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Jenner posted:1. Thank you for smoking: Are you from the USA? If so, good for you. The USA is the only country with a total ban on indoor smoking. If you are allergic to cigarettes or do not like the smell be prepared to, at times, have a bad time because there will be smoking indoors. If you are a smoker, welcome to Paradise. ...what indoor ban on smoking? And yes, tons of people smoke in Japan. Some places allow it, some don't. And often, Japanese people will congregate around a specific place to smoke, so it's not hard to avoid.
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Oct 18, 2012 03:55
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 23:01 |
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Haha, come visit Korea next time. One of the things I enjoyed in Japan was how rare and restricted smoking is compared to here. Last time I was at the hospital a doctor was lighting up right in the lobby.
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Oct 18, 2012 04:06
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Riptor posted:I'm pretty sure Suica and ICOCA are interchangeable now They are. I was using my Suica all over Kansai just a couple months ago.
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Oct 18, 2012 04:51
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Jenner posted:4. The Deer on Itsukushima will pick your pockets: If you are going to Itsukushima, try not to leave anything loose in your pockets. The "tame" deer on the island will pluck it right out of your pockets. The deer will literally eat anything. Don't bother buying the deer crackers, just gank a roll of tp from the bathroom and go wild. From my experience, the deer liked that more than the stupid crackers.
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Oct 18, 2012 15:23
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Pro-PRC Laowai posted:The deer will literally eat anything. Don't bother buying the deer crackers, just gank a roll of tp from the bathroom and go wild. From my experience, the deer liked that more than the stupid crackers. In my experience the deer will mob you if the see you have those crackers, though that was Nara deer not Itskushima deer.
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Oct 18, 2012 16:09
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teddust posted:In my experience the deer will mob you if the see you have those crackers, though that was Nara deer not Itskushima deer. Just trust me on this.... toilet paper is like deer crack.
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Oct 18, 2012 16:21
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Huh.
Katana Gomai fucked around with this message at 10:45 on Oct 19, 2012 |
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Oct 18, 2012 23:20
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I don't know what to think about that, especially since I'm female. Maybe you're talking about the fellas in the background? That old man's hat is loving styling.
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Oct 19, 2012 00:46
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Really enjoyed Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Aso and Beppu. Kyushu is beautiful and tops. I'm currently in Matsuyama, Ehime, and really liking it too. Just wish I had a car and more time/money to give Shikoku the attention it seems to deserve. Tomorrow I head to Nagoya and Kanazawa, with the hope of making my way up to Hokkaido and back before my railpass runs out. Any tips for the central and more northerly parts of Honshu? Also, any recommendations if I want to see amazing Japanese art?
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Oct 19, 2012 09:12
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Swimsuit Places posted:Also, any recommendations if I want to see amazing Japanese art? If you are in Matsuyama now, you should head to Takamatsu and take the ferry to Naoshima which has a bunch of contemporary art museums on it.
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Oct 19, 2012 10:47
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teddust posted:In my experience the deer will mob you if the see you have those crackers, though that was Nara deer not Itskushima deer. Oh, Nara. Yeah, getting cornered by a deer, poked by it's antlers and then bit, isn't exactly fun. drat those crackers! They are super cute jerks though. I was pretty impressed by the way they poop though. SO MUCH.
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Oct 19, 2012 15:42
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Maybe that's why they like toilet paper so much?
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Oct 19, 2012 17:08
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Ganguro King posted:If you are in Matsuyama now, you should head to Takamatsu and take the ferry to Naoshima which has a bunch of contemporary art museums on it. Seconding Naoshima, and if you're heading north the Towada Art Center in Towada City, Aomori is awesome and the Lake Towada area is well worth a visit.
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Oct 20, 2012 00:26
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totalnewbie posted:Oh well you guys are looking at a good time no matter what, then. First of all I want to say thanks for this! We ended up going to Atom at about 11pm. It was okay so we asked a guy when it would pick, he said 2am and boy was he right. First off it's probably the best hip-hop room I've been too in a long while and the two other rooms were amazing what's also amazing is that drinks were so cheap (and we got in during 'happy hour' so cover was only 1,000 yen) so we were only paying $6 USD a drink. Now I also need some advice on: 1) places to go/eat in Yokohama. We're going to be there the rest of this week, any recommendations on places we need to eat/see (keep in mind we're working through the day). Also, is there anything fun to do on a Wednesday night in Yokohama? We're staying at the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel so is there anything that's walking distance around there? Fun could be anything (like interesting expat bar to whatever). 2) I know I'm beating a dead horse here but does anyone have any recommendations on where to go in Shibuya this Friday? I appreciate any help because navigating some of the websites is challenging. Again, I just want to say thank you for helping find an awesome club I would've been so lost without your help goons! Optimus_Rhyme fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Oct 21, 2012 |
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Oct 21, 2012 00:14
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gay night
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Are you looking for a club in Shinjuku/Shibuya (they're right next to each other). Also, I heard there was some sort of "ramen stadium" in Yokohama. Anyone know about it?
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Oct 21, 2012 00:44
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totalnewbie posted:Also, I heard there was some sort of "ramen stadium" in Yokohama. Anyone know about it? The Ramen Museum? I went there... pretty neat if you love ramen. A bit hokey, touristy, and overpriced, though. They designed the place to look like a street in WWII times. If you're looking for authentic or cultural experiences, take a pass on it. Otherwise, it was something unique to do in Yokohama. http://www.raumen.co.jp/ramen/ It's about 5 minutes from Shin-Yokohama station.
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Oct 21, 2012 01:07
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Yeah, that looks like the place. A couple of the Japanese guys at work mentioned it.
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Oct 21, 2012 02:06
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Everyone I've ever heard talk about it (Japanese and not) has said "it's touristy and overpriced. Don't bother."
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Oct 21, 2012 06:29
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Worst part is that the ramen blows compared to the other quality ones in Tokyo. It's odaiba bad. For middle class families from the country side. If you are at Yokohama and have free time you can go for it, but I was a sucker to take a long train ride from Tokyo. China is a but kitschy but it's the cleanest China town in the world with the stores arranging the inventory neatly like any Japanese store which feels really weird. In fact avoid all ramen museums, the one in Fukuoka was not much better.
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Oct 21, 2012 07:20
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I've been puttering around Japan for about a month now, mostly Kansai, and am heading up to Hokkaido in the next few days. I usually take a day or two to do some research before heading to different areas but I will be without internet for the next few days. Anyone have any recommendations for Hokkaido? Gonna start in Sapporo and will have a 14 day JR Pass, though I will need it to head down to Kyushu eventually. Also into going for beers or coffee or anything with any Hokkaido residents. I am pretty amazing at karaoke if you're into that, ha ha.
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Oct 21, 2012 11:35
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I'm going to be in Japan for a couple of weeks in late December, so everything is in early planning stages at the moment, but are there any recommended guidebooks to get? Lonely Planet has been my old standby for other places, but The Rough Guide... looks pretty neat as well.
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Oct 21, 2012 20:20
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The Kanazawa contemporary art museum was pretty cool, much like the city itself. I could probably spend forever reading in Kenroku-en. I've dawdled a bit, so it looks like I won't be able to make it up to Hokkaido in time - But, is it worth shooting up north for a week to see the broad strokes? I have to get to Tokyo to meet some friends as they fly in.
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Oct 21, 2012 23:55
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ghableska posted:I'm going to be in Japan for a couple of weeks in late December, so everything is in early planning stages at the moment, but are there any recommended guidebooks to get? Japan-guide.com had 90% of what I needed for my 2 week trip.
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Oct 22, 2012 00:34
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Swimsuit Places posted:The Kanazawa contemporary art museum was pretty cool, much like the city itself. I could probably spend forever reading in Kenroku-en. I've dawdled a bit, so it looks like I won't be able to make it up to Hokkaido in time - But, is it worth shooting up north for a week to see the broad strokes? I have to get to Tokyo to meet some friends as they fly in. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your time in Kanazawa!
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Oct 22, 2012 10:13
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Fryhtaning posted:Japan-guide.com had 90% of what I needed for my 2 week trip. That website seems super-helpful-- thanks. Still, I'd like to have a physical book with me.
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Oct 23, 2012 01:21
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ghableska posted:I'm going to be in Japan for a couple of weeks in late December, so everything is in early planning stages at the moment, but are there any recommended guidebooks to get? I took the Lonely Planet Japan guide with me and found it very useful. I'd just rip out pages for the area I felt like visiting that day and bring it in my purse (because obviously the book for the whole country is rather heavy...). I do find Lonely Planet is a bit off for placing sights on their maps though. A few times when trying to find a restaurant, it was in the opposite direction or a totally different street. That's where the TripAdvisor Tokyo App helped. It actually had the correct locations for restaurants and such. I wish they had a TripAdvisor for all of the cities there.
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Oct 23, 2012 01:32
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TripAdvisor Tokyo worked nicely for me too. Keep in mind that finding free WiFi in Tokyo is nearly impossible, but it downloads all the data you need.
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Oct 23, 2012 01:35
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Grand Fromage posted:TripAdvisor Tokyo worked nicely for me too. Keep in mind that finding free WiFi in Tokyo is nearly impossible, but it downloads all the data you need. Well that's exactly it. The maps are available offline, and you can access all the info (like addresses of restaurants, tourist sights), so it's really useful as a kind of guide book. I can't remember ever running into free WiFi in Japan while I was there, except for randomly accessing "Pocket WiFi" while on a shinkansen and grabbing some low signals from hotels nearby train stations.
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Oct 23, 2012 01:44
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I think I posted this before but JR East has free wifi specifically for tourists at a handful of stations in Tokyo: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pdf/free_wifi_02_e.pdf
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Oct 23, 2012 02:01
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Still haven't been able to find conclusive answers anywhere, but maybe you guys know- Is it possible to use consecutive rail passes? My 3 week one runs out in a week, and I'm still going to be here for a month plus. If I'm just going to be tooling around with friends in central Honshu and Kansai, is it more economical to just buy tickets, or could I get a friend to bring over another pass in my name? I understand it's hard to say as you don't know my plans precisely, but I don't see us traveling between regions too much - but it will happen. Maybe I just answered my own dumb question. Original_Z posted:Glad to hear that you enjoyed your time in Kanazawa! Very much, even. It reminded me a little of Melbourne with the many parks, museums, galleries, and old buildings. Starting to realise that the places I enjoy most tend to be the comparitively smaller cities. What's the bar scene like there?
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Oct 23, 2012 02:30
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I just impulse bought bus tickets to Osaka for the weekend, I'll be headed down with a pair of jeans, two shirts, iphone, suica and a fistful of yen. Nondrinker, poo poo Japanese and first time visting... somebody please help me fill in the blanks below with cool tourist spots and must-see activities! -Depart Tokyo Friday night, arrive in Osaka Saturday morning - - - -Stay in one of the cheapo hostel/hotels by JR Shin-Imamiya Station Saturday night - - - -Depart Osaka Sunday night, arrive back in Tokyo Monday morning and head straight into work hopefully no more than 45 minutes late 
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Oct 23, 2012 15:35
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The aquarium was nice...
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Oct 23, 2012 16:44
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Optimus_Rhyme posted:
Sorry I missed this earlier. What kind of restaurants are you looking for?
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Oct 23, 2012 16:57
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Swimsuit Places posted:Very much, even. It reminded me a little of Melbourne with the many parks, museums, galleries, and old buildings. Starting to realise that the places I enjoy most tend to be the comparitively smaller cities. What's the bar scene like there? The bar scene is quite healthy, it may not be massive but there's enough of them and each one of them has a local scene, the kind of place where it's easy to make friends if you go enough times. Most of them are very foreign-friendly, a few of them even have discounts for them (removing the entrance charge or other services). There are also a few bars that cater to foreigners, with all the ups and downs that come with that.
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Oct 24, 2012 08:28
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Suntory BOSS posted:I just impulse bought bus tickets to Osaka for the weekend, I'll be headed down with a pair of jeans, two shirts, iphone, suica and a fistful of yen. Nondrinker, poo poo Japanese and first time visting... somebody please help me fill in the blanks below with cool tourist spots and must-see activities! Kaiyukan (go here if you go anywhere, it's one of my favorite places anywhere), Okonomiyaki, if you like trains there's the Museum of Modern Transportation, there's USJ, if you're a nerd you can go to Nipponbashi and find Den Den Town, which I prefer to Akihabara for various reasons. If you go to Kyoto there's countless shrines and stuff. Nijo Castle is pretty cool. There's the International Manga Museum. If you like samurai movies there's the Toei Eiga Village, which I think is pretty neat.
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Oct 24, 2012 09:36
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Grand Fromage posted:Keep in mind that finding free WiFi in Tokyo is nearly impossible, but it downloads all the data you need. If you sign up with 7-Spot (http://webapp.7spot.jp/) you can access wifi from a ton of 7-11 locations in Tokyo
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Oct 24, 2012 21:20
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Hey guys, I'm going to Tokyo again, and Sapporo, and for x reasons cannot go to Kyoto or Osaka, Nara, Kobe, etc, so I'm looking for some cultural things I can do around/semi-close to Tokyo or Sapporo. Thanks!
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Oct 25, 2012 07:30
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Try Shibamata in Tokyo, also places like Kawagoe, Nikko, Kamakura, and Odawara all have cultural value and are day trips from Tokyo.
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Oct 25, 2012 10:11
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Original_Z posted:Try Shibamata in Tokyo, also places like Kawagoe, Nikko, Kamakura, and Odawara all have cultural value and are day trips from Tokyo. +1 on Kamakura if you want cultural... was one of my favorite days of my trip. I spent the whole day on foot and went to Hase-dera, the Daibutsu, then hiked a trail to Sasuke Inari and Zeniarai Benten, strolled Komachi-dori to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, continued on to Kencho-ji, then poked my head in at Engaku-ji right next to the train station that took me home. Sasuke Inari would give you a fraction of the torii experience that you're missing out by not going to Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, and Zeniarai Benten was in my opinion very underrated.
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Oct 25, 2012 13:24
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 23:01 |
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Can anyone share their advice/experience about buying condoms in Japan?
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Oct 25, 2012 17:25
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