Japan Megathread V: It's not hot it's just humid.

The Something Awful Forums > Main > Tourism & Travel > Japan Megathread V: It's not hot it's just humid.

felch me daddy jr.: Oct 30, 2009

Pic~ posted:

Hey guys, I'll be going to Japan for holiday with friends in December from 8th to 28th. So just over 2 1/2 weeks.
It'll be the first time for most of us, but we do have someone that went to Tokyo before, our plan is to visit Tokyo + surrounding areas for 1 1/2 weeks, then go Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and surrounding areas for the rest.

The Tokyo leg of the trip is pretty much planned out, but we still not quite sure about the rest. Here's my suggested plan after studying guides and travel site, plus talking with friends/workmates that has been to Osaka + Kyoto etc.

Stay in Tokyo until the 20th (that's planned out)
Catch the shinkansen to Osaka.
Using Osaka as a base, take day trips to Kyoto and Kobe.. maybe Nara as well if we get time.
We were going to stay a couple of days in Kyoto, but from reading other travel forums and talking to friends. I opt to stay in Osaka as a base instead. Reason is from what I gather Kyoto is basically for sight seeing, so it really depends on how much you like the sights (temples). I have people tell me you'll need at least a week, and people that stayed 2 days and were bored after the first day. Since catching the Shinsenken from Osaka to Kyoto is only 15-20mins (we'll have JR Pass), we can be flexible on how many days to spend in Kyoto.
So is that a good idea?

Secondly we are still not sure where to stay in Osaka, most people recommand either Umeda or Namba since they are the "happening" places of town. We were hoping to stay close to where the night live is, so if we stay out late we can still walk back to the hotel. The 2 hotels I'm looking at right now Ramada Osaka at Umeda or Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka at Namba.
Also besides Kyoto, Kobe and Nara. Is there other recommended places to visit in the area?
Would love more input/suggestions in this area.

Yeah, using Osaka as a base is a good idea, especially if you have the Rail Pass. If you're super into temples and Japanese history, you could spend months in Kyoto without getting done, but for a normal tourist just taking a full day with Kiyomizudera and Kinkakuji should give you a good idea of it. Sanjuusangendou (三十三間堂) is also cool though. If there are any festivals going on around that time, you should try to catch that, but don't plan to see much else if you go on a festival day, as the city will be packed with people.

Nara is a pretty nice place, and personally I found Todaiji more impressive than most Kyoto temples. Also, the deer are fun.

For Osaka, the nightlife is certainly mostly centered around Umeda and the Namba/Shinsaibashi area. Most nightclubs in the Namba area are in Shinsaibashi, which is still walkable from Namba, but if you find something in Shinsaibashi, that would probably be closer. No idea if there are any hotels around there though. Remember to check out Amemura as well if you're in the Namba/Shinsaibashi area, it's an interesting place.

felch me daddy jr. fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Aug 15, 2012

# ? Aug 15, 2012 14:31

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 07:07

Weatherman: Jul 30, 2003; WARBLEKLONK

tyblazitar posted:

Yeah, using Osaka as a base is a good idea, especially if you have the Rail Pass. If you're super into temples and Japanese history, you could spend months in Kyoto without getting done, but for a normal tourist just taking a full day with Kiyomizudera and Kinkakuji should give you a good idea of it.

You get ten extra e-peen points if you find a more interesting photo of Kinkakuji to take instead of that one single angle that absolutely everyone from everywhere has.

fake edit: http://bit.ly/OZlYvB

# ? Aug 16, 2012 02:21

Ned: May 23, 2002; by Hand Knit

Weatherman posted:

You get ten extra e-peen points if you find a more interesting photo of Kinkakuji to take instead of that one single angle that absolutely everyone from everywhere has.

I'm pretty sure that is the only angle most people can view it from. Kinkakuji is quite lame in my opinion. Ginkakuji is where it is at. The garden is amazing.

# ? Aug 16, 2012 07:45

mikeycp: Nov 24, 2010; I've changed a lot since I started hanging with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself! Okay, Eggman! Bring it on!

Is tap water in Japan safe to drink/not bad tasting? I only ask because I never see people doing it, and I am too cheap to get bottles from the vending machine if I don't have to.

# ? Aug 16, 2012 08:11

Madd0g11: Jun 14, 2002; Bitter Vet; Lipstick Apathy

mikeycp posted:

Is tap water in Japan safe to drink/not bad tasting? I only ask because I never see people doing it, and I am too cheap to get bottles from the vending machine if I don't have to.

No it's all been irradiated by Fukushima.

# ? Aug 16, 2012 08:19

Weatherman: Jul 30, 2003; WARBLEKLONK

mikeycp posted:

Is tap water in Japan safe to drink/not bad tasting? I only ask because I never see people doing it, and I am too cheap to get bottles from the vending machine if I don't have to.

'Sup too-smart-to-pay-for-water buddy.
The water is totally safe (except for the Fukushima run-off as Maddog mentioned) and for the most part tastes OK.
I find that different cities have slightly different tasting water. Sagamihara was OK straight out of the tap, but Machida tasted metallic. That could also be a difference in the pipes, too, I guess.

We use a water filter on the tap at home and it's purely to make it taste nice rather than to filter out rubbish/fix any taste of death. Fill your bottle to your heart's content.

edit: Seriously, gently caress paying 150 yen for Evian like some of the idiots in my office do. It's just two parts of hydrogen and one of oxygen, ffs!

edit2:

Ned posted:

I'm pretty sure that is the only angle most people can view it from.

20 e-peen points, then.

# ? Aug 16, 2012 09:55

Carfax Report: May 17, 2003; Ravage the land as never before, total destruction from mountain to shore!

My first apartment in Tokyo up in Negishi, I used to make ice out of the water and found that I was getting awful rashes. I went to several skin doctors before I found out what was causing it. I bought a brita water filter and was fine after that.

The current apartment I'm in has a filtered tap and I've had no problems. I'm about to move to a new place and ordered another Brita tap since it doesn't have a filtered one already.

# ? Aug 16, 2012 11:34

mikeycp: Nov 24, 2010; I've changed a lot since I started hanging with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself! Okay, Eggman! Bring it on!

Weatherman posted:

'Sup too-smart-to-pay-for-water buddy.
The water is totally safe (except for the Fukushima run-off as Maddog mentioned) and for the most part tastes OK.
I find that different cities have slightly different tasting water. Sagamihara was OK straight out of the tap, but Machida tasted metallic. That could also be a difference in the pipes, too, I guess.

We use a water filter on the tap at home and it's purely to make it taste nice rather than to filter out rubbish/fix any taste of death. Fill your bottle to your heart's content.

edit: Seriously, gently caress paying 150 yen for Evian like some of the idiots in my office do. It's just two parts of hydrogen and one of oxygen, ffs!

Awesome. Thanks! Time to turn the tap and make me some good ol' American Country Time Lemonade.

# ? Aug 16, 2012 14:11

Grand Fromage: Jan 30, 2006; L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?

The Tokyo subway is retarded or am I? This switching stations noise can't seriously be how this works can it?

# ? Aug 16, 2012 15:00

Weatherman: Jul 30, 2003; WARBLEKLONK

Grand Fromage posted:

The Tokyo subway is retarded or am I? This switching stations noise can't seriously be how this works can it?

# ? Aug 16, 2012 15:11

Jeremys Iron: Aug 18, 2006; "Now if you'll excuse me, it's 8 O'clock, Time to get Bizzay"

With my 2-week trip across Japan occurring shortly I thought I'd ask about this cash-economy thing they apparently have going on.

It's been discussed a bit in the thread and in the various guide books I've taken out of the library but I thought I'd ask roughly what ratio of cash to credit card (Mastercard / Amex) I should expect to be able to use. I much prefer to use credit card and know I'm going to need some cash but trying to get a sense of how much I'll need. I appreciate much of this will depend on where I spend my money - most of my costs will likely be on food and possibly weird tat I decide to buy as and when. Will I be able to buy Suica cards etc. on credit card?

If it helps I'll mostly be in cities - Tokyo and Kyoto are the hubs with day trips to Hiroshima, Nara and Osaka from Kyoto and Nagano from Tokyo.

# ? Aug 17, 2012 01:24

LimburgLimbo: Feb 10, 2008

Jeremys Iron posted:

With my 2-week trip across Japan occurring shortly I thought I'd ask about this cash-economy thing they apparently have going on.

It's been discussed a bit in the thread and in the various guide books I've taken out of the library but I thought I'd ask roughly what ratio of cash to credit card (Mastercard / Amex) I should expect to be able to use. I much prefer to use credit card and know I'm going to need some cash but trying to get a sense of how much I'll need. I appreciate much of this will depend on where I spend my money - most of my costs will likely be on food and possibly weird tat I decide to buy as and when. Will I be able to buy Suica cards etc. on credit card?

If it helps I'll mostly be in cities - Tokyo and Kyoto are the hubs with day trips to Hiroshima, Nara and Osaka from Kyoto and Nagano from Tokyo.

Basically never be without cash. Whether or not you can use cards will depend upon what kind of stores you can go to, but you can never depend on being able to use cards. It's really hard to give any kind of ratio, but keep in mind that if you run out of cash, you'll only be able to use 7/11 ATMs (maybe), or post office ATMs, which can suck if you don't know where to go.

Just keep a bunch of cash on hand. Like as a tourist it wouldn't hurt to have a couple hundred on you most of the time.

Edit: Yeah, me too, but they're aren't all that many of them, so basically unless you're in Tokyo and know where they are, you'll probably be using post ATMs as a tourist.

LimburgLimbo fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Aug 17, 2012

# ? Aug 17, 2012 01:32

mikeycp: Nov 24, 2010; I've changed a lot since I started hanging with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself! Okay, Eggman! Bring it on!

You can also possibly use Citibank ATMs. Those are generally what I use.

# ? Aug 17, 2012 03:02

GTGastby: Dec 28, 2006

LimburgLimbo posted:

Just keep a bunch of cash on hand. Like as a tourist it wouldn't hurt to have a couple hundred on you most of the time.

Yeah, I'd just load up on cash - don't plan on being able to use your credit card anywhere. Although you said you'll mostly be in big cities, make sure to load up if you go somewhere small, too. When I was touristing around, I wasn't paying attention and ended up with no cash in a somewhat smallish town. They had like 2 ATMs, one of which was closed (seriously, a lot of them have working hours), and the other didn't work with foreign cards. Getting cash is a bitch in Japan.

Hell, I have a Japanese bank account now (albeit Shinsei), and still have problems sometimes.

# ? Aug 17, 2012 06:41

Madd0g11: Jun 14, 2002; Bitter Vet; Lipstick Apathy

GTGastby posted:

Hell, I have a Japanese bank account now (albeit Shinsei), and still have problems sometimes.

Zmcnulty hasn't gotten you to go Rakuten yet? I find them to be way better than shitsei. Just so you known my iOS autocorrect makes Shinsei into shitsei.

# ? Aug 17, 2012 07:01

I am OK: Mar 9, 2009; LAWL

My white envelope still hasn't arrived (17 days). :qq:

Spent the morning looking for jobs in Taiwan :qq:

# ? Aug 17, 2012 07:29

Sheep: Jul 24, 2003

I can't use my Japanese bank card in the next prefecture over, not to even speak of any of my foreign cards. Japan Post ATMs seem to be hooked up to PLUS but since they close between like 5 and 7pm you can easily get boned on that front.

# ? Aug 17, 2012 09:24

Grand Fromage: Jan 30, 2006; L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?

Madness! Subway madness!

So where is the best imported goods store? Western food items, I know it won't be cheap here but cheaper than going to Seoul and back when I get home.

# ? Aug 17, 2012 09:25

Jeremys Iron: Aug 18, 2006; "Now if you'll excuse me, it's 8 O'clock, Time to get Bizzay"

drat I hadn't realised that getting cash out would be a pain as well! How are they on Visa/Link cards? I may just have to get a bunch of Yen before I head out there by the sounds of it.

...if only entire life weren't predicated on using credit cards to defer payment for everything by a month.

# ? Aug 17, 2012 19:14

App13: Dec 31, 2011

Looks like I will be living in Kanagawa for the next few years. I haven't thought of visiting Japan since I was a small lad, this should be fun.

# ? Aug 19, 2012 05:23

ClownSyndrome: Sep 2, 2011; Do you think love can bloom on bob-omb Battlefield?

I'm on holiday in Tokyo at the moment, having a great time so far (partially thanks to this thread)

Just a question though, how does one play pachinko? We went into one or two pachinko game centres, but couldn't really figure out how you start playing, and it's so noisy asking a member of staff would probably be tricky. Just figuring out how you get the balls is beyond us

We just want to give it a go, is it something where you need some kind of card to play or become a member or something? Or is it easier to play in game centres where the machines seem to take coins? Or should I just be a dumb tourist elsewhere?

Man, it looked so easy in Shenmue 2

# ? Aug 19, 2012 15:19

Jeremys Iron: Aug 18, 2006; "Now if you'll excuse me, it's 8 O'clock, Time to get Bizzay"

I have two more bonus questions:

1) Mobile phones - I assume my phone will work in Japan? It's worked everywhere else I've ever been in Asia but didn't know if Japan had any particularly wacky standards.

2) Plug sockets - am I right in thinking that they're like American ones so if I bring a bunch of UK-to-US adapters I should be fine?

# ? Aug 19, 2012 21:52

kapalama: Aug 15, 2007; EVERYTHING I SAY ABOUT JAPAN OR LIVING IN JAPAN IS COMPLETELY WRONG, BUT YOU BETTER BELIEVE I'LL ABOUT IT.

PLEASE ADD ME TO YOUR IGNORE LIST.

IF YOU SEE ME POST IN A JAPAN THREAD, PLEASE PM A MODERATOR SO THAT I CAN BE BANNED.

Jeremys Iron posted:

2) Plug sockets - am I right in thinking that they're like American ones so if I bring a bunch of UK-to-US adapters I should be fine?

Almost the same but American plugs are often polarized.

If you have the American plug that is polarized they will not fit in many Japanese sockets.

Also, though in general it does not matter, Japanese power is 100v, not 120v. The frequency is split between 50hz and 60Hz. Anything that autoswtiches should be fine, but the strangest stuff is not autoswitching.

Nintendo DS Lites for instance are not autoswitching. My Japanese-bought one works in America, but it is strictly a 100v adaptor, and would not work in Europe, for instance.

# ? Aug 20, 2012 02:58

Ned: May 23, 2002; by Hand Knit

ClownSyndrome posted:

Just a question though, how does one play pachinko? We went into one or two pachinko game centres, but couldn't really figure out how you start playing, and it's so noisy asking a member of staff would probably be tricky. Just figuring out how you get the balls is beyond us

I can go into this in detail if you want but you won't get much out of Pachinko unless you go to the right place and pick the right machine. If you walk into a 4 yen pachinko place 1000 yen will last you 3 minutes.

# ? Aug 20, 2012 07:59

zmcnulty: Jul 26, 2003

Or less. I think I lost 1000 yen in about 30 seconds.
My bartender tells me that in order for it to be even remotely fun you'll have to spend at least 10,000 yen.

# ? Aug 20, 2012 08:49

Ned: May 23, 2002; by Hand Knit

You can play 1 yen pachinko. If you pick a machine that has decent odds with a low payback you can play for a while but it is hard to win any sort of money at 1 yen pachinko. If you get a machine that keeps paying out you can make around 3,500 an hour.l

# ? Aug 20, 2012 09:48

Dick Danger: Oct 13, 2010; Gee Gee Baby Baby

I just got back from my Japan trip a few days ago now. Working up in Ishinomaki and the Oshika Peninsula was amazing, such a beautiful area. It's really lovely to see it green again, and with most of the mess and debris cleaned up. I believe the trains to Ishinomaki city are all active, so it's really worth the trip if anyone's interested in seeing a recovering city. A lot of small businesses have returned and Manga Dori is actually quite lively now.
I think I'll be returning for an actual holiday next January when it's not so hot. The only thing I enjoyed about the heat this time were the outdoor baths at the Onsen which were so loving nice after a hot day on the peninsula.

# ? Aug 20, 2012 10:55

Mecha Neko: Mar 16, 2011

Posted in the wrong thread, moving it to the Japan thread in the LAN forum.

Mecha Neko fucked around with this message at 12:22 on Aug 20, 2012

# ? Aug 20, 2012 12:12

Jeremys Iron: Aug 18, 2006; "Now if you'll excuse me, it's 8 O'clock, Time to get Bizzay"

kapalama posted:

Almost the same but American plugs are often polarized.

If you have the American plug that is polarized they will not fit in many Japanese sockets.

Also, though in general it does not matter, Japanese power is 100v, not 120v. The frequency is split between 50hz and 60Hz. Anything that autoswtiches should be fine, but the strangest stuff is not autoswitching.

Nintendo DS Lites for instance are not autoswitching. My Japanese-bought one works in America, but it is strictly a 100v adaptor, and would not work in Europe, for instance.

as someone unfamiliar with a 'polarised' US plug is that when one of the plugs is slightly wider? If so that's not a problem as adaptors never have that (or at least none of mine do).

# ? Aug 20, 2012 21:31

kapalama: Aug 15, 2007; EVERYTHING I SAY ABOUT JAPAN OR LIVING IN JAPAN IS COMPLETELY WRONG, BUT YOU BETTER BELIEVE I'LL ABOUT IT.

PLEASE ADD ME TO YOUR IGNORE LIST.

IF YOU SEE ME POST IN A JAPAN THREAD, PLEASE PM A MODERATOR SO THAT I CAN BE BANNED.

Jeremys Iron posted:

as someone unfamiliar with a 'polarised' US plug is that when one of the plugs is slightly wider? If so that's not a problem as adaptors never have that (or at least none of mine do).

Yes that is what it is. If your adaptor don;t have them you are good.

# ? Aug 20, 2012 23:35

Suntory BOSS: Apr 17, 2006

My girlfriend and I work for an American company in Tokyo and are looking for short, fun trips we can take over the Labor Day weekend (Sept 1-3). We're saving onsen for the winter when it's nice and chilly, neither of us like beaches, and we don't want to stray too far out of the Kanto region.

Anybody have any suggestions? I've gotten a few ideas from Japan-guide, but I'd prefer word of mouth recommendations if possible.

# ? Aug 21, 2012 08:24

zmcnulty: Jul 26, 2003

If you like to drink, Utsunomiya. Just make sure to take your phrasebook, not much English out there. Nikko the next day and you can turn it into a weekend.

Yokohama is a dead-simple day trip, lots of good times for all. More drinking.

Kamakura has plenty of temples too but if you're doing Nikko it's kinda redundant.

It's a bitch to get to via train but Mother Farm out in Chiba is pretty fun if you like animals. And animal meat, the genghis khan there is fantastic overlooking the valley.

The go-to trip for a lot of Tokyo people is Yamanashi, Fuji Five Lakes area. Some friends and I will probably be out there that weekend, actually. More drinking.

Nasu, Hakone and Atami are a bit difficult to recommend if you're saving your onsen trips for the winter, since that's sort of the main attraction at each.

What kind of stuff are you looking to do? From Tokyo essentially the whole country is easily accessible. Hell it's 5PM but I could be in Sapporo by 9PM tonight if I had to.

# ? Aug 21, 2012 08:58

Morgenthau: Aug 28, 2007; Circumstances have gone beyond my control.

Ned posted:

I can go into this in detail if you want but you won't get much out of Pachinko unless you go to the right place and pick the right machine. If you walk into a 4 yen pachinko place 1000 yen will last you 3 minutes.

How do you actually start playing? I thought it would be simple but all I ended up doing was wasting a few hundred yen stabbing at random buttons but nothing happening.

Now UFO catcher machines, are incredibly easy. 100 yen got me a nifty fake jellyfish aquarium.

# ? Aug 21, 2012 14:34

Original_Z: Jun 14, 2005; Z so good

Grand Fromage posted:

Madness! Subway madness!

So where is the best imported goods store? Western food items, I know it won't be cheap here but cheaper than going to Seoul and back when I get home.

Yamaya, Kaldi Coffee, Plaza, and Costco are your best bets for chain stores, and you can find them throughout the country. For Tokyo specific, Nissin World Delicatessen is also a good choice. Between those you should be able to find almost anything you need.

Morgenthau posted:

How do you actually start playing? I thought it would be simple but all I ended up doing was wasting a few hundred yen stabbing at random buttons but nothing happening.

Now UFO catcher machines, are incredibly easy. 100 yen got me a nifty fake jellyfish aquarium.

If you just want to experience Pachislot to cross it off your list as "Japanese cultural experience", just go into any arcade and there should be some machines. Throw 100yen in, realize that it's a pointless game, and be glad you didn't waste any more time or money.

If you want to actually try and win money, then I guess you can go to a dedicated parlor. Each place has different systems, some you charge your balls to a card which you then put into the machine, others you just feed bills directly. Be prepared to drop a lot of money, as someone mentioned 10000yen minimum.

Once you throw money into the machine just turn the lever on the side, the more you turn the faster the balls will shoot out.

# ? Aug 23, 2012 10:01

Sarchasm: Apr 14, 2002; So that explains why he did not answer. He had no mouth to answer with. There is nothing left of him but his ears.

zmcnulty posted:

The go-to trip for a lot of Tokyo people is Yamanashi

That's so weird. The go-to trip for a lot of us Yamanaashi people is Tokyo. I guess we just pass each other on the Chuuo Line every weekend.

# ? Aug 24, 2012 13:43

MaliciousOnion: Sep 23, 2009; Ignorance, the root of all evil

I'm going to Japan in eight weeks for a wedding; how much money should I budget for food and accommodation per day?

edit: I should clarify that I don't plan on living in luxury while I'm over there, nor do I want to live out of my suitcase. Something middle of the road, I guess.

MaliciousOnion fucked around with this message at 11:23 on Aug 27, 2012

# ? Aug 27, 2012 11:20

Riptor: Apr 13, 2003; here's to feelin' good all the time

I'm gonna be in Sapporo by myself for 3-4 days in early October; anyone here live there and want to grab a drink somewhere or recommend a place for me to go?

# ? Aug 27, 2012 15:39

proctorbot: Jan 27, 2005; BUT CAN IT FEEL??!?!

Anybody live in Hokkaido at all? My wife and I are living in southern Hokkaido (between Sapporo and Hakodate) and it'd be nice to meet people and have a conversation in English...

Riptor posted:

I'm gonna be in Sapporo by myself for 3-4 days in early October; anyone here live there and want to grab a drink somewhere or recommend a place for me to go?

If you are looking for nightlife, definitely check out the Susukino area. Bright lights, neon sights, host and hostess club people out hustlin' on the street corners, it's pretty cool.

proctorbot fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Aug 31, 2012

# ? Aug 31, 2012 16:15

Studebaker Hawk: May 22, 2004

Can anyone help me identify this sake?

Click here to view the full image

or these

Click here to view the full image

Studebaker Hawk fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Sep 2, 2012

# ? Sep 2, 2012 02:21

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 07:07

Sheep: Jul 24, 2003

Thumbnail that image, jesus chrst.

The bottom two, both are shochu, not sake. The one on the left is mugi (barley) shochu, called Nasakeshima, and the one on the right is imo (potato) shochu, called Rokudaime Yuri. Nothing special about either. Can't really read the kanji on the first bottle because of the overstylized brush strokes, but you can find tons of stuff on the web about it by googling for the brewery (若駒).

Sheep fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Sep 2, 2012

# ? Sep 2, 2012 02:26

The Something Awful Forums > Main > Tourism & Travel > Japan Megathread V: It's not hot it's just humid.

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