anyone have experience with Airbnb in Tokyo? What should we look out for when booking a place, especially one for 6 people?

Also, looking at hotels in Tokyo, all the rooms seem tiny in general regardless of the number of stars the hotel has. Is it worth getting a room at a nicer hotel if that's the case?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Fritz]

Yoyogi and Meiji Shrine are basically right next to each other if you're leaving from Harajuku station. Since you mentioned clothes elsewhere you should probably walk through Harajuku and Omotesando anyway. Probably just to window shop, but there are a bunch of cool stores and buildings to explore there.

This. You can easily walk from Shibuya Crossing to Yoyogi Park and Meji Shrine. I'd recommend walking up Cat Road for some great shopping.

That said I loved Meiji Shrine and the path leading up to it.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Tissues for your pocket. I always bring a lot with me. In my experience you have a hard time finding those in Japan. (Do they even have them?)

What?
I was handed dozens of tissue packages on the streets last time in Japan. It were mostly packages with some new Manga, band or whatever on them.

 

[Stuart444]

just thought I'd ask here, how would I go about sending a package home from Japan?

Worried incase I buy enough that our luggage would go over the weight limit for the airline. I'd need to ship things home then (since buying a new suitcase + more luggage allowance would probably cost more than just mailing myself the items home)

 

[scarlet]

Probably not going to Japan this year.

Ex bf prefer Bangkok

I was going to rent a sim card but then it dawned on me that portable WiFi is a thing. Now I just need some help on where or which one I should get. Anyone have any experience with mobile WiFi? I have free international sms and data capped at 2g on my cellphone anyways. With this pocket WiFi I'd be able to do WiFi calling and have my buddy connect to it also.

Last time I use this http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/

 

[Zoe]

just thought I'd ask here, how would I go about sending a package home from Japan?

Worried incase I buy enough that our luggage would go over the weight limit for the airline. I'd need to ship things home then (since buying a new suitcase + more luggage allowance would probably cost more than just mailing myself the items home)

Are you already at your max number of bags?

What we did last time was have one really big suitcase (29") to start off the trip with a couple of duffle bags flattened out inside. Came in handy to just use the duffle bags when we left Tokyo (forwarded the case to the final destination) and then again when we had to redistribute things to get the case under the weight limit.

 

[Stuart444]

Yeah, 2 bags, 2 backpacks/hand luggage (one each per person).

We're hoping to fit most of our clothes and such in one so we can use the others but at the same time, we're also considering the fact that some stuff may be rather... big/wide meaning I'm not sure if they will go in the case.

Just trying to be prepared for all possibilities basically XD.

 

[Bboy AJ]

just thought I'd ask here, how would I go about sending a package home from Japan?

Worried incase I buy enough that our luggage would go over the weight limit for the airline. I'd need to ship things home then (since buying a new suitcase + more luggage allowance would probably cost more than just mailing myself the items home)

It might be cheaper to pack stuff in a box and pay for additional baggage allowance.

 

[Stuart444]

It might be cheaper to pack stuff in a box and pay for additional baggage allowance.

It's about £62 - £77+ per extra baggage.

(going off EMS, if I used something cheaper, it'd be even less): I'd need to send something that weighs around 5.0kg+ to reach the point where extra baggage would be cheaper. Possibly 6.0kg .

So yeah, would totally depend on weight after a box is packed and stuff .

(and that doesn't include customs which I'd have to pay at the airport when I get back to Scotland :/ bleh)

 

[Zatoth]

What?
I was handed dozens of tissue packages on the streets last time in Japan. It were mostly packages with some new Manga, band or whatever on them.

Oh. They hand out tissues? I always tried to avoid them.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Oh. They hand out tissues? I always tried to avoid them.

I never saw it anywhere else but in Japan.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Booked, 4/9 to 4/16. A 12 hour flight... Brr.

 

[Agent_ShortBus]

Probably not going to Japan this year.

Ex bf prefer Bangkok



Last time I use this http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/

Thanks!!

 

[elhaym]

Booked, 4/9 to 4/16. A 12 hour flight... Brr.

Yeaaaah, I'm looking at ~14.5 hours on Friday. =/

 

[Stuart444]

My flight is 1 and a half hours, then a 2+ hour layover and then an 11 hour flight. Way home is similar except it's a 6 hour layover instead of 2.

I'm looking forward to it but I also haven't flown in over 10 years >.> I'll probably be sick of it by the time I return home lol.

 

[Bullza2o]

Booked, 4/9 to 4/16. A 12 hour flight... Brr.

Congrats! Hopefully you'll still catch the cherry blossoms.

Yeaaaah, I'm looking at ~14.5 hours on Friday. =/

I'm actually excited the flight is only 12.5 hours because usually I go to the Philippines which is 19-20 hours with layovers.