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PeePot posted:Am I wrong to skip Nara? Skipping Nara is fine if you're not interested in what it has, but you'll be in that region for quite a long time, so planning trips out of Kyoto/Osaka would probably make for a more fun holiday. A random mask or whatever is fine for Halloween.
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Oct 23, 2016 08:28
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Does anyone have a suggestion for renting a bicycle, specifically in Shinjuku? I'm here now and would like to rent one for a few days.
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Oct 26, 2016 12:58
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Search here: http://www.tokyocycle.com/bbs/portal/ or These guys definitely do it but I'm not sure their shop in Aoyama is still open. Definitely worth emailing them though. http://www.gsastuto.com *edit* did you mean racing bike or just one to get around on?
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Oct 26, 2016 13:03
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Any bike will do, it's just for riding around for fun on.
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Oct 26, 2016 13:13
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Here ya go http://docomo-cycle.jp/shinjuku/en/pc_index.html Looking at it I see their Shinjuku coverage is awful, but short of buying one it's your best bet. You can buy one at Don Quixote for like $100 if you'd prefer. Stringent fucked around with this message at 13:25 on Oct 26, 2016 |
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Oct 26, 2016 13:17
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Thanks for the info! I'll check it out tomorrow. Don't think I'll be buying one as I'm only here until Sunday.
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Oct 26, 2016 13:30
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Don't die
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Oct 27, 2016 02:52
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hot sauce posted:Thanks for the info! I'll check it out tomorrow. Don't think I'll be buying one as I'm only here until Sunday. Btw, I just noticed you have to scroll to the bottom to see all the stations. There's actually a bunch in Shinjuku.
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Oct 27, 2016 03:11
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Is there an app for bus route searching in English? If not what's the best Japanese one? I can see if I can puzzle it out. E: For Android. Also can't be Google Play exclusive because lol China.
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Oct 27, 2016 15:12
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Google maps does busses now. Otherwise I think you might be kinda screwed, I just use the website but it's awful: http://tobus.jp/blsys/navi?LCD=e That's just for Tokyo btw.
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Oct 27, 2016 15:17
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Oh cool, Google maps works once I get outside Glorious Chinar so that should do me. I just figured it would suck rear end in Japan like it does all over Asia.
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Oct 27, 2016 15:20
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Works pretty well in Tokyo, not sure about the rest of the country.
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Oct 27, 2016 15:20
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Tokyo's probably where I'd use it the most. Kyoto is the only other possibility, the other places I'm going are pretty small.
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Oct 27, 2016 15:23
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What kind of buses are you taking? The metro in Tokyo and the trains are good enough. When I mean Tokyo I mean the whole 23 wards. As a tourist of course
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Oct 27, 2016 17:43
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Does Hyperdia do buses?
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Oct 27, 2016 19:08
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Kyoto is small and easily bikeable/walkable. Buses are crazy frequent. If in doubt just start each day at the huge bus terminal right in front of the station.
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Oct 27, 2016 23:21
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caberham posted:What kind of buses are you taking? Buses are the undiscovered gem in Tokyo transport imo. Only ppl who know about them are olds and some commuters because they're a zillion times harder to figure out than trains. But they go pretty much everywhere, take about the same time as trains and you can see the city while you ride.
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Oct 27, 2016 23:46
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For the record, Google maps frequently just straight up gets departure times wrong, especially in the weekend.
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Oct 28, 2016 00:22
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totalnewbie posted:Otherwise, the hike up Mt. Misen is pretty steep and if even if you're in good shape it will take a while. If you're not in decent shape you're screwed. FTFY. I run a lot and I was huffing and puffing all the way to the top. It was worth it, but not fun at all, even though I did enjoy the scenery and took pictures all the way up. Don't underestimate Hiroshima/Miyajima. PeePot, I would budget a day for each. Radiohead71 fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Oct 28, 2016 |
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Oct 28, 2016 00:37
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Stringent posted:Buses are the undiscovered gem in Tokyo transport imo. Only ppl who know about them are olds and some commuters because they're a zillion times harder to figure out than trains. But they go pretty much everywhere, take about the same time as trains and you can see the city while you ride. I agree with this, I commute by bus daily now. Buses will rarely be faster than subway/train along the same route (especially considering traffic) but buses usually don't compete there. Instead you should use them when taking the subway and trains would require multiple transfers or just getting to the platform is a huge hassle (looking at you, Oedo-sen). But they can be quite confusing. I think one of the main issues is you have buses that use similar routes yet they have the exact same route number. For example if you want to go from Tokyo station to my place you ride 都05 but be careful since within 都05 there are actually four routes, two of which don't go to my place at all. Would it really be so difficult to name them 都05, 都06, or at least 都05-A, 都05-B...
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Oct 28, 2016 02:34
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Anyone have some 7 day iterinaries for Japan that they're fond of? We'd like to do both Tokyo and Kyoto. It's definitely not enough time and more of a taste of Japan than a full exploratory thing. Luckily we have no desire to go shopping, our main things are excellent food + beautiful sights. Natural beauty in particular. Still trying to figure out if we can add 2 days or not for a total of 9 but most likely not.
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Oct 31, 2016 03:17
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Ethereal posted:Anyone have some 7 day iterinaries for Japan that they're fond of? We'd like to do both Tokyo and Kyoto. It's definitely not enough time and more of a taste of Japan than a full exploratory thing. Luckily we have no desire to go shopping, our main things are excellent food + beautiful sights. Natural beauty in particular. Still trying to figure out if we can add 2 days or not for a total of 9 but most likely not. What time of year? If you're after nature why not skip Tokyo and Kyoto and spend a week in Hokkaido or Kyushu or something like that?
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Oct 31, 2016 03:55
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Ethereal posted:Anyone have some 7 day iterinaries for Japan that they're fond of? We'd like to do both Tokyo and Kyoto. It's definitely not enough time and more of a taste of Japan than a full exploratory thing. Luckily we have no desire to go shopping, our main things are excellent food + beautiful sights. Natural beauty in particular. Still trying to figure out if we can add 2 days or not for a total of 9 but most likely not. With all due respect, skip Tokyo. Kyoto-Nara for a few days (Kyoto is gorgeous and has a few beautiful outside areas, kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama bamboo forest, etc) and Nara has the deer area with streams and parks and mountains. Then go to Fuji for a few days and the surrounding area, or skip all of this and just spend 7-9 days in Kyushu, which I can give you a super long winded report on because that's pretty much where I spend all my Japan time 
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Oct 31, 2016 04:15
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There are some nice areas in Tokyo for nature (a la Central Park). If you want to spend a couple days in Tokyo, you can easily weave that in to whatever sightseeing you actually want to do in Tokyo. Nikko is also close enough that you could go there instead of Tokyo or take a day trip from Tokyo.
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Oct 31, 2016 04:20
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I've been travelling around Japan with my friend for 2 weeks now, we've been in Osaka for the past few days, the dottonbori area. Halloween is loving huge here, and people have been going nuts on the streets at night for like 3 days straight, it's pretty amazing to see huge crowds of people milling around in costume being loud and crazy and littering/smoking wherever while bosozoku and dudes in go-karts(?!) tear around the streets revving real loud, and crowds of cops run around blowing their whistles ineffectually. It's a huge contrast to the Japan we've seen so far and a pretty cool experience, though I'm sure the old folks absolutely hate it. I'm gonna get real  and say it reminded me of something out of Akira
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Oct 31, 2016 05:25
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Most of the good food and famous restaurants are concentrated in Tokyo though. There's more money in the bigger cities and people are willing to shell out more. If you do go eat around the country side though, go for the local specialties. Nikko makes really good Yuuba and dried tofu. Unfortunately, anything that's not the local specialty won't be great. And not all local specialties are appealing. I was near Hakone and the specialty was yam and rice which wasn't as appealing for me. The food you eat in the rural communities is mostly Japanese farmer food. Not too many variations in spices/herbs, mostly rice/soba/miso, and a slice of meat. If you do want to go to the country side, stick to the coasts. You can find super cheap seafood near the small ports but you probably need to rent a car to rent around. Most Japanese rural communities are struggling to survive, young people are leaving in droves, farms are slowing dying out, health care costs for old people are soaring, and infrastructure getting old. Tourism is cheaper there, but it's aimed towards budget conscious shrinking middle class families who don't travel much around the world. Which makes the countryside even more spectacularly beautiful! Nature is slowly taking over and kicking all the old people away! Man typing all this makes me miss the Pacific North West and Maine. caberham fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Oct 31, 2016 |
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Oct 31, 2016 05:47
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If I wanted a week of nature and food in Japan, I'd pick a location based on the season (i.e., don't go to Hokkaido in the winter unless you want to see a lot of snow), then I'd book rooms at ryokans at onsens throughout the area. Ryokans will generally have good to excellent food, lots of it sourced locally. Onsens are often located in areas with lots of beautiful scenery, and onsens are pretty much the best thing in Japan anyhow so.
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Oct 31, 2016 06:03
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Hike the 88 temples pilgrimage it only takes 4-6 weeks!
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Oct 31, 2016 06:08
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Japan is pretty good about rotating dishes with the weather. Winter is gonna be nabe/oden/etc., summer is gonna see lots of mugicha and hiyashi chuka or whatever. I'd pick the location more for what I wanted to see because the food is probably going to be alright no matter where you end up, Japan is cool about that.
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Oct 31, 2016 13:51
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Just got back from my trip and had a blast. Halloween here is nuts. Can't wait to visit again. What is the deal with the high pitched noise in some alleys? I heard it multiple times in different places.
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Oct 31, 2016 15:49
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hot sauce posted:Just got back from my trip and had a blast. Halloween here is nuts. Can't wait to visit again. Anti bird/pests sonic devices.
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Oct 31, 2016 15:51
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Do they work? I never heard of them before and just did a quick internet search https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_pest_control seems like they dont 
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Oct 31, 2016 15:54
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They actually hurt my ears and made me shudder. Each time it made me look up so I figured they were a way to get your attention and get your face on a security camera.
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Oct 31, 2016 16:12
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Oct 31, 2016 18:00
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Should have put spikes/nails on that box if they didn't want birds.
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Oct 31, 2016 18:27
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caberham posted:Nature is slowly taking over and kicking all the old people away! Yaaaaaas gently caress humans go nature imo
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Oct 31, 2016 19:23
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Stringent posted:What time of year? If you're after nature why not skip Tokyo and Kyoto and spend a week in Hokkaido or Kyushu or something like that? Apologies! We'll be going in late March. The priority overall is food + sightseeing, ideally things that outdoors (instead of museums unless it's a must see!) The Great Autismo! posted:With all due respect, skip Tokyo. Kyoto-Nara for a few days (Kyoto is gorgeous and has a few beautiful outside areas, kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama bamboo forest, etc) and Nara has the deer area with streams and parks and mountains. Then go to Fuji for a few days and the surrounding area, or skip all of this and just spend 7-9 days in Kyushu, which I can give you a super long winded report on because that's pretty much where I spend all my Japan time Hahaha, I wish we had more time to spend but our days are limited until my wife is finished with school. Stringent posted:If I wanted a week of nature and food in Japan, I'd pick a location based on the season (i.e., don't go to Hokkaido in the winter unless you want to see a lot of snow), then I'd book rooms at ryokans at onsens throughout the area. Ryokans will generally have good to excellent food, lots of it sourced locally. Onsens are often located in areas with lots of beautiful scenery, and onsens are pretty much the best thing in Japan anyhow so. An onsen is definitely on the list and we'll certainly make sure to look any up in whatever area we end up staying in.
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Oct 31, 2016 20:46
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Is there any rules about shipping knives from Japan? I wanna get some handmade cutlery from a local store to send home for gifts but I didn't know if there was some sort of restriction on mailing that kind of stuff.
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Nov 1, 2016 01:31
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I don't think so. I think it's quite common, too. Push comes to shove, you can always just check your luggage and be OK. I'm going to try to bring back booze, knives, and woodworking tools on my next trip, so I'm kinda in the same boat. I think I'm going to just swing by the post office for most of it, and just hit up the duty free in the airport.
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Nov 1, 2016 02:01
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Yorkshire Pudding posted:Is there any rules about shipping knives from Japan? I wanna get some handmade cutlery from a local store to send home for gifts but I didn't know if there was some sort of restriction on mailing that kind of stuff. There isn't. I had some Taro at the post office tell me there was, but there isn't. I've shipped a couple chef's knives from here, one to the US and one to Australia and they both made it fine.
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Nov 1, 2016 02:56
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