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ntan1 posted:BTW, driving in Tokyo isn't as bad as folks say it is if you are I added a couple, if anyone else wants to contribute jump on in. I'd kind of like to see an at least semi-comprehensive list.
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Mar 7, 2018 02:36
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(ps this one is actually fine because it's really just a traffic indicator but still)
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Anyone have any opinions on the Sotetsu Fresa Inns in Tokyo? Planning my first trip over
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Mar 7, 2018 02:50
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im afraid to tell you that 6-15 happen in San Francisco too. Except instead of taxis it's uber and lyft
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Mar 7, 2018 03:12
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Wouldn't drive there either.
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Mar 7, 2018 03:14
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One thing you wouldnt find in Tokyo though (correct me if I'm wrong) is being stuck behind a 'self driving car' going 25mph.SHOAH NUFF posted:Anyone have any opinions on the Sotetsu Fresa Inns in Tokyo? Planning my first trip over it's a business hotel and pretty much most of them are similar except amount of space. It'll be fine
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Mar 7, 2018 03:20
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Apparently Nissan has started on road trials so it's not far off. Self driving cars with software written by Japanese automaker's developers is gonna be some truly horrendous poo poo if they ever let them in Tokyo.
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Mar 7, 2018 03:38
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Toyota is planning to do just that in time for the Olympics. SoftBank did some trial of an unmanned bus, too... it went a whole 100m down a street closed to traffic.
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Mar 7, 2018 04:05
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I just thought of some more specific recommendation requests: Anyone have places they like in Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka for matcha and/or coffee? I seem to remember Japan having really cool coffee techniques/machines that I'd love to try. For matcha, the only matcha I've ever tried is either flavoring in things or Chinese milk tea style and I'd like to give it a fair shake (doesn't have to be a full on tea ceremony or anything, though).zmcnulty posted: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. That's cool, we don't mind. Any recommendations for bars we could duck into for a drink and a show? Cocktails, my wife prefers fruity with little liquor flavor and I'm pretty flexible. I was also thinking of trying some Japanese whisky, maybe at Zoetrope (also plan on checking out the Yamazaki distillery while we're near Kyoto). 8k-10k for an experience is fine, cheaper options are also welcome. I guess we both like creative cocktails but not necessarily "molecular gastronomy" type things with foams and airs and whatnot. I'm more impressed by interesting flavor combos for homemade shrubs and such than a drink in a hollowed out rock with smoke trapped inside. DiscoJ posted:For specific recommendations considering your hotels: Thanks for the heads-up. I was originally planning on doing Ueno while we're near the Tokyo Dome but that will literally be Fri through Monday so glad to catch that. So it sounds like even being during the peak cherry blossom season, unless I go at night or on the weekends I won't be looking at the Chinese "people mountain people sea" type crowds? That's honestly what I'm trying to avoid.
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Mar 7, 2018 04:11
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Bar Rage in Ginza is famous for fresh fruit cocktails. Also have a look at Trench in Ebisu, it's one stop away. Monde Bar inside Shinagawa station is also nearby. Zoetrope is famous for Japanese whisky, also check out Mash Tun (it's really close to your hotel), Tokyo Whisky Library, and Nikka Blender's Bar. When you say show I assume you're talking about some craftsmanship show rather than flair. In that case you can't go wrong with High Five, Star Bar, Little Smith... But frankly it's hard to go wrong within any proper bar in Ginza 6-8chome. For more affordable options try happy hour, lots of hotel bars do these. Good way to get a nice view and drinks and relatively affordable. In Gotanda itself you have Genka Bar but that's only worth it if you want to get super hammered and/or drink something otherwise ridiculously expensive. Edit: since you mentioned matcha. also look at Mixology Salon in the new Ginza Six. They have tea-based cocktails as well as a cocktail course for 4000 per head I think it was. Includes matcha obviously in some drinks so could maybe kill two itinerary items at once zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Mar 7, 2018 |
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Mar 7, 2018 04:33
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There's a cafe chain, Nana's Green Tea, that specialises in matcha themed items. There's one in the Tokyo Dome City complex. Might be a bit gimmicky if you were after something more traditional, but might be okay. I've also enjoyed the tea house in the middle of Hama-Rikyu Gardens. You probably won't get the ceremony unless there's an event, but you do get to feel the tradition with a nice view of the lake and gardens.
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Mar 7, 2018 04:35
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Stringent posted:I added a couple, if anyone else wants to contribute jump on in. I'd kind of like to see an at least semi-comprehensive list. Driving in Tokyo is fine. It’s expensive, because parking or storing a car is, and it’s unnecessary, because it’s less convenient than trains and you can’t drink, but it’s not awful. Some small roads, sure, but that’s Japan. The highways are a bit confusing, but that’s also me used to Kyushu driving. If you’re a regular tourist, you don’t need a car for Tokyo. If you want to see Daikoku PA or drive the Hakone Turnpike, you might want to just for a short time.
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Mar 7, 2018 06:36
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harperdc posted:Driving in Tokyo is fine. It’s expensive, because parking or storing a car is, and it’s unnecessary, because it’s less convenient than trains and you can’t drink, but it’s not awful. Some small roads, sure, but that’s Japan. The highways are a bit confusing, but that’s also me used to Kyushu driving. if you wanna do hakone turnpike just hand a stack of cash to fun2drive. I did, it was a blast.
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Mar 7, 2018 06:54
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I'm a tea person and would recommend the following places if you want the more traditional maccha without the ceremony: Kyoto: Marukyu Koyamaen (https://goo.gl/maps/nUDuN5j5FVs). They produce a bunch of tea for actual tea ceremony, and in my opinion are one of the strongest for maccha. I personally really like their sencha as well. If you are brave, also consider a koicha version of their Maccha Eiju. Also consider dropping by Uji which is famous for a temple that appears on one of the Japanese coins, but also extremely famous for maccha. Tokyo: Ippodo (https://goo.gl/maps/LkZ6dtGws5Q2). They are another very strong producer, and I've been to their cafe a bunch of times.
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Mar 7, 2018 07:04
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There's a little place in Shinjuku Gyoen you can get maccha, and looking up the details I found this site. It's in Japanese, but it's got photos and maps. vOv Tokyo: http://chakatsu.com/shop/tokyo_matcha/ Kyoto: http://chakatsu.com/shop/kyoto_matcha/
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Mar 7, 2018 07:29
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Little Smith is my go to bar in Tokyo . Great decor and all and those guys always remember me after a few months. It’s crazy
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Mar 7, 2018 10:39
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Stringent posted:I added a couple, if anyone else wants to contribute jump on in. I'd kind of like to see an at least semi-comprehensive list. I actually found driving in Tokyo to be a breath of fresh air compared to where I live. More traffic, yes, but overall less free-for-all insanity and fewer old people. I'll add a few that are inaka-specific: (16) People forgetting that they are driving/falling asleep and drifting into your lane/sideswiping you. (17) People stopping where the gently caress ever because they take the "no talking on a cell phone while driving" thing VERY LITERALLY and will just stop wherever and have a conversation. About 80% of the time I'm in a traffic jam, I get up to the front and there's some old lady just parked in the lane yakking it up and having a great time, totally oblivious. (18) People just driving their cars into stores, fairly regular occurrence here. (19) When you meet someone on a narrow road and they have way more space to back up than you but they are too old to do so/it's against their religion/whatever, so you have to somehow convince the 8 cars behind you that they also need to back up or else you're all going to be stuck there forever. (20) The road rage idiots who get out and bang on people's windows at stop lights. Then the light changes and everyone has to wait for them to finish their tantrum and go back to their car before we can move.
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Mar 8, 2018 06:24
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Oh God, yeah inaka town driving is some next level poo poo.
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Mar 8, 2018 06:45
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5000 RMB roundtrip to Japan from Hong Kong or southern China? No thanks
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Mar 8, 2018 09:27
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Stringent posted:Oh God, yeah inaka town driving is some next level poo poo. (21) Kei trucks going 5 kph under the speed limit on beautifully paved windy back-country roads. (22) People stopping and having a conversation between cars at turn-ins or side roads. (23) Old dudes almost getting into accidents because they spotted two white guys driving in a car going the other way. Inaka life was glorious.
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Mar 8, 2018 10:29
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Realistically, how many months in advance should I book hotels? Trip would be Oct or Nov.
Injuryprone fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Mar 8, 2018 |
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Mar 8, 2018 18:51
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I booked hotels for my early-April trip at the end of January, and it was getting difficult to find rooms then.
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Mar 8, 2018 19:18
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Many hotels only take reservations 3 months in advance.
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Mar 8, 2018 22:45
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Book now and cancel if you find something else. Make sure cancellation policy is ok with it. For ryokans, find the ryokan you want to stay at and find the day they accept bookings. Some super super super high demand ryokans can be hard to get if you wait too long.
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Mar 8, 2018 23:15
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Does anyone know if there are any shops in Tokyo carrying Konosuke knives? Hoping I can find some when I go to Kappabashi, but never hurts to check.
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Mar 10, 2018 18:34
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Does it need to be konosuke? I'm a big fan of Masumoto in Tsukiji and their prices here are like half what they charge outside of Japan. http://www.tukijimasamoto.co.jp
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Mar 11, 2018 06:58
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Stringent posted:Does it need to be konosuke? I'm a big fan of Masumoto in Tsukiji and their prices here are like half what they charge outside of Japan. I’ll be checking out Masumoto at some point. But at this point I’m buying knives out of want, rather than need. I’m hoping to acquire a few more pieces of Konosuke’s HD2 line if possible.
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Mar 11, 2018 10:19
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orcane posted: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. I came here to basically ask this question, so thanks - a lot of the other ones I found were super annoying with email-based payment arrangements, and just being able to pick it up on our original explore is handy.
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Mar 11, 2018 11:42
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So we have to cancel our early May trip bc my wife forgot to change her name on her passport after we got married. Nothing has been booked so that’s good
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Mar 12, 2018 20:40
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SHOAH NUFF posted:So we have to cancel our early May trip bc my wife forgot to change her name on her passport after we got married. Nothing has been booked so that’s good How come that's a problem? My wife spent the last 5 years traveling with her (British if that makes a difference I guess? Don't see how) passport in her maiden name and only bothered to update it when it was time to renew it, it's not caused an issue anywhere in the world.
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Mar 12, 2018 20:46
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Hmmmmmmmm I don't know very much about this kind of stuff, but I was afraid she would reach the security line and the guy would say "Hey your name on your US Drivers license is different from your passport, which name is your current name" and she would say "the one on the license, the one on the passport is my maiden name" and the TSA rear end in a top hat would say "well you need to get a new passport then, sorry we can't let you board". We are both traveling from the US but she has an Indian passport, if that makes any difference.
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Mar 12, 2018 21:04
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I guess if they're going to ask for more than one form of ID, but is that a normal thing to do in the US? You don't need a driving license to get on a plane, it's what your passport is for  Every time I've ever flown internationally from anywhere it's just been passport and that's it. Even into and out of the US in fact, because it would have been the only form of ID I had at the time. For my wife we literally just put her name on the airline tickets and hotel reservations as it appears on her passport and it's not once been questioned.
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Mar 12, 2018 21:11
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Yeah that makes a lot of sense. I just have a big fear of these sort of technicalities derailing a planned trip. We will just use our passports and if a second ID is asked for, we will bring the marriage certificate in addition to the drivers license. Trip is back on!
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Mar 12, 2018 21:18
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Does the ticket match her passport?
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Mar 13, 2018 00:29
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Make sure your boarding pass name matches your passport name exactly. And you guys always travel together and go through the same immigration booth.
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Mar 13, 2018 00:49
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I haven’t booked the ticket yet, I was confused to whether it should match the passport (her outdated name) or her license (her current name), I will make sure it matches her old maiden name on the passport.
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Mar 13, 2018 01:02
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I know you haven’t but when the boarding pass gets printed out make sure everything matches. Sometimes the don’t have enough characters and sometimes gate agents mistype things
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Mar 13, 2018 01:06
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I'm not even sure how big of a deal the "match exactly" thing is for passports and boarding passes. I once input my wife's last name first and first name last and didn't realize it until the day of our flight. Nobody cared... except my wife
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Mar 13, 2018 01:14
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Why do you think people are going to be looking at her license? Do you think people without a driver's license aren't allowed to travel?
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Mar 13, 2018 01:15
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Not exactly that but I was afraid that when they scan the Passport on their fancy computer that it may compare that name to certain databases (social security for example) and it may tell them that this person has a new name or something. I don’t know, I am not real big on technology or security stuff. Also they ask brown people like me and her random poo poo all the time at these checkpoints, a 2nd Government ID could be one such request
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Mar 13, 2018 01:22
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Just book everything with her name as it is on her passport and you'll be fine.
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Mar 13, 2018 01:25
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