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[Jeffrey]

gonna be in tokyo for like 2 days on my trip.

oddly enough im not really interested in akihabara because of being overexposed in culture lol.


Whats worth checking out or trying there that you can't do in the US? I'm checking out the usual temples and what not, but any weird stuff, like vending machine restaurants or capsule hotels or anything else worth checking out?


Also doesis there anything like yelp in japan for food?

 

[Laevateinn]

gonna be in tokyo for like 2 days on my trip.

oddly enough im not really interested in akihabara because of being overexposed in culture lol.


Whats worth checking out or trying there that you can't do in the US? I'm checking out the usual temples and what not, but any weird stuff, like vending machine restaurants or capsule hotels or anything else worth checking out?


Also doesis there anything like yelp in japan for food?

For nerd stuff, Nakano Broadway is a good alternative. Same with a lot of stuff in Ikebukuro.

There's also tons of stuff you can do that you can't do in the US. It depends a lot on what sorts of things you like. A lot of us, including myself, would recommend the Robot Restaurant. What are you interested in?

Regarding food, what you're looking for is Tablog.

 

[Jeffrey]

For nerd stuff, Nakano Broadway is a good alternative. Same with a lot of stuff in Ikebukuro.

There's also tons of stuff you can do that you can't do in the US. It depends a lot on what sorts of things you like. A lot of us, including myself, would recommend the Robot Restaurant. What are you interested in?

Regarding food, what you're looking for is Tablog.

hmmm.... whats a good place for street food?

I assume there are certain locations like those?

Pretty much what I missed the most living in suburban america lol. Gotta drive everywhere :/

 

[MikeHattsu]

Oh wow, awesome advice, thank you.
Booked the Kansai-Hiroshima pass, need to commit to a specific 5 day range for the Kyoto-Nara-Kinosaki-Osaka days..

Well, it's mostly for your Kinosaki trip + going from Kyoto to Osaka(?) + some Osaka days. It's not gonna be useful for Kyoto since it's mostly buses, but it'll be ok to use on the Nara trip as well if you're going within those 5 days.

we're planning a trip to tokyo, we're in the suuuuper early stages of it. i'm not super familiar with the geography of japan, but i was wondering what are some cool cities within range of a day trip? thanks in advance. we're planning to be there for 12 days...not entirely sure if we're going to stay in tokyo only

In addition to the places Laevateinn mentioned there's also Hakone or Nikko if you want to visit an onsen town. I prefer Hakone of the two. You'd might want to spend a night there as well though

 

[Copons]

we're planning a trip to tokyo, we're in the suuuuper early stages of it. i'm not super familiar with the geography of japan, but i was wondering what are some cool cities within range of a day trip? thanks in advance. we're planning to be there for 12 days...not entirely sure if we're going to stay in tokyo only

The invaluable MikeHattsu already mentioned Nikko, which would be well worth a day trip from Tokyo, but AFAIK it's undergoing some major renovations at the moment (reason why this time around I've skipped it - but I've already been there several years ago).

hmmm.... whats a good place for street food?

I assume there are certain locations like those?

Tokyo is a huge city, and you'll find great places to eat everywhere. If I were you, I'd search on, like, Tripadvisor (isn't Tabelog in Japanese only?) for nearby restaurants whenever you are hungry.
Of course you'll suffer tourist traps and the usual hit-or-miss places, but still better than ending up wandering for hours searching for some place someone suggested, instead of enjoying the city!

 

[MikeHattsu]

Tokyo is a huge city, and you'll find great places to eat everywhere. If I were you, I'd search on, like, Tripadvisor (isn't Tabelog in Japanese only?) for nearby restaurants whenever you are hungry.
Of course you'll suffer tourist traps and the usual hit-or-miss places, but still better than ending up wandering for hours searching for some place someone suggested, instead of enjoying the city!

They have a less good English version of the website:
http://tabelog.com/en/

One could also try Gurunavi:
http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/

 

[Copons]

They have a less good English version of the website:
http://tabelog.com/en/

One could also try Gurunavi:
http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/

Ah, my bad, I'm in the office with a wonky internet which refuse to load half of any page.

 

[mere_immortal]

Has anyone had experience of using Air BNB for a Tokyo visit? My GF and I are more than likely heading to Japan for my 30th next year so doing some early scouting for places to stay. Air BNBs seem generally much cheaper than hotels and have the extras like free wifi, but I've never used one for any travel before.

Recommendations for specific places would be awesome if anyone has any.

 

[Copons]

Has anyone had experience of using Air BNB for a Tokyo visit? My GF and I are more than likely heading to Japan for my 30th next year so doing some early scouting for places to stay. Air BNBs seem generally much cheaper than hotels and have the extras like free wifi, but I've never used one for any travel before.

Recommendations for specific places would be awesome if anyone has any.

I've used Airbnb for my recent trip in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Excluding the Kyoto one (very dirty, goddamit), the other two were quite good, even if small (but let's face it: it's Japan, I wouldn't expect huge flats rented for less than 50€ per night!).

This is the one I've used in Tokyo: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10058189
If you don't mind the lack of space (2 people, 2 big trolley bags, 2 small ones, on the floor there's room to open only 1 of the big ones), I'd definitely recommend it.

It has a portable Wi-Fi thingamabob, it works fine (except inside or underground), but the battery doesn't last a full day of use, so you should keep a power bank handy. (This applies to ANY other portable Wi-Fi I've tried in Japan, though.)

From a public transport standpoint, the location is exceptional.
I mean:
- 5 minutes walk (literally 5 minutes) to the JR Okachimachi station (Yamanote line, which is easily the most useful to get around Tokyo, and it's free with a JR Pass);
- a little bit more to both the subway stations of Nakaokachimachi (Hibiya line, but also connected to the Shin-Okachimachi station for the Oedo line) and Suehirocho (Ginza line);
- if you take the Yamanote for 2 stops, and change at Kanda for the JR Chuo Rapid line, you could get to Shinjuku in like 20 minutes;
- 10 minutes walk to both Akihabara and Ueno (both 1 Yamanote stop away from Okachimachi);
- easy to get here from Narita (the Keisei Skyliner drops you at Ueno; the NEX at Tokyo, 3 stops away from Okachimachi).

At the same time, it's not really the most nightlife-ish neighborhood.
Shinjuku and Shibuya are at the other side of the Yamanote loop, so you should plan accordingly and keep an eye to the timetable to avoid losing the last train (also a great experience in Tokyo, but still! ).

 

[mere_immortal]

Awesome, thanks for the info! Also another quick one regarding tattoos. I don't have any but my gf has 2 nearly full sleeves, with the bottom of one on her hand slightly. Is that still an issue over there? Long sleeves will sort most of them but would be hard to cover the bits on her hand.

 

[Fritz]

Awesome, thanks for the info! Also another quick one regarding tattoos. I don't have any but my gf has 2 nearly full sleeves, with the bottom of one on her hand slightly. Is that still an issue over there? Long sleeves will sort most of them but would be hard to cover the bits on her hand.

Apparently everybody is lenient with foreigners. Exception would be the entrance to public baths. If there is a no tattoo rule it applies to everybody.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Awesome, thanks for the info! Also another quick one regarding tattoos. I don't have any but my gf has 2 nearly full sleeves, with the bottom of one on her hand slightly. Is that still an issue over there? Long sleeves will sort most of them but would be hard to cover the bits on her hand.

Most likely you'd only have problems if you're planning on going to swimming pools, water parks, certain onsens or other such places.

 

[mere_immortal]

Ah that's fine then, don't think we'd be doing any of that stuff. Shouldn't be a problem just walking around though if they're showing?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Ah that's fine then, don't think we'd be doing any of that stuff. Shouldn't be a problem just walking around though if they're showing?

Shouldn't be a problem 99.9% of the time.

 

[WoodWERD]

Reading this thread is starting to make me feel like a last-second trip (say the 28th - Oct 10th) might not be the best idea? As in, I have literally zero plans but live in China and have about a week and a half to kill. If I try to wing it, am I going to end up wasting a bunch of cash? I would be going for scenery, food and sight-seeing versus anything game related if that helps...

 

[Fritz]

Rain, Rain, Rain starting on the 30th hope the forecast is wrong.

Reading this thread is starting to make me feel like a last-second trip (say the 28th - Oct 10th) might not be the best idea? As in, I have literally zero plans but live in China and have about a week and a half to kill. If I try to wing it, am I going to end up wasting a bunch of cash? I would be going for scenery, food and sight-seeing versus anything game related if that helps...

Flights will be expensive. If that's not an issue I'd try reserving accommodation. If you find something decent I'd say go for it.

 

[TheExodu5]

So what's the difference between the Kansai thru Pass and the JR West Kansai Area pass? It just seems like the Thru Pass is cheaper and gives me subway access on top of everything. Am I missing something?

Edit: okay I guess it doesn't include any of the faster trains. I'll get the 3 day pass now. We're taking a small detour to hong kong for a few days since the girlfriend has family there. After we get back, I'll use the remaining 2 days of the Kansai Thru Pass and then use the 5 day JR West Kansai Hiroshima pass, which seems to include the shinkansen, which I would love to try while I'm in Japan. Thoughts? If I'm just using the 5 day pass to go to Hiroshima and back is it worth it?

 

[Priz]

Staying in Akihabara area (right next to Suehirocho station) and checkout at AirBNB place is 11am, flight out of Narita is 7:30pm. Is there a luggage pickup service I can arrange to come get the bags for me? I'm trying to figure out how to handle my bags inbetween all that to do last day stuff before heading to the airport.

Looks like there'll be some rather interesting events going on the weekend I'm there. One is a DJ/live event at an Onsen which includes the event/unlimited onsen access while there...

 

[MikeHattsu]

So what's the difference between the Kansai thru Pass and the JR West Kansai Area pass? It just seems like the Thru Pass is cheaper and gives me subway access on top of everything. Am I missing something?

Edit: okay I guess it doesn't include any of the faster trains. I'll get the 3 day pass now. We're taking a small detour to hong kong for a few days since the girlfriend has family there. After we get back, I'll use the remaining 2 days of the Kansai Thru Pass and then use the 5 day JR West Kansai Hiroshima pass, which seems to include the shinkansen, which I would love to try while I'm in Japan. Thoughts? If I'm just using the 5 day pass to go to Hiroshima and back is it worth it?

Thru Pass lets you use everything but JR stuff. JR West lets you use JR stuff, but nothing else. Thru Pass is the better value, but you should only get it if you plan on going between at least 2 cities or Himeji (and you don't mind the extra time it takes)

The Kansai Hiroshima pass is worth it even if you only go to Hiroshima, yes. And if you're getting the Kansai Hiroshima pass, you should use that to get to Himeji instead if possible.

 

[TheExodu5]

Thru Pass lets you use everything but JR stuff. JR West lets you use JR stuff, but nothing else. Thru Pass is the better value, but you should only get it if you plan on going between at least 2 cities or Himeji (and you don't mind the extra time it takes)

The Kansai Hiroshima pass is worth it even if you only go to Hiroshima, yes. And if you're getting the Kansai Hiroshima pass, you should use that to get to Himeji instead if possible.

Ok thanks.

But why get the Hiroshima pass to go to Himeji? Are you suggesting I should skip Hiroshima and go to Himeji if possible?

Also JR from Osaka to hiroshima is the shinkansen, right?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Ok thanks.

But why get the Hiroshima pass to go to Himeji? Are you suggesting I should skip Hiroshima and go to Himeji if possible?

Also JR from Osaka to hiroshima is the shinkansen, right?

No. I mean if you're going to Himeji as well as Hiroshima, the use the Kansai Hiroshima pass instead of the Thru Pass for that.

And from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima you can take the Shinkansen, yes.

 

[TheExodu5]

Yeah we didn't end up getting the Thru Pass. They basically told us to just pay for one way tickets instead since it would probably be cheaper. You basically have to visit further destinations than just Kyoto or Nara to make it worthwhile.

I'll probably do one way fares for Kyoto and maybe Kobe and then do Hajime and Hiroshima on the JR pass.

Is Hiroshima very interesting with respect to WW2 history?

We ended up going to Nara today. Very cool. The deer Park was a lot of fun with the girlfriend. Now I think we're going to hang out around Namba and check out the video game bar nearby.

It's not really my thing, but I feel like I should definitely check out a Karaoke bar before I leave. Any suggestions? I'm also trying to convince the GF to come to an onsen with me. Besides that, any activities you would recommend?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Is Hiroshima very interesting with respect to WW2 history?

It's not really my thing, but I feel like I should definitely check out a Karaoke bar before I leave. Any suggestions? I'm also trying to convince the GF to come to an onsen with me. Besides that, any activities you would recommend?

Yeah, check out the Peace Memorial Park and museum.

Dunno about karaoke, but go to Miyajima while you're in Hiroshima and check out the shrine and deer there as well, unless you're tired of them ;p

And you could do the Kobe day while you got that JR Kansai Hiroshima pass as well to save some money and possibly go there faster.

 

[TheExodu5]

Yeah I'll probably do a quick stop at Kobe unless there's a lot worth seeing. My main interest is Kobe beef...but I just picked some up at LIFE grocery store tonight for pretty cheap...so I don't know if I want to bother with an overly expensive teppan meal.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Yeah I'll probably do a quick stop at Kobe unless there's a lot worth seeing. My main interest is Kobe beef...but I just picked some up at LIFE grocery store tonight for pretty cheap...so I don't know if I want to bother with an overly expensive teppan meal.

Actual Kobe beef and not just wagyu or tajima beef?

 

[Demption]

Have any of you tried VR in Tokyo? We are going to Tokyo at the end of october and would like to try VR headsets at some point. It seems that the Bandai Namco VR Zone is closed already at the time of our stay. Any other recommendations?

 

[Fisico]

Oh yes seems like it will be closed the 11th October
I had the occasion to try most of the "games" myself, overall it's fricking expansive for what it was but there were some worthwhile experiences to have

- The mecha game had rather good controls, you're piloting a mecha

Spoiler

living the dream

from inside the cockpit in a 1st person PoV, you're also sitting on a chair similar to the one in the game and the chair rotate as you rotate the mecha too.
The bad things are that it was awfully short (it even ends on a "To be continued") and you had a freaking annoying AI which was representated by an... almost naked woman that liked to show you her cleavage for absolutely no reason

- Tried the ski game, I couldn't manage to turn so I guess it was hard to enjoy it, otherwise the game was terrible graphically with way too much aliasing.
Once again you're putting your feet on simili ski and your hands on simili ski poles and you even have a fan blowing wind on you as you're gaining speed.
Two of my friends also tried it, they were better than me but still struggled a lot with the controls so I guess it was not just me.

- Didn't try the train game (not sure if it was based on densha de go or a train) seems like the VR was implemented just for the sake of it with no real added value.

- The "save the cat at the very end of the board 300m above ground" is a hit or miss depending on how you believe it to be real.
Unfortunately for me I'm a rather rational person and since I had knowledge of what was really happening before I put the headset I just got the cat and came back in 20s, funny thing is that the real object used to represent the cat didn't match the 3D model perfectly so it felt strange (it was not the one used in the video linked above), in the end I tried to play with it and ended up dropping it because of that lol.
There was a gimmick once you get the cat too but... it just fell flat because what happens in game is not reflected in reality.
I don't remember the game looking as good as it did in the trailer also.
Overall it has a good potential but it would've been better had I not been made aware of my real surroundings beforehand.
The japanese I saw trying it defintely shat their pants though lol

- Finally there was a coop horror house game, and while it had nothing particular whether as a VR game or as a horror game the two things combined together defintely made for a pretty dope experience.
The scarejump moments were even better and communication with the other(s) players was the key to solve the few puzzles in game.
Against all odds it defintely was the better experience by far.

Each demo lasts from 5 to 15mn and cost between 700 to 1300 yens, I would only recommend the horror game, the rescue the cat is also worth a shot and eventually the mecha game

 

[KiraFA37]

Hey guys, any recommendations for hotels/rooms near Narita airport? I'm arriving on saturday 12/11 at 18.45 and just need a place to sleep before taking the train the next day to Kagoshima.

Here's my current schedule with activities, I'm still planning though:

12/11 Arrive at Narita at 18.45
13/11-16/11 Kagoshima: Sakurajima volcano, Kumamoto castle.
17/11-19/11 Hiroshima: Peace musuem and Ebisuko festival.
19/11-22/11 Kyoto: Nara daytrip.
23/11-26/11 Tokyo: ??, probably wandering around and trying some arcade games.
26/11: fly back at 22.20 from Narita

 

[Philippo]

Man, sometimes the sensation of being seen as an alien or a not welcomed person is real as fuck.
It might be because i'm visiting very underground scenes (stopping in various punk rock locales across the nation), but it always feels like they start looking at me as soon as i turn away or directly ignore me.

Also it's so weird how in these 12 days since i've arrived i had almost no problem in engaging into conversation with men, like in restaurants or at clubs, while i've probably not talked casually with a woman yet. Not that i'm actively looking into hook up someone (althoigh of course i wouldn't say no to that lol). Feels like there's still a giant gap i can't seem to understand how to fill.

 

[Laevateinn]

Man, sometimes the sensation of being seen as an alien or a not welcomed person is real as fuck.
It might be because i'm visiting very underground scenes (stopping in various punk rock locales across the nation), but it always feels like they start looking at me as soon as i turn away or directly ignore me.

Also it's so weird how in these 12 days since i've arrived i had almost no problem in engaging into conversation with men, like in restaurants or at clubs, while i've probably not talked casually with a woman yet. Not that i'm actively looking into hook up someone (althoigh of course i wouldn't say no to that lol). Feels like there's still a giant gap i can't seem to understand how to fill.

The last time I was in Tokyo, I went to a metal show and everyone was extremely friendly and willing to talk.

 

[Jocchan]

I'm getting married next April, and the wife and I have chosen Japan for our wedding trip. It will be our first visit there.
We're planning to depart near the tail end of Golden Week (May 5th-6th) and stay for about 18 days total, visiting Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, with a one-day trip to Sendai.

Being a wedding trip, we'll probably check with a few travel agents to ensure everything is well organized, but I must admit I'm tempted to just do everything ourselves.

This thread has given us lots of ideas for places to visit and things to do, and we'd rather relax and explore at our leisure than follow a rigid schedule all the time.

Here's a rough outline of what we've been planning so far:

- Day 1: Arrival in Narita, night in hotel in Tokyo
- Day 2: Slow start to recover from jet lag, just some exploring around Tokyo
- Day 3: One-day trip to Sendai, return to Tokyo before evening
- Days 4-7: Tokyo
- Days 8-11: Kyoto
- Days 12-15: Osaka
- Days 16-18: More Tokyo before leaving

Assuming we go for such a schedule, would a JR Pass be worth the cost? Or would public transport suffice, with the occasional train tickets for moving between cities?

 

[Tron999]

hey japan-gaf. I'm going to be in japan for work, and I'm thinking of taking 2.5 days for myself in tokyo. I've always wanted to go to akihabara, even though everyone tells me it's a total waste to try and get deals. I think I'll go just to check things out, anyway. I have zero interest in any of the maid cafes.

This thread has been very helpful, lots of great ideas. Luckily, my phone works there (google fi), so I don't have to worry about picking up a sim or anything.

So far my list of interests are:

hakuhinkan toy park
ginza lion beer hall
the gate/red light district area from the yakuza series (anyone know any good bars there?)
lock and load shooting bar EA
ramen shop (using tabelog or gurunavi)
shinjuku gyoen national gardens
finding japanese copies of metal gear solid and the yakuza series (book off in other areas besides akihabara)
sony building in ginza

I know the japan rail pass is good for inter-city travel, but what do you do for the in city metro? Same thing?

 

[JulianImp]

Assuming we go for such a schedule, would a JR Pass be worth the cost? Or would public transport suffice, with the occasional train tickets for moving between cities?

I know the japan rail pass is good for inter-city travel, but what do you do for the in city metro? Same thing?

JR Passes are only worth it if you're actually going to use them for more than just a shinkansen ride or two, or because you can't afford to spend more time riding local trains or buses instead. On a budget, it's actually way better to just ride trains normally than going for a pass.

For Jocchan, I'd say a wedding trip would probably warrant a JR pass, but I'd recommend that you get a 7-day pass and time it so that you activate it on the day you leave for Kyoto and have it expire on the same day you'll be returning to Tokyo if you want to save a bit.

For a 2.5 day stay, however, I'd say just charge a Suica and use it normally. Oh, and be on the lookout for jet lag, since you probably will end up losing your first day on arrival to it. 2.5 days might be too little time to actually get things done without having to rush through everything, which might be a waste. For example, Book Off hunting takes quite a bit of time if you're set on finding a very specific thing, since each store carries different stuff at different prices and going to all of them isn't something you should even attempt during a lightning visit.

For those of you staying for a while on any city and repeatedly using the same train/subway lines (especially as a group), I'd recommend those train tickets you can get at stations that have you pay for ten or so tickets at a time and give you another one for free. They're obviously good for a specific fare though, so it might be best if you get the cheapest one and compensate up when taking longer trips and/or ride multiple trains for a single trip.

 

[MikeHattsu]

For Jocchan, I'd say a wedding trip would probably warrant a JR pass, but I'd recommend that you get a 7-day pass and time it so that you activate it on the day you leave for Kyoto and have it expire on the same day you'll be returning to Tokyo if you want to save a bit.

Jocchan is staying 8 days total in the Kyoto/Osaka area so a 7 day pass would not work.

 

[Jocchan]

Jocchan is staying 8 days total in the Kyoto/Osaka area so a 7 day pass would not work.

I was actually debating about adding one ninth day in the area to not rush things too much, heh.
I was actually considering a 14 day pass to include the trip to Sendai as well, plus local trains while staying in the same city. Would that be overkill?

 

[MikeHattsu]

I was actually debating about adding one ninth day in the area to not rush things too much, heh.
I was actually considering a 14 day pass to include the trip to Sendai as well, plus local trains while staying in the same town. Would that be overkill?

If you're doing Tokyo-Sendai-Tokyo and Tokyo-Kyoto/Osaka-Tokyo return trips within a 14 day period then you should get a 14 day JR Pass.

 

[Jocchan]

If you're doing Tokyo-Sendai-Tokyo and Tokyo-Kyoto/Osaka-Tokyo return trips within a 14 day period then you should get a 14 day JR Pass.

Yep, that would be the plan

 

[MikeHattsu]

Yep, that would be the plan

Then it will be cheaper with a JR Pass than buying Shinkansen tickets for those 4 train trips in total. + you can use it for JR trains in Osaka, those days you're in Tokyo in-between Sendai and Kyoto/Osaka and to get between Kyoto and Osaka. It will most likely not be very useful for travelling within Sendai or Kyoto though, depending on what you're planning to do, but you should get bus passes for those 2 cities instead.

 

[Jocchan]

Then it will be cheaper with a JR Pass than buying Shinkansen tickets for those 4 train trips in total. + you can use it for JR trains in Osaka, those days you're in Tokyo in-between Sendai and Kyoto/Osaka and to get between Kyoto and Osaka. It will most likely not be very useful for travelling within Sendai or Kyoto though, depending on what you're planning to do, but you should get bus passes for those 2 cities instead.

Thank you, much appreciated.

 

[Copons]

Then it will be cheaper with a JR Pass than buying Shinkansen tickets for those 4 train trips in total. + you can use it for JR trains in Osaka, those days you're in Tokyo in-between Sendai and Kyoto/Osaka and to get between Kyoto and Osaka. It will most likely not be very useful for travelling within Sendai or Kyoto though, depending on what you're planning to do, but you should get bus passes for those 2 cities instead.

Let me chime in here.
While in Tokyo you could move around only on JR trains, in Kyoto and Osaka you just can't.
In Kyoto you'll likely just get the one-day bus pass (don't know if there are multi-day passes, but in case they'd be the best value to get around to the landmarks) and only use the JR train to get to Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama.
In Osaka, the JR loop line isn't that useful, while the subway can get you pretty much everywhere worth going.

On the other hand, using Osaka or Kyoto as "bases" to explore the surrounding area, that's where the JR Pass comes in handy.
Shin-Osaka - Kyoto is a 15 minutes shinkansen ride (or 20-25 by "normal" train).
You can use the JR Nara line to get from Kyoto to Nara (even tho the private line gets you closer to the park); same thing to Arashiyama, the private station is closer to the bamboo forest than the JR one, but if you're on a budget (and with a JR Pass), adding 15 minutes walking won't be that bad.
Himeji, Kobe, Hiroshima (and Miyajima) are all JR rides from Shin-Osaka.

Oh, as you can see, I've mentioned twice Shin-Osaka: if you plan to stay in Osaka and get around, try to stay near the Shin-Osaka station, where the shinkansen stops.
It's far from anything interesting in Osaka (except Umeda, 1 JR stop from Shin-Osaka, IIRC), and you'll have to use the subway, but it's a really great location to move between Osaka and nearby cities (including Kyoto, but excluding Koyasan, reachable only via the Nankai line from the Namba station, on the other side of the city).

 

[Philippo]

Does anyone know a nice place to grab a beer and (try to) chat with stranger in Osaka, in Umeda or Namba?
I'm always completely lost on what to do at night when alone lol

 

[TheExodu5]

Does anyone know a nice place to grab a beer and (try to) chat with stranger in Osaka, in Umeda or Namba?
I'm always completely lost on what to do at night when alone lol

I went to check out the video game bar Space Station. Was pretty cool, but it was all foreigners so it's definitely not a local hangout. Small space and worth checking out in any case. My girlfriend and I played some Turtles in Time and Bomberman. Plenty of izakayas around if it's not your thing.

 

[Jocchan]

Let me chime in here.
While in Tokyo you could move around only on JR trains, in Kyoto and Osaka you just can't.
In Kyoto you'll likely just get the one-day bus pass (don't know if there are multi-day passes, but in case they'd be the best value to get around to the landmarks) and only use the JR train to get to Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama.
In Osaka, the JR loop line isn't that useful, while the subway can get you pretty much everywhere worth going.

On the other hand, using Osaka or Kyoto as "bases" to explore the surrounding area, that's where the JR Pass comes in handy.
Shin-Osaka - Kyoto is a 15 minutes shinkansen ride (or 20-25 by "normal" train).
You can use the JR Nara line to get from Kyoto to Nara (even tho the private line gets you closer to the park); same thing to Arashiyama, the private station is closer to the bamboo forest than the JR one, but if you're on a budget (and with a JR Pass), adding 15 minutes walking won't be that bad.
Himeji, Kobe, Hiroshima (and Miyajima) are all JR rides from Shin-Osaka.

Oh, as you can see, I've mentioned twice Shin-Osaka: if you plan to stay in Osaka and get around, try to stay near the Shin-Osaka station, where the shinkansen stops.
It's far from anything interesting in Osaka (except Umeda, 1 JR stop from Shin-Osaka, IIRC), and you'll have to use the subway, but it's a really great location to move between Osaka and nearby cities (including Kyoto, but excluding Koyasan, reachable only via the Nankai line from the Namba station, on the other side of the city).

Thanks! Very useful information here

 

[Copons]

Thanks! Very useful information here

Oh and if you plan on getting the 14 days JR Pass, don't forget that the NEX train from Narita to Tokyo is included, so you could plan your trip accordingly and activate the pass the first day at Narita, or 14 days before your return.

Actually, my last trip had a schedule quite similar to yours (as in: Tokyo -> Kyoto/Osaka/etc. -> Tokyo) and I reduced the first stay in Tokyo and increased the last exactly to include the NEX from Narita.

Now, it's not like the NEX is the most expensive train in the world, but it's still 3000 yen!
There are cheaper ways to get from Narita to Tokyo, but they either are extremely slow (like, 2 hours or something) or it's the Keisei Skyliner (which is like 2500 yen and faster than the NEX), but it only stops at Ueno, which may or may not be much convenient for you, depending on where you're gonna stay.

 

[Jocchan]

Oh and if you plan on getting the 14 days JR Pass, don't forget that the NEX train from Narita to Tokyo is included, so you could plan your trip accordingly and activate the pass the first day at Narita, or 14 days before your return.

Actually, my last trip had a schedule quite similar to yours (as in: Tokyo -> Kyoto/Osaka/etc. -> Tokyo) and I reduced the first stay in Tokyo and increased the last exactly to include the NEX from Narita.

Now, it's not like the NEX is the most expensive train in the world, but it's still 3000 yen!
There are cheaper ways to get from Narita to Tokyo, but they either are extremely slow (like, 2 hours or something) or it's the Keisei Skyliner (which is like 2500 yen and faster than the NEX), but it only stops at Ueno, which may or may not be much convenient for you, depending on where you're gonna stay.

That's good to know, maybe by moving some of the Tokyo days around we can get all of the travelling within 14 days, trip from (or to) Narita included.

Thanks again!

 

[TheExodu5]

Headed back to Osaka tomorrow. The plan is to stay 2 nights so we can visit Kyoto and then head to Hiroshima.

Would I be better off staying in Kyoto or just finding a convenient place near Shin-Osaka instead?

 

[Zatoth]

It's a short ride between Osaka and Kyoto. So, if you have a JR Pass or another free pass for that area it does not make a big difference.

Personally, I prefer Kyoto to stay in. But if you are interested in the night life Osaka may be more fun.

 

[GG-Duo]

We're going to Tokyo in two weeks, but the Ghibli tickets are sold out at JTB and locally in Japan. Sucks

 

[MikeHattsu]

Headed back to Osaka tomorrow. The plan is to stay 2 nights so we can visit Kyoto and then head to Hiroshima.

Would I be better off staying in Kyoto or just finding a convenient place near Shin-Osaka instead?

It's a short ride between Osaka and Kyoto. So, if you have a JR Pass or another free pass for that area it does not make a big difference.

Personally, I prefer Kyoto to stay in. But if you are interested in the night life Osaka may be more fun.

If you're staying in Osaka for the nightlife/food/shopping then staying near Namba/Dotonbori is better.

We're going to Tokyo in two weeks, but the Ghibli tickets are sold out at JTB and locally in Japan. Sucks

Need to get tickets much much sooner than 2 weeks

If you really really want to go you could try getting scalper tickets here:
https://www.govoyagin.com/activities/japan-tokyo-get-tickets-to-ghibli-museum-in-tokyo/186

 

[MikeHattsu]

Have any of you tried VR in Tokyo? We are going to Tokyo at the end of october and would like to try VR headsets at some point. It seems that the Bandai Namco VR Zone is closed already at the time of our stay. Any other recommendations?

I went to the VR Zone today. Tried the anime girl mech game > cat rescue > horror game > Gundam Odaiba > other Gundam game

Horror game would probably have been better if I had somebody with me, same with the other Gundam game since it seemed to be an arena style vs game

The Gundam Odaiba thing was the Gundam statue outside the building come to life and you got into it's hand while he battled an enemy. Could feel the heat from the energy sword and stuff. You're not really in control of anything though, so it's more like a ride.

Didn't try the skiing game, train game or the concert video thing. Not a lot of people though, could have had at least triple the amount without it feeling crowded.