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Japan Travel |OT| One does simply not visit just once

Robot Carnival

Robot Carnival

Member
MikeHattsu said:
Well, if you're going to places like Beppu, Nagasaki and Dazaifu then Fukuoka is closer, if not by a whole lot and they should be doable on day trips, depending on what you're planning to do while there of course.

Kagoshima, Ibusuki, Yakushima and Miyazaki is closer to Kumamoto, but Yakushima and Miyazaki is most likely not possible to do on day trips anyway :p
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cool, thanks for the advice, guess I'll adjust my plan a little then.

oh, where should I exchange some yen? last time I got some in the states before heading there, but I'm thinking I'll do the exchange at Japan this time. just go to any banks would work?
 
H

hwalker84

Member
Just booked my room for the first few days. Now I need to buy my rail pass and get a personal wifi hotspot ordered. I can't be stuck like last time with a crappy 3G with a 45 minute battery. Best suggestion?
 
R

Raguel

Member
hwalker84 said:
Just booked my room for the first few days. Now I need to buy my rail pass and get a personal wifi hotspot ordered. I can't be stuck like last time with a crappy 3G with a 45 minute battery. Best suggestion?
Click to expand...

i'm actually curious about this. some of my friends who live in japan say that we shouldn't waste money on a personal wifi since there is now better and free wifi everywhere. But then i am not sure i want to risk it since i am going to osaka too.
 
H

hwalker84

Member
Raguel said:
i'm actually curious about this. some of my friends who live in japan say that we shouldn't waste money on a personal wifi since there is now better and free wifi everywhere. But then i am not sure i want to risk it since i am going to osaka too.
Click to expand...

I wasn't able to take advantage of any of the free wifi. It was all in Japanese and seemed to only work if you had the login information or a phone on a particular carrier.

Just ordered my 21 day Green Rail Pass. I love the US Dollar vs. the Yen right now. It was more than $100 cheaper then last year.
 
R

Raguel

Member
hwalker84 said:
I wasn't able to take advantage of any of the free wifi. It was all in Japanese and seemed to only work if you had the login information or a phone on a particular carrier.

Just ordered my 21 day Green Rail Pass. I love the US Dollar vs. the Yen right now. It was more than $100 cheaper then last year.
Click to expand...

well then, i'll def look into getting a personal wifi too. And man i wish i can stay longer than 2 weeks but work beckons.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
hwalker84 said:
I wasn't able to take advantage of any of the free wifi. It was all in Japanese and seemed to only work if you had the login information or a phone on a particular carrier.
Click to expand...

There's an app out for Apple/Android devices now that handles that for you:
http://www.ntt-bp.net/jcfw/en.html

I'll still get a portable wi-fi device myself though. Much more convenient than trying to hunt for a 7-11 or go to a train station to get wi-fi signal (+ there's some limits on how much you can use the wi-fi in different locations).


hwalker84 said:
Just booked my room for the first few days. Now I need to buy my rail pass and get a personal wifi hotspot ordered. I can't be stuck like last time with a crappy 3G with a 45 minute battery. Best suggestion?
Click to expand...

I'm thinking about going with blank wifi this time:
http://blank-wifi.com/rentalwifi.html

They add a portable battery for free.
 
H

hwalker84

Member
MikeHattsu said:
There's an app out for Apple/Android devices now that handles that for you:
http://www.ntt-bp.net/jcfw/en.html

I'll still get a portable wi-fi device myself though. Much more convenient than trying to hunt for a 7-11 or go to a train station to get wi-fi signal (+ there's some limits on how much you can use the wi-fi in different locations).




I'm thinking about going with blank wifi this time:
http://blank-wifi.com/rentalwifi.html

They add a portable battery for free.
Click to expand...
I have a really really good pocket battery.

I was looking at http://www.japan-rail-pass.com/services/pocket-wifi

Price seems really low. Not sure if that's a scam or not.
 
V

Valkerionseven

Member
si83nVC.jpg
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Fuji between snow storms this time of year is ridiculously gorgeous. From a friends personal youtube, not my video:)
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
hwalker84 said:
I have a really really good pocket battery.

I was looking at http://www.japan-rail-pass.com/services/pocket-wifi

Price seems really low. Not sure if that's a scam or not.
Click to expand...

I used it last time and I would highly recommend renting one but you can just wait until you get to the airport at NRT to rent one instead of having to pick it up at the post office and mail it back, you can just drop it off at the airport on your way out.
 
H

hwalker84

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
I used it last time and I would highly recommend renting one but you can just wait until you get to the airport at NRT to rent one instead of having to pick it up at the post office and mail it back, you can just drop it off at the airport on your way out.
Click to expand...
Doing Haneda this time and I got scammed into a crappy company last time at the airport. 3G piece of crap with a 45 minute battery.
 
C

Chris_Mishima

Banned
Submitted for your approval my itinerary. I'll be flying in on a Monday at 2PM and leaving the following Monday in the morning. My budget will probably be $1,000 USD with hotel and JR pass already payed for. I'm putting a $200 limit on my shopping because I don't need to bring a bunch of junk back with me. I'll be traveling alone.


Monday: Arrive and head to apartment near Nishishinjuku Gochome Station. Head over to Capcom Bar and put in a reservation time. Go check out Book-off, traders, and Sofmap. Eat at Capcom bar then catch the last show at Robot Resturant.

Tuesday: Head over to the Eorzea Cafe at around 10 am and reserve a slot. Explore Akihabara (Animate, White Canvas, Book-off, Super Potato, Melon Book, Toranoana). Eat at Cafe then either go back to apartment and drop goods off or just stay in Akiba and play in the arcades (Hirose Entertainment Yard , Club Sega)/catch a movie, ect.

Wednesday: Head down to Odaiba and check out the Gundam Museum & Namco themepark. Scope out Joyopolis and the surrounding area and then possibly go back to Akihabara if I want/check out Nanako Broadway. Visit Shibuya crossing and have dinner at Ninja resturant.

Thursday: Head to Universal Theme Park in Osaka. Check out Den-Den town, Osamu Tezuka museum & Osaka Castle if time permits. Head up to Kyoto and have a couple of drinks at Cafe La Siesta then call it a night.

Friday: Check out Fushimiinari and Kinkakuji temples then head back to Tokyo and maybe catch a movie if anything interesting is playing.

Saturday: Nanako Broadway and any other shopping that I want to get done. Check out Ginza & Roppongi

Sunday: Go to Harajuku & Yoyogi Park and people watch. Make one last trip to the arcades.
 
S

scogoth

Member
Shot in the dark but any gaffers going to be skiing in Niseko (Hirafu) in the next few weeks? I'm going to be skiing for two weeks starting feb 25th. My friend is an instructor there but would welcome a ski buddy during the day if anyone is around.
 
J

JEKKI

Member
does anybody have a recommended Yahoo Japan Auctions proxy service?

I really wanted to visit the country again this year to see some concerts, the problem is the first person I asked to help me procure tickets said no because he has no way of me sending him money and also apparently does not know how to send things to america via the mail...

the second person I asked said yes but the reason I didnt ask him first was becoz he's unreliable as all crap. So of course he didnt take it seriously and now the tickets are sold out...

I refuse to give up on this vacation tho so I'm looking for scalpers on yahoo auctions.

so yes, any recommended yahoo auction proxy services for purchasing concert tickets and having them shipped to my home in California, USA?

and also anybody know any other good ways of finding ticket scalpers in japan? I wanted to go to three concert dates, one is still not sold out so I'm hoping person #2 will get them for me, another one I did find on Yahoo (at over double the original price, ouch), which leaves me one more date to get my hands on.
 
S

shas'la

Member
Chris_Mishima said:
Submitted for your approval my itinerary. I'll be flying in on a Monday at 2PM and leaving the following Monday in the morning. My budget will probably be $1,000 USD with hotel and JR pass already payed for. I'm putting a $200 limit on my shopping because I don't need to bring a bunch of junk back with me. I'll be traveling alone.


Monday: Arrive and head to apartment near Nishishinjuku Gochome Station. Head over to Capcom Bar and put in a reservation time. Go check out Book-off, traders, and Sofmap. Eat at Capcom bar then catch the last show at Robot Resturant.

Tuesday: Head over to the Eorzea Cafe at around 10 am and reserve a slot. Explore Akihabara (Animate, White Canvas, Book-off, Super Potato, Melon Book, Toranoana). Eat at Cafe then either go back to apartment and drop goods off or just stay in Akiba and play in the arcades (Hirose Entertainment Yard , Club Sega)/catch a movie, ect.

Wednesday: Head down to Odaiba and check out the Gundam Museum & Namco themepark. Scope out Joyopolis and the surrounding area and then possibly go back to Akihabara if I want/check out Nanako Broadway. Visit Shibuya crossing and have dinner at Ninja resturant.



Thursday: Head to Universal Theme Park in Osaka. Check out Den-Den town, Osamu Tezuka museum & Osaka Castle if time permits. Head up to Kyoto and have a couple of drinks at Cafe La Siesta then call it a night.

Friday: Check out Fushimiinari and Kinkakuji temples then head back to Tokyo and maybe catch a movie if anything interesting is playing.

Saturday: Nanako Broadway and any other shopping that I want to get done. Check out Ginza & Roppongi

Sunday: Go to Harajuku & Yoyogi Park and people watch. Make one last trip to the arcades.
Click to expand...


Very feel geek heavy! Just like my trips used to be! I believe you need order final fantasy cafe slots online before you go unlike capcom bar where you can order in person, I'd double check that.

There is an excellent little "ramen from all over japan" food court in odiba so you might as well have that for lunch after joypolis (it's either in decks, or the shopping centre next to that one sorry I can't remember the name right now).

Your itinerary seems pretty detailed so I'm sure you know all these but let me suggest that you hit up akihabara gachapon Kaikan, it's on a side street near mr donut. Also the new radio Kaikan building has just opened near the station so that will be fun to browse around.

I'm back in march, so any tips on what to order in cafés and and good eats around shinjuku would be welcome!
 
E

ethanny2

Member
Anyone know a good place to get a haircut in Osaka? Closer to Hirakata Shi is better but anywhere is fine really. Most of these places I see cost like 3000 yen and upwards... I live in NYC so I am used to this but this, but this it seems like Gas, haircuts and fruit are the only things that are expensive in Japan lol.

Btw, language is not a problem I can explain what I want
 
C

Chris_Mishima

Banned
shas'la said:
I believe you need order final fantasy cafe slots online before you go unlike capcom bar where you can order in person, I'd double check that.
Click to expand...

Hrmmm. I've heard it both ways but I'll probably try online to be safe.

There is an excellent little "ramen from all over japan" food court in odiba so you might as well have that for lunch after joypolis (it's either in decks, or the shopping centre next to that one sorry I can't remember the name right now).
Click to expand...

Added to my list.

Your itinerary seems pretty detailed so I'm sure you know all these but let me suggest that you hit up akihabara gachapon Kaikan, it's on a side street near mr donut. Also the new radio Kaikan building has just opened near the station so that will be fun to browse around.
Click to expand...

You seem to know the area pretty well. Does the Akihabara Oriental Comic Theater still exist? Google only turns up articles from 7+ years ago.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
JEKKI said:
so yes, any recommended yahoo auction proxy services for purchasing concert tickets and having them shipped to my home in California, USA?
Click to expand...

I don't know of a service (just asked a friend), but be careful here. Sometimes the tickets get sent out pretty late. It took almost a week for the ticket to get to my friend, and the concert was the following week. A service may not have the best turnaround, so you might want to have it mailed to someone you know in Japan.
 
S

shas'la

Member
Chris_Mishima said:
Hrmmm. I've heard it both ways but I'll probably try online to be safe.



Added to my list.



You seem to know the area pretty well. Does the Akihabara Oriental Comic Theater still exist? Google only turns up articles from 7+ years ago.
Click to expand...

Aquacity!! the other shopping mall in Odaiba was called Aquacity!

Afraid i'm a bit out of touch with the Otaku stuff in Akiba ( i used to come back with a suitcase full of toys and games, now i come back with a suitcase full of snacks and clothes!) for example this a place i'm looking forward to checking out in Akiba next month ( it's Right near the Gundam and AKB cafes under the train tracks ( http://www.gotokyo.org/en/tourists/topics_event/topics/130624/topics.html)

In fact one of the best rated Ramen shops in all of Tokyo is located in Akiba - http://www.ramenadventures.com/2014/03/motenashi-kuroki-in-akihabara.html

Looking forward to hearing about your travels!
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
Raguel said:
would a mifi or getting a sim card for my phone be better while traveling?
Click to expand...

Depends on what you really want to use your phone for.

Do you care about making local telephone calls or just want the internet on your phone?

The good thing about the pocket wifi is that you can set your phone service off and put it on wifi only mode to get a better battery life on your phone. The pocket wifi itself isn't too big and if you are traveling with a pack it's no bigger than a pack of cards.
 
R

Raguel

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
Depends on what you really want to use your phone for.

Do you care about making local telephone calls or just want the internet on your phone?

The good thing about the pocket wifi is that you can set your phone service off and put it on wifi only mode to get a better battery life on your phone. The pocket wifi itself isn't too big and if you are traveling with a pack it's no bigger than a pack of cards.
Click to expand...

Yeah, thank you. i think we'll just use wifi. We can just pick one up from the airport right? Make sure its 75mps 4G and not the one like hwalker84 used. hah. Which company did you use zyzyxxz?
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
Raguel said:
Yeah, thank you. i think we'll just use wifi. We can just pick one up from the airport right? Make sure its 75mps 4G and not the one like hwalker84 used. hah. Which company did you use zyzyxxz?
Click to expand...

Global Advance Comm. Originally I ordered one before my trip online and picked it up at the Post Office at the airport but I didnt know about the kiosk at the airport. If i had known I would have just got it at the airport because the post office ones you need to mail back and I lost the return envelopes somewhere along my trip and had to mail it myself. Instead you can just drop it back off if you rent it at the kiosk assuming you are arriving and leaving via the same airport (I went through Narita).

I would recommend renting an external battery pack as well if you don't already have one as you can use it for both phone and the pocket wifi which I did need often on long excursions in the city when I didn't go back to the hotel mid day.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
Global Advance Comm. Originally I ordered one before my trip online and picked it up at the Post Office at the airport but I didnt know about the kiosk at the airport.
Click to expand...

Hm... You sure they have a kiosk at the airport? They only have a premium pickup point there (that got extended hours) in addition to the post office AFAIK.

Other WiFi rental companies got spots there, but they're more expensive.
 
J

JEKKI

Member
Zoe said:
I don't know of a service (just asked a friend), but be careful here. Sometimes the tickets get sent out pretty late. It took almost a week for the ticket to get to my friend, and the concert was the following week. A service may not have the best turnaround, so you might want to have it mailed to someone you know in Japan.
Click to expand...
fortunately the auction I'm looking at actually has pictures of the tickets I'm buying.

but seriously tho, nobody has a recommended yahoo auctions proxy??

the actual yahoo japan website has a link to buyee.jp, but I'm sure there are more competitive options out there?

I think I used to use Rinkya back in the days? when I was a huge fan of the jpop group MAX and wanted all their posters.
 
S

scogoth

Member
v1lla21 said:
Lol. My friend is stationed there and I told him if I go to Japan I'd go visit. He just bought an S15 which I want to drive badly. I turn 21 in September and I'd like to visit Japan around that time.
Click to expand...

S15 would be fun, never been to Okinawa but was thinking about it last fall so I researched what to do. Ended up on a bike tour on the Noto Peninsula instead. If you go let us know how it is!

I have a buddy stationed in Aomori which has even less to do =(
 
A

Ayumi

Member
v1lla21 said:
Lol. My friend is stationed there and I told him if I go to Japan I'd go visit. He just bought an S15 which I want to drive badly. I turn 21 in September and I'd like to visit Japan around that time.
Click to expand...

You pretty much picked the worst time for visiting Okinawa. Typhoon season is the worst usually during July, August and September. It can actually be pretty dangerous, and there isn't much point in going there with chances of your flight being cancelled either.

Best time to visit Okinawa is around March/April, but also very doable during October and November.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
JEKKI said:
fortunately the auction I'm looking at actually has pictures of the tickets I'm buying.

but seriously tho, nobody has a recommended yahoo auctions proxy??

the actual yahoo japan website has a link to buyee.jp, but I'm sure there are more competitive options out there?

I think I used to use Rinkya back in the days? when I was a huge fan of the jpop group MAX and wanted all their posters.
Click to expand...

Take a look at the ones mentioned here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=678877

I've used SMJ, but they're not the cheapest.
 
A

Ayumi

Member
JEKKI said:
fortunately the auction I'm looking at actually has pictures of the tickets I'm buying.

but seriously tho, nobody has a recommended yahoo auctions proxy??

the actual yahoo japan website has a link to buyee.jp, but I'm sure there are more competitive options out there?

I think I used to use Rinkya back in the days? when I was a huge fan of the jpop group MAX and wanted all their posters.
Click to expand...

MikeHattsu said:
Take a look at the ones mentioned here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=678877

I've used SMJ, but they're not the cheapest.
Click to expand...

No personal experience w/ deputy/proxy, but a friend of mine uses http://www.fromjapan.co.jp/ like every week, so I'm assuming she's happy with it.
 
J

JEKKI

Member
MikeHattsu said:
Take a look at the ones mentioned here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=678877

I've used SMJ, but they're not the cheapest.
Click to expand...

Ayumi said:
No personal experience w/ deputy/proxy, but a friend of mine uses http://www.fromjapan.co.jp/ like every week, so I'm assuming she's happy with it.
Click to expand...
thanks yallz!

yeah I did some research and apparently fromjapan is the best in terms of fees and stuff, but buyee is super easy and user friendly?

At this point fees arent much of an issue as I'm already paying out the butt and not looking back, but I got a few more days til the auction I'm looking at is over so I'll do some extra research beforehand.

Thanks!
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
I'm looking around for ideas for a trip later this year (probably October). Going to Akihabara, I'll probably stumble across game stores everywhere, but what is THE essential (used) games shop? Also, is there a shop that carries old model sets (I'm thinking Samurai Shodown or Vampire Saviour sets, i e around 20 years back)?
 
Q

Quick

Banned
This is probably the most common question in this thread, but how much did you guys spend on your trips overall?

I don't have a set date yet, but I'm so far good for at least my plane ticket (round trip). I'm planning on visiting at most three cities (cut down to two, depending on cost).
 
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