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http://item.rakuten.co.jp/aiaiyuzu/43146/ http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%96%B0%E...C/dp/B00CSDEYZE Bic Camera and Toys R Us also probably have lots of shinkansen goods as well.
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Aug 9, 2013 10:46
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Mister Roboto posted:I am doing a train trip to Fukuoka and was planning on stopping in Hiroshima and staying there one night. Are people saying Hiroshima can done in a day? Hiroshima, yes, Hiroshima + Miyajima, I would advise against. We did both in one day and it was a little too rushed for my comfort. We got in late the previous night and stayed at a hostel in Hiroshima, so we were able to get up bright 'n early and get to the Museum and Peace Park around when it opened. We took our time there - both were fantastic. Then we took off for Miyajima and pretty much beelined to the tram, climbed to the top at a quick pace, spent a little time chilling up top, and then barely made it down before it was dusk. I got pics of the "floating" torii at low tide and at dusk, which was pretty cool. No time to shop or see any more of the island, though. So especially if you're not already IN Hiroshima on the day you're going to spend there, I'd advise against trying to do both in a day unless you want to be rushed. One advantage you do have though is that if you're going soonish, the days will be an hour or two longer (I was there in November).
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Aug 9, 2013 14:09
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We weren't planning on doing Miyajima, unless there's something in particular there that people recommend? I'm trying to work out if it's best to leave Osaka for Hiroshima, visit Hiroshima, then continue to Fukuoka. Is that going to be too rushed for one day? Especially with all the train riding.
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Aug 9, 2013 15:50
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Mister Roboto posted:We weren't planning on doing Miyajima, unless there's something in particular there that people recommend? I honestly wouldn't recommend Hiroshima as a short day trip, because the main attraction is by design a big downer. Miyajima has a really cool floating shrine, an excellent view of the ocean from the mountain, and chill rear end deer. However, it might not make a particularly good day trip between Osaka and Fukuoka, because you'd need to get off the Shinkansen, take a local train, then a ferry, just to get to the island. I think Himeji would be really good, since it's on a Shinkansen stop, and you can definitely see the castle and gardens in a few hours.
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Aug 9, 2013 16:35
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Ned posted:Yes, but something not good happened so I came back to Fukuoka for a bit. If I stay in Japan I'll most likely end up back in Tokyo but I'm looking at my options right now. Sorry to hear that. If you ever need a place to stay in Nagoya let me know.
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Aug 9, 2013 16:44
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teddust posted:I honestly wouldn't recommend Hiroshima as a short day trip, because the main attraction is by design a big downer. So would you suggest: -Train from Osaka to Hiroshima. Visit Hiroshima attractions. Sleep. -Wake up, do Miyajima, go back across this ferry, continue to Fukuoka.
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Aug 9, 2013 17:17
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I do recommend spending at a (single) night there, one thing Hiroshima does have going for it is the "colorful" night life. You haven't experienced Japan until you've seen some bosouzoku up close and personal. I wouldn't bother climbing to the top of Miyajima though.
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Aug 10, 2013 01:56
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I know this is mostly travel chat here, so just as a heads up everything below is school chat. If I should take this to LAN or there's someone in particular I should PM please let me know. Basically, ever since I first travelled to Japan for some relief work some time back now I established a really good network of colleagues who work in relevant (visual/fine art) industries around Japan and after another couple trips for both leisure and to look into study/career oppurtunities in Tokyo, I'm getting to a point where I'd like to seriously commit to pursuing a scholarship of some sort, or at the very least work out what my options are when it comes to secure study and potential work oppurtunities in Japan. I'm an Australian student and I'm looking to graduate my current degree in 2-3 years time, leaving me with bachelors degrees in both visual art and fine art. As an Australian student Monbukagakusho have obviously always been on my radar, but on top of not wanting any more undergraduate study once I finish this current degree, I'll also be too old to apply for the scholarship as an undergraduate. So, from what I've heard from the aus-japan embassy, I'd have to apply for what they describe as a a Research Category scholarship quote:MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology) offers scholarships to international students who wish to study at Japanese Other than all that, what other options should I explore? Any further advice on pursuing visual art in Japan? If I do pursue study abroad, I'll have to drag my partner with me who holds no degrees and only has work experience with accounting, assuming it's straight up impossible to budget scholarship allowance for two people, how possible is it to find her part time or full time work over there? E:disclaimer - not a big dummy who didn't read the OP, the study section was super useful I'm just looking for specific insight for Australians and the field of visual art. diddy kongs feet fucked around with this message at 08:47 on Aug 10, 2013 |
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Aug 10, 2013 08:36
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I don't think that there's going to be all that much specific info for Australians, except for that it might make getting the MEXT a little harder because there probably a relatively larger number of Australians interested in studying in Japan, and there might be more competition. On the other side, I've heard anecdotes that people interested in the arts get more attention from interviewers for the MEXT (and when I applied for the undergrad MEXT on a whim, they were pretty intrigued by my interest in film, though I believe that it's up to the individual embassy that you apply from, so I don't know how much this holds true everywhere). I'd try to PM Reverend Cheddar, if she doesn't pop in here in her own in a while. She got a MEXT scholarship to attend fashion school for two years in the middle of her undergrad in the US, so she may have some applicable experience. Edit: I have no idea what kind of bearing terrible grades will have, but it's not good. Also you're right in there probably not being enough money to sustain both you and your partner, though if you end up in the countryside it could work. If your partner has no degree she will not be able to work because she won't be able to get a visa. Work legally, at least. She could do individual English lessons to make ends meet, but that's not secure, pretty iffy, and she wouldn't be able to spend more than 6 months a year in Japan. LimburgLimbo fucked around with this message at 09:08 on Aug 10, 2013 |
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Aug 10, 2013 09:03
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Yeah, about what I figured RE: dragging my partner along. Mostly a secondary concern anyway since I'm pretty sure we have the savings to fund her coming with me if I do manage to pick up a scholarship. Interesting that you say that about arts garnering attention, since several of the people I worked with in Japan said I should definitely look into studying there back before I had really considered it, they seemed really confident it was doable so it's refreshing to here that from someone else too. Further reading suggests a transcript may only be necessary for your recent/complete degree/s, which could be my saving grace there since that's all squeaky clean. And thanks for the heads up on Reverend Chedder, I'll hit her up. As an aside, what sort of casual or part time working options are there for foreign students? I'm talking under-the-table or otherwise. One American undergrad I met told me he had no problem finding all sorts of cash in hand work, including an abundance of english teaching work and some food service, though I'd rather verify how legit this is before I give it too much thought. I only ask because I can see myself wanting a little extra pocket money if I did luck out on a scholarship.
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Aug 10, 2013 09:30
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diddy kongs feet posted:Yeah, about what I figured RE: dragging my partner along. Mostly a secondary concern anyway since I'm pretty sure we have the savings to fund her coming with me if I do manage to pick up a scholarship. Interesting that you say that about arts garnering attention, since several of the people I worked with in Japan said I should definitely look into studying there back before I had really considered it, they seemed really confident it was doable so it's refreshing to here that from someone else too. Further reading suggests a transcript may only be necessary for your recent/complete degree/s, which could be my saving grace there since that's all squeaky clean. And thanks for the heads up on Reverend Chedder, I'll hit her up. You can definitely find work doing individual English teaching. You may also be able to get a part-time job permit with a student visa, though I'm not sure if getting a scholarship might interfere with that. As far as other cash in hand work, it basically comes down to your ability to network and hustle, when it comes down to it. If you're in a big city there's a lot of opportunity if you look around, though factors like language ability could limit you.
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Aug 10, 2013 09:50
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Mister Roboto posted:So would you suggest: Yeah that itinerary sounds good.
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Aug 10, 2013 13:13
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Go watch a baseball game if the Carp have any home games when you're in Hiroshima. The stadium is a short walk from JR Hiroshima station, you can even bring in your own food and drinks if you want to keep it cheap. Wear red and enjoy the cheering! Home team fans sit near 1st base, away team sits near 3rd.
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Aug 10, 2013 15:08
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Thanks for the advice, guys. Does anyone have a list of android apps and such they'd recommend I get before I go? Since having wi-fi is going to be a problem, I am loading up with what I can. I have that offline map app. Is there a translation one I can use to at least try and communicate with shopkeepers? I know direct-speech-translation tech is still a few years away, but is there anything else I can use on the go? Carrying around my Japanese phrasebook is sort of clunky.
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Aug 11, 2013 02:15
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Mister Roboto posted:Does anyone have a list of android apps and such they'd recommend I get before I go? Since having wi-fi is going to be a problem, I am loading up with what I can. Don't know about phrasebooks or translation apps (you could always just use Google Translate, I guess), but this train schedule app is the best I know of for Android. I like it way better than the Hyperdia app, which has a history of crashing randomly for me. And hey, lucky for you, it's entirely in English. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bside.extremeambient.net&hl=en
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Aug 11, 2013 10:49
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Train times have always worked for me with Google Maps. I've been using that since there was a schedule change on my local line and Hyperdia didn't update for that.
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Aug 11, 2013 11:16
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Thanks for those recommendations. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do for internet in Japan, though. I'm currently banking on the free wifi hotspots that the tourism guide suggested; not much else I can really do.
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Aug 11, 2013 11:19
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Have you looked into what your phone service can provide? It might be a little pricey (comparatively), but if you only need it for maps, translation, and quick reference they might have an affordable plan. I used a 180MB plan with AT&T for something around $40, and it was very reliable (it was on the Softbank network). After disabling background data for my apps (don't use facebook etc) I only used 100MB of that over two weeks with frequent use.
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Aug 12, 2013 00:28
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zmcnulty posted:I wouldn't bother climbing to the top of Miyajima though. Are you kidding? That's one of the best views in all of Japan.    
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Aug 12, 2013 01:21
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Mister Roboto posted:So would you suggest: That's what we did for Japan goongrilamge 2010. We came into Hiroshima at night from Osaka, stayed at toyoko inn. In the morning I went to the peace museum then to miyajima for lunch. Taking the shinkansen to fukuoka was a close call, it was a mad rush from the jr station to the hotel collect bags then to the station and flipping out the jr passs and jumping onto the train. Just in time for Ned's Thursday yattai! I'm a friend of Ned in America is a lot easier to explain than weird internet stranger at his door step. For internet I recommend renting a 3g sim card from docomo or somewhere in the airport. It helps a lot when you are in a moving train. Searching online maps,and joining the line chat group for help. It's 2013, don't be a Neanderthal.
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Aug 12, 2013 02:03
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caberham posted:That's what we did for Japan goongrilamge 2010. We came into Hiroshima at night from Osaka, stayed at toyoko inn. I was the other goon in this 'we', and I will add that Miyajima ruled and I am really glad I didn't miss it. I did skip the peace museum because I'm American and couldn't stand to hear anyone suggesting we shouldn't bomb foreigners. Actually I just wasn't in the mood and wanted to sleep in that day. But there was a funny story on the train from Hiroshima to Miyajima: Caber and I had gotten on at an early station and so had seats next to one another. But as the train trucked along, fewer and fewer seats were available. So I when I got up to check the map to make sure we hadn't missed our stop, a college-aged girl took my seat. My solution to this was to make friends with her. Between my poo poo college Japanese and her poo poo college English, we were able to have an awkward conversation. She got off at the next stop (and presumably got back on in a different car).  I know how to handle Japan.
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Aug 12, 2013 03:20
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caberham posted:That's what we did for Japan goongrilamge 2010. We came into Hiroshima at night from Osaka, stayed at toyoko inn. How much is renting a card going to be? From the sounds of it, the shinkansen to fukuoka was close because...there's only one? What time did it leave Hiroshima?
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Aug 12, 2013 03:35
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Mister Roboto posted:From the sounds of it, the shinkansen to fukuoka was close because...there's only one? What time did it leave Hiroshima? Because he had to eat his stupid ramen. There was another one in like fifteen minutes or something, but who has that kind of patience? I'm not Bodhidharma. Shinkansen run all the damned time and they're extremely punctual and convenient, as long as you have the JR pass. You can just hop on and hop off totally effortlessly. No security checks or anything.
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Aug 12, 2013 03:51
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Fryhtaning posted:Are you kidding? That's one of the best views in all of Japan. I'm also of the view that if you get the chance to climb to the top of something in Japan, you are almost always rewarded. You don't have to be picky about what you actually climb.
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Aug 12, 2013 04:05
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Bloodnose posted:
The Bloodnose method of dealing with Japanese girls, talk to them until they leave. I'll have to try it out.
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Aug 12, 2013 08:42
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Bloodnose posted:Caber and I had gotten on at an early station and so had seats next to one another. But as the train trucked along, fewer and fewer seats were available. So I when I got up to check the map to make sure we hadn't missed our stop, a college-aged girl took my seat. My solution to this was to make friends with her. Between my poo poo college Japanese and her poo poo college English, we were able to have an awkward conversation. She got off at the next stop (and presumably got back on in a different Why didn't Caberham save your seat for you? 
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Aug 12, 2013 09:37
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Because he is Asian, and therefore a passive-aggressive jerk who won't make a fuss in public. Alternatively, because he wanted to sit next to a Japanese girl more than a big fat neckbeard.
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Aug 12, 2013 09:44
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So can anyone please share some experience renting a sim card from the airport? Is there a fairly easy to find stall? And does anyone know the general price?
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Aug 13, 2013 09:46
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Mister Roboto posted:So can anyone please share some experience renting a sim card from the airport? Is there a fairly easy to find stall? And does anyone know the general price? Yeah I could use some deets on this too. First trip I went using australian prepaid and spent a small fortune recharging it, last few times I haven't used a phone at all but I think I'm going to need one next time, even if it's just for 3g since that'd be super useful.
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Aug 13, 2013 09:53
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Mister Roboto posted:So can anyone please share some experience renting a sim card from the airport? Is there a fairly easy to find stall? And does anyone know the general price? Easy as. Though I rented the whole phone, not just the SIM. I went with these guys when I went on my honeymoon: http://www.softbank-rental.jp/e/ they do SIM rentals as well. http://www.softbank-rental.jp/e/rental-plan-ib04.php however, you may struggle with non-japanese phones as they may not be compatible with the SIM card. There are details included on the above page. You might just want to rent a local phone. My wife and I got an Iphone 4 each (in case we got separated) with data so I could use google maps if it came to it (this turned out to be less useful than I had hoped and ended up relying on paper maps). It wasn't cheap, but who cares about a $25+ international phone call to your bank when you can't withdraw cash from the ATM and don't know why? Unless you have a desperate need for a smartphone, a regular phone will see you through. You MUST book before you go: http://www.softbank-rental.jp/e/rental-booking.php They only need a couple of days notice, but obviously booking early will save tears. One thing you need to watch out for: They "reserve" an amount on your credit card, which looks like a big fat withdrawl (it was about $800 for 2 iphones) which will scare the gently caress out of you and prompt a call to the bank if you don't know its coming. It works as insurance against you stealing the phone, or not paying the full amount of your bill. This is refunded to you when you return the phone. My experience was absolutely hassle free aside from the minor freak out about the deduction from my VISA card. The stalls are easy as hell to find in Tokyo and Osaka International. I presume it isn't that hard elsewhere either. If you don't speak Japanese, chances are you still won't have a problem as the staff speak English reasonably well (in my experience) even if you address them in Japanese. It could just be that they couldn't understand my terrible Aussie drawl, but whatever. My memory may be playing tricks on me, but for 15 days for 2 smartphones including a pretty loving long emergency international call, I think I ended up paying around $250 Australian including premium insurance on both phones. However, the AU dollar was actually at a little better than parity at the time. I might stop editing this post now. 
Carth Dookie fucked around with this message at 10:42 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 10:22
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Sim card is not hard people. Only countries with backwards telecommunication infrastructure like USA, Canada, Australia make things seem to be difficult. gently caress Virgin/Fido/ATT/T-mobile for over priced pre paid plans. Japan should also be on this list too. I hope LTE is already implemented. Airports in the major cities have stalls renting out sim cards. It's really easy. darth cookie posted:
Renting a iphone 4s for 125AUD/ 15 days is an amazing deal but the problem is that it's not your phone. That means you got to resync everything, your contacts, set up your anime wall paper, sync your files, your preferences, apps, etc. Which kind of defeats the purpose of carrying your own phone with you where everything is accessible with you all the time . Unless you already backed up your settings with Titanium backup, and have a habit of loading up different android roms and all, I would avoid renting a phone. If you already have a smart phone ready, renting another one is doesn't make too much sense. If you have a unlocked quad/tri band GSM 3G phone then you can use data and calls easily. Calls are more for emergencies (but being in a densely populated country, you can easily borrow a phone or call when you buy something from someone), data is the focus here. You can also get those portable mifi devices but for 2 users, but the problem is that they only last for 3 hours and you need to carry another one of those portable lithium ion battery packs.
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Aug 13, 2013 11:17
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Is there any particular place where I can buy a simlock free second hand smartphone in Japan? Do they even exist here? I have a simcard, I just need a cheap phone for back home.
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Aug 13, 2013 12:10
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In general, unlocked phones don't exist in Japan. If you're going to the US, you can get pay-as-you-go iphones at Target for $100ish + $60 monthly use card or call-and-text phones for $15 + $+25 monthly use.
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Aug 13, 2013 15:46
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At work we get our poo poo form the HK and SG office.
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Aug 13, 2013 16:03
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Thanks for all the replies. I negotiated a good deal with my service provider! Well, T-minus a day before I spend a month in Japan. One last question, and this is just a generalized one because I genuinely want to hear everyone's opinions: What are your personal must-do things in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Osaka? I've got a good general tourist list of things in mind but I'd love to hear just general personal opinions of special restaurants or hidden stores that people have your own enjoyable experiences with.
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Aug 13, 2013 16:07
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docomo will unlock old docomo smartphones, 3kyen (I'm not sure of the exact conditions, I think it needs to be out of contract)
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Aug 13, 2013 16:09
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Mister Roboto posted:What are your personal must-do things in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Osaka? get drunk and walk around, then poo poo happens.
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Aug 13, 2013 16:27
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Mister Roboto posted:What are your personal must-do things in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Osaka? If you like sushi, get up early and go get breakfast at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. It was the freshest, best sushi I've ever had. Just get a pre-selected chef's set or whatever instead of picking out what kind you want, they'll treat you right. I don't remember the specific little restaurant there that I went to, but I expect they're probably all really good. Make sure to go to the ones in the market, not just in the area.
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Aug 13, 2013 16:45
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Not sure if any of you would have any experience with this, but it's worth a shot: what's the engineering licensing procedure in Japan, and does their licensing agency mutually recognize American licenses? I tried to look into it myself but my Japanese isn't good enough to get the gist of it.
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Aug 13, 2013 18:58
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Mister Roboto posted:
You said general tourist list, so I'll go with mostly mainstream stuff. Tokyo - if you're a geek, spend an afternoon in Akihabara and visit Super Potato or one of the more obscure gamer shops. For a more Japanese-cultural museum experience, make the Edo-Tokyo (Ryogoku area, near the sumo arena) Museum the one you visit. The Tokyo museum in Ueno is like any other museum, just in Japan, and Ueno park itself is kind of meh as well. Hiroshima - as recent discussions have said, stick with the Peace Park and Museum, then head over to Miyajima. Osaka - um... the aquarium and getting drunk at night. Or hop on over to Kyoto and Nara for the real cultural stuff.
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Aug 13, 2013 22:58
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