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I rented a wifi hot spot for a month and it cost me $217USD with unlimited data allowance. the hotspot allows up to 10 devices at once so me and my buddy split the costs and i just ran it off a power bank charger all day. the biggest hits to the battery life on them is travelling on trains. if you're mostly just walking around once arriving at a destination, we got 10hrs out of its built in battery. on the shinkansen from osaka to kyoto and kyoto to tokyo, it was dead in 3hrs from constantly hopping from tower to tower.
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Mar 5, 2018 05:05
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Thanks for the information. I used the mobile Wifi last time but it was a bit of a pain if we wanted to split up so I am going to try the sim cards instead.
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Mar 5, 2018 07:29
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I rented a hotspot from https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/. Worked everywhere, battery was impossible to empty (9 hours use left like 75% charge)
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Mar 5, 2018 07:38
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I had one from Genki Mobile (I think someone in this thread suggested that) and the battery lasted through a day traveling by rental car on Shikoku as well as by metro/trains in the Tokyo area, no problem. We had the cheapest rate, 3000 yen base fee + 300/day with 1 GB/day full speed and unlimited at 200 kbps.
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Mar 5, 2018 09:01
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peanut posted:That sounds reasonable for Iya, are those bridges the same or different from Kazura-bashi? edit: Now that I look at it, yeah it's different from the one usually listed as "Kazurabashi of Iya" - the area we like the look of is a little bit further east from the doll village. Thanks for pointing that out! LyonsLions posted:I highly recommend checking out this onsen, it's near the peeing boy: https://www.iyaonsen.co.jp/en/ You take a cable car down to the hot spring at the river's edge. Question Mark Mound fucked around with this message at 12:58 on Mar 5, 2018 |
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Mar 5, 2018 12:49
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Any other suggestions for backpacking (i.e. tent camping) trails in Japan? So far I've looked into Kumano Kodo and the Shikoku trail. Something around 3-5 days around end of July.
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Mar 5, 2018 17:07
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Question Mark Mound posted:Anyone have experience with Iya Valley? We want to try to fit in a bunch of stuff in one day in early October and we’re wondering if this sounds possible with a rental car. We’re scheduling taking much longer to drive than Google’s suggested times just due to the risky driving conditions in the area. Plan is to rent a car in Naruto the day before, do stuff there and arrive in a guesthouse (TBD) in the Iya area that night. Dude, stay overnight in Iya. That schedule is possible but super seriously tight. The two bridges in inner Iya valley require a drive that has seriously been one of the scariest in my life - sheer rock cliff + single lane, so you have to back up if somebody is coming. It's probably very scary in rain. I give the onsens in Iya a solid B+. Water quality is great and the cable car is kinda gimmicky. If you stay at a ryokan, don't expect amazing food (Note, I'm really picky).
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Mar 5, 2018 18:08
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ntan1 posted:Dude, stay overnight in Iya. That schedule is possible but super seriously tight. Luckily I’m not the one driving though I’ll need to see how confident the group’s driver feels. If it’s that scary then maybe we should stick to the bridge that’s safer to get to? I’m super picky with food too so we were probably gonna stock up on our own snacks to bring with us.
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Mar 5, 2018 18:38
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totalnewbie posted:Any other suggestions for backpacking (i.e. tent camping) trails in Japan? So far I've looked into Kumano Kodo and the Shikoku trail. Something around 3-5 days around end of July. You could also hike Shimanami Kaido, I guess. Nature-y but also never too far from a vending machine.
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Mar 5, 2018 23:38
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peanut posted:You could also hike Shimanami Kaido, I guess. Nature-y but also never too far from a vending machine. I don't mind far from vending machine. I have/can/would be willing to pack water, meals, etc for multi day trip.
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Mar 6, 2018 00:57
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Question Mark Mound posted:We were going to stay overnight the night before, so rent in Naruto, do whirlpools etc and then get to a Iya in the evening to start into that timetable the next morning. probably a different kind of picky (I'll eat everything, but I've eaten food at so many ryokans that nothing surprises me unless they put incredible attention to detail). driving isn't hard if your driver is comfortable with it - just that it'll easily take an hour to go that 30km and they need to make sure they aren't afraid of heights
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Mar 6, 2018 02:42
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totalnewbie posted:Any other suggestions for backpacking (i.e. tent camping) trails in Japan? So far I've looked into Kumano Kodo and the Shikoku trail. Something around 3-5 days around end of July. How about Kamikochi, or the areas near there? Alternatively, Hokkaido (Daisetsuzan area perhaps) And one that I've always wanted to do is Dewa Sanzan in Yamagata.
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Mar 6, 2018 02:47
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Hey ntan where's a good onsen within 3 hours of Tokyo that's not in Hakone? And one near Kyoto? Thanks man. Price is not an issue
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Mar 6, 2018 02:52
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ntan1 posted:How about Kamikochi, or the areas near there? But tell me how you really feel about Nagoya. 
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Mar 6, 2018 03:36
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caberham posted:Hey ntan where's a good onsen within 3 hours of Tokyo that's not in Hakone? Gifu, Gunma, Nagano, or Tochigi? For Gifu, Okuhida Onsen have a lot of really good places. The one I want to stay at there is Yamaboshi, http://www.okuhida-yamaboushi.com/ , but Soene has strongly been recommended as well http://www.soene.com/ . For Nagano, the place I have always wanted to stay at which has been highly reviewed is Seni Onsen, Iwa no Yu (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1021312-d1230073-Reviews-Seni_Onsen_Iwanoyu-Suzaka_Nagano_Prefecture_Chubu.html). This place is incredibly popular, which is amazing because they do not have a website and you cannot book online. Last time I called in December for a reservation in October, they were booked entirely for all of October (but this is a popular time). This place has been reviewed insanely well. In October I'm staying down at Sekiya (http://www.yuyadosekiya.com/), which strangely enough is right next to the Monkeys even though I never even planned to visit the monkeys. In Tochigi, check for places specifically near but not actually in Nikko proper, so Oku-nikko, Yunishinigawa, Oku-kinugawa, Kawaji. Do not stay at places specifically in Nikko or Kinugawa, as a majority of them use chlorine in their baths, which is an immediate no-no from me. Gunma I'm not an expert on, but I know a lot of people have loved places around there. Finally, in Kanazawa, check out Hanamurasaki, https://www.hana-mura.com/ In relation to Kyoto, for some reason the number of onsens that are near Kyoto specifically are depressingly low. Arima is now too filled with Chinese people. I could strongly recommend places closer towards Yamaguchi and Kyushu, but Kyoto is kind of empty. Try searching around Wakayama. Phone posted:But tell me how you really feel about Nagoya. I'm dropping by there later this year in October when I'm around that area.
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Mar 6, 2018 04:23
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Hey all, the wife and I are doing a ~2 week Tokyo -> Osaka/Kyoto/Nara -> Tokyo trip. Plane tickets and hotels are already set up so now it's filling in the stuff to do. We're essentially spending 4 days in Tokyo, taking a train to Osaka, staying at a hotel in Osaka for 7 days but doing day trips to Kyoto and Nara, then coming back to Tokyo for another 4 days before we head out. The hotel in Osaka is down in northern Sakai, the first hotel in Tokyo is near Gotanda station and the second Tokyo hotel is a bit south of the Tokyo Dome. So a couple questions: 1) I'm assuming getting around Tokyo without a rental car isn't hard assuming our hotels are near metro stations? The JR pass for two weeks seems a bit more expensive than what we'd pay just for the tickets to/from Tokyo/Osaka and the tickets from Osaka to Kyoto and Nara seem pretty cheap, is it still worth it if we're sticking to those spots? I'd love to do the Japanese countryside but it looks like we won't have time for that this go 'round. 2) I've gotten some things to do in Kyoto from this thread, but are there any recommendations for Osaka? I guess Nara too - which shrines and/or parks should we hit if we want to just keep it to a day? If anyone has recommendations for good onsen options for a couple (so private, mixed) that would also be appreciated! We're interested in food, art, museums, temples, coffee and cocktails so any of those work. We prefer to keep things cheaper but don't mind splurging on a couple places. Unfortunately we're going in peak cherry blossom season so I fully expect waves of people. For right now I think we'll do Ueno garden for cherry blossoms, but anywhere with fewer people in Tokyo or near Osaka/Kyoto/Nara would be great. When I've filled out our itinerary a bit more I'll probably throw it up here for critique.
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Mar 6, 2018 08:37
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Wakyama is the new middle class Hong Konger driving spot. My relatives and my family loved it. But I haven't been Thanks for the links. The first 2 seem a tad far but maybe doable? Guess it's Oku nikko again... oh well
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Mar 6, 2018 08:40
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Amergin, get a 1 week pass and only activate it when you leave Tokyo to go see Kyoto, Osaka and Nara (you could easily daytrip to Himeji or Kurashiki too.)
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Mar 6, 2018 08:51
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Amergin posted:I'm assuming getting around Tokyo without a rental car isn't hard assuming our hotels are near metro stations? Getting around in any of the places you've listed is going to be much more difficult in a rental car. Amergin posted:For right now I think we'll do Ueno garden for cherry blossoms, but anywhere with fewer people in Tokyo or near Osaka/Kyoto/Nara would be great. Do you know where your hotel in Tokyo is going to be? Ueno or Yoyogi is gonna be rear end in a top hat to elbow, but that's fun in it's own way. We can look up something smaller near your hotel that won't be as crowded if you'd like to try that as well.
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Mar 6, 2018 08:52
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Amergin posted:Hey all, the wife and I are doing a ~2 week Tokyo -> Osaka/Kyoto/Nara -> Tokyo trip. Plane tickets and hotels are already set up so now it's filling in the stuff to do. Hey Hey China goon, Japan is fun. Except for Osaka, that place sucks. Check out my Tokyo food map. Man Weird hotel selections though - if you want cheap, try out dormy inn. Super good value. You know, I'm planning on going to Tokyo during Cherry blossom season too, so maybe we can meet up? I know the Japan goons normally do a mega tokyo meet but seems dead quiet this year. Im seeing if my inlaws can come with me this time. Heck, if no one is planning Goonami, I will do it. Ueno is super busy, and honestly, everywhere in Japan is beautiful and you don't have to crowd youself in Ueno (since everyone goes there). Even the small towns and a morning run around the imperial palace is beautiful As for Onsens, the only ones I know are ones including accomodation.
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Mar 6, 2018 08:57
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DONT RENT A loving CAR IN TOKYO
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Mar 6, 2018 08:58
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caberham posted:Thanks for the links. The first 2 seem a tad far but maybe doable? Yeah sorry. Unsurprisingly, I've found that how good onsens are often correlates to how isolated the location is. Though try the last two places I've recommended, as they are within shinkansen reach.
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Mar 6, 2018 08:58
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caberham posted:Wakyama is the new middle class Hong Konger driving spot. My two favorites in Gunma are: Takaragawa and Manzatei Both are on the cheaper side, and the food's decent but nothing to write home about. Takaragawa has 3 basketball court sized rotenburo that allow mixed bathing (there's also a ladies only bath if need be). Manzatei has my favorite baths that I've been to, the water is amazing. Both are a bit of a pain in the rear end to get to, Manzatei in particular, unless you rent a car.
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Mar 6, 2018 08:58
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Man I want to go to Takayama and Kanazawa next time, Can I do a 5 day trip by car? I feel like that's still not enough time to slowly enjoy the nature, the architecture, the food, etc
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Mar 6, 2018 08:59
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caberham posted:Man I want to go to Takayama and Kanazawa next time, Can I do a 5 day trip by car? I feel like that's still not enough time to slowly enjoy the nature, the architecture, the food, etc Dunno about car but I did both those in a trip. Takayama is very small, two days is plenty for a slow trip there. Kanazawa is fairly spread out but all the stuff you'd be likely to see is in a walkable downtown area. Actually seeing things there is maybe two days but the food is real good so it depends how much time you want to spend jamming fish down your gob. The train journey from Kanazawa to Takayama is very nice.
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Mar 6, 2018 09:11
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peanut posted:Amergin, get a 1 week pass and only activate it when you leave Tokyo to go see Kyoto, Osaka and Nara (you could easily daytrip to Himeji or Kurashiki too.) I'm an idiot and this is a good idea, thank you! Stringent posted:Do you know where your hotel in Tokyo is going to be? Ueno or Yoyogi is gonna be rear end in a top hat to elbow, but that's fun in it's own way. We can look up something smaller near your hotel that won't be as crowded if you'd like to try that as well. First stretch in Tokyo is at Hills Hotel in Gotanda, second stretch is at Metropolitan Edmont. Neither are very convenient locations but we tend to go for cheap and relatively comfortable for hotels and just travel a bit longer. caberham posted:Hey Hey China goon, Japan is fun. Except for Osaka, that place sucks. I'm down to meet fellow Chinagoon, you can hit me up on WeChat. We'll be in Tokyo 3/26-3/30 and 4/6-4/9 and Osaka in the middle there. My wife went to CTrip for the hotels and she wanted a "yay/nay" before I could fully research the locations so... yeah. But to be fair she got pretty good rates on those. Where do I go for your Tokyo food map? Grand Fromage posted:Dunno about car but I did both those in a trip. Takayama is very small, two days is plenty for a slow trip there. Kanazawa is fairly spread out but all the stuff you'd be likely to see is in a walkable downtown area. Actually seeing things there is maybe two days but the food is real good so it depends how much time you want to spend jamming fish down your gob. The train journey from Kanazawa to Takayama is very nice. Your recs for Matsumoto and Takayama are probably going to be our next trip, thanks for those! I wish we had time for a leisurely trip out there this go-round.
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Mar 6, 2018 09:28
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I'd reconsider staying in Sakai, I went down there to see the giant kofun and it's not well connected to the rest of the city, it was kind of a haul. Being based there would be a pain in the rear end and would also make getting out to Kyoto/Nara/etc a lot harder since all those trains leave from downtown. Namba area isn't that expensive, I'm cheap as gently caress and usually stay walking distance from there. Also if you happen to be a fellow huge footed goon who can't buy shoes in Asia, there is a shoe store in Gotanda specifically for you! They sell exclusively size twelve and up. I stopped in for a new pair last time I was in Tokyo, wasn't crazy expensive and unlike everywhere else you had a selection of more than the single weird large pair some dude is trying to unload to a soldier in Itaewon.
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Mar 6, 2018 09:37
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Amergin posted:First stretch in Tokyo is at Hills Hotel in Gotanda, second stretch is at Metropolitan Edmont. Neither are very convenient locations but we tend to go for cheap and relatively comfortable for hotels and just travel a bit longer. Nah man those hotels are quite central; on the Yamanote and a bunch of Metro lines/the Sobu line respectively. Quite convenient unless you have specific places you want to go that are far away from them. In central Tokyo "inconvenient" generally just means that you need to spend an extra ~15min sitting and chatting on some of the cleanest trains in the world so don't sweat it.
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Mar 6, 2018 09:37
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That Gotanda hotel is smack in the middle of Gotanda's red light district, I've even been to one of those "happening" bars like 5 seconds away. Hope you or your wife don't mind. In some ways it will be a better cultural experience than staying in whatever boring Hyatt though. You mention cocktails too, any specific area or budget you have in mind for this? Off the cuff you're looking at around 8k-10k yen for a couple drinks each in a proper place, but there are cheaper options too. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 10:17 on Mar 6, 2018 |
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Mar 6, 2018 10:08
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For those not in the know "happening" bars are sex clubs.
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Mar 6, 2018 10:40
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^^^^ 和製英語 is such a mystery sometimes  Amergin posted:So a couple questions: you absolutely do not need a car for any of your trip. The JR pass will include bullet train, and your usage (going from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto and back) is the break-even for the pass cost-wise. So do what peanut said and start the pass from when you leave Tokyo. Nara is basically a short trip to the big buddha and the deer. Like a half-day trip at most. Keep in mind cost for Tokyo especially is going to be both flexible (depending on how fancy you go vs. how local you go) but also higher than other places in Asia - much more comparable to being in a big American city. You can eat super cheap for $5 per person at stand-up train station ramen shops, or you can spend $$unlimited. Sometimes you can do both on the same street! So try to check for cheaper options so you're not spending $40 per person per dinner. During cherry blossom season, everything will be packed. Especially inside the Yamanote line in Tokyo, which Ueno Park definitely is. Just roll with it.
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Mar 6, 2018 12:26
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ntan1 posted:In Tochigi, check for places specifically near but not actually in Nikko proper, so Oku-nikko, Yunishinigawa, Oku-kinugawa, Kawaji. Do not stay at places specifically in Nikko or Kinugawa, as a majority of them use chlorine in their baths, which is an immediate no-no from me. Shout out to my old digs, Nasushiobara. Some nice places up in the mountains up that way.
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Mar 6, 2018 15:42
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Amergin posted:Unfortunately we're going in peak cherry blossom season so I fully expect waves of people. For right now I think we'll do Ueno garden for cherry blossoms, but anywhere with fewer people in Tokyo or near Osaka/Kyoto/Nara would be great. Peak cherry blossom season is hardly an 'unfortunate' time to visit. You'll only really have severe crowd issues on weekends (at any popular spot) and evenings (in places with decent light-ups). Most other places will be busy but manageable at worst. For specific recommendations considering your hotels: Near Gotanda - The Meguro River is close by. I'd recommend walking along the river up towards Nakameguro station. The river narrows and the trees are more densely packed in the area close to that station, so that's where the best views and the most people are, but most of the trees along the river down to the area you're staying in should be looking pretty good (though the river itself is a bit of a concrete monstrosity). Near Tokyo Dome - Chidorigafuchi is nearby and is another one of the best and most popular spots in Tokyo. It's basically part of that big moat in the centre of Tokyo. You get the best views (and biggest crowds) on the outside of the moat looking-in, but you can also get great views looking-out whilst contending with much less people if you cross the bridge and head into Kitanomaru Park. If you do choose to go to Ueno, just make double sure to go on a weekday.
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Mar 6, 2018 16:07
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Like what I said, even if you walk or run around the imperial palace it would be awesome. Biggest problem is airfare and accommodation. And Tokyo is freaking huge besides your ueno asakusa shinjuku whatever area
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Mar 6, 2018 16:15
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Cars in Tokyo are only for people who want to get out of Tokyo into the countryside. And in many cases its better to rent the car outside of Tokyo if you aren't insane like me. I've easily driven past that 20-30 car traffic line for Takashimaya and Isetan to get into the parking lot just for shopping.
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Mar 6, 2018 17:59
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Man, I won't even ride a bicycle in that part of Shinjuku, forget driving there.
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Mar 6, 2018 23:28
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Stringent posted:Man, I won't even ride a bicycle in that part of Shinjuku, forget driving there. I'm convinced anybody actually parking around Shibuya or Omotesando is doing so because burning a pile of money while making a jack-off motion is frowned upon in polite society.
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Mar 6, 2018 23:42
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If you live in japan and have a car, ok fair enough. But flying over and renting one in Tokyo and staying in Tokyo ? Then again I got burned in Hokkaido not having a car. Doable but not optimal
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Mar 7, 2018 00:01
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Yeah, I wont even start a conversation with somebody asking for Hokkaido advice without asking them, "you're renting a car, right"? Except maybe winter. BTW, driving in Tokyo isn't as bad as folks say it is if you are (1) used to city driving (2) have a lot of time you are willing to waste and (3) have a GPS that can tell you how to get exactly to the spot you want, because otherwise you will get confused by the massive numbers of one-ways (4) are aware that you have to watch out literally for everything including biking obaasans and pedestrians on every unprotected and sometimes protected turn. (5)  (ps this one is actually fine because it's really just a traffic indicator but still)
ntan1 fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Mar 7, 2018 |
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Mar 7, 2018 01:30
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Hokkaido is definitely easier with your own car. I rented a Nissan GTR for a day in Hakone to cruise around fuji and that lake near fuji. I didnt once think I needed a car for anything else on the trip.
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Mar 7, 2018 02:08
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