Support NeoGAF

[Dandte]

Hey Japan-Travel Gaffer,

i love this thread and i finally have a reason to post here.
I will be in Japan from august 4 till september 14. We are three Persons and currently we plan to stay the first week in tokio and climb Mt. Fuji and then travel south till kagoshima and then back to tokio and afterwards into the north till Sapporo.

We are mostly using http://www.japan-guide.com/ for our planing, but there aren't many events. I bet you guys have some insider tips to help us out!

 

[MikeHattsu]

We are three Persons and currently we plan to stay the first week in tokio and climb Mt. Fuji and then travel south till kagoshima and then back to tokio and afterwards into the north till Sapporo.

That's quite the distance you're covering. You planning to fly or use trains? You stopping in other places along the way?

 

[Dandte]

That's quite the distance you're covering. You planning to fly or use trains? You stopping in other places along the way?

Yep, we will buy the jr pass and stop at least in osaka, kyoto, kobe, matsumoto, nagoya etc, kinda everything that seems interesting. For Sapporo we are thinking about to take an inland flight.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

Hey Japan-Travel Gaffer,

i love this thread and i finally have a reason to post here.
I will be in Japan from august 4 till september 14. We are three Persons and currently we plan to stay the first week in tokio and climb Mt. Fuji and then travel south till kagoshima and then back to tokio and afterwards into the north till Sapporo.

We are mostly using http://www.japan-guide.com/ for our planing, but there aren't many events. I bet you guys have some insider tips to help us out!

If you're staying the night on Mt. Fuji during your climb make sure you book as early as possible, the mountain huts fill fast and when I booked last year late May/early June for August everything but the mountain hut closest to the top was already filled.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Hey Japan-Travel Gaffer,

i love this thread and i finally have a reason to post here.
I will be in Japan from august 4 till september 14. We are three Persons and currently we plan to stay the first week in tokio and climb Mt. Fuji and then travel south till kagoshima and then back to tokio and afterwards into the north till Sapporo.

We are mostly using http://www.japan-guide.com/ for our planing, but there aren't many events. I bet you guys have some insider tips to help us out!

Timeout.jp for more local stuff.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Yep, we will buy the jr pass and stop at least in osaka, kyoto, kobe, matsumoto, nagoya etc, kinda everything that seems interesting. For Sapporo we are thinking about to take an inland flight.

You're going Tokyo->Fuji->Matsumoto->Nagoya->...->Kagoshima then?

One tip would be to do one of the cities between Kagoshima and Tokyo on the way back (like Osaka or Kyoto), unless you want to spend 8 hours on trains in one day.

 

[TatteredHat]

Dear Robot Restaurant 2015 guys, apologies for my absence. Me having a bad day + posting in the wrong types of topics ended up with me having a uh, extended hiatus.

Regardless, I am back now, and I am looking into the possibility of still securing a ticket on Veltra.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Dear Robot Restaurant 2015 guys, apologies for my absence. Me having a bad day + posting in the wrong types of topics ended up with me having a uh, extended hiatus.

Regardless, I am back now, and I am looking into the possibility of still securing a ticket on Veltra.

Hey there. I tried messaging you on PSN and adding you on Steam. Dunno if I added the right one though

Let me know if Veltra is sold out too. I know of yet another site.

 

[TatteredHat]

Hey there. I tried messaging you on PSN and adding you on Steam. Dunno if I added the right one though

Let me know if Veltra is sold out too. I know of yet another site.

I did actually see your Steam invite! But you haven't been online since I accepted it, hehe. I'll keep you updated, they should send me a confirmation within 72 hours.

 

[Dandte]

If you're staying the night on Mt. Fuji during your climb make sure you book as early as possible, the mountain huts fill fast and when I booked last year late May/early June for August everything but the mountain hut closest to the top was already filled.

We thought about staying outside the whole night. Did some camping before and with a little workout it shoudn't get too cold.

Timeout.jp for more local stuff.

thanks...but what on earth is a german frühlingsfest...guess i don't know my own country^^

You're going Tokyo->Fuji->Matsumoto->Nagoya->...->Kagoshima then?

One tip would be to do one of the cities between Kagoshima and Tokyo on the way back (like Osaka or Kyoto), unless you want to spend 8 hours on trains in one day.

We have plenty of time, so we could also just travel 2h a day from town to town. We don't want to miss anything!

 

[MikeHattsu]

We thought about staying outside the whole night. Did some camping before and with a little workout it shoudn't get too cold.

Hm... People have died from hypothermia, even when climbing in August. Temperatures during the night can hit close to 0 degrees Celsius (might even get some snow if you're unlucky). If there's rain or wind it will be even colder. And you're not allowed to put up tents if you were planning to do that. If you got good and proper winter sleeping bags then it might be fine though.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

Yeah, it can easily get below freezing in August. And there really aren't a whole lot of places you could just lay down in a sleeping bag outside. Once you get towards the top 1/4 of the mountain its mostly just rock and loose dirt.

 

[TatteredHat]

Just received my Robot Restaurant voucher, so I'm good to go.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Just received my Robot Restaurant voucher, so I'm good to go.

Cool

 

[Tabris]

Man, close to a week later and I still got the post-vacation blues. Japan was incredible.

There's just something so refreshing how everyone treats each other there.

 

[hwalker84]

Man, close to a week later and I still got the post-vacation blues. Japan was incredible.

There's just something so refreshing how everyone treats each other there.

Me too. I still look at the pictures and smile.

 

[UpperCaseN]

So what's the exact recommended process for exchanging US money for Yen in Japan?

I've gathered (and assume is correct):

Japan is a cash society. Some places do credit cards but cash is the go to. Plus carrying a lot of cash on you is not dangerous like it is in the US, due to their low crime rate

Do the exchange in the Japanese airport rather than while still in the US. Exchange rate will be better.

My question is, I'm pretty sure that American Credit Cards and Debit/Banks charge a foreign transaction charge. It happens to me when I buy stuff from Canada with my Visa. If this is true, of course I want to avoid using plastic. Do I withdraw the money in the USA, fly with it to Japan, and then exchange a fat wad of cash? I'm talking like $1500. I would not be comfortable having this on me or my carry on though; who the hell wants to walk around with $1500 US?

 

[MikeHattsu]

My question is, I'm pretty sure that American Credit Cards and Debit/Banks charge a foreign transaction charge. It happens to me when I buy stuff from Canada with my Visa. If this is true, of course I want to avoid using plastic. Do I withdraw the money in the USA, fly with it to Japan, and then exchange a fat wad of cash? I'm talking like $1500. I would not be comfortable having this on me or my carry on though; who the hell wants to walk around with $1500 US?

Money exchange places charge a fee as well. Might as well just use your Visa card to get money.

 

[hwalker84]

So what's the exact recommended process for exchanging US money for Yen in Japan?

I've gathered (and assume is correct):

Japan is a cash society. Some places do credit cards but cash is the go to. Plus carrying a lot of cash on you is not dangerous like it is in the US, due to their low crime rate

Do the exchange in the Japanese airport rather than while still in the US. Exchange rate will be better.

My question is, I'm pretty sure that American Credit Cards and Debit/Banks charge a foreign transaction charge. It happens to me when I buy stuff from Canada with my Visa. If this is true, of course I want to avoid using plastic. Do I withdraw the money in the USA, fly with it to Japan, and then exchange a fat wad of cash? I'm talking like $1500. I would not be comfortable having this on me or my carry on though; who the hell wants to walk around with $1500 US?

Bring a small amount of money. Exchange at the airport. Get the rest from International ATM's as needed. Your bank will charge you the true daily rate unlike these currency exchange places that need to make money.

 

[Splash Wave]

I mentioned in an earlier post that my girlfriend and I are looking to rent an apartment via airbnb in Tokyo for three months. Can anyone recommend a relatively inexpensive neighborhood that'll still be pretty interesting? We don't have to be right in the center of the city, but we want to be in a convenient place from which to explore.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I mentioned in an earlier post that my girlfriend and I are looking to rent an apartment via airbnb in Tokyo for three months. Can anyone recommend a relatively inexpensive neighborhood that'll still be pretty interesting? We don't have to be right in the center of the city, but we want to be in a convenient place from which to explore.

Zoom out on the map and set your daily budget rate? Sorry best I can do.

 

[Ayumi]

I mentioned in an earlier post that my girlfriend and I are looking to rent an apartment via airbnb in Tokyo for three months. Can anyone recommend a relatively inexpensive neighborhood that'll still be pretty interesting? We don't have to be right in the center of the city, but we want to be in a convenient place from which to explore.

How about you find some places within your budget and we can vouch/warn for the area? I'm not so good with suggesting in such huge areas.. sorry. ; w ;
Would be good to mention where/what you will be doing in Tokyo (a lot of people care if they're gonna roam around certain areas like Akiba/Shinjuku). :3

 

[UpperCaseN]

Money exchange places charge a fee as well. Might as well just use your Visa card to get money.

Bring a small amount of money. Exchange at the airport. Get the rest from International ATM's as needed. Your bank will charge you the true daily rate unlike these currency exchange places that need to make money.

Thank you both, I just called my bank and they confirmed my debit card works with International ATM's in Japan. $6 per transaction fee plus 4%. I'll need to call back closer to the date so I don't get declined for fraud protection

 

[distantmantra]

I mentioned in an earlier post that my girlfriend and I are looking to rent an apartment via airbnb in Tokyo for three months. Can anyone recommend a relatively inexpensive neighborhood that'll still be pretty interesting? We don't have to be right in the center of the city, but we want to be in a convenient place from which to explore.

Sangenjaya or Shimokitazawa.

 

[kubus]

I mentioned in an earlier post that my girlfriend and I are looking to rent an apartment via airbnb in Tokyo for three months. Can anyone recommend a relatively inexpensive neighborhood that'll still be pretty interesting? We don't have to be right in the center of the city, but we want to be in a convenient place from which to explore.

We spent the first week in a hostel in Ryogoku and that place was pretty great (as was the hostel). It's only two stations away from Akihabara (5 minutes or so?) so you can hop onto the Yamanote Line from there and get to the center easily. We didn't spend a lot of time in Ryogoku itself but it seemed like a very small, quiet little town but with a rich history. There's a Edo-Tokyo Museum there and apparently it is the "sumo town": you can eat tons of sumo food there and there's a big sumo stadium.

I have no idea if it's an expensive place to stay but I would be surprised if it was. Either way it fits your description of "interesting place" and "convenient place from which to explore" . The hostel might be a nice temporary option as well? It's called Anne Hostel Yokozuna. It was ridiculously cheap but we really enjoyed our stay there.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Thank you both, I just called my bank and they confirmed my debit card works with International ATM's in Japan. $6 per transaction fee plus 4%. I'll need to call back closer to the date so I don't get declined for fraud protection

Hm... That's pretty high fees. You don't have a better credit card?

 

[UpperCaseN]

Hm... That's pretty high fees. You don't have a better credit card?

My only debit card, but I plan on notifying my Visa CC about the trip in case I need to use it as well. My wife's debit card might be better, I'll look into it.

 

[hwalker84]

Thank you both, I just called my bank and they confirmed my debit card works with International ATM's in Japan. $6 per transaction fee plus 4%. I'll need to call back closer to the date so I don't get declined for fraud protection

That's outrageous.

 

[Zoe]

Yikes. My credit union is 1%, and my Chase account is 3%.

 

[Tabris]

You can use credit card for most everything in Japan.

I would recommend bringing like 80000 yen ($700-800ish exchanged at airport). Then load up a Suica card with 10000+ yen (annoying how you can't load it up using your credit card) at Narita Airport which can be used for all subway travel and lots of vending machines / convenience stores. Then the rest of the yen is just for the small stuff.

 

[UpperCaseN]

That's outrageous.

hmm, just to be clear, I'm talking taking cash from an ATM, using my US Debit Card. So if I do $1000, my bank would charge me $46. This is bad? (I'm aware an ATM won't let me take that much in 1 transaction, just making an example).

 

[Tabris]

hmm, just to be clear, I'm talking taking cash from an ATM, using my US Debit Card. So if I do $1000, my bank would charge me $46. This is bad? (I'm aware an ATM won't let me take that much in 1 transaction, just making an example).

No, that's less than a currency exchange place will take. But again, use your credit card for most everything. Just get $1000~ worth of yen, that will last you 2 weeks np unless you eat on the cheap a lot, which will mean a lot of cash only places.

 

[hwalker84]

No, that's less than a currency exchange place will take. But again, use your credit card for most everything. Just get $1000~ worth of yen, that will last you 2 weeks np unless you eat on the cheap a lot, which will mean a lot of cash only places.

Depends on where he's going and what he's doing. In my travels most places didn't take card.

 

[Tabris]

Depends on where he's going and what he's doing. In my travels most places didn't take card.

This was based on Tokyo only.

And this was based on Ginza / Chuo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Minato, Odaiba, Akasaka, and Disneyland areas.

 

[MikeHattsu]

hmm, just to be clear, I'm talking taking cash from an ATM, using my US Debit Card. So if I do $1000, my bank would charge me $46. This is bad? (I'm aware an ATM won't let me take that much in 1 transaction, just making an example).

Well, on my Visa card I got 1.75% and no additional fee, so it would cost me ~$17.5 to do the same thing. I hear some cards in the US got no fees at all as well?

Depends on where he's going and what he's doing. In my travels most places didn't take card.

Yep. One of the hostels I'm staying at this time doesn't even take cards.

 

[dani_dc]

So any suggestions for Golden Week?

I literally have no idea what to do during it. I'm at Tokyo at the moment but I wouldn't be against using the chance to travel around.

Ideally something not expensive or something I could pay via CC online.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Hm... My Japanican booking for Robot Restaurant just got cancelled. Anybody else attending the meetup getting that?

 

[kitschbeam]

Does anybody know if Bandai Hobby Center is open for public? Or do I need to contact them first?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Does anybody know if Bandai Hobby Center is open for public? Or do I need to contact them first?

If you want to tour it you have to apply here for a lottery to get in, and it's only on specific dates:
https://ssl.bandai.co.jp/bhc/usr/calendar.php

 

[kitschbeam]

If you want to tour it you have to apply here for a lottery to get in, and it's only on specific dates:
https://ssl.bandai.co.jp/bhc/usr/calendar.php

E-mailed them, but I really doubt they will respond my email because I'll be travelling alone and I'm not sure they want to bother themselves just for me.

Guess I'll skip Bandai Hobby Centre this year. I'm not sure whether I want to spend 2+ hr trip from Tokyo to Shizuoka just to get myself kicked out from the building. Ah well, maybe next time.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

Well, on my Visa card I got 1.75% and no additional fee, so it would cost me ~$17.5 to do the same thing. I hear some cards in the US got no fees at all as well?





Yep. One of the hostels I'm staying at this time doesn't even take cards.

My US credit card doesn't have foreign transaction fees, but I used by debit card at the ATM. I don't recall any fees besides the usual ATM fee.

 

[sfedai0]

CapitalOne cards are all mostly free from foreign transaction fees. But I use my Charles Schwab debit card for traveling. All atm fees are refunded back to you at the end of the month.

 

[Robot Carnival]

I made the exchange for my trip in the post office during my trip and it was pretty pain free. did some credit card purchase too and there were some charges (3% each purchase) but nothing too bad. and from the looks of thing they actually gave me pretty decent exchange rates on those purchases too.

sign... I really wish I can get into a bath house or onsen again, those are just so refreshing. and of course, the food... /drools

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Anybody interested in trying Jimbocho DEN during the week of May 11th thru 17th?

I'm trying to preferably a dinner preferably later during my trip but I'll be going solo so if someone wants to tag along I'll make the reservation.

 

[kitschbeam]

Anybody interested in trying Jimbocho DEN during the week of May 11th thru 17th?

I'm trying to preferably a dinner preferably later during my trip but I'll be going solo so if someone wants to tag along I'll make the reservation.

Oh man the food looks good! I wanna tag along but I'll be leaving Japan on 11th May

 

[MikeHattsu]

Universal Cool Japan (with the Resident Evil attraction etc.) has been extended until the end of June:
http://www.usj.co.jp/universal-cool-japan2015/index.html

Hm... My Japanican booking for Robot Restaurant just got cancelled. Anybody else attending the meetup getting that?

Had to make another booking with Veltra. Weird.

 

[Deleted member 12837]

Anyone know of a good place to buy a small Japanese doll? Something like one of these (vs an anime character figure, hello kitty stuffed animal, etc):

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/japanese-doll-view-traditional-35445104.jpg
http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v1/...e-Puppet-home-dolls-three-piece-Red-Poppy.jpg

Preferably something that's not too expensive, but also something a little nicer than a $5 plastic toy found at an airport gift shop or touristy shop.

My fiancée collects dolls from around the world, so I'm looking to pick one up while I'm here. I'll be in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima.

 

[Tabris]

Sky Tree (Oshiage) had novelty stores like that if I remember, most stores there were very touristy. There's also some open-air market near Sky Tree that may have it.

Since you should go there anyways, especially on a nice day, for the best view.

 

[Tabris]

Click to expand for large image.

Fukuduya

Kikuchi

Kumoro

Laduree Ginza & Esquisse

Pierre Gagnaire

Sant Pau

 

[hitsugi]

Tabris - how did things go at those restaurants? How was communication? I'd be interested in a write-up of your experiences