|
Are you traveling alone? Most people would go with a buddy for the first time. Tourist sites like crazy sulphur onsen will probably have multilingual signage. Blue for dudes and red/pink for ladies is pretty universal.
|
#
?
Sep 26, 2013 22:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 21:15 |
|
|
It really does depend on the onsen. In mixed baths where you're naked, it's good manners to cover up with the small towel. Which may or may not be provided -- if it's not provided you can usually buy one for like 100 yen. Some mixed baths flat-out require a bathing suit, but in that case you'll certainly know beforehand.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 02:29
|
|
|
Clothed onsens seem to be very rare though. It's not the way to go anyway since being naked is part of the thing. I've only been to a mixed onsen once (in izu, on the east coast near the sea) but it was perfectly fine to just be naked, no need for towels. Once you realize that absolutely nobody cares that you're naked it becomes much more comfortable.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 08:36
|
|
|
Eifert Posting posted:Reservation for Harutaka tomorrow. Been dying for more info on this joint ever since I read that Luxeat article. Definitely keen to hear how your dinner goes and what sort of bill you run.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 09:01
|
|
|
Shibawanko posted:I've only been to a mixed onsen once (in izu, on the east coast near the sea) but it was perfectly fine to just be naked, no need for towels. Once you realize that absolutely nobody cares that you're naked it becomes much more comfortable. Even if you're white? I've had Chinese people pretty shamelessly stare at my junk in locker rooms in the mainland.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 09:11
|
|
|
Bloodnose posted:Even if you're white? I've had Chinese people pretty shamelessly stare at my junk in locker rooms in the mainland. I've been to both smaller, rural area onsens and larger city ones and never had any staring. How peculiar is your junk?
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 09:30
|
|
|
Shibawanko posted:Clothed onsens seem to be very rare though. It's not the way to go anyway since being naked is part of the thing. I went to a clothed one in Oita that was really more like a hotel pool that happened to be heated by hot springs. They'd vent steam every half hour or so and did a pretty sweet laser show. My junk has definitely been gandered, may have had something to do with the manscaping (ie any). I'm not really crazy about the experience overall, but I'll do it every now and then as long as I'm out of my prefecture (would not like to run into a student). Honestly, even doing a private one with a girlfriend was just kinda OK, although I might do it again if there was a bunch of snow on the ground (and I uh, had a girlfriend).
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 10:35
|
|
|
Bloodnose posted:Even if you're white? I've had Chinese people pretty shamelessly stare at my junk in locker rooms in the mainland. This happens in Korea too.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 14:44
|
|
|
Eifert Posting posted:This happens in Korea too. They do in Japan as well, they just do it out of the corner of their eye,
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 15:14
|
|
|
One thing that does confuse me is that I've always seen on shows like "Soko ga Shiritai" and some rotenburo/onsen shows is that the people are always wearing towels in the tub for modesty, and yet elsewhere I've read that bringing the towel into the tub is a no-no, and you have to do something like stick it on your head or something. On a slightly related note, how bad is the Sakurajima volcano acting up? I seem to recall seeing something about the volcano having very heightened activity as of yesterday or so. I was originally going to visit it on Oct 16th...but I don't want to become the first goon to be annihilated by a lahar. I assume if Kagoshima is darkened by a thick cloud of ash, going to Sakurajima is a very bad idea, right? E: Any recommendations as for onsen to visit? I was thinking of possibly doing the onsen thing in Kagoshima if Sakurajima looks like a bad idea. The closest onsen in the immediate Kagoshima city area according to web search on Kagoshimaonsen.jp are Ono Yu, Tenen onsen yu no yama, and Myoban onsen. Everything else looks a mix of closed, hotel/ryokan patrons only, or access only by car. ookuwagata fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Sep 27, 2013 |
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 17:24
|
|
|
Has anyone here ever worked on a resort in Japan? I'm looking at doing a working holiday over there for a few months with a company called BooBooSki or something.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 18:37
|
|
|
Bloodnose posted:Even if you're white? I've had Chinese people pretty shamelessly stare at my junk in locker rooms in the mainland. Sometimes somebody will look but it's only natural. Maybe countryside types will do it in China and Korea but even in rural Japan they won't pay any unusual attention to you. I'm blonde and white as an elf. I really love onsens, especially in winter and in hotels though, not so much the crowded local ones.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2013 19:13
|
|
|
TV shows will say "towel permitted for recording purposes" in the corner of the screen. My friend worked ski season at a Hilton in Hokkaido. The customers and seasonal staff were all Australian. peanut fucked around with this message at 00:35 on Sep 28, 2013 |
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2013 00:32
|
|
|
Pompous Rhombus posted:although I might do it again if there was a bunch of snow on the ground (and I uh, had a girlfriend). I bet you were just using your medium format camera and taking over exposed pictures of your self  Jossos posted:They do in Japan as well, they just do it out of the corner of their eye, Yeah, I'm sure people are just more subtle, that's all. It's like catching a small glance of other people's junk when you are at the urinal/gym locker room
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2013 02:27
|
|
|
Two random data points: 1. Narutomi in the Ginza district makes some incredible handmade soba. 2. No one really seemed to stare at my dick when at various onsen.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2013 10:47
|
|
|
Someone tell me about onsens where I can get dudes to stare at my dick because I've been looking for years
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2013 10:58
|
|
|
LimburgLimbo posted:Someone tell me about onsens where I can get dudes to stare at my dick because I've been looking for years Come to Korea. We'll give it a good stare.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2013 12:57
|
|
|
DontAskKant posted:Come to Korea. We'll give it a good stare. I went to a jimjilbang near Hongdae once but there were only a few other dudes there. However I will say the dudes/dick-staring dudes ratio was excellent
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2013 13:15
|
|
|
Teddles posted:Has anyone here ever worked on a resort in Japan? I'm looking at doing a working holiday over there for a few months with a company called BooBooSki or something.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2013 07:59
|
|
|
Just wanted to chime in and give a big thanks to Ned for putting up with my drunk friend and I, and showing us around Fukuoka. It was a cool city and Ned was a great host. You are missing out if you don't give it a visit.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2013 07:21
|
|
!
|
In Fukuoka I met an old man in the park who proceeded to ask me if I was catholic (he was) and emotionally told me his life story about how his family died in the a-bombs while he was in China and at the end of it we exchanged sunglasses. Old Japanese men like me.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2013 12:03
|
|
|
biggfoo posted:Just wanted to chime in and give a big thanks to Ned for putting up with my drunk friend and I, and showing us around Fukuoka. It was a cool city and Ned was a great host. You are missing out if you don't give it a visit. It was a fun weekend. Lots of boozing and everything was very convenient.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2013 13:21
|
|
|
Shibawanko posted:In Fukuoka I met an old man in the park who proceeded to ask me if I was catholic (he was) and emotionally told me his life story about how his family died in the a-bombs while he was in China and at the end of it we exchanged sunglasses. Old Japanese men like me. Post the sunglasses please.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2013 14:51
|
|
|
Pretty cool
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2013 22:54
|
|
|
Hey Japan goons. I'm visiting from the China thread. I've been checking out flights from Shanghai to Osaka and Tokyo for awhile now and finally landed on some good deals. Now my wife and I are thinking of spending (American) Thanksgiving weekend in Japan! It looks like we can get round trip flights for between $200 and $275 each. We would be flying in on Friday the 29th around noon and leaving on Tuesday the 3rd around 2pm (5 days, 4 nights). My question is this: is that enough time to make it worth flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka? I really want to see Osaka/Kyoto and my wife really wants to see Tokyo, so we would love to do it this way, but I'm afraid we won't get enough time in either place, or the train will be very expensive.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 05:27
|
|
|
It's not a bad way to see the in-between (and liking trains doesn't hurt), but traveling by train will easily eat up a day (2.5 hours from Tokyo to Osaka station). If you really want to see both places you can split your time and maybe go on a group tour you can see a lot in a short window without losing time while finding you way from place to place. I personally enjoyed a bus a tour through Kyoto hitting 3-4 of the famous historical sites. Either way you'll have a blast.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 05:50
|
|
|
The train will cost 13000 yen each, assuming you take the shinkansen. Busses are cheaper, but you probably don't want to do that. 5d/4n is plenty in either place but not really enough time for both. If you're doing Tokyo, Kawasaki is basically Osaka and Kamakura is basically Kyoto so you can maybe get your fix anyway.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 05:52
|
|
|
riderkick posted:It's not a bad way to see the in-between (and liking trains doesn't hurt), but traveling by train will easily eat up a day (2.5 hours from Tokyo to Osaka station). If you really want to see both places you can split your time and maybe go on a group tour you can see a lot in a short window without losing time while finding you way from place to place. I personally enjoyed a bus a tour through Kyoto hitting 3-4 of the famous historical sites. How much do you sleep that 3 hours eats up a whole day. Edit: I should say that trains are an excellent way to travel that you can make a schedule around. Plus you can easily take a nap/eat/rest during that period, so it's not like it's just a waste of time. You can get up early and have breakfast on the train, or do it midday when you'd be stopping for lunch for a while anyway, and actually only lose an hour or two compared to if you didn't take it. Only thing is it's pretty expensive. LimburgLimbo fucked around with this message at 06:36 on Oct 11, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 06:30
|
|
|
zmcnulty posted:The train will cost 13000 yen each, assuming you take the shinkansen. Busses are cheaper, but you probably don't want to do that. Well, I'm really into the history of Kyoto/Osaka in particular, which is why I'd like to see them. Osaka castle, etc.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 06:35
|
|
|
LimburgLimbo posted:How much do you sleep that 3 hours eats up a whole day. To be clear, that doesn't factor in getting to the train station from where you are, and from the Osaka station to where you want to go. Also time that it may take to get your tickets if you're unfamiliar with the train system. If you go early/late in the day, like you suggested, it's not so bad. Just wanted to point out that 3-5 hours in the middle of the day dedicated to travel when you're on a tight schedule is not ideal. edit: something that may be helpful Kyoto Bus Tour, the site is in Japanese but thsi company offers English audio tours. It goes from location to location every hour or so. https://resv.kyototeikikanko.gr.jp/Teikan/dispcourse/dispcoursesearch.aspx This tour includes an English your guide and hits up seveal locations including 3 world heritage sites. http://www.kyoto-okoshiyasu.com/play/PlanIntroduce06.aspx?supid=03K003&introid=80086 riderkick fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Oct 11, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 06:46
|
|
|
If you like culture, tru, I would skip Osaka. The castle is more of a replica and photo op anyways  Spend time in Kyoto and Tokyo.truavatar posted:Hey Japan goons. I'm visiting from the China thread. I've been checking out flights from Shanghai to Osaka and Tokyo for awhile now and finally landed on some good deals. Now my wife and I are thinking of spending (American) Thanksgiving weekend in Japan! It looks like we can get round trip flights for between $200 and $275 each. We would be flying in on Friday the 29th around noon and leaving on Tuesday the 3rd around 2pm (5 days, 4 nights). You should fly to Korea for goonsgiving I will see you 2 weeks before in Shanghai, let me bring you a bunch of maps and places to go for food and culture. And remember, many restaurants in Japan close early by 9ish. Like what other people in this thread say, 5 days between 2 cities is kind of rushed. The best solution is to go twice! Japan is a great country for tourists, you can never get bored.  LimburgLimbo posted:How much do you sleep that 3 hours eats up a whole day. Or be like this man just hitch hike 8 hours  riderkick posted:To be clear, that doesn't factor in getting to the train station from where you are, and from the Osaka station to where you want to go. Also time that it may take to get your tickets if you're unfamiliar with the train system. If you go early/late in the day, like you suggested, it's not so bad. Just wanted to point out that 3-5 hours in the middle of the day dedicated to travel when you're on a tight schedule is not ideal. I kind of agree with this. You still need to check out and check in. But Truavatar and his wife are light mobile travelers. They can easily just use backpacks for 5 days and go everywhere. 5 days over 2 Tokyo/Osaka is stretching it, but I'm sure they are up for the challenge: fly into Tokyo in the morning, do 2 days, take a night bus/last train to Kyoto and then go back to Shanghai.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 07:44
|
|
|
Osaka can be tits though: DSC01083.jpg by 総理外人, on Flickr  DSC00953.jpg by 総理外人, on Flickr  DSC00974.jpg by 総理外人, on Flickr Then again if you guys live in Shanghai you're probably not coming to see pretty lights
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 08:21
|
|
|
/\/\/\ Where was that first one taken from?riderkick posted:To be clear, that doesn't factor in getting to the train station from where you are, and from the Osaka station to where you want to go. Also time that it may take to get your tickets if you're unfamiliar with the train system. If you go early/late in the day, like you suggested, it's not so bad. Just wanted to point out that 3-5 hours in the middle of the day dedicated to travel when you're on a tight schedule is not ideal. It's true that it does take up a little more time, but trains leave between Tokyo and Osaka literally, what, every 5 minutes? Getting tickets shouldn't take more than a couple minutes if you're familiar, and even if you're not maybe 15 minutes. And Shin-Osaka station and Shinagawa/Tokyo/Ueno stations are all centrally located. Anyway a plane would likely be pretty much the same amount of time because of all the hassle of getting to airports and getting back in-city, waiting for the plane to board and taxi etc.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 08:23
|
|
|
LimburgLimbo posted:/\/\/\ Where was that first one taken from? Maya-san, actually in Kobe http://kobe.travel.coocan.jp/rokko/maya.htm
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 08:38
|
|
|
Agreed, the plane may not save you as much time. Checked costs real quick at the ANA website for those dates, it will run you about 9000~13000 yen. About 1.5 hour flight which does not include check in time. The earlybird flight is abiout 9000 at the moment. A thought came to me when Limburg mentioned Shinagawa, that station, to me, is less of a hassle and on the right side of town. A co-worker who lives in Osaka who travels to Tokyo every other week stays at a hotel around the Shinagawa station. If tru were to get a ticket the day before and spend the night in that area, that may save some time and get to Osaka during a decent hour in the morning. edit: airfare was from the ANA website, from Tokyo/Haneda to Osaka/Itami. riderkick fucked around with this message at 08:48 on Oct 11, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 08:40
|
|
|
Osaka offers nothing that Tokyo doesn't do at least x10 better and Kyoto, while small, will take more than a day to really look at properly because everything is hidden. I'd save Kansai for another trip.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 06:18
|
|
|
Thanks all. I ended up just booking in and out of Tokyo (Ibaraki - Spring Airlines' bullshit airport), rather than trying to cram in Kyoto as well. Another time. One of these days I need to come back to ski anyway.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 12:23
|
|
|
I'm considering a 10-day trip to Tokyo and Kyoto next year. I'm a very fast-paced traveler, and I actually seem to get the most out of rigorously planned itineraries that most people say are too hectic or just too fast, and I get bored if I have more than a day or two of wandering without plans--so I'm confident that I could see the places I want to see in Tokyo and Kyoto. Knowing this, would it be too ambitious to plan a trip to Okinawa to see some of the underwater monuments? Okinawa looks amazing. Or would the Izu peninsula be much more realistic? legsarerequired fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Oct 14, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2013 01:40
|
|
|
Can anyone advise me on which jacket to take to Japan in early November? I'll be there from the 28th October until the 11th November, visiting Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka. I own two jackets, a leather jacket and a wool-blend peacoat. Will the leather jacket be warm enough or should I take the coat for nighttime / in case there is a cold snap? The coat is bulky to lug around so I don't want to take it if I'm not going to be wearing it. I can also take some wool jumpers/sweaters and long sleeved merino tops that could be layered under the leather jacket if needed - will that suffice?
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2013 05:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 21:15 |
|
|
iceberg posted:Can anyone advise me on which jacket to take to Japan in early November? I'll be there from the 28th October until the 11th November, visiting Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka. I own two jackets, a leather jacket and a wool-blend peacoat. Will the leather jacket be warm enough or should I take the coat for nighttime / in case there is a cold snap? The coat is bulky to lug around so I don't want to take it if I'm not going to be wearing it. I can also take some wool jumpers/sweaters and long sleeved merino tops that could be layered under the leather jacket if needed - will that suffice? Depends upon how good you are with the cold. I will probably still be in a t-shirt then, though admittedly I'm something of an outlier. Really though unless you're incredibly weak to the cold the leather jacket should be fine, unless maybe you intend to take long walks in the middle of the night. Even then worse comes to worst go to Uniqlo and buy a heattech underlayer for like couple thousand yen and you should be fine.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2013 06:16
|
|