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Traveling to Tokyo...-age (two week trip) - tips?
- Thread starter Articate
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industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Aurelius said:
Won for me.
As long as I get at least 300,000 yen when I convert 4 million won when I leave here I'll be happy.
Valkyr Junkie
Member
I won't bump my thread since this one is more recent, but I'm still having difficulty in finding a good rail map solution for my iPhone. I went on a spree and downloaded a bunch of the cheap Japan apps from the store that had decent reviews, but I haven't really found the holy grail. I've got subway maps, and offline maps so that I can pre-cache for when I'm heading out to various destinations, but the only JR schedule map I could find was one called JRailwayMaps (or something to that affect). It's an offline time table, but with no previous understanding of how the railway system over there (or anywhere else for that matter) it's gibberish to me.
I know there are a couple of websites (Hyperdia & Jorudan) that have really nice schedules & maps, but I don't want to rely on WiFi access that will be spotty at best.
Another thing I'm running into is being paranoid about not having my phone in airplane mode. I'm worried about potential high roaming charges if someone calls or texts me, but if airplane mode is on then I've got no GPS.
Should I just get a JR map and deal with it the same way tourists did 20 years ago?
I know there are a couple of websites (Hyperdia & Jorudan) that have really nice schedules & maps, but I don't want to rely on WiFi access that will be spotty at best.
Another thing I'm running into is being paranoid about not having my phone in airplane mode. I'm worried about potential high roaming charges if someone calls or texts me, but if airplane mode is on then I've got no GPS.
Should I just get a JR map and deal with it the same way tourists did 20 years ago?
rykomatsu
Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
I'm not sure if you're planning on getting an int'l data plan or not...it sounds like you aren't, but you might want to consider it. Googlemaps + GPS in Japan is extremely useful.
If you're worried about roaming charges, set your voicemail to pickup without your phone ringing...I believe it's called Unconditional Forwarding. Have always used this with success on my phone, allowing me to use data exclusively without incurring any roaming charges (unless I call out myself). Verify after setting up unconditional forwarding that your phone, indeed, does not ring at all when someone calls you.
Litflynt912
Member
rykomatsu said:
I agree... When I went to Tokyo in Dec, I choose the ATT international plan so I can have the data available (Just in case)
it was $6 to have the plan added for a month and the plan was $50 on top of whatever you pay monthly... (they prorate it when you get back if it's under a month)
with the $50 you get your ability to call back home at a discount rate (like <$1 a min) and texts were .50 outgoing....you received 50mb of data with it as well...
I made like 5 calls and 20 texts and used about 1 mb of data and my prorated amount was like $20 for the week I was there including taxes...
def good to have as a back up...
you spent so much money on the trip/planning/getting ready...what's another few bucks to ensure you have that coverage if need be.
Valkyr Junkie
Member
rykomatsu said:
Well actually I was originally planning on purchasing the 100MB data package, but I had been going back and forth on whether or not it was worth it. 100MB just seems like it could get eaten up pretty quickly even if I change the usual settings so that my iPhone doesn't ever automatically pull email. I just remember once resetting my data usage counter, and being surprised how much data was pulled in just a minute or so of using Maps.
Litflynt912, the package you're talking about sounds pretty sweet though; definitely better than any of the package information I can find on AT&T's site. I'll stop by a AT&T store before I leave and see what they can do for me.
I'm also tempted to buy a prepaid cell phone when I get over there. I've read that foreigners can purchase prepaid phones at the SoftBank store in Shibuya.
Jack Random
Member
You can also rent phones at NaritaValkyr Junkie said:
Litflynt912
Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
I called 611 and set it up for my iPhone...took 5 min.
they base the plan on the history of your data usage and the 50mb is the lowest you can have for international...
renting a phone was an option...but knowing I was going to use my iPhone for music/video and photos...I figured why not...
worked out great and ATT even dropped like $15 of charges because I actually used only like 2mb the entire week (you should check your history in the usage tab...you think you'll eat up alot of data...but you'd be surprised...)
Zoe
Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
You can. Be prepared to spend a lot though. I can't remember the exact number, but I think the phone itself was around 8000Y (middle-tier in order to get an e-mail account), 5000Y in credits, and then the power adapter (sold separately) was somewhere between 1000-2000Y.
Jack Random
Member
yikesZoe said:
best bet is really to just use your current phone (if it works internationally) and have your plan upgraded for the week.
Even if you don't have an international phone, i know Verizon (provided you're a customer) will "rent" you an international phone for your trip, i set that up for clients blackberries all the time. I imagine other vendors would be willing to do that too.
rykomatsu
Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
If the iPhone has an unlimited dataplan option, I would highly suggest getting that. Have one for my blackberry (though have heard rumors that the unlimited int'l data plan no longer exists, in which case I guess I'm grandfathered in currently lol) and after coming home from my last trip, I had approx 320mb in data usage from maps and a few other things...granted I was using with impunity so I didn't even hesitate to think about limiting my usage. Needless to say, that ends up being about $1600 at the discounted rate of $0.005/kb.
Depending on how you use your phone, you might want to spend a little bit more and go for a higher limit plan if you're not willing to shell out for an unlimited plan. The peace of mind you get from not having to worry about data is invaluable during a trip, imho.
I also looked at getting an unlimited data plan, Its me and Articate that are going, But last time I checked it was something like 200 extra a month, and my bill is already at around 300 every month, I dont need the extra two even though the unlimited data would be a winner, I am hoping I will find plenty of free WIFI.
Also do they accept Visa cards over there? I plan to take out a bit of yen to have for a cup of tea/sake here and there, but I want my card to be my main weapon.
I know articate is going with only half of his suitcase filled up so he can get lots of cool stuff. I plan on spending 2-3 grand on this trip...
Also do they accept Visa cards over there? I plan to take out a bit of yen to have for a cup of tea/sake here and there, but I want my card to be my main weapon.
I know articate is going with only half of his suitcase filled up so he can get lots of cool stuff. I plan on spending 2-3 grand on this trip...
rykomatsu
Member
Clott said:
VISA is accepted, however depending on your card, you may or may not be charged an int'l transaction fee. My credit card gets charged a 2% fee I think, but since the account tied to my check card doesn't (didn't?) have int'l fees associated with it, use of that didn't incur an int'l use fee so I would check your bank's fine print to confirm.
distantmantra
Member
Anyone taken their Verizon CDMA phone to Japan? Were you able to send text messages? According to Verizon's website, our phones will work, but their wording about texting is vague and unclear.
Templar Wizard
Member
If, and by if I mean WHEN, you are in Shinjuku, go to the nakamoto ramen. One of the guys here pointed it to me, and i went back there twice (and a few more times in May 
)
this is the place, a quick google will give you the missile address
also, if you flying out of Narita on a sunday afternoon, rent a car in tokyo central and drop it off at the airport, it will mean you will be racing Ferrari's on the road to the airport. I did it last time out on the suggestion from a colleague and it was superb!
)this is the place, a quick google will give you the missile address
also, if you flying out of Narita on a sunday afternoon, rent a car in tokyo central and drop it off at the airport, it will mean you will be racing Ferrari's on the road to the airport. I did it last time out on the suggestion from a colleague and it was superb!
Clott said:
You should definitely be doing not this. Many places that you will stop into are not going to take a credit card, and several that do take credit cards will not take non-Japanese issued credit cards. In fact, even in some larger areas, it's all you can do to find an international ATM, where you will take a hit against the current exchange rate and also get charged an international transaction fee.
Do not be That Guy. Japan is almost totally an all-cash society, even for very large purchases (bought my 80,000 yen TV with cash and know several people who do the same things), but especially for small purchases. The crime rate is low and you are not reasonably going to need to worry about being mugged (though don't be an idiot). Carry cash, carry lots of it. If you want to be the most free to shop at the little places, the off-the-path places, second-hand shops, etc., the most convenient thing is just for you to have cash and not spend your time hunting for a foreign ATM.
(Also, many ATMs are notorious for actually "closing," and usually early in the evening, depending on location. It is a very real possibility to get stuck overnight if you're visiting a smaller town after the trains have stopped and with no way to get any cash.)
Keep hoping. Wireless in general, and especially free Wi-Fi is not even close to being as widespread in Japan as it is in the US, even in Starbucks, parks, etc.
Aurelius said:
I believe 7-11s and their international ATMs are a fairly unique case in this regard, but of course there's one option. Still, this involves taking out cash, which you would be well-served to just do ahead of time unless you can navigate the mainly Japanese menus you may run into.
Aurelius
Member
Another question:
Although Im travelling alone Im confident I can manage travelling, sightseeing during the day and finding interesting places to eat. But Im a bit anxious about the evenings. I want to go drink a beer at a bar and have some fun. But I know most Japanese go out drinking in groups (friends and co-workers). Am I going to be the sad lonely Gajin at the bar? How easy is it to make contact?
What are some good places to hang out in Tokyo (my hotel is in Shinjuku)? It would be fun to meet some other foreigners, but I dont want to hang out exclusively at ex-pat bars. My only plans so far are to order a Santori whiskey at the Park Hyatt Hotel and visit a maid café.
Although Im travelling alone Im confident I can manage travelling, sightseeing during the day and finding interesting places to eat. But Im a bit anxious about the evenings. I want to go drink a beer at a bar and have some fun. But I know most Japanese go out drinking in groups (friends and co-workers). Am I going to be the sad lonely Gajin at the bar? How easy is it to make contact?
What are some good places to hang out in Tokyo (my hotel is in Shinjuku)? It would be fun to meet some other foreigners, but I dont want to hang out exclusively at ex-pat bars. My only plans so far are to order a Santori whiskey at the Park Hyatt Hotel and visit a maid café.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Templar Wizard said:If, and by if I mean WHEN, you are in Shinjuku, go to the nakamoto ramen. One of the guys here pointed it to me, and i went back there twice (and a few more times in May
It was OuterWorldVoice. I think he's got shares in the place.
Templar Wizard
Member
yes it was him, the indian giver!
(the place IS great though)
(the place IS great though)
Templar Wizard
Member
Aurelius said:Another question:
Although Im travelling alone Im confident I can manage travelling, sightseeing during the day and finding interesting places to eat. But Im a bit anxious about the evenings. I want to go drink a beer at a bar and have some fun. But I know most Japanese go out drinking in groups (friends and co-workers). Am I going to be the sad lonely Gajin at the bar? How easy is it to make contact?
What are some good places to hang out in Tokyo (my hotel is in Shinjuku)? It would be fun to meet some other foreigners, but I dont want to hang out exclusively at ex-pat bars. My only plans so far are to order a Santori whiskey at the Park Hyatt Hotel and visit a maid café.
are you hideously ugly and completely shy?? then you are doomed.
if you are a normal person then you will have no problems. usual single male bar rules apply:
-dont look too desperate
-dont get drunk
-if there is a group of 'hipster dudes' next to the bar go over and say hi
-if there is a group of girls and one of them smoke, even if you dont smoke, ask her for a light, then the usual topics of 'i love japanese cigarettes, is it ok for a gaijin to ask a japanese woman for a light, where to go after here etc...'
standard stuff really.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Templar Wizard said:
I just sat at the bar. Then a Japanese girl complimented me on my hair thinking I was a woman and was hella surprised at me being a man. I took it from there and it was a productive night.
345triangle
Member
7-11s work, but i'm pretty sure they charge you a bundle. we SERIOUSLY are not kidding about the don't-use-credit-cards thing!
i bought an imac with cash the other week. this is normal. you are not going to be paying for any food whatsoever with plastic, nor are you going to get mugged, so absolutely 300% make plans to bring a bunch of cash in yen.
i bought an imac with cash the other week. this is normal. you are not going to be paying for any food whatsoever with plastic, nor are you going to get mugged, so absolutely 300% make plans to bring a bunch of cash in yen.
Templar Wizard
Member
industrian said:
yep, its like being in a candy store.
one night an english guy gravitated to me because i was the only westerner in a bar.
he told me that it was impossible to score in any way, shape or form in japan.
I told him to tell the girl next to him that he had a dream last night about a girl that looked like her.... (and to not talk about himself only ask her questions)
job done.
345triangle
Member
i don't want to play up the foreigner in japan stereotype but i'm pretty sure it's the easiest country in the world to score in, presuming you're not completely hideous or scared of girls. if you are hideous it might be a little harder to find hang-outs for similarly afflicted people, i guess, but i'm using a pretty low-set bar for hideousness here.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Templar Wizard said:
I'll have to add that one to my patter vault, it's so cheesy it has to work.
345triangle said:
Pretty much.
I think all "I'm going to Japan" threads descend into this kind of discussion eventually but hopefully we can recover.
Templar Wizard
Member
industrian said:
Yes, it does, it woeful, but when delivered with the right glint in your eye...
Are you in Tokyo all the time industrian? i am back in Tokyo in May.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Templar Wizard said:Yes, it does, it woeful, but when delivered with the right glint in your eye...
Are you in Tokyo all the time industrian? i am back in Tokyo in May.
I'm in Korea right now but will be moving to Yokohama in May.
distantmantra
Member
lobdale said:
7-11 uses Citi ATMs, which have full menus in Japanese, Chinese, Portugese and English.
rykomatsu
Member
lobdale said:
What the hell. I have yet to find a single store/restaurant that takes credit cards not accept US cards. They will ask you (in Japanese) whether you want to pay in lump sum or multiple payments in many cases (works different in Japan than in the US) and it's quite possible you/others didn't understand what they were saying OR multiple payments don't go through on foreign cards. However, stores not accepting US cards is bull.
There's been exactly one store I couldn't use my card and that was due to a security issue where it was thought that my card use wasn't authorized so a hold was put on it. I could have resolved it if I was patient, but I wasn't going to spend int'l roaming calling the US to resolve it. That's one out of hundreds of transactions I've completed in Japan.
bbsting120
Member
If you're interested, the first Sunday in April (same Sunday as Easter this year) the biggest penis festival in Japan will be taking place near Tokyo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanamara_Matsuri
You can ride giant phallic statues, watch transvestites carry around giant dicks, and even eat candy and vegetables shaped like the revered twig and berries. I love this wacky country.
If you're not into that, there's always sakura viewing. I'm planning to go to Ueno park this weekend before the festival and have a picnic under the cherry blossoms with some friends.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanamara_Matsuri
You can ride giant phallic statues, watch transvestites carry around giant dicks, and even eat candy and vegetables shaped like the revered twig and berries. I love this wacky country.
If you're not into that, there's always sakura viewing. I'm planning to go to Ueno park this weekend before the festival and have a picnic under the cherry blossoms with some friends.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
I really wish I could go to that festival. It just sounds so crazy it's unbelievable (that and the power of GAF compels me.) Next year I guess.
Aurelius said:
Keep in mind that just because the ATM and 7-11 are open, doesn't mean your bank will be able to give you cash at that time. This may only apply to Japanese banks, but I've gone to those ATMs in kombini at off hours and not been able to take out money because it isn't during designated hours. Kind of silly.
I believe i said this before, but Shinsei bank has ATMs that accept foreign cards.
I have seen many ATMs that explicitly do not accept maestro/visa electron.
Cash is your best bet in general, but Credit cards are getting much more widely used.
Jack Random
Member
you still end up with more coins then anyone could possibly wantAurelius said:
Is it October yet? i want to go back!
345triangle
Member
japanese curry is the absolute last thing you should be eating in japan in my opinion, especially from somewhere like cocoichibanya. it's like going to an indian restaurant where EVERYTHING is chicken korma...not a good time.
also what the hell 850 yen for chicken katsu curry! do not want.
i think the best not-quite-fast-food-but-kind-of-close japanese food is from places like yayoiken and miyamoto munashi (these may be kansai chains but hell if i know otherwise); you can get chicken katsu that hasn't been destroyed by a terrible curry sauce but placed nicely in the context of a teishoku set for like 600 yen easy.
also what the hell 850 yen for chicken katsu curry! do not want.
i think the best not-quite-fast-food-but-kind-of-close japanese food is from places like yayoiken and miyamoto munashi (these may be kansai chains but hell if i know otherwise); you can get chicken katsu that hasn't been destroyed by a terrible curry sauce but placed nicely in the context of a teishoku set for like 600 yen easy.
Valkyr Junkie
Member
bbsting120 said:
Keep an eye open for a lumberjack-looking guy. The hotel I'm staying at this weekend is a few blocks from Ueno Park.
distantmantra
Member
Azmoooo said:In Shibuya near the crossing, there is a massive HMV
Just around the corner there is a shop called CoCoCurry
Go in, go apeshit on customising your katsu curry and experience depression upon realising it isn't a worldwide chain
They're also in Hawaii.
345triangle
Member
kpop100 said:
if you like japanese curry i guess not, but the whole concept is just bizarre to me and as such i can only eat it from a super-cheap hole in the wall without feeling a little violated.
really though, even indian curry in japan is better than japanese curry in japan.
Zoe
Member
345triangle said:
I'm not a fan of Japanese curry... every time I've had it in the US it tasted more like stew than curry.
That said, it tasted great at Cocoichi. I'm sure there's probably a better non-chain, non-fast food restaurant out there, but in my limited experience I loved it.
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