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

W

Worthintendo

Member
EuricaeriS said:
It really depends what you're interested in, but given you want to do the Osamu Tezuka museum and Den Den town, I'm going to assume we have similar interests. I did Kyoto once, but didn't really think it was worth the travel from Tokyo (though I did only spend a day there).

We went to the kinkakuji and while it made for some nice photos, there wasn't much else there that we hadn't already seen before. Osaka, on the other hand, was way more up my alley. Plenty to do there, although don't expect Den Den Town to be as big/diverse as Akihabara. The Aquarium was great, too. I assume you want to see the whale shark? Can't comment on the museum as I haven't been myself.

I'm sure there are others here who can give you more info on Kyoto, but just do what you want to do, don't worry about doing it because you feel you have to :)
Click to expand...
Yeah going for the Whale Shark ^_^ when I was in Singapore went to the Aquarium there and had an amazing time at that, really want to go to the Osaka one ^_^
MikeHattsu said:
Hm... How about booking 3 days in Osaka and if you got extra time on the third day, just take the train to Kyoto and back? Costs less than 1200 JPY and takes an hour in total train time for a return trip.

Kyoto is good if you like more of the historical stuff like temples, shrines, gardens, you want to see geisha or visit a food market.
Click to expand...
Yeah thats what I'm thinking now, on the Wednesday or Thursday (depending on when I do Universal) I can check out Kyoto, do have some things I want to see there if I get time.
 
D

DanielMann

Banned
I have a trip coming up in April for 7 days. Although, I can honestly say that I have no idea what it is I'm going to be doing over there this time around. This will mark my fourth time going over. Always wanted to go for Cherry Blossom season and since I got my hotel for a remarkably cheap price ($480 AUD for 7 nights in Meguro), I decided to spend my Christmas money and go back for my birthday.

But yeah, I have no idea what I'm going to be doing for 7 days. The only thing I know that I want to do is at some point get out to Mount Fuji.

I thought about doing a day trip to Kyoto, but its like 4 hours on a train and it feels kind of pointless to go out there for just one day.

Anyone know of any good places to go for a day to escape Tokyo that won't take me near on 4 or 5 hours on a Shinkansen to get there? Always looking for options.

I figure the trip will be spent just enjoying myself around Tokyo and trying to discover new places that I haven't discovered before (there's plenty of them). I've done the touristy thing many times before and this really is just a "relax and wander around without so much as a day to day plan"...but yeah, any suggestions for stuff I should look out for that is outside of the usual suggestions?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
DanielMann said:
I have a trip coming up in April for 7 days. Although, I can honestly say that I have no idea what it is I'm going to be doing over there this time around. This will mark my fourth time going over. Always wanted to go for Cherry Blossom season and since I got my hotel for a remarkably cheap price ($480 AUD for 7 nights in Meguro), I decided to spend my Christmas money and go back for my birthday.

But yeah, I have no idea what I'm going to be doing for 7 days. The only thing I know that I want to do is at some point get out to Mount Fuji.

I figure the trip will be spent just enjoying myself around Tokyo and trying to discover new places that I haven't discovered before (there's plenty of them). I've done the touristy thing many times before and this really is just a "relax and wander around without so much as a day to day plan"...but yeah, any suggestions for stuff I should look out for that is outside of the usual suggestions?
Click to expand...

As long as you don't plan to climb Mt. Fuji it's fine to visit.

Since you're there for Cherry Blossom season I'd recommend a visit to Showa Memorial Park:
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-parks-gardens/showa-kinen-park

It's in Tokyo, but outside of the 23 special wards, so it's not as touristy. The park is massive so do rent a bike if you can while there
 
E

EuricaeriS

Member
DanielMann said:
Anyone know of any good places to go for a day to escape Tokyo that won't take me near on 4 or 5 hours on a Shinkansen to get there? Always looking for options.
Click to expand...

Kobe turned out to be quite the surprise when I went back in July last year. We basically showed up for the kobe beef and found ourselves with plenty to do.

However, I think Enoshima was by far the sleeper hit of the trip for us. We spent an hour or two in Yokohama in the morning before travelling down to Enoshima, where we were greeted by a band performing on the beach and some pretty gorgeous weather. It's a beautiful island and a great place to just chill out (if you ignore the hundreds of stairs, anyway!). Definitely worth a look if you'd rather spend the day away from the cities.
 
D

DanielMann

Banned
MikeHattsu said:
As long as you don't plan to climb Mt. Fuji it's fine to visit.

Since you're there for Cherry Blossom season I'd recommend a visit to Showa Memorial Park:
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-parks-gardens/showa-kinen-park

It's in Tokyo, but outside of the 23 special wards, so it's not as touristy. The park is massive so do rent a bike if you can while there
Click to expand...

Nah, no plans to climb, besides I know climbing season is either in June or July (from memory)...I've just always wanted to do a day tour out that way and am finally planning to follow through.

Cool, I'll jot down Showa Memorial Park and try to check it out.

Kobe turned out to be quite the surprise when I went back in July last year. We basically showed up for the kobe beef and found ourselves with plenty to do.

However, I think Enoshima was by far the sleeper hit of the trip for us. We spent an hour or two in Yokohama in the morning before travelling down to Enoshima, where we were greeted by a band performing on the beach and some pretty gorgeous weather. It's a beautiful island and a great place to just chill out (if you ignore the hundreds of stairs, anyway!). Definitely worth a look if you'd rather spend the day away from the cities.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions...was thinking about Kobe.

Enoshima sounds pretty cool (apart from the stairs :D)
 
D

distantmantra

Member
EuricaeriS said:
Kobe turned out to be quite the surprise when I went back in July last year. We basically showed up for the kobe beef and found ourselves with plenty to do.

However, I think Enoshima was by far the sleeper hit of the trip for us. We spent an hour or two in Yokohama in the morning before travelling down to Enoshima, where we were greeted by a band performing on the beach and some pretty gorgeous weather. It's a beautiful island and a great place to just chill out (if you ignore the hundreds of stairs, anyway!). Definitely worth a look if you'd rather spend the day away from the cities.
Click to expand...

I second Enoshima. Also Kita-Kamakura. Extremely beautiful and a nice walk down to Kamakura proper (can take the trolley to Enoshima from there).
 
S

sfedai0

Banned
MikeHattsu said:
Which date?

The station in Fukuoka is HAKATA and the station in Osaka is SHIN-OSAKA
Click to expand...

No date set. Just trying to get a feeling for the timetable. The input selections are weird in Hyperdia. I cant seem to put in Shin Osaka. Basically, my plan is to leave from Fukuoka to Tokyo and catch my flight out. But since its a good 5-6 hour ride, I want to know the earliest JR shinkansen outta Fukuoka.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
sfedai0 said:
No date set. Just trying to get a feeling for the timetable. The input selections are weird in Hyperdia. I cant seem to put in Shin Osaka. Basically, my plan is to leave from Fukuoka to Tokyo and catch my flight out. But since its a good 5-6 hour ride, I want to know the earliest JR shinkansen outta Fukuoka.
Click to expand...

You have to input SHIN-OSAKA, not SHIN OSAKA. Not even got a month or something?
 
S

sfedai0

Banned
MikeHattsu said:
You have to input SHIN-OSAKA, not SHIN OSAKA. Not even got a month or something?
Click to expand...

Ah got it. It wont be until Feb of next year. Im just getting a head start on logistics. I kinda assumed that they keep a fairly strict schedule? As in departure and arrival times would be pretty consistent on a day to day basis? (barring holidays and such)
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
sfedai0 said:
Ah got it. It wont be until Feb of next year. Im just getting a head start on logistics. I kinda assumed that they keep a fairly strict schedule? As in departure and arrival times would be pretty consistent on a day to day basis? (barring holidays and such)
Click to expand...

Oh, ok.

They do change the timetables sometimes, and there's also some that might not run on Saturdays or Sundays, but if you're just checking the first/last train then it probably shouldn't affect those.
 
R

Raguel

Member
friend was able to book us some seats at Sushi Mizutani since the wife wants to try a 2/3 star michelin sushi restaurant. Any body tried that? What other sushi place should we hit up? Gonna try to go where the locals go. I still need to book a pocket mifi also. haha
 
D

Deleted member 12837

Unconfirmed Member
Posted this in the wrong thread at first:

Just bought my airfare for an upcoming 9-10 day trip with a buddy of mine to Japan at the end of April. I haven't been since 2006, and that was for a school trip, so I'm pretty pumped!

I plan on reading through this whole thread for inspiration. I feel like I'm going to have a tough time narrowing down what to do in the limited time we're there, and planning an itinerary where we don't feel rushed in any one place.

Any tips on good iOS apps to download while I'm there (translation, offline maps, etc)? Haven't decided if we want to get data sims or portable hot spots yet.
 
S

scogoth

Member
404Ender said:
Posted this in the wrong thread at first:

Just bought my airfare for an upcoming 9-10 day trip with a buddy of mine to Japan at the end of April. I haven't been since 2006, and that was for a school trip, so I'm pretty pumped!

I plan on reading through this whole thread for inspiration. I feel like I'm going to have a tough time narrowing down what to do in the limited time we're there, and planning an itinerary where we don't feel rushed in any one place.

Any tips on good iOS apps to download while I'm there (translation, offline maps, etc)? Haven't decided if we want to get data sims or portable hot spots yet.
Click to expand...

Don't do data sims. I'm using a data sim from bmobile which resells docomo service and it is inconsistent at best. It cuts in and out every few seconds, which is annoying but ok to load webpages. Any app that uses data is a game of chance. Half the time the app will complain of connection timeout.

Sucks to have to carry another device around and charge but the mobile hotspots seem much more reliable.
 
H

hwalker84

Member
Two weeks till I leave and I have absolutely no plans or idea what I'm doing for 3 weeks. LOL. Starting to get anxious. I'm almost worthless at work.

I'll be asking for some suggestions soon.
 
hitsugi

hitsugi

Member
Axispowers said:
Really? I've had a few problems with mine. Doesn't really work well in Shinjuku or some parts of Shibuya for some reason. But when it works, it's great haha
Click to expand...

Who did you go through? We rented through global advanced communications and had almost no outages during a few weeks through Osaka, Kyoto, and all around Tokyo. Hell, we even had reception at the top of Monkey Mountain.
 
D

Deleted member 12837

Unconfirmed Member
Wow that's an overwhelming consensus: portable wi-fi it is!

How exactly does the pricing work? I've seen that there's a rental fee per day/week but I'm a little unclear about how much data you get (and if there are overage fees, etc)
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
404Ender said:
Wow that's an overwhelming consensus: portable wi-fi it is!

How exactly does the pricing work? I've seen that there's a rental fee per day/week but I'm a little unclear about how much data you get (and if there are overage fees, etc)
Click to expand...

If its one of thoes 4G ones you will most likely get plenty of data. The average rental rates around $8-10 USD per day.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
404Ender said:
Wow that's an overwhelming consensus: portable wi-fi it is!

How exactly does the pricing work? I've seen that there's a rental fee per day/week but I'm a little unclear about how much data you get (and if there are overage fees, etc)
Click to expand...

Some of the best deals gets you unlimited data. If you get one with limited data, then the speed will slow down to ISDN speeds after you've used up your data allowance. There's also a soft limit sometimes where if you use x number of megabytes of data over a 1 or 3 day period you'll get that same restricted speed until the next day.

A lot of people here have rented from GAC:
http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/pocketwifi.html

CDJapan got some better prices:
http://rental.cdjapan.co.jp/index_en_jpy_7.html

Tocoo got the lowest prices I've seen so far, but dunno if they're good yet:
http://wifi.tocoo.jp/en/

Oh, and remember that you can connect multiple devices to the same portable WiFi, so if you're planning on sticking together on the trip, then you only need to rent one, unlike with sim cards.
 
C

clay_ghost

Member
Hey guys ! i am going to visit FUJIKO・F・FUJIO MUSEUM in my upcoming trip in end may , just wanna ask its the other attractions in Kawasaki that is worth my time or i should plan to go other places back nearer in Tokyo or else where?
 
E

Empty

Member
anyone have any tips about art galleries in tokyo. i want to hit the national art center and the tokyo national museum, but is there anything else worth checking out outside the headline places?
 
A

Ayumi

Member
Empty said:
anyone have any tips about art galleries in tokyo. i want to hit the national art center and the tokyo national museum, but is there anything else worth checking out outside the headline places?
Click to expand...
A lot of the good museums have limited time exhibitions.. When are you going?

http://www.mori.art.museum/eng/exhibition/ (Closed until end of April)
I highly recommend Murakami. He's legendary! And a very fun guy. He often shows up too, especially on the first day so you can sometimes get a selfie with him.

Haven't tried it yet but I bet the science museums are great. And if you're not sure what you wanna see, here are the most popular ones:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g298184-Activities-c49-Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html
 
J

Juice

Member
Mobile hotspots are cool, folks, but being a T-Mobile customer is way better. Unlimited 3G Docomo throughout the country and no additional device to drag around.

I mean literally you could go to T-Mobile and buy a $60 plan for one month, pop in the SIM card, and have unlimited wifi in Japan as long as your subscription lasts.
 
S

scogoth

Member
Juice said:
Mobile hotspots are cool, folks, but being a T-Mobile customer is way better. Unlimited 3G Docomo throughout the country and no additional device to drag around.

I mean literally you could go to T-Mobile and buy a $60 plan for one month, pop in the SIM card, and have unlimited wifi in Japan as long as your subscription lasts.
Click to expand...

If you are American...
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
Juice said:
Mobile hotspots are cool, folks, but being a T-Mobile customer is way better. Unlimited 3G Docomo throughout the country and no additional device to drag around.

I mean literally you could go to T-Mobile and buy a $60 plan for one month, pop in the SIM card, and have unlimited wifi in Japan as long as your subscription lasts.
Click to expand...

I still got the mobile wifi to get 4G speeds, as far as I knew I thought they were only offering 2G speeds international. Either way being a T-mobile customer was a nice backup in case the mobile wifi ran out of battery.
 
Sakura

Sakura

Member
Hey guys. I'm currently living in Japan and going back to Canada in May. My friend is coming to Japan the end of April and we were going to travel and stuff a bit before both going back to Canada.
Here is the thing though, a one way flight for me Japan to Canada is like 1000 bucks.
However, a return flight, Japan to Canada then Canada to Japan I can get for as cheap as like 750~850. Can I book a return flight and then not use the other end? Or can I not do it, because it would mean returning to Japan and I'm not Japanese.
 
A

Ayumi

Member
Sakura said:
Hey guys. I'm currently living in Japan and going back to Canada in May. My friend is coming to Japan the end of April and we were going to travel and stuff a bit before both going back to Canada.
Here is the thing though, a one way flight for me Japan to Canada is like 1000 bucks.
However, a return flight, Japan to Canada then Canada to Japan I can get for as cheap as like 750~850. Can I book a return flight and then not use the other end? Or can I not do it, because it would mean returning to Japan and I'm not Japanese.
Click to expand...
Buy the round trip if it's cheaper. If they ask about it, just say it like it is. You're going home to stay there, but the ticket was cheaper when paying for a round-trip. I believe no one will check your tickets if they correspond with your visa, and if they do, tell them why you have one. Of course I can't guarantee it but it seems fine to me? If they ask if you're going back to Japan, just say no.
 
S

scogoth

Member
Sakura said:
Hey guys. I'm currently living in Japan and going back to Canada in May. My friend is coming to Japan the end of April and we were going to travel and stuff a bit before both going back to Canada.
Here is the thing though, a one way flight for me Japan to Canada is like 1000 bucks.
However, a return flight, Japan to Canada then Canada to Japan I can get for as cheap as like 750~850. Can I book a return flight and then not use the other end? Or can I not do it, because it would mean returning to Japan and I'm not Japanese.
Click to expand...

Edit: Nevermind. Well I'll be damned, I haven't seen air canada do this in awhile. I might need to book this too
 
A

Axispowers

Member
hitsugi said:
Who did you go through? We rented through global advanced communications and had almost no outages during a few weeks through Osaka, Kyoto, and all around Tokyo. Hell, we even had reception at the top of Monkey Mountain.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm with the same company, interesting.
 
E

Empty

Member
Ayumi said:
A lot of the good museums have limited time exhibitions.. When are you going?

http://www.mori.art.museum/eng/exhibition/ (Closed until end of April)
I highly recommend Murakami. He's legendary! And a very fun guy. He often shows up too, especially on the first day so you can sometimes get a selfie with him.

Haven't tried it yet but I bet the science museums are great. And if you're not sure what you wanna see, here are the most popular ones:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g298184-Activities-c49-Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html
Click to expand...

i'm going from 30th march to 7th april. so i guess i'll miss the mori, which is a shame. is there anywhere else to see murakami's work in tokyo? i'm unfamiliar but he sounds interesting and worth seeing in person rather than on google images.
 
A

Ayumi

Member
Empty said:
i'm going from 30th march to 7th april. so i guess i'll miss the mori, which is a shame. is there anywhere else to see murakami's work in tokyo? i'm unfamiliar but he sounds interesting and worth seeing in person rather than on google images.
Click to expand...
He has his own bar (Bar Zingaro) in Nakano Broadway. My friends actually run it for him so I usually go there on the events and stuff. Very good for coffee too.

But it's sometimes hard to meet him in real life though.. You'd have to be lucky or go to one of his events on the first day. He doesn't seem to have anything coming up in Tokyo until the end of this year though.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Sakura said:
Hey guys. I'm currently living in Japan and going back to Canada in May. My friend is coming to Japan the end of April and we were going to travel and stuff a bit before both going back to Canada.
Here is the thing though, a one way flight for me Japan to Canada is like 1000 bucks.
However, a return flight, Japan to Canada then Canada to Japan I can get for as cheap as like 750~850. Can I book a return flight and then not use the other end? Or can I not do it, because it would mean returning to Japan and I'm not Japanese.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't be a problem if you're a Canadian person with a Canadian passport.
 
D

Darksol

Member
Sakura said:
Hey guys. I'm currently living in Japan and going back to Canada in May. My friend is coming to Japan the end of April and we were going to travel and stuff a bit before both going back to Canada.
Here is the thing though, a one way flight for me Japan to Canada is like 1000 bucks.
However, a return flight, Japan to Canada then Canada to Japan I can get for as cheap as like 750~850. Can I book a return flight and then not use the other end? Or can I not do it, because it would mean returning to Japan and I'm not Japanese.
Click to expand...

Everything Ayumi said. Also, you can probably get a part of your purchase price back for the unused ticket. I think Air Canada puts a $200 fee on it, but even with that you'd likely get back a bit.
 
rrvv

rrvv

Member
well I just ask here also in case

Thinking I want to eat Sushi in Tsukiji also buying a Knife. any sushi/sashimi shop recommendation?
 
A

Anony

Member
Sakura said:
However, a return flight, Japan to Canada then Canada to Japan I can get for as cheap as like 750~850.
Click to expand...
where are you flying from and when
tokyo to toronto return trip is easily 1200+ when i look
maybe 1k if you're lucky on nonsummer times
 
Robot Carnival

Robot Carnival

Member
need a little last minute help if anyone can provide some suggestions. I made a reservation at one of the capsule inn for my March 28th night stay in Osaka while ago, but I didn't get any confirmation back until today telling me it's fully booked. so now I can't find any lower price accommodation for that one night. I'm contemplating on maybe finding a manga/computer cafe to spend the night, but not sure what I should do with my luggage (do they have storage in these cafe for one large luggage?) any suggestion of such cafe that you guys know?

and also, for my Kyushu travel, I've finally got everything down to from April 3rd to 13th. I'll be staying in Kagoshima for 4 nights, then Fukuoka for 3 nights and a night in Yufu before heading back to Fukuoka to spend another night and fly out. now I'm planning on seeing Kagoshima, Sakurajima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and (a big maybe) Ibusuki down south. Fukuoka, Nagasaki and one or two more place up north, plus of course going to Yufu and maybe Beppu. to go to all these places, would just the regular JR pass be enough or should I get a Kyushu JR pass too?
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Robot Carnival said:
and also, for my Kyushu travel, I've finally got everything down to from April 3rd to 13th. I'll be staying in Kagoshima for 4 nights, then Fukuoka for 3 nights and a night in Yufu before heading back to Fukuoka to spend another night and fly out. now I'm planning on seeing Kagoshima, Sakurajima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and (a big maybe) Ibusuki down south. Fukuoka, Nagasaki and one or two more place up north, plus of course going to Yufu and maybe Beppu. to go to all these places, would just the regular JR pass be enough or should I get a Kyushu JR pass too?
Click to expand...

The JR Kyushu Pass offers you nothing that the JR Pass doesn't cover, so no need to get that.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Robot Carnival said:
cool, thanks! on a side note, does train station locker provide overnight storage or is it only for the day? since I'm only staying there a night I'm kinda thinking dropping my large luggage at the station to pick up the next morning.
Click to expand...

Most do overnight storage. Take a note of the size of the lockers though, if you got a really big suitcase, then it won't fit:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html

There's a baggage storage room at Shin-Osaka station (aka the station where the Shinkansen stops) though, if you got a bigger suitcase:
http://www.themadtraveleronline.com/travel-tips/storing-luggage-in-osaka-station/
 
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