Robot Carnival
Member
Just arrived at Kyoto station and sent you another pm. see if you can reply to that one with the location.
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Japan Travel |OT| One does simply not visit just once
- Thread starter hwalker84
- Start date
Just arrived at Kyoto station and sent you another pm. see if you can reply to that one with the location.
Robot Carnival
Member
I didn't get anything( I'll try again.
Haha, got it this time.
Success!
Robot Carnival
Member
you got my reply?
Yup. Just messaged you with details on how to get here. GAF mobile so confusin sometimes
Robot Carnival
Member
on my way.
Sorry!
Robot Carnival
Member
lol I'll buy you a drink if you come over too
I'll be in Kyoto on 16th May, so if you're still there, I'll hold you to it
Robot Carnival
Member
I'll be in Kyoto on 16th May, so if you're still there, I'll hold you to it
unfortunately I'm heading back to the states and back to the grind on 13th this month. but if you ever visit LA when I'm in town, the offer still stands XD
Woops, I should check this thread more often. I'm staying in Nakano and basically spent the last two days wandering around/reading or doing not a lot. Could have had a booze!
Oh shit really? My friends and family living here told me that my tattoos (full sleeve plus extras) basically make public onsen a complete no-go for me. Might give it a shot in that case, as had just accepted I wouldn't be allowed.
Laevateinn
Member
Nope because I don't drink and my wife doesn't give me enough time to stop for that sort of thing. I've been given permission to come back in February without her so I can probably do a GAF meetup then.
UnluckyKate
Member
Is there a good survival companion app to travel to japan ? Mostly for language and ordering in restaurants.
I went to the book shop and they had only dictionaries or picture books...
I'll go for one of these if you don't have good practical solutions.
I went to the book shop and they had only dictionaries or picture books...
I'll go for one of these if you don't have good practical solutions.
Google Translate seems to work well enough.
Laevateinn
Member
When I don't have access to or want to use data, I use "imiwa?"
It's interface isn't great but it has a good dictionary and let's me build kanji by radical.
Robot Carnival
Member
I would just like to point out that you can actually download the language definition on Google Translate, like Japanese or Chinese, so you can use it offline.
Laevateinn
Member
That's pretty interesting. I had no idea. Still, I know enough Japanese for Google translate to be a bad choice. If your Japanese is non-existent, it's probably the best choice though.
I speel my dreenk
Member
This is pretty much where I stand as well. Also, you can supplement Translate use with simply Googling for various phrase lists if you want something more specific. Last night for example, the staff at a Dotonbori izakaya bar were getting a kick out of me using some Kansai-ben (probably sounded like a goober, but they still understood) that you wouldn't get from Translate.
So, my fiancee's father is taking us out to Japan, and we're leaving this Friday!
It's a private tour, which is great but I want to make sure that I take advantage of my nights, particularly in Tokyo.
We're staying in Tokyo 4/9 and 4/10. Where should I go?? What should I do??
We're going to be in Akihabara 4/10, and I definitely want to gallivant at night. Any suggestions would be welcome.
It's a private tour, which is great but I want to make sure that I take advantage of my nights, particularly in Tokyo.
We're staying in Tokyo 4/9 and 4/10. Where should I go?? What should I do??
We're going to be in Akihabara 4/10, and I definitely want to gallivant at night. Any suggestions would be welcome.
Laevateinn
Member
The robot restaurant is pretty unique and fun. If you're looking for normal nightlife, someone else will probably have better suggestions. Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and Shibuya all have pretty active nightlifes although Ikebukuro might be a bad choice for someone that is engaged.
holy shit guys we're flying today! never thought I would ever see japan in my life, literally a dream coming true! unfortunately the weather doesn't seem to be that nice in Tokyo but fuck it, going to enjoy it anyway!
I'm still slightly panicked. because of heavy work load I hardly had time to pack and prepare properly. hopefully I haven't forgotten anything important.
I'm still slightly panicked. because of heavy work load I hardly had time to pack and prepare properly. hopefully I haven't forgotten anything important.
MikeHattsu
Member
Have fun!
Robot Carnival
Member
I am in the same boat (well, not strictly, it's still 4 weeks till I go), so enjoy it!
It has been over a month since I last replied in this thread and went to Japan for six days. It was a great experience spending five days in Tokyo and having a day trip to Hakone. Here is my photo album, for anyone interested. Photos are of the Sunshine City Pokémon Center, Akihabara, Ghibli Museum, Hakone and Tokyo Skytree.
For anyone interested in Hakone, I should mention that part of the ropeway is currently closed, requiring the use of a replacement bus which can/will easily gets stalled in traffic due to the narrow roads. On a related note, if you find yourself to be 'horizontally challenged' akin to myself, WEAR GOOD WALKING BOOTS. You will find yourself walking everywhere, a lot. I am now on a mission to lose as much weight as possible before I revisit Japan next year. Also, it helps to learn as many basic phrases as you can.
One last thing of note. If you find yourself in Akihabara wanting to shop but don't want to see explicit hentai, just stick to the ground floor of every store you go to.
For anyone interested in Hakone, I should mention that part of the ropeway is currently closed, requiring the use of a replacement bus which can/will easily gets stalled in traffic due to the narrow roads. On a related note, if you find yourself to be 'horizontally challenged' akin to myself, WEAR GOOD WALKING BOOTS. You will find yourself walking everywhere, a lot. I am now on a mission to lose as much weight as possible before I revisit Japan next year. Also, it helps to learn as many basic phrases as you can.
One last thing of note. If you find yourself in Akihabara wanting to shop but don't want to see explicit hentai, just stick to the ground floor of every store you go to.
Showing my daughters the Pickachu parades on YouTube this morning. Thee little one (5) tells all off her friends that she is going to Japan where there are 'lots of Pickachus'.
I think that frame of reference is cute.
Leaving tomorrow evening, everyone excited and no packing done yet. Win!
I think that frame of reference is cute.
Leaving tomorrow evening, everyone excited and no packing done yet. Win!
UnluckyKate
Member
In one week exactly I'll be landing in Narita. So scared yet so excited haha
I speel my dreenk
Member
I've just done 4 nights in Tokyo (Shibuya/Roppongi/Akihabara/Asakusa), 3 in Osaka (Namba/Dotonbori), and am now in Nagoya (Nishiki/Sakae) for 2, then 1 more in Tokyo (Ginza) before I head out on Sunday.
The differences between areas is palpable, yet never disuading. Tokyo was easy to settle into but always felt kind of surface level. Osaka was tougher to crack, but I now feel like I could spend weeks there and not get a fraction of what it has to offer. Nagoya feels like all business, all the time, but still fun loving.
This is obviously based on my rather narrow experiences, but my main takeaway is that I can't wait to come back after working even more on my Japanese and dig in to everything even deeper.
Embrace it and enjoy it!
The differences between areas is palpable, yet never disuading. Tokyo was easy to settle into but always felt kind of surface level. Osaka was tougher to crack, but I now feel like I could spend weeks there and not get a fraction of what it has to offer. Nagoya feels like all business, all the time, but still fun loving.
This is obviously based on my rather narrow experiences, but my main takeaway is that I can't wait to come back after working even more on my Japanese and dig in to everything even deeper.
Embrace it and enjoy it!
Hey Japan GAF.
My wife and I will be in Japan for the (3rd!) time in early May. I'm just now planning the trip because we are also going to HK/China before we arrive and that got the bulk of my attention since I "know" Japan pretty well. Now I'm scrambling cuz I'm on a plane to Hong Kong in a week
We want to bike the Shimanami Kaido (we hiked the Kumono Kodo last year and are looking for another off the beaten path adventure) and have hotel reservations but am running into an issue:
1) I want to rent two nice hybrid bikes from GIANT in Onomichi and return them at the GIANT store in Imabari but returning a bike to a different store requires a reservation over the phone. I can rent a bike from the city on the spot, but have heard they are questionable bikes. We are also doing the biking on May 6th. So, I know its the end of GW and have some fear that all the bikes will be rented already.
2) I want to work with a service that forwards luggage to your destination, but I need to speak with the hotel concierge and the only contact information I can find is a phone number (we are staying at the same brand hotel in Onomichi and Imabari).
Any Japan-GAFers willing to help me out by speaking with the hotel/Giant?
We are also looking at potentially relocating to Japan and are going to check out neighborhoods in Tokyo.
Right now we are thinking of Harajuku (not the insane part, the part up nearer to Shinjuku where the Swallows play) and Shimokitazawa. We lived in the upper west side of Manhattan and in central Austin now. So any neighborhoods that would be nice for early to mid 30 something aging hipsters that like park space, bars and restaurants would be great
My wife and I will be in Japan for the (3rd!) time in early May. I'm just now planning the trip because we are also going to HK/China before we arrive and that got the bulk of my attention since I "know" Japan pretty well. Now I'm scrambling cuz I'm on a plane to Hong Kong in a week
We want to bike the Shimanami Kaido (we hiked the Kumono Kodo last year and are looking for another off the beaten path adventure) and have hotel reservations but am running into an issue:
1) I want to rent two nice hybrid bikes from GIANT in Onomichi and return them at the GIANT store in Imabari but returning a bike to a different store requires a reservation over the phone. I can rent a bike from the city on the spot, but have heard they are questionable bikes. We are also doing the biking on May 6th. So, I know its the end of GW and have some fear that all the bikes will be rented already.
2) I want to work with a service that forwards luggage to your destination, but I need to speak with the hotel concierge and the only contact information I can find is a phone number (we are staying at the same brand hotel in Onomichi and Imabari).
Any Japan-GAFers willing to help me out by speaking with the hotel/Giant?
We are also looking at potentially relocating to Japan and are going to check out neighborhoods in Tokyo.
Right now we are thinking of Harajuku (not the insane part, the part up nearer to Shinjuku where the Swallows play) and Shimokitazawa. We lived in the upper west side of Manhattan and in central Austin now. So any neighborhoods that would be nice for early to mid 30 something aging hipsters that like park space, bars and restaurants would be great
Laevateinn
Member
We did the Robot restaurant again tonight. It was fun. I'm happy to say that the show was mostly different than last time. I'm a bit disappointed that Kabukicho is less seedy than it used to be. There's a lot of street lights that I don't remember that wash out the neon lights and it looks like some of the sex shops have closed down.
Otherwise we did Ueno-Ginza again because my camera was set wrong last night and we wanted to go to the bakery. A nice old man told us all about the apartment complex that destroyed their view of Fujisan. We also did Ueno-proper, Tokyo and the Imperial Palace, Ginza, and Akihabara. If you're into arcade games, check out Mak in the 5th floor of one of the buildings past Retro Game Camp. It's heaven in there.
My apple watch tells me we walked 16.1 miles today but I'm less tired than I have been so far this trip. I must be breaking.
Otherwise we did Ueno-Ginza again because my camera was set wrong last night and we wanted to go to the bakery. A nice old man told us all about the apartment complex that destroyed their view of Fujisan. We also did Ueno-proper, Tokyo and the Imperial Palace, Ginza, and Akihabara. If you're into arcade games, check out Mak in the 5th floor of one of the buildings past Retro Game Camp. It's heaven in there.
My apple watch tells me we walked 16.1 miles today but I'm less tired than I have been so far this trip. I must be breaking.
MikeHattsu
Member
MikeHattsu
Member
But I'm Japan Travel GAF
But you're asking for help from people who live in Tokyo ;p
So worth going then? we looked at it and thought it looked a bit touristy trappy, and a bit over priced, but if it's worth a look, we might reconsider.
Also, dumb question, bento boxes (or ekiben) they can be eaten cold (room temp) right?
MikeHattsu
Member
Depends on the bento ;p
If it needs to be heated they'll ask you if you want it heated or it comes in a fancy box that heats up though.
But if you're buying one for later it's ok to eat cold?
I am also going to Japan in exactly 13 days for the second time! Can't wait. In two weeks I will already be in Kyoto, the best city in Japan! (for now )
I can't help you with that but I looked into Shiminami Kaido quite good and we decied to rent the basic bikes next to the Giant store in Onomichi. I have read that if you come early (we are targeting around 8.00 am) there are no problems with renting a good bike. And the non-Giant ones are pretty cheap (1000yen + 1000yen deposit).
We are probably going on the 26th April. We will start in Hiroshima, take a train to Onomichi, bike, probably relax at the Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama and then head back with a ferry to Kure and then train back to Hiroshima. It will be a very busy day.
Hope you find a good solution and have a good time!
)I can't help you with that but I looked into Shiminami Kaido quite good and we decied to rent the basic bikes next to the Giant store in Onomichi. I have read that if you come early (we are targeting around 8.00 am) there are no problems with renting a good bike. And the non-Giant ones are pretty cheap (1000yen + 1000yen deposit).
We are probably going on the 26th April. We will start in Hiroshima, take a train to Onomichi, bike, probably relax at the Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama and then head back with a ferry to Kure and then train back to Hiroshima. It will be a very busy day.
Hope you find a good solution and have a good time!
MikeHattsu
Member
If you're buying one that's not for heating up then sure.
How will I know, will it be marked if it requires heating?
MikeHattsu
Member
They'll tell you
But if it's an actual ekiben from a shop in the station it usually won't need heating.
Laevateinn
Member
That's up to you. It's true that it's a tourist trap but we only paid about $50 a person because we bought our tickets through Veltra instead of directly from them where they want 8000 yen. It's definitely not worth 8000 yen. But it's still something unique and interesting to do for a couple hours and it makes for great photos.
For us, since we don't drink, it helps keep us busy at night too since pretty much everything else you can do in Tokyo after 9 involves alcohol. I think it's worth doing at least once. I probably won't go again though.
StriKeVillain
Banned
Same. My girlfriend and I will be in Japan next Thursday (staying 7 nights in Shinjuku).
First time leaving the USA (!) since I was 3 years old.
Wish we had chunithym back home, spent so much time on it and blazblue yesterday (no arcade scene where I'm from)
Met a Swiss guy playing, we played for hours and meet up with his buddies at Hooters then went to gas panic in shibuya, Forgot to get his contact info tho, is this what mono no aware is like haha
Met a Swiss guy playing, we played for hours and meet up with his buddies at Hooters then went to gas panic in shibuya, Forgot to get his contact info tho, is this what mono no aware is like haha
I am also going to Japan in exactly 13 days for the second time! Can't wait. In two weeks I will already be in Kyoto, the best city in Japan! (for now
I can't help you with that but I looked into Shiminami Kaido quite good and we decied to rent the basic bikes next to the Giant store in Onomichi. I have read that if you come early (we are targeting around 8.00 am) there are no problems with renting a good bike. And the non-Giant ones are pretty cheap (1000yen + 1000yen deposit).
We are probably going on the 26th April. We will start in Hiroshima, take a train to Onomichi, bike, probably relax at the Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama and then head back with a ferry to Kure and then train back to Hiroshima. It will be a very busy day.
Hope you find a good solution and have a good time!
Let me know how it goes, we'll be doing almost the same thing about 2 weeks later.
Cheers, might see if I can get some cheap tickets then.
For anyone in Tokyo, and interested in Anime, particularly Attack on titan, there is an exhibition at the Sky Tree, "Attack on Skytree" , also AoT themed food in the cafe, from 4/10-7/14.
So I'm going!
I'm sure they'll be fine, it's not like you're going to the back of beyond, there's always McD's.