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Cbear posted:My next question is do you guys recommend staying in two different parts of Tokyo for the two split legs? I think we will stay in Shibuya and Shinjuku for one of the legs. Just wondering what other areas are recommended for the other one. Why would you haul luggage and go through the hassle of two different hotels in two different parts of the city. Don’t add logistical complications just for funsies. Just spend time walking and going through different districts. You’ll see as much that way but without the extra headaches. Stay someplace near a major train station (Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shinagawa) at a reasonable rate you can afford, and know that the train should run until midnight or so.
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Jul 31, 2018 03:35
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| # ? May 10, 2024 04:48 |
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is there anything cool to do in japan specifically in like november or december? I found some deals on tickets where it's only like $150 USD round trip so I might just come for the hell of it at that price and wander around cold rear end tokyo.
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Jul 31, 2018 05:37
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people here go nuts for the autumn leaves around november, especially in kyoto. its super busy there but some places are really beautiful, i had a good time there
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Jul 31, 2018 05:48
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Magna Kaser posted:is there anything cool to do in japan specifically in like november or december? I found some deals on tickets where it's only like $150 USD round trip so I might just come for the hell of it at that price and wander around cold rear end tokyo. It’s the best time to go walk around, the fall leaves make a lot of parks really pop, and you can explore the usual standbys without sweating like an absolute monster or fighting holiday crowds (at least, if you’re visiting before the late December school break starts).
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Jul 31, 2018 06:46
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november is a really good time for leaves in kyushu, and one of my favorite times to go to japan for tourism
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Jul 31, 2018 07:18
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Honestly November and December are prime time for walking around Tokyo without loving dying from heat imo. Bring a light jacket and you’re set. Also there’s a shitton of “illumination” as they call it; basically just light displays but some of they are massive and elaborate. Look around on the internet and there’s some lists and you’ll see some big ones out in the countryside. A lot of information only in Japanese but you have good Chinese as I recall so you can def manage by just reading characters. Plus skiing is also great. You can go quite cheap if you look around.
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Jul 31, 2018 07:37
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There's literally something to do every month in Japan that's around every year for a few months. Unless you really hate certain things there is always something going on that you can go do.
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Jul 31, 2018 07:39
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did you know that japan has four seasons?
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Jul 31, 2018 07:49
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$150 just do it! I can't think of any festivals but life and food is good in November - December.
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Jul 31, 2018 08:11
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peanut posted:$150 just do it! I can't think of any festivals but life and food is good in November - December. Yeah it's on some Aussie budget air called JetStar or something but it's barely 2 hours from Shanghai so even if it sucks, it's short enough so whatever.
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Jul 31, 2018 08:13
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LimburgLimbo posted:A lot of information only in Japanese but you have good Chinese as I recall so you can def manage by just reading characters. Yeah this is always surreal as gently caress cuz I can read (or get the gist of) most of the menus at places and plenty of signs but have no idea how to say anything so I still have to point and act like I don't know poo poo. e: whoops quote not edit
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Jul 31, 2018 08:17
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Oh yeah I forgot you are in Shanghai. I would recommend going to nikko and seeing the forests there and the temples but I know you are done with Buddhism. But Nikko architecture is quite unique. Oh and japan has 24 categories for seasons, not 4 right? Oh and next time besides jetstar you can try spring air and go to takamatsu, it’s also fun and maybe we can arrange a trip to visit peanut. I totally want to rent a car and eat some cheap cheap yummy country side food
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Jul 31, 2018 08:38
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ntan1 posted:did you know that japan has four seasons? Drinking in onsen season Drinking under trees season Drinking by the ocean season Drinking under fireworks sesaon
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Jul 31, 2018 08:51
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No more 5am please!
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Jul 31, 2018 08:56
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caberham posted:Oh yeah I forgot you are in Shanghai. How did you forget you've come here and seen me like 6 times since May lol Ailumao fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 08:58
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Magna Kaser posted:Yeah it's on some Aussie budget air called JetStar or something but it's barely 2 hours from Shanghai so even if it sucks, it's short enough so whatever. JetStar is fine, and for a 2 hour flight it’s okay. IIRC it’s a spinoff/LCC for Qantas. I may not want to go all the way down to Australia with them, but inside Japan or nearby is okay.
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Jul 31, 2018 09:12
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For a two hour flight you can manage about anything. At that point if you were to go to Narita you’ll probably literally spend more time at immigration and riding the train than on the plane. Also I just realized that if I don’t get a job I like before winter I could conceivably work at a ski resort in Japan while studying, and actually not do it under the table like everyone else. Might get owned by insurance and taxes considering they’d be based off my old salary though.
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Jul 31, 2018 09:33
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harperdc posted:JetStar is fine, and for a 2 hour flight it’s okay. IIRC it’s a spinoff/LCC for Qantas. I may not want to go all the way down to Australia with them, but inside Japan or nearby is okay. I've flown them from Tokyo to Gold Coast (9 hours) in economy as a goon-size goon and it wasn't too bad. Going there mid week everyone had their own row to them selves, but coming back I got stuck in the middle between two people I didn't know and it wasn't horrible. Well other than that coming back they dropped us in Osaka instead due to a sudden volcano blocking the air - but they still offered to put people up in hotels and fly next day or pay same day shink back to Tokyo,
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Jul 31, 2018 14:01
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Magna Kaser posted:How did you forget you've come here and seen me like 6 times since May lol I didn’t connect the dots that you could easily go to shanghai for cheap, that’s what I meant. Lots of cheap airlines go to narita but the round trip train adds up. I guess there’s a bus that’s slightly cheaper but that takes forever
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Jul 31, 2018 14:03
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harperdc posted:Why would you haul luggage and go through the hassle of two different hotels in two different parts of the city. Don’t add logistical complications just for funsies. We're flying into and out of Tokyo on a ten-ish day trip. So we're doing Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Tokyo. We're already booked for Shinjuku on the 2nd Tokyo leg. We're just wondering if it's worth staying in a different area for the 1st leg. Shinjuku seems to have really good airbnb options that I saw. I didn't see great options for the eastern side of Tokyo.
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Jul 31, 2018 23:23
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I would say stay near Tokyo station for part 1, since it's easier to get to Ginza, the Imperial Palace, and Akibahara from there then it would be from Shinjuku. I mean it all depends on what you actually want to do of course.
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Jul 31, 2018 23:32
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As Shinjuku resident I can assure you that Shinjuku is by far the best place to stay in Tokyo.
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Aug 1, 2018 02:29
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Just had a peach from a roadside stall in the Fukashima area. They taste as good as they look.
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Aug 1, 2018 04:38
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There is no reason to go to Akihabara 
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Aug 1, 2018 05:58
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prompt posted:There is no reason to go to Akihabara
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Aug 1, 2018 07:27
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I know a bunch of you dudes live in Tokyo so you ain't all that impressed with Akihabara but it's pretty cool if you've never been to Japan before, it's like going to Chicago and being like "no need to ride the El or go to Navy Pier!" like ya if you live in Chicago, you don't give a poo poo about riding the El, you probably do it a few times a week, nor do you EVER have a reason to go to Navy Pier, but for someone who has never been to Chicago before, telling them not to go do those things is...I dunno, if they're tourists, and they wanna go to Akihabara or Navy Pier, let them go, I guess? I like going to Akihabara and just walking around, it's super interesting to me. my sister loved it when we were there earlier this month. it was her first time in Japan though
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Aug 1, 2018 10:01
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this is like when everyone shat all over the guy who wanted to go to the robot restaurant in Tokyo. it's an interesting experience if you wanna go to do it. might not be for you personally, but if someone wants to check it out, don't tell them not to go, just seems lovely
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Aug 1, 2018 10:02
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You must visit all the meido cafes. On a different subject, any tips/gotchas for driving in Japan? I'm going again in two weeks, got myself an international driving permit this time, and I want to rentacar a day or two and drive into the country side. Any unusual road rules, coming from Europe? Any rental companies to prefer or avoid?
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Aug 1, 2018 10:08
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Good people watching in akihabara you can see all the bad nerds
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Aug 1, 2018 10:11
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We thoroughly enjoyed the robot restaurant.
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Aug 1, 2018 10:17
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My favorite part of Akihabara is that stupid/fun Taiko drum game in the arcades. Also people watching. Though, to be honest, the random arcade I ended up at in Shibuya seemed nicer and cheaper than what I saw in Akihabara. E: bring knit gloves and your own drum sticks if you want to look like a rhythm game pro. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 10:36 on Aug 1, 2018 |
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Aug 1, 2018 10:33
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CopperHound posted:My favorite part of Akihabara is that stupid/fun Taiko drum game in the arcades. Also people watching. Hey it's not stupid I just bought the home version of the drum and the game for my switch
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Aug 1, 2018 10:47
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nielsm posted:You must visit all the meido cafes. Where exactly are you planning to drive? Get travel insurance! Japan doesn't allow turns on red lights. Some intersections have separate green/red lights for turns, bicycles, and pedestrians. There are a lot of bikes, scooters and pedestrians so ALWAYS check over your shoulder. Highways cost money. Gas stations are a mix of full and self service.
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Aug 1, 2018 12:16
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I saw someone run a red today. Akihabara is bad because it's 100% mainlanders and lame now. If you want to weeb out go to Nakano Broadway, and if you are unsatisfied then try Akihabara if you must.
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Aug 1, 2018 12:58
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^^ I got to Akihabara for one or two game shops and a die cast car model shop because prices and supplies are still better there than other places, and Nakano is more for fan stuff than video games explicitly. You can do well at Book-Offs otherwise for games, but a couple shops around Akiba undercut for things like used console prices.peanut posted:Where exactly are you planning to drive? Further to what peanut said: If you plan on a long highway drive during your rental, every rental car I've been in has the ETC (toll booth) card reader, and most rental places also offer the ETC toll card you put in. The advantage here? Go through the purple toll gates and pay the total at the end of the day, instead of pulling cash out on a regular basis. A lot of non-highway main roads you encounter are two-lane and the speed limit most commonly for those is 50 kmh, if you want to be safe just stick to the limit +5-10 kmh at most and you'll be fine. Most rentals have car navigation systems you can put into English (possibly other languages?), try to ask the staff to do it for you before you take off. Most all of the road signs are bilingual Japanese with English writing of the name/place, and major roads are marked with numbers, which can make instructions easier to follow. Also, the car navigation will repeatedly tell you you're close to a turn, and the screen will often have major chain shops as markers (eg turn at the left with a Shell station and a 7-11 across the road). Driving is RHD/left side of the road, but don't worry. The only tricky part is getting used to where the blinker and windshield wiper are. You will try to signal for a turn and see the wipers go on at least once.
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Aug 1, 2018 13:11
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Robot restaurant is legitimately entertaining though overpriced unless you track down the half off coupons and I’ve never poo poo on it, though it has nothing to do with Japan beyond the conincidence of being there. Akihabara really is entirely missable though. It’s stores full of Chinese people. There’s some anime poo poo. But there’s better things for both of that basically everywhere. As cabe said it’s okay for people watching and you can walk around a bit, but you miss basically nothing if you don’t go.
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Aug 1, 2018 13:15
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LimburgLimbo posted:As cabe said it’s okay for people watching and you can walk around a bit, but you miss basically nothing if you don’t go. I used to have to wait around in Akihabara station waiting for co-workers several times a week. If you are in Akiba I recommend watching for tourist families with children charging back into the station intent on fleeing the area. It happens all the time. I imagine some kid is back in his hotel room explaining to his parents, "I swear I thought it was just electronics" at this very moment.
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Aug 1, 2018 13:34
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Akihabara has a shimonya branch and is thus worth visiting
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Aug 1, 2018 13:47
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Other point in its favor is it's not like Akihabara is out of the way, so swinging through for a couple hours on your way somewhere else is easy.
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Aug 1, 2018 14:57
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Ikebukuro is the new anime nerd hotness innit?
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Aug 1, 2018 16:12
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