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[HideyoshiJP]

Hm... That doesn't sound true...

I've mainly read about it on some blogs. They could just be reading into it to much, though. We all know nobody in the history of ever has ever made assumptions; especially me. /s
I do wish I had been more dedicated to learning some Japanese before I came. I also wish I had used something besides Rosetta Stone. I may not be able to say, you know, anything useful, but I sure can say stuff like "The baby is in the dining room." But you only get as much as you put into studying a language, and I put too much into work and vegetating, and not enough into studying. The next thing I knew, it was time to go.

 

[Robot Carnival]

I've been to Japan back in 2009 and I'm planning to head back again next year around March/Apirl for some sakura viewing. anyone got some suggestions or pointer that they don't mind sharing?

my last trip was really fun, if not a a little tiring since it's all within 3 weeks (but I really enjoy it). and I think over all I only spent about $3800 (JR pass and plane ticket included). went to Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Kyoto, Himeji, a little bit of Tokyo (I was sick when i got there so didn't get to see much) then Hokkaido, including Hakodate, Sapporo, Otaru, Noboribetsu (for hot spring) and even to this wetland preservation area at Kushiro to see some wild cranes.

I'm thinking this time it'll also be 3 weeks and I might be going to the more Western and Southern regions. but since I didn't get to do Tokyo that much last time, I think 1 week will be at there (I'm thinking maybe the last week just in case I go a little crazy with shopping so I don't need to carry around too much stuff). I have yet done much research but from a quick look I think I might be looking at the Kyushu area, like Kagoshima and Miyazaki. also might hit Yokohama on my way to Tokyo. would going up to the top of Fuji an acceptable option at that time of year?

anyway, looking forward to any reply and suggestions. many thanks ahead.

 

[MikeHattsu]

would going up to the top of Fuji an acceptable option at that time of year?

No. Unless you got previous mountain climbing skills, or do training and join a tour:
https://www.fujimountainguides.com/climbing-mt-fuji.html

 

[ThreePiMatt]

I did Mt. Fuji in the middle of August and it was probably below freezing at the summit (at least at 4-5am when I was up there). In spring I imagine it'll be considerably worse.

 

[Robot Carnival]

No. Unless you got previous mountain climbing skills, or do training and join a tour:
https://www.fujimountainguides.com/climbing-mt-fuji.html

I did Mt. Fuji in the middle of August and it was probably below freezing at the summit (at least at 4-5am when I was up there). In spring I imagine it'll be considerably worse.

ah, ok then, so I can take that off the list for this trip. thanks.

 

[stryke]

Wow we did an impulse hire of two bikes and it's been awesome getting around kyoto.

Not a bad way of exploring, particularly when you run into shrine or temple every 50 meters.

I wouldn't recommend it if you're not going to spend more than one day in town though. It's not the most efficient way of getting around to the major sites.

 

[JulianImp]

Wow we did an impulse hire of two bikes and it's been awesome getting around kyoto.

Not a bad way of exploring, particularly when you run into shrine or temple every 50 meters.

I wouldn't recommend it if you're not going to spend more than one day in town though. It's not the most efficient way of getting around to the major sites.

There's also that one-day bike parking pass for several touristic attractions, so that's another reason to try to squeeze as much value as you can out of the days you plan to be biking around Kyoto.

 

[stryke]

There's also that one-day bike parking pass for several touristic attractions, so that's another reason to try to squeeze as much value as you can out of the days you plan to be biking around Kyoto.

I wasn't aware of that. However, the places we visited had free bike parking anyway so it wasn't too much trouble.

 

[MikeHattsu]

I wasn't aware of that. However, the places we visited had free bike parking anyway so it wasn't too much trouble.

Share some pics with us soon!

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

Man the exchange rate is crazy good for going to Japan right now. Wish I could visit over the holidays.

 

[Ayumi]

Man the exchange rate is crazy good for going to Japan right now. Wish I could visit over the holidays.

Not so good if you live here. Just went to France and oh my god the euro is crazy. I felt bad for every purchase, even the food.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Man the exchange rate is crazy good for going to Japan right now. Wish I could visit over the holidays.

Yup I bought some expensive kitchen knives and a yakitori grill. Restaurant ware was so cheap there I wish I was able to bring it all back.

 

[mechashiva]

Man the exchange rate is crazy good for going to Japan right now. Wish I could visit over the holidays.

I know the real exchange rate but is there a way to see what it will be at exchange olaces when I get there? On Google it said 121 to the dollar, through AAA it was only 114. I'm trying to figure out if I should order now or not.

 

[bodyboarder]

Is there any sumo wrestling over the xmas/new years period? A quick google search seems to suggest there isn't.

Anyone?

 

[mechashiva]

Anyone?

My travel buddies looked into it and didn't see any. I don't think its the season. Lots of pro wrestling though!

 

[Ayumi]

Anyone?

My travel buddies looked into it and didn't see any. I don't think its the season. Lots of pro wrestling though!

Your friends didn't look hard enough. Google "Sumo Japan December". While there are no tournaments (as maybe your friends were referring to) you can still watch morning sumo training in some places.

 

[shintoki]

would going up to the top of Fuji an acceptable option at that time of year?

anyway, looking forward to any reply and suggestions. many thanks ahead.

We used a Willer Tour. We went up in summer were it was a bit below zero in the morning. It was about 150$, but worth it for the experience.

I will say you can do it in a day. Take a bus out early and one back. It takes about 5-6 hours of the ascent and if you're decently in shape or some experience. I.E. I ride my bike 20-30 miles a day and done similar stuff.

 

[bodyboarder]

Your friends didn't look hard enough. Google "Sumo Japan December". While there are no tournaments (as maybe your friends were referring to) you can still watch morning sumo training in some places.

That shall have to do, cheers.

 

[stryke]

Share some pics with us soon!

Will do. I'm just a phone camera guy though, it won't be particularly impressive :S

Did some security issue happen with the train stations recently? I've seen the message that police are on high alert for the past 2 days.

 

[stryke]

Haven't had the time to upload all my photos yet, but here's my haul from Akihabara -

I need to stay away from there.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Haven't had the time to upload all my photos yet, but here's my haul from Akihabara -

I need to stay away from there.

Whoa. You got enough space to get all of that with you or are you planning to ship some of it in the mail?

 

[stryke]

Whoa. You got enough space to get all of that with you or are you planning to ship some of it in the mail?

I'm actually already back home. I packed relatively light on my way there so I had plenty of space.

They also let me carry the big gundam model kit as carry on luggage on the plane.

 

[MikeHattsu]

I'm actually already back home. I packed relatively light on my way there so I had plenty of space.

They also let me carry the big gundam model kit as carry on luggage on the plane.

Ah, ok.

 

[Robot Carnival]

I'm actually already back home. I packed relatively light on my way there so I had plenty of space.

They also let me carry the big gundam model kit as carry on luggage on the plane.

nice hull, what's the total damage that you did in Akiha? I went there on my last trip but didn't have time to really walk around there and ended up just rushing thought a small part of it at night during rain, so didn't spend too much.

I did got a very interesting book that was basically English curse words in the form of a cute manga girl reciting the lines of Gunnery Sgt. Hartman from Full Metal Jacket. but sadly since I was sick as a dog, I forgot it at the dinner area at the hostel along with 2 other books and when I came down the next day someone had gone through them and took the cursing word one and left the other 2 books at the public books section. pissed me off to no ends.

 

[stryke]

nice hull, what's the total damage that you did in Akiha? I went there on my last trip but didn't have time to really walk around there and ended up just rushing thought a small part of it at night during rain, so didn't spend too much.

I would say ~40,000 yen. The gundam model kits were already 27,500 combined.

I spent a large part of a day there myself but I feel there's still a lot left to explore. It was a family trip so I had to take into consideration of them being there as well rather than doing stuff at my own pace. I went into one alleyway anime store and I "accidentally" walked through one of the more morally questionable sections of the store - and my dad followed me through there. Pretty much kept the stores on the main road after that.

 

[MikeHattsu]

I went into one alleyway anime store and I "accidentally" walked through one of the more morally questionable sections of the store - and my dad followed me through there. Pretty much kept the stores on the main road after that.

Haha. If you go into the basements of the main road stores there's usually morally questionable stuff there as well.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Haha. If you go into the basements of the main road stores there's usually morally questionable stuff there as well.

Some of the basement levels of those stores are on every floor of some buildings on the off roads.

 

[Robot Carnival]

I would say ~40,000 yen. The gundam model kits were already 27,500 combined.

I spent a large part of a day there myself but I feel there's still a lot left to explore. It was a family trip so I had to take into consideration of them being there as well rather than doing stuff at my own pace. I went into one alleyway anime store and I "accidentally" walked through one of the more morally questionable sections of the store - and my dad followed me through there. Pretty much kept the stores on the main road after that.

lol yeah, if it's with family then it'll be a little... problematic to go into the "basement" space XD

 

[ThreePiMatt]

I remember wandering into the basement of an arcade in Akihabara and as I'm walking down the stairs there is a "No Photos" sign on the wall. When I get to the bottom, its all Purikura and there are like side booths with just costumes. That was kind of awkward to walk into.

 

[HideyoshiJP]

Haven't had the time to upload all my photos yet, but here's my haul from Akihabara -

I need to stay away from there.

I uhhh... Let's just say that it's good I've moved on to Nagoya this week, though I've got an itch to buy a Seiko watch and an unlocked Xperia Z3 (not an easy find)... duty free, of course.

 

[Ayumi]

Oh, by the way, you can find Tenga and other sexy toys at Narita Airport. I never noticed before since I don't normally visit the pharmacies there but last time I was out flying we had a lot of time so I looked around. www

 

[Magnus]

Going from dec 27 to Jan 6 with the boyfriend and other friends. New year's in Japan! So excited.

Considering how close the trip is, we've barely done any planning beyond the airfare and hotel.

Any must-dos regarding specific events or places during our travel time?

Our friends have mentioned a monkey hot springs, and a robot restaurant. Lol.

We're definitely going to Akihabara. Staying in the Shinjuku Hotel.

 

[Sage00]

Oh, by the way, you can find Tenga and other sexy toys at Narita Airport. I never noticed before since I don't normally visit the pharmacies there but last time I was out flying we had a lot of time so I looked around. www

Lol the places you can find those get increasingly bizarre. The Book Off in Shibuya has them too.

Going from dec 27 to Jan 6 with the boyfriend and other friends. New year's in Japan! So excited.

Considering how close the trip is, we've barely done any planning beyond the airfare and hotel.

Any must-dos regarding specific events or places during our travel time?

Our friends have mentioned a monkey hot springs, and a robot restaurant. Lol.

We're definitely going to Akihabara. Staying in the Shinjuku Hotel.

Are you planning to stay in Tokyo for the full trip? Plenty to do around there if you are, and a week is probably the right amount for that / maybe too little to advise branching out. But the advice you get will depend on that.

The monkey hot springs you're talking about for example are in Nagano prefecture which is probably a day trip away by train.

Robot restaurant is in Shinjuku so you're good for that and it's definitely something I'd recommend. Only downside is it's a bit of a tourist trap.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Going from dec 27 to Jan 6 with the boyfriend and other friends. New year's in Japan! So excited.

Considering how close the trip is, we've barely done any planning beyond the airfare and hotel.

Any must-dos regarding specific events or places during our travel time?

Our friends have mentioned a monkey hot springs, and a robot restaurant. Lol.

We're definitely going to Akihabara. Staying in the Shinjuku Hotel.

Could go to Meiji Shrine on the 1st and check out the New Years shrine visit crowds and go to the Imperial Palace on the 2nd and check out the New Year Greeting:
http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/kyuchu/shukuga01.html

Check the last 4-5 pages as well for other tips. And the monkey hot springs is almost 3 hours away by train+bus from Tokyo, so maybe not the best idea if you're only there for a little over a week?

 

[GSG Flash]

So, I pretty much have everything all set for our trip(plane tickets, JR pass, hotels, itineraries etc.), but the only thing that isn't set is the New Year's eve plans. I couldn't find a hotel in Tokyo for a reasonable price during NYE and had to book one in this town called Tsuchiura, about an hours drive northeast of Tokyo.

Thing is, everyone in our group wants to spend NYE in Tokyo. Are there any fireworks in Tokyo for New Year's? Someone suggested Sunshine City and Shibuya, but I watched a Youtube video of NYE celebrations in Shibuya and it looks like there's just a lot of people there(and no real countdown or celebration).

Also, I'm worried about lugging around our luggage all night and checking in to our hotel really late(around 3-4am). I read that some trains run all night on NYE, and Google maps tells me that I would need to take the Yamanote and the Joban lines to get to our hotel, Yamanote I know runs all night, not sure about Joban.

Does anyone know if there's a way to get our luggage delivered to our hotel from Shinagawa station or Shibuya station? Also, does anyone know the timings for the Joban line? Any help would be appreciated

 

[ZackieChan]

What's the place to be on NYE?

 

[Raguel]

If you are a foreigner and not a regular you wont even be able to make a reservation, maybe at the Roppongi location but either way I don't think its worth it. If you want good bang for your buck I hear Yasuda is really good but they are fully booked until the end of the year so you can waitlist it. It's around $100 per person for omakase. If you are willing to spend money maybe check out Sushi Saita? It's rated #1 on Tabelog but I can't say anything about it really.

I feel AirBnB should be rather legit as some people actually do it professionally (they rent several properties and manage them) just check out their verified ratings. Stay as close to a train station as possible though I wouldn't want to have to take a bus everytime I go out just to get to the nearest train station.

As for ramen I visited the ramen alley in the Tokyo subway station and tried one of the spots, it was really good but I bet the other ones can be great too. It's 8 high quality ramen joints all in one hallway.

Also if you love beef and you have time go to Yakiniku Jumbo. It's a little out of the way in a residential area but not too inconvenient, reservation recommended but it shouldn't be impossible to walkin if you get there early enough too. It's so freaking good and its English friendly too which was nice for me.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. My friend lives i japan and marrying a lovely japanese lady so reservations wont be too much of a problem i hope. Their ceremony will be in sendai so we'll be up that area also.

 

[stryke]

Also, I'm worried about lugging around our luggage all night and checking in to our hotel really late(around 3-4am). I read that some trains run all night on NYE, and Google maps tells me that I would need to take the Yamanote and the Joban lines to get to our hotel, Yamanote I know runs all night, not sure about Joban.

Does anyone know if there's a way to get our luggage delivered to our hotel from Shinagawa station or Shibuya station?

I'm not sure about any luggage delivery services from stations per se but you could use lockers at the station to store your luggage. I don't know if it costs the same, but at Tokyo station large storage would be 600yen while smaller ones are 300yen, both for 3 days.

 

[GSG Flash]

I'm not sure about any luggage delivery services from stations per se but you could use lockers at the station to store your luggage. I don't know if it costs the same, but at Tokyo station large storage would be 600yen while smaller ones are 300yen, both for 3 days.

That's an interesting idea I didn't think of. Would I be able to get my luggage from the locker after midnight? I would only need it for a few hours on the 31st.

edit: Nevermind, just saw that they're all self serve, this might just work

 

[stryke]

That's an interesting idea I didn't think of. Would I be able to get my luggage from the locker after midnight? I would only need it for a few hours on the 31st.

edit: Nevermind, just saw that they're all self serve, this might just work

Yeah, hopefully that suits your needs. Just a warning though, make sure you have everything you need on you (phone, wallet, maps, railpass, passport, etc) before putting luggage into the lockers because once you open it up again, the lock will reset and you'll have to pay again if you want to put the luggage back in.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Haha. If you go into the basements of the main road stores there's usually morally questionable stuff there as well.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. My friend lives i japan and marrying a lovely japanese lady so reservations wont be too much of a problem i hope. Their ceremony will be in sendai so we'll be up that area also.

If you have time in sendai look up gyutan restaurants (specializing in beef tongue) if you don't eat beef tongue now try it there and you'll wonder why you don't eat it more often.

 

[GSG Flash]

Yeah, hopefully that suits your needs. Just a warning though, make sure you have everything you need on you (phone, wallet, maps, railpass, passport, etc) before putting luggage into the lockers because once you open it up again, the lock will reset and you'll have to pay again if you want to put the luggage back in.

Good tip! I was actually able to find a hotel in Tokyo somehow so no annoying long trips to stress about, but I'm gonna use the lockers to store my luggage on my last day there so we can tour the city a bit before leaving.

Thank you

 

[MikeHattsu]

Good tip! I was actually able to find a hotel in Tokyo somehow so no annoying long trips to stress about, but I'm gonna use the lockers to store my luggage on my last day there so we can tour the city a bit before leaving.

Thank you

Note the size of the lockers though, large suitcases might not fit:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html

And at the busiest train stations, unoccupied large lockers are really hard to find.

 

[stryke]

Good tip! I was actually able to find a hotel in Tokyo somehow so no annoying long trips to stress about, but I'm gonna use the lockers to store my luggage on my last day there so we can tour the city a bit before leaving.

Thank you

Well you could just ask your hotel to send you luggage to the airport if that's more convenient for you.

 

[red13th]

I'm shocked how hard it is to book in hotels April, especially for weekends. I still haven't found a nice hotel with rooms available for the two Saturday nights we will be in Japan. :/
LF ryokan in Kyoto and Hakone PST

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I'm shocked how hard it is to book in hotels April, especially for weekends. I still haven't found a nice hotel with rooms available for the two Saturday nights we will be in Japan. :/
LF ryokan in Kyoto and Hakone PST

Interestingly I had the same problem when I went 2 weeks back but what I did do was book a hotel for the weekday and then booked a nearby hotel for the weekend. I saved a lot more money that way.

 

[thekonamicode]

My wife and I are leaving for Tokyo on Tuesday and we'll be there for 3 1/2 weeks! We've never been and this trip has been in the planning phases for a year. Very excited!

 

[Zyzyxxz]

My wife and I are leaving for Tokyo on Tuesday and we'll be there for 3 1/2 weeks! We've never been and this trip has been in the planning phases for a year. Very excited!

Wow that's a long time. Planning on going to other parts of Japan while you're there?

 

[thekonamicode]

Wow that's a long time. Planning on going to other parts of Japan while you're there?

Most definitely. Shinjuku is our base of operations, but we are 10 minutes walking distance from a very large subway station. We have plans almost every day, with a few lazy rest days.

 

[sfedai0]

So I have some questions about JR passes. First, do you need to activate it to use teh Yamanote line and the other 2 lines( forgot the names)? Secondly, can I schedule the days I actually want to use?

Im planning on buying 7 -day pass. I know I want to visit Fukuoka. What other cities would be worth visiting in between Tokyo and Fukuoka in a 7-day JR pass?