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Any advice for a first-time visitor to Japan?

belmarduk

belmarduk

Member
I'm going to be in Tokyo mostly for four days. I plan to do mostly weeb stuff like visit Akihabara and Shibuya.. going to check out a lot of food that I wouldn't be able to get in the states.

One day though, I will be going to the Jigokudani Monkey Park to see that snow monkeys (This is in December.) I love those little guys.

Not into weird shit like maid cafes or tentacle porn.

Any advice, GAF?
 
nush

nush

Member
belmarduk said:
I'm going to be in Tokyo mostly for four days. I plan to do mostly weeb stuff like visit Akihabara and Shibuya.. going to check out a lot of food that I wouldn't be able to get in the states.

One day though, I will be going to the Jigokudani Monkey Park to see that snow monkeys (This is in December.) I love those little guys.

Not into weird shit like maid cafes or tentacle porn.

Any advice, GAF?
Click to expand...

Soapland.
 
N

NecrosaroIII

Ask me about my terrible takes on Star Trek characters
Akihabara wasn't what it used to be, but is still worth checking out. Some big institutional parts of the neighborhood have closed.
 
ArtHands

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
pay a visit to Kabukicho, Ginza and Odaiba
Try out their hot spring, and Ichiran ramen in Shibuya

Visit the manga shops in akihabara and climb the stairs to the top storey, behind the curtain for some nice stuffs.

Bring a bag to put your trash (drink can etc) when you go out because its almost impossible to find public trash bin

Try to wear clothes that cover your tattoo
 
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ArtHands

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
If you go to Disneyland and Disneysea, don’t visit any attraction that involves live show as they are Japanese language. Check out the rides instead
 
Porcile

Porcile

Member
I arrived after the golden age of Akihabara unfortunately. Nowadays it's just plastic anime trash, Chinese electronics, terrible chain restaurants and trafficked runaway girls with mental illness. In some sense it is kind of a new golden age for those kind of thing at least. Super Potato is still fun though.
 
Power Pro

Power Pro

Member
1: Be careful about ordering tonkatsu...gave me food poisoning and put me out of commission for a day.

2: Go to a maid cafe
 
The Pleasure

The Pleasure

Member
Syphon Filter said:
how was akihabara in the past?
Click to expand...
4daba67d-7f51-4704-97d4-5e441882675d_text.gif
 
gaming_again

gaming_again

Member
Don’t spread yourself out too thin. Tokyo is too big and too deep for a checklist approach. Pick one or two areas and stick to them and mine as much as you can.

So many tourists see everything and nothing at once.

If you’ve not been there before then nothing can prepare you for the size of Tokyo.

Advice: the grimier looking the restaurant the better the food. And go to a maid cafe… accept the weebiness.
 
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Shadowplay1979

Shadowplay1979

Member
belmarduk said:
I'm going to be in Tokyo mostly for four days. I plan to do mostly weeb stuff like visit Akihabara and Shibuya.. going to check out a lot of food that I wouldn't be able to get in the states.

One day though, I will be going to the Jigokudani Monkey Park to see that snow monkeys (This is in December.) I love those little guys.

Not into weird shit like maid cafes or tentacle porn.

Any advice, GAF?
Click to expand...


Go to Yoyogi park, theres more to see around Shibuya then nightlife. For nightlife though , go to ikebukuro or ebisu. If you are looking to get into trouble, go to roppongi or kabukicho on a saturday night. If you go to Roppongi, feel free to punch an african touter for me.

If you want nerd stuff...go to nakano..its way cheaper.

Theres honestly too much to do in Tokyo to even scratch the surface of a street in 3 days. I live here and i see something new everytime i step outside.
 
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S

Sephimoth

Member
Probably already mentioned, didn't read replies but...

- Akihabara (game hunting, arcades etc), batting cages at the top of Yodobashi Camera are pretty fun
- If you're after more nerd stuff Nakano Broadway
- Morning at Yoyogi park/Meiji Jingu shrine, Harajuku, then not far to Shibuya for sights (crossing, Hachiko etc) & shops
- DisneySea is fun
- Odaiba area has some decent malls and stuff
- If you're a Shenmue superfan, take the train south like 30 mins (can't remember) to Dobuita area of Yokosuka. Not really much to do but wander around though
- Shinjuku, evening stroll around Kabukicho area (Kamurocho from Yakuza series). Tokyo Metropolitan Building here too for a free high city view

I never go to Japan without doing Kyoto/Osaka side too, but there's some Tokyo only suggestions
 
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lachesis

lachesis

Member
Day1 - Tokyo Tower - Ginza - Akihabara - Asakusa - Skytree, then go to Odaiba night view.
Day2 - Shibuya - Meji Jingu - Harajuku - Roppongi (for Christmas lights)
Day3 - do your monkey business

You could add Ueno in Day1, and Yoyogi park + Shinjuku nightlife on day2. Akiba is... well, it's changed so I wouldn't spend too much time there.
Depending on how much walk you are willing to do and time management, you can do a lot more - but honestly I had most fun just traveling A-B and seeing what's out there... than actual destination themselves.
I tend to put a lot of importance in eating - so normally I put down what I'm going to eat, then plan my trip around that.
 
nush

nush

Member
Cyberpunkd said:
Are there even some open to foreigners? I was there 15 years ago but I clearly remember a lot of maid and hostess bars posting in broken English that they serve only Japanese.
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Yeah, there are, helps if you have a local to vouch for you. "No forigners" is code for no drunk and boorish foreigners who can't speak a lick of Japanese mostly.
 
nush

nush

Member
Soltype said:
Definitely the biggest one.Learning a decent amount japanese is the most important thing, people are usually helpful and speaking the language makes it easier for them to help you.
Click to expand...

Any coutry to be honest, as long as people can see that you are trying they'll be more inclined to be patient and help you.
 
Raven117

Raven117

Member
For me, make sure to stop least find a temple to check out. (Sad you can’t go to kyoto, but it is what it is). Try and at least sample that part of the Japanese culture.

I had an absolute blast in Golden Gai in shinjuku. By the end, Japanese business men were buying me shots as I sprinted down the alley to make a flight at 4 am. They were cheering me on!

Eat an egg sandwich from 7-11.
 
T

TaylorSwiftFan

Member
DGrayson said:
Don't expect people to know English.
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I don’t know about it. We went to Japan before I started learning Japanese and we found that in Tokyo, you can get by easily. Outside of Tokyo is a different story.

Edit: But we did learn the basics - ohaiyou, sumimasen, arigatou, etc.
 
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Porcile

Porcile

Member
Learning the language is good and all but I wouldn't expect a casual traveller to be able to pick up enough spoken Japanese for it to be useful. Better to just go armed with a smartphone and a list of places and pics of food from restaurants you want to eat at. This has served me well in places like Taiwan and Hong Kong where I can kind of read the characters but can't really speak Mandarin or Cantonese to any degree of usefulness.
 
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Amiga

Amiga

Member
- Plan ahead, know where you are going all the time. It will be difficult getting tips and directions from random people.
- Get familiar with instant voice translation. have a phone plan that gives you internet all the time.
- DON'T SIT ON THE SIDEWALK OR TOUCH THE TORII GATES.
- Visit the Gisha town and Osaka(probably enjoy it more than businesslike Tokyo).

more don'ts..


General tips..
 
Scotty W

Scotty W

Member
If you like Spicy food check out Kikanbo Karashibi Ramen in Kanda and/or Gyonmaru Hyakunincho Tantanmen in Okubo. If you are in Yokohama, there is a great restaurant called Karubi Ramen (also available in Odawara).

You should visit some gardens. Edo Castle is pretty near Akihabara. Shinjuku Gyoen is amazing.

The only decent arcade left in Akihabara afaik is Hirose. Pay close attention to the sad men who have sacrificed their whole lives to be amazing Street Fighter 2 players.

I would strongly advise visiting Enoshima and Kamakura if you want to see historical sites.

Super Potato is the most interesting games shop.
 
mxbison

mxbison

Member
  • Be quiet on the train/bus.
  • Take a decent bunch of cash, some ATM's didn't work for me.
  • If you go party, stay the hell away from anything that could be a drug. Very strict laws.
  • Prostitution is also illegal. They don't seem to care much but I wouldn't risk it.
  • Forget Trip Advisor and all that bullshit, any cheap and shady looking place can have great food
  • Don't tip. No matter how good the service is and how nice you are, they don't want it.
  • 7-Eleven, Family Mart etc. have some decent food and drinks if you want to save some money when out at night.
 
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