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zmcnulty posted:edit: short of a massive influx of foreigners who speak Japanese and/or drastic overnight improvement in the average Japanese person's English ability, the above will remain true for the foreseeable future. Even the drat Yamanote line has plenty of stations with drinking spots not "discovered" by tourists yet. You'd think a place like Kanda, one stop away from Tokyo station, would be overrun with tourists. Especially with its rapidly emerging craft beer scene. But there are still basically none. But Akihabara is just one more stop! As far as tourists go - I guess the reason is probably why they would go to that station, right? If it doesn't show up in google searches for "things to do in Tokyo", it might as well not exist. I was going to say, an easy authentic Japanese experience in Tokyo is just to pick a station you've never heard of and walk into any of the random izakayas that will be scattered around the station. And I'm not saying Kanda doesn't have anything to do, but there's a lot more places you'll go to first if you're going down the list of places to go in Tokyo. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Mar 7, 2019 |
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Mar 7, 2019 23:53
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Oh absolutely, there's basically nothing to do in Kanda besides drink. My post was more leveled at the person who posted the defeatist perspective that lone tourists in Tokyo can/should only go to tourist places. I would have to disagree with the izakaya part though. While there are a few exceptions, the vast majority of Tokyo's izakaya are not "friendly" in the sense that a lone tourist is likely to end up drinking with randos. Instead, they're closer to restaurants, meaning you get a specific table/seat for your party and don't really interact with other tables/parties of locals, or directly with quirky bartenders. Sure you could argue that random izakaya have no gaijins so it's authentic, but it's the latter experience that a lot of tourists are after when they go to tiny places in Golden Gai/whatever-yokocho. Picking a random station and random izakaya is more likely to end with the tourist drinking alone in some generic chain koshitsu-izakaya place than it is knocking back Hoppy with Salaryman Taro. Meeting randos at bars isn't really a thing in Japanese culture, but I'd argue it's much more likely to happen at a bar, tachinomi, or a tiny place in a yokocho, rather than an izakaya. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Mar 8, 2019 |
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Mar 8, 2019 00:17
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Travelling alone, it's a lot easier meeting random people and being invited or included to stranger's groups. Or you can try couch surfing and meet a host. It might work
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Mar 8, 2019 00:52
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Question Mark Mound posted:Bring back Swatch Internet Time. the first post on these forums i have ever agreed with
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Mar 8, 2019 00:52
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zmcnulty posted:Oh absolutely, there's basically nothing to do in Kanda besides drink. I think this all comes down to "how experienced is this person as a tourist in general?" Many people have no idea how to travel except to go down the list of "Things to Do in X" and for those people, yeah, it's absolutely going to be jammed full of other tourists. And I think that poster's right that there's nothing particularly wrong with that. But you're also absolutely right the rest of it. I think that, in a lot of tourists' mind, the "authentic Japanese experience" is actually the "authentic we-now-cater-to-foreigners experience". Not to say that it doesn't happen elsewhere, that you might have some conversation or interaction with other customers or the tencho, but it's really not just what happens every time you step into a tiny hole in the wall restaurant where it's just one or two people working (and in that respect, maybe I shouldn't call them izakayas). Or maybe it should be said that, okay, maybe you have some conversation but it rarely turns into an epic story that you tell your friends years from now.
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Mar 8, 2019 01:08
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Kanda is a good place to drink.zmcnulty posted:Meeting randos at bars isn't really a thing in Japanese culture See this is the kind of thing those of us who aren't huge Tokyo fans are talking about. It's not a thing in Tokyo culture but every Japanese friend I have is a rando I met in a bar in Nara, Okayama, Matsumoto, Osaka, etc. I don't know any Japanese people from Tokyo though, I've only talked to a Tokyo rando one time in all my visits. Mr. Limburg told me once this is why he unironically likes Hub, since Tokyoites go in there and actually will talk to people because it's Foreign and Different. I had a good time with a random salaryman in a Matsumoto izakaya, we talked through Google translate and he was buying me beers because he couldn't believe I actually survived living in China.
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Mar 8, 2019 01:17
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zmcnulty posted:Oh absolutely, there's basically nothing to do in Kanda besides drink. Japanese ski and snowboard mecca is between Kanda and Jimbocho. There's no better place to find gear and deals than wandering into London sports and digging around.
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Mar 8, 2019 01:20
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Grand Fromage posted:See this is the kind of thing those of us who aren't huge Tokyo fans are talking about. It's not a thing in Tokyo culture but every Japanese friend I have is a rando I met in a bar in Nara, Okayama, Matsumoto, Osaka, etc. I don't know any Japanese people from Tokyo though, I've only talked to a Tokyo rando one time in all my visits. Mr. Limburg told me once this is why he unironically likes Hub, since Tokyoites go in there and actually will talk to people because it's Foreign and Different. 
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Mar 8, 2019 01:26
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hub
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Mar 8, 2019 01:46
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peanut posted:hub 
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Mar 8, 2019 01:50
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On the topic of meeting rando Japanese... Visited a local ramen restaurant in previously mentioned 'smaller town' and sat down next to an older (50-60) salaryman. He asked if I was from America, yep. Started telling me about his Jewish Rabbi friend from America who was apparently teaching him about slang like Dong, Clam, Tatas, etc. So he asked me for some slang terms, which I shared. Anyway he ended up paying for his meal, conversed in japanese with the owner of the restaurant and left. I got up to leave 10-15 minutes later and found out he had paid for my meal. Sooo, that was interesting.
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Mar 8, 2019 01:58
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Mongoose posted:Japanese ski and snowboard mecca is between Kanda and Jimbocho. There's no better place to find gear and deals than wandering into London sports and digging around. Atmosphere-wise I wouldn't call the Jimbocho ski/snowboard shop area Kanda. If you want to get technical and say "but the address is Kanda" well, for that matter Akihabara's address is also Kanda. Grand Fromage posted:Kanda is a good place to drink. Perhaps I should have said it's not really a part of "Japanese on Japanese culture." In my experience, if you're a foreigner you will meet randos at bars literally anywhere in the country. Okayama, Osaka, Kanda, Hub, Tokyo, Golden Gai, wherever you go, there will probably be Japanese people willing to buck the "don't strike up conversations with randos" trend to talk to a gaijin. You may not have met any Tokyo people, on the other hand there's like a 60% chance someone will end up buying me drinks if I go out in Kanda.
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Mar 8, 2019 02:00
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extravadanza posted:On the topic of meeting rando Japanese... Visited a local ramen restaurant in previously mentioned 'smaller town' and sat down next to an older (50-60) salaryman. He asked if I was from America, yep. Started telling me about his Jewish Rabbi friend from America who was apparently teaching him about slang like Dong, Clam, Tatas, etc. So he asked me for some slang terms, which I shared. Anyway he ended up paying for his meal, conversed in japanese with the owner of the restaurant and left. I got up to leave 10-15 minutes later and found out he had paid for my meal. Sooo, that was interesting. "interesting"?? more like "A+++ RAMEN EXPERIENCE FAST RESPONSE WOULD HAVE FUNNY CONVERSATION AND FREE MEAL AGAIN"
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Mar 8, 2019 02:34
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yah i had a similar experience in Sapporo at one of those Genghis kahn lamb places. I sat next to some 40-something salaryman who told me not to order off the place's English set meal menu and told me what to get instead, and we talked a bunch and it was a good time.
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Mar 8, 2019 02:51
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The common denominator of people chatting you up is that 1) you're at a place where foreigners aren't common (as noted there's plenty of places where this is possible in Tokyo still) or 2) you're at a place where that is part of the atmosphere store, i.e. basically a non-izakaya. Though izakaya with counters frequently occupied with regulars can be decent options. Tokyo they're overall less likely to do it because there's a higher chance you're not gonna be happy about it. I've drank with enough salarymen and been asked how much I like having sex with natto and eating Japanese women for breakfast enough in my life so I'm just as happy not to get it, and if I'm gonna talk with randos prefer it's a younger crowd and then at least if they're annoying it's in interesting ways. Thus I don't mind the Hub. Or Shibuya center-gai family mart.
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Mar 8, 2019 03:14
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Well, what is it like having sex with natto?
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Mar 8, 2019 03:22
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I never need to have The Asia Conversation again either but I found 20-something Japanese don't really do it so much. At least the ones willing to talk to the Perfidious Gaijin, anyway. I imagine it's a result of contact since Korea did it somewhat more and in China it's basically everyone who didn't live abroad.
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Mar 8, 2019 03:23
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LimburgLimbo posted:The common denominator of people chatting you up is that 1) you're at a place where foreigners aren't common (as noted there's plenty of places where this is possible in Tokyo still) or 2) you're at a place where that is part of the atmosphere store, i.e. basically a non-izakaya. Though izakaya with counters frequently occupied with regulars can be decent options. 
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Mar 8, 2019 09:20
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And here I was planning to walk into a bar and yell “Where the Yakuza at? American porn is better than Japanese porn.” while dressed like Boss Hog and let chaos ensue.
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Mar 8, 2019 21:50
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Any glaring reason not to stay at an Air BnB literally underneath Skytree in October? The place seems nice, owner speaks English, price seems good. Is TeamLabs Planets as cool as it seems?
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Mar 9, 2019 06:28
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Nanigans posted:Any glaring reason not to stay at an Air BnB literally underneath Skytree in October? The place seems nice, owner speaks English, price seems good. Sky Tree is kinda far away from everything else (except Asakusa) so the train travel might get annoying. No close JR station either (think you’d have to change at Kinshicho?). It’s not objectively bad so long as you understand the location going in.
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Mar 9, 2019 07:32
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The best part of my vacation last year was sitting in Golden Gai with some old Japanese dudes and talk about old Gundam anime and the dick sizes of Dutch men. Its weird for me to hear that Tokyo people are considered rude and non-communicative, when its been the opposite for me.
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Mar 9, 2019 10:14
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harperdc posted:Sky Tree is kinda far away from everything else (except Asakusa) so the train travel might get annoying. No close JR station either (think you’d have to change at Kinshicho?). It’s not objectively bad so long as you understand the location going in. Yeah, reading more, it seems like a 20-30 minute train ride anywhere close to the city center. I'm guessing the best "centralized" area to stay is nearest Shinjuku? When I first started planning, we were thinking of doing Kyoto on our trip, but since we've now decided to just do Tokyo, I'm guessing the JR pass isn't worth it. What't the best alternative if we plan to ride the trains like 4-5 times a day for a week? Suica card, Pasmo card?
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Mar 9, 2019 16:40
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Anywhere within an easy walk of a Yamanote line station is fine as far as transit access goes. Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno are the popular areas but it doesn't really matter that much. And yes just pick up an IC card at your first station when you get to Tokyo. I forget if Tokyo uses Suica or Pasmo but they're the same thing. There'll be at least one ticket machine at any station that sells the cards themselves. JR pass is completely pointless if you're not riding the shinkansen a bunch.
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Mar 9, 2019 17:38
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Suica, but it's just a prepaid card that lets you avoid buying a ticket every time. Completely different from a JR Pass. But definitely get it. You can also use it at vending machines, convenience stores, etc.
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Mar 9, 2019 20:11
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Got it. Thanks guys! Anyone have an opinion on whether TeamLabs Planets is worth it? What about Joyopolis?
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Mar 9, 2019 20:18
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Suica also has a cure penguin on the card so that's another reason to get one
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Mar 9, 2019 20:20
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Nanigans posted:Got it. Thanks guys! We did Teamlab Planets last week. Pretty cool, but fairly brief and it's a bit of a slog to get out there if you're not already in the east part of the city for some reason. We went at ~8:30pm on a Tuesday when it was fairly dead, definitely recommend going at a similar time, I think if it had been busier (or with kids running around) inside it would have taken a lot away from the experience of a few of the "rooms", beyond it just generally being nice to avoid crowds.
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Mar 9, 2019 20:37
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mikeycp posted:Suica also has a cure penguin on the card so that's another reason to get one And while being able to not have to buy a ticket every time is a nice time saver, the big thing is Japan's rail system is stupid and Tokyo has like five? different rail companies running lines, all with different incompatible ticketing systems, but with the Suica you no longer have to give a poo poo about any of that.
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Mar 9, 2019 21:21
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harperdc posted:
If they did change from GMT+9 to GMT+10, the 4:30 sunrise would happen at 5:30 instead, so I do believe you were correct to begin with.
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Mar 9, 2019 22:15
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Nanigans posted:When I first started planning, we were thinking of doing Kyoto on our trip, but since we've now decided to just do Tokyo, I'm guessing the JR pass isn't worth it. What't the best alternative if we plan to ride the trains like 4-5 times a day for a week? Suica card, Pasmo card? There's this, which is unlimited JR and metro in Tokyo for a day: https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/tokyo_free.html Also this, which is unlimited JR (no metro) in the Kanto area for 3 days, including some common daytrip areas: https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/tokyowidepass/index.html Depending on where and how frequently you're going around Tokyo, either of those may be worth it. But yeah, subways and local trains are pretty cheap anyway. And it's hard to beat the convenience of Suica, especially since you can use it to buy stuff at combinis and in most taxis too.
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Mar 9, 2019 22:56
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zmcnulty posted:Depending on where and how frequently you're going around Tokyo, either of those may be worth it. But yeah, subways and local trains are pretty cheap anyway. And it's hard to beat the convenience of Suica, especially since you can use it to buy stuff at combinis and in most taxis too. Also use it instead of coins in the arcade 
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Mar 9, 2019 23:06
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Some love hotels and rental rooms take it now too. Gambling, booze, smokes, sex, drug stores and the vape shop take it too 
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Mar 9, 2019 23:43
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Grand Fromage posted:And while being able to not have to buy a ticket every time is a nice time saver, the big thing is Japan's rail system is stupid and Tokyo has like five? different rail companies running lines, all with different incompatible ticketing systems, but with the Suica you no longer have to give a poo poo about any of that. Yeah I think seven or so — JR, Metro, Keisei, Tokyu, Odakyu, Seibu, Tobu...some are more suburban than others, and I think there’s a few more, but the important point is if you have a Suica or Pasmo card, you touch it to the gate to get in, you touch it to the gate to get out. Easy.
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Mar 9, 2019 23:48
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I'm booking a place right next to Sugamo. I hear this is old-people Harajuku. That sounds wonderful.
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Mar 10, 2019 02:52
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Nanigans posted:I'm booking a place right next to Sugamo. I hear this is old-people Harajuku. That sounds wonderful. I can't recall ever having been to Sugamo, but old-people and Harajuku are both bad op.
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Mar 10, 2019 03:47
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Nanigans posted:old-people Harajuku. I'm imagining elderly people with neon hair and funky clothes
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Mar 10, 2019 03:53
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Stringent posted:I can't recall ever having been to Sugamo, but old-people and Harajuku are both bad op. Old people are the best. They have great stories and weird accents and don't give a gently caress. I want to grow up to be an old person.
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Mar 10, 2019 04:20
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Can anyone tell me what this book is?
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Mar 10, 2019 16:14
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As far as I can tell it's an old (apparently comprehensive) eye chart for testing color blindness.
true.spoon fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Mar 10, 2019 |
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Mar 10, 2019 16:54
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