Support NeoGAF

[mrklaw]

When we had a flying visit we arrived at Hiroshima in the morning, went around the sights then had okonomiyaki in a restaurant near the station. We then took a train to miyajima and stayed in a hotel right by the ferry terminal.

Then next day we got an early ferry which got us to the island while it was still quiet. Did the sights, ferry back in the afternoon, train back to Hiroshima and Shinkansen to Tokyo

So doable with a one night stopover but staying near miyajima was helpful for us

 

[keffri]

Me and a few friends are planning a trip to Japan this April. We're looking for some recommendations on what we should do, see, and eat.

Are schedule right now looks like.

April 18th to 22nd - Tokyo
April 23rd and 24th - Hakone
April 25th to 30th - Kyoto/Osaka

May 1st - 5th - We're flying to Korea. A few of my friends know Korea pretty well so we're set for that.

May 6th to 11th - Flying back to Tokyo, and then available to travel to what we've missed or what we'd like to revisit.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mrklaw]

Anyone been to the Christmas markets in yoyogi park and roppongi hills? We'll be around harajuki for the toy store on Christmas Eve so will probably check out the yoyogi market, but not sure what to expect. Will it be Japanese style, German style, Japanese interpretation of German style?

 

[Megalosaro]

I was thinking of re-visiting Japan for my 30th birthday in July. It would be my 2nd time in Japan, and my best friend’s 1st time.



Temporary itinerary:


Depart LA on Thursday, get into Narita around 1 PM on Friday. From my recollection, it’s about an hour and a half from Narita to Tokyo.


I’ve already done Tokyo before, but since my bestie has never been there, I think I owe it to show him around. I was thinking something like

Friday: It will probably be around 3 or 4 by time we drop our stuff off at a hotel. I’d probably hit something like the Imperial Palace, Shibuya (Particularly the Meiji Shrine and National Sword Museum), Gundam Front at Odaiba, various other stuff I like there. I’d expect to spend 3 days there. Saturday, Sunday and maybe leave Monday night.

I REALLY want to hit up Kofu. I’d want to visit the Takeda Shrine. Is it realistic to hit that early in the morning, and then go to Mt. Fuji around noon? I imagine climbing it is an all day thing, so that’s probably not doable. At least all the way. Either way, that would be Tuesday.



Wednesday… Osaka? Or Maybe Kyoto. Thursday: Hiroshima.



Friday, We’d depart again, so we’d probably have to not spend the night in Hiroshima.


Doable? 2000 dollar / person budget sound?



Just had the idea today. Basing the time frames around available flights and time I can get off

 

[Laevateinn]

First thing, July is supposed to be extremely hot and humid in Japan. Are you okay with that?

You want to do all that in about a week? That would be too stressful for me.

Does that 2000 include airfare and accommodations? If so, that seems a bit tight for me. If not, I could see that being reasonable.

 

[Fireblend]

Hard to believe a week from now I'll be on my third day in Japan. Can't wait, I can barely get work done just thinking about it

I ended up getting the 14-day sim card to pick up at the airport. I got an email today that it was sent already to the post office so I'm guessing I'll have no problem picking it up. How much cash should I bring with me? I'm guessing it'd be a bad idea to just arrive with my debit cards and no cash, and I have to make a note of exchanging my local currency into dollars before I leave

 

[mYm|17|]

I just got back on Sunday and man, being Japan is pretty awesome. The crazy amount of people in and around Tokyo is just nuts. That said, I think I tried to explore everything I could in a short amount of time and got wore the fuck out.

Next time I will be going to Osaka/Kyoto

 

[Laevateinn]

Hard to believe a week from now I'll be on my third day in Japan. Can't wait, I can barely get work done just thinking about it

I ended up getting the 14-day sim card to pick up at the airport. I got an email today that it was sent already to the post office so I'm guessing I'll have no problem picking it up. How much cash should I bring with me? I'm guessing it'd be a bad idea to just arrive with my debit cards and no cash, and I have to make a note of exchanging my local currency into dollars before I leave

That's a pretty interesting way to say you'll be in Japan in 4 days.

The first time I went, I got out 80000 yen in advance and had to pay pretty heavily in fees. The second time I went, I started with yen that I had left over and just got money out from ATMs the whole time. If you want to go through a bank or somewhere that isn't planning on fucking you over as much, you'll want to get that done soon. Typically banks require some time to make the currency purchase and get it delivered.

 

[WoodWERD]

Man, some of you guys don't mess around when it comes to trip planning. Is Chinese New Year a bad time to visit? I'm thinking about going for a few weeks around early/mid February.

 

[Fireblend]

The first time I went, I got out 80000 yen in advance and had to pay pretty heavily in fees. The second time I went, I started with yen that I had left over and just got money out from ATMs the whole time. If you want to go through a bank or somewhere that isn't planning on fucking you over as much, you'll want to get that done soon. Typically banks require some time to make the currency purchase and get it delivered.

So there's no friendly/non-abusive way to turn dollars into yens at the airport? I'm counting on being able to withdraw some money there too, but I thought I'd bring some cash to exchange as well in case I couldn't for whatever reason.

 

[Laevateinn]

So there's no friendly/non-abusive way to turn dollars into yens at the airport? I'm counting on being able to withdraw some money there too, but I thought I'd bring some cash to exchange as well in case I couldn't for whatever reason.

You'll almost never get a good rate at an airport or anywhere that is doing exchanges as a for-profit business model. If you're worried, I would exchange about $100 or so to get by and have an idea where a low-fee ATM near your hotel is so you can just get your money there. When you pay with card or withdraw from an ATM, you will get very near the current bank rate.

Also, don't worry too much about people saying Japan isn't a card-based society. There's a lot of places that don't accept card but there's a lot of places like that here in Chicago. There were tons of places when I went last that took card.

Take Akihabara. Super Potato, Traders and Retro Game Camp all took card. Friends didn't. You'll be fine. Just make sure you call your bank/credit-card-company to let them know in advance. Although, my bank shut off my card when I spent over $200 at Super Potato (because why would I spend that much at a potato store in Japan?)

 

[Gibbo]

So there's no friendly/non-abusive way to turn dollars into yens at the airport? I'm counting on being able to withdraw some money there too, but I thought I'd bring some cash to exchange as well in case I couldn't for whatever reason.

There's this tourism centre near harajuku, with a currency changing machine where you slot in your notes to convert into yen. I remember receiving a good rate on my SGD. It's near the station, about 5mins walk left of the Gap outlet

 

[JulianImp]

I found a little automatic exchange machine near Namba Station (the non-JR one) in Osaka, where I was able to exchange dollars for a slightly higher rate than at most exchange centers. It's less than half a block away from a McDonald's just outside Namba City that has all of its seats on the second floor of the store, in case anyone happens to be in the city and wants to look for it.

Still, I'm stuck with 70 dollars I was unable to exchange there (because they were old $50 and $20 bills), so I'm looking around Tokyo to try and find a place where I could actually turn them into some yen I could spend on my last week in Japan.

By the way, does anyone here have any recommendations for owl cafes in the Tokyo area? My friend and I really wanted to try one out before we leave Japan, but also wanted to look around for different alternatives outside of the one cafe I know of.

 

[Laevateinn]

I found a little automatic exchange machine near Namba Station (the non-JR one) in Osaka, where I was able to exchange dollars for a slightly higher rate than at most exchange centers. It's less than half a block away from a McDonald's just outside Namba City that has all of its seats on the second floor of the store, in case anyone happens to be in the city and wants to look for it.

Still, I'm stuck with 70 dollars I was unable to exchange there (because they were old $50 and $20 bills), so I'm looking around Tokyo to try and find a place where I could actually turn them into some yen I could spend on my last week in Japan.

By the way, does anyone here have any recommendations for owl cafes in the Tokyo area? My friend and I really wanted to try one out before we leave Japan, but also wanted to look around for different alternatives outside of the one cafe I know of.

We went to Akiba Fukurou last time. You'll need a reservation.

 

[JulianImp]

We went to Akiba Fukurou last time. You'll need a reservation.

I'm a sucker for number-based wordplay, so I find the fact that the web site uses 2960 as a stand-in for 'fukurou' quite fun.

Still, I've been looking around the site but haven't managed to find anything mentioning how much it'd cost, so I'm kind of wary about making a reservation yet. Just how much should we expect to end up spending there?

 

[Laevateinn]

I'm a sucker for number-based wordplay, so I find the fact that the web site uses 2960 as a stand-in for 'fukurou' quite fun.

Still, I've been looking around the site but haven't managed to find anything mentioning how much it'd cost, so I'm kind of wary about making a reservation yet. Just how much should we expect to end up spending there?

I never noticed the 2960 think until now. That's pretty cool.

It was really cheap. I think it was only about $15/person. I was surprised. If you go to the door and have them help sign you up you can ask then. That's what we did.

Edit: I just checked my reservation email.
● 1 person / ¥1,500 [Include Tax/Cash only]

 

[kubus]

Maybe it's different outside Europe but I'm always puzzled by people coming into this thread and worrying about converting dollars and how much money they should bring.

I always get on the plane without any cash on me, just my debit and credit card. Once I'm in Japan, I find the nearest Seven Bank ATM (usually within 5 minutes walking range from the terminal) and withdraw as much money as I want using my debit card. I pay like 1,50 euro in bank fees for every transaction, which is basically nothing. Once I've spent that, I can always get more from any 7 Eleven.

Are bank fees so much more expensive in the US or something?

^Btw I've also been to Ikefukuro Cafe, and it was a bit awkward but a nice experience. They just let around 10 people in every time slot and you can walk around (it's very small) and pet the owls. If you ask the staff, they will put one on your shoulder and take a picture for you. Also, last time I went they had this twitter campaign where if you tweeted using their hashtag and showed it at the counter, you got a discount. It's the only owl cafe I've been to so I can't compare it to others, but I'd give it a 7/10. It was cool seeing the owls and taking a picture with one, but the whole atmosphere was a bit awkward (though of course ymmv). There was also nothing "cafe"ish about it. While at the cat cafe in Shinjuku you could actually order a drink and food and relax by reading some manga while being surrounded by cats, at Ikefukuro you just walk around the room admiring the owls, buy a bottle of water (iirc this was required or included in the price of admission or something) and leave. There were a few places to sit beside the owls, but the place is so small, there's not enough room for everyone to sit down so at some point you have to get up to make room for other people. It was cheap though, so I can't really complain, and the staff was friendly. Also, almost all of the owls are named after Attack on Titan characters .

 

[Laevateinn]

Maybe it's different outside Europe but I'm always puzzled by people coming into this thread and worrying about converting dollars and how much money they should bring.

I always get on the plane without any cash on me, just my debit and credit card. Once I'm in Japan, I find the nearest Seven Bank ATM (usually within 5 minutes walking range from the terminal) and withdraw as much money as I want using my debit card. I pay like 1,50 euro in bank fees for every transaction, which is basically nothing. Once I've spent that, I can always get more from any 7 Eleven.

Are bank fees so much more expensive in the US or something?

If you look at Fireblend's profile, he's actually from Costa Rica so that could be the case for him. Some banks in the US do charge a small percentage fee although neither the one I work for nor the one I have my credit card through do.

 

[Fritz]

I just got back on Sunday and man, being Japan is pretty awesome. The crazy amount of people in and around Tokyo is just nuts. That said, I think I tried to explore everything I could in a short amount of time and got wore the fuck out.

Next time I will be going to Osaka/Kyoto

I was so worn out after my first trip. For the same reasons. My schedule was maxed out because there was so much I wanted to see and had been wanting to for more than a decade. Also the fact that you're never alone and have to make an effort to rest and be able to contemplate. Don't worry, everything will settle and then slowly that urge for another visit kicks in. My second visit was just awesome since I didn't feel that pressure and was better in navigating Tokyo and everything basically.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Man, some of you guys don't mess around when it comes to trip planning. Is Chinese New Year a bad time to visit? I'm thinking about going for a few weeks around early/mid February.

Nah, February should be good. That's when I'm going next time ;P

Maybe it's different outside Europe but I'm always puzzled by people coming into this thread and worrying about converting dollars and how much money they should bring.

Should at least bring enough to survive for 2-3 days, just in case there's something wrong with the ATMs.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Should at least bring enough to survive for 2-3 days, just in case there's something wrong with the ATMs.

I always find this advice very helpful.
The first time I went to Japan with around 120,000 Yen in cash. It felt super weird to always carry so much money with me. But I never had the problem to look for an ATM.
The second I went I took around 50,000 Yen in cash and looked out for post offices. It was never a problem that I ran out of money, but you actually have to find those offices, they have their opening times etc.
Thus having a little financial cushion isn't bad. I'd rather take too much cash to Japan than not enough.

 

[MikeHattsu]

The second I went I took around 50,000 Yen in cash and looked out for post offices. It was never a problem that I ran out of money, but you actually have to find those offices, they have their opening times etc.

Easier to just find a 7-11 and withdraw money there ;P

Some Lawson and Family Mart (but not all until they complete the rollout in 2020) stores also allows you to use foreign credit cards to withdraw money now as well.

 

[Fritz]

I never had a problem finding an atm in japan. But I do have a very travel friendly credit card. Works with every atm and zero transaction fees worldwide.

Patrick, it's dkb. Worth checking out.

 

[JulianImp]

Easier to just find a 7-11 and withdraw money there ;P

Some Lawson and Family Mart (but not all until they complete the rollout in 2020) stores also allows you to use foreign credit cards to withdraw money now as well.

In my case, convini ATMs always told me they wanted to charge extra to allow me to make a withdrawal, so I've been using post office ATMs exclusively so far.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

ATM:s are everywhere so that's never a problem.

As for owl cafes, I went to "Forest of Owl" in Akiba, on a street near the north railway. It was a bit dark which I assume is better for the owls. They let you wear a glove and have one sitting on your hand.

 

[MikeHattsu]

In my case, convini ATMs always told me they wanted to charge extra to allow me to make a withdrawal, so I've been using post office ATMs exclusively so far.

Hm... I only get the 'A card issuer handling charge may apply.' message that got nothing to do with the ATM itself.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

In my case, convini ATMs always told me they wanted to charge extra to allow me to make a withdrawal, so I've been using post office ATMs exclusively so far.

I think that was the case with my credit card, too. Thus I only used the ATM at the post office.

 

[JulianImp]

Hm... I only get the 'A card issuer handling charge may apply.' message that got nothing to do with the ATM itself.

The one time I tried a 7-11 (or was it a FamiMa?), the ATM explicitly told me I'd be paying about ¥300 as some kind of service charge, on top of whatever my card issuer might be charging me for the transaction, so of course I just quit the operation and went to the nearest post office instead.

Picking up Amazon packages at convinis is also a bit of a pain, since you've got to input two codes on their loppi machines for each shipment and take all the receipts to the clerks, which sucked because Amazon had decided to split our package in three separate deliveries...

 

[Zoe]

We converted too much cash last time, barely had to use any cause most places took credit card.

 

[MikeHattsu]

The one time I tried a 7-11 (or was it a FamiMa?), the ATM explicitly told me I'd be paying about ¥300 as some kind of service charge, on top of whatever my card issuer might be charging me for the transaction, so of course I just quit the operation and went to the nearest post office instead.

Huh, weird.

 

[hwalker84]

We converted too much cash last time, barely had to use any cause most places took credit card.

Kinda the opposite of my experiences. Once I left Tokyo and was all over the place I used cash mostly throughout my trips.

 

[Fireblend]

Alright then, I guess I'll just bring $100 in case of an emergency (I've had cards not work for me at certain ATMs before in other countries, even though I let my bank know I'd be travelling in advance) and rely on withdrawing as soon as I find an ATM. Thanks for the info!

 

[nabe_shogun]

Both times I've gone I didn't bring much cash. The most recent time I was there a week and I took about 54,000 Yen with me. I already had all my hotels and train pass paid for, so what I brought was just for food and stuff I didn't need. Which is the way I'd do it again. I ended up bringing back about 20,000.

 

[Zoe]

Both times I've gone I didn't bring much cash. The most recent time I was there a week and I took about 54,000 Yen with me. I already had all my hotels and train pass paid for, so what I brought was just for food and stuff I didn't need. Which is the way I'd do it again. I ended up bringing back about 20,000.

We spent about the same amount of cash for two people spread across two weeks. Mostly museum or vending machine stuff (or museum vending machine in the case of the Ramen Museum) aside from a few store purchases that were made before I pointed out we could use credit card at those places. The largest purchase was around 3000 yen at a Cocoichi that was cash only.

 

[Stuart444]

Gundam Statue getting taken down in March

If anyone wants to see it in Odaiba better do it before March.

 

[Johnlenham]

Last night in Japan (in Osaka) as we fly into Taiwan next. Spent shit loads of money.
(comparatively to other times we've been away) but we did go to Disney Sea and also universal studios (was ok but only worth it for my wife's hype/reaction to harry potter, not rating it as a theme park tbh)

We've both on and off half joked about trying to move here, especially helps as we know people who've lived here 5+ years from London, thats how much we've liked it.

Nara was a particular highlight of mine, going up and down the mountain on Miajima as well.

Would def want to atleast come back as a proper tourist with some nice sets of clothes and alot of suitcase space next time though, been looking hobo as fuck wearing everything warm we packed over an over.

So yeah bummed to be leaving but of Taiwan is even half as good as Japan were in for a treat.

Tdlr: Japan is great go if you can.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

Gundam Statue getting taken down in March

If anyone wants to see it in Odaiba better do it before March.

But, but, but... Then how will they defend themselves when China sends their 40m Guan Yu to invade?

Glad I got to see it anyway.

 

[Fireblend]

Just boarded my plane they have Your Name available on the entertainment system, maybe I'll finally watch it.

 

[OniBarubary]

Okay, so I have my itinerary complete for my January trip to Japan!

1/14 to 1/16 we'll be in Tokyo at the Shinjuku Granbell
1/17 to 1/18 we'll do Kyoto at Sakura Terrace and we really wanted to stay at Kurama Onsen Ryokan but they have a REALLY strict no tattoo policy and all of us are tatted as fuck so that went down the train
1/9-1/23 back in Tokyo

The Tokyo days are just where we're staying, we're planning on taking a lot of trips to other places on the train like I think we wanna do a Hakone or Nikko day and an Osaka day trip.

I've never been to Japan so honestly I don't care if we do a lot of normal touristy things. My friends have been there a bunch so I'm gonna be dragged to new stuff they wanna do anyways.

I fully expect to be in a bar or two every night and I've actually been looking pretty hard for some venues to see some metal/hardcore/punk shows during that time. lol Maybe crash a local show of like 20 people so they're like "Who the fuck is this guy?"

As it gets closer I'm getting more excited for it.

 

[MikeHattsu]

The Tokyo days are just where we're staying, we're planning on taking a lot of trips to other places on the train like I think we wanna do a Hakone or Nikko day and an Osaka day trip.

You're doing a day trip to Osaka from Tokyo? Why not stay somewhere in Kyoto to do that?

 

[OniBarubary]

Well I think the 16th or 19th is the Osaka day, so we'd be going from Tokyo to Osaka then to Kyoto, or vice versa.

I dunno, I didn't make these plans, I'm just a girl tee hee~ *twists lock of hair around finger*

 

[MikeHattsu]

Well I think the 16th or 19th is the Osaka day, so we'd be going from Tokyo to Osaka then to Kyoto, or vice versa.

Alright

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Gundam Statue getting taken down in March

If anyone wants to see it in Odaiba better do it before March.

I feel very fortunate I got to see it in person when I was there.

 

[Owlowiscious]

Any guides or tips or site or something for Comiket visit? The insane type where you go as soona s you're allowed then rush the table(s) you want stuff from as your group splits up to go to different tables

 

[m_shortpants]

I'm finally going to Japan at the end of the month!

I studied Japanese all 4 years of high school and an additional year in college, but never ended up going.

I've forgotten so much, basically all kanji other than the basics, but I'm still really excited.

Going with my fiance who is fluent and has lived in Japan so should be alright as far as making my way around.

We're probably going to be in Tokyo for 3 days and Kyoto for 3. Might go to Hakone onsen but other than that it's up in the air for now.

Would love recommendations. Robot cafe is on the list as is the Gundam. Akihabara as well.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Looks like Kintetsu Railway now allows you to book limited express tickets online:
https://www.ticket.kintetsu.co.jp/vs/en/e-ticket/

Mostly useful for people going to Mount Yoshinoyama to see the cherry blossoms or Ise-Shima and you don't have an JR Pass.

 

[elhaym]

Any guides or tips or site or something for Comiket visit? The insane type where you go as soona s you're allowed then rush the table(s) you want stuff from as your group splits up to go to different tables

The only thing I can suggest is mark up your map ahead of time and prioritize the tables you wanna hit. God have mercy on your soul if you wanna hit the commercial booths...

 

[Boy Wander]

Just booked flights for a second trip to Japan with my 11 year old son for next summer. Last summer we visited Tokyo, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Kyoto. Next time we're planning Tokyo and Hokkaido. Can't wait!

 

[hwalker84]

I'm finally going to Japan at the end of the month!

I studied Japanese all 4 years of high school and an additional year in college, but never ended up going.

I've forgotten so much, basically all kanji other than the basics, but I'm still really excited.

Going with my fiance who is fluent and has lived in Japan so should be alright as far as making my way around.

We're probably going to be in Tokyo for 3 days and Kyoto for 3. Might go to Hakone onsen but other than that it's up in the air for now.

Would love recommendations. Robot cafe is on the list as is the Gundam. Akihabara as well.

I had a great stay at https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...igarashimo_gun_Kanagawa_Prefecture_Kanto.html

I'd like to go to a more traditional one next time. The food was incredible.

 

[Boy Wander]

If anyone is interested, I've finally got around to uploading pictures of my summer holidays with my 11 year old son in Japan:

https://goo.gl/photos/47T2jxRGJUcW2cGr6