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harperdc posted:I mean, there's always more to see/explore/do, but if you've done this a few times, don't you have ideas of what you want to do and where you want to stay? Novelty is one thing, but there's nothing wrong with staying in a familiar spot because you liked it. I'd be more than happy staying in any of those places again honestly, just thought I'd suss out any other options! In Yokohama we're doing 2 nights in the park royal right on the waterfront then 2 days somewhere cheaper, thought we'd do something similar in Tokyo and it would make sense to be in different districts. Thanks for the suggestions!
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Jan 19, 2020 04:03
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| # ? Jun 5, 2024 02:05 |
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Sugamo isn’t trendy or pretty or full of amazing restaurants (though there’s a Michelin starred ramen place there) but staying there was one of our favorite parts of our trip. It’s quiet and you can definitely spend a nice afternoon walking down Jizo-dori and checking out the shops and stuff. It was relaxing and seems to be a relatively frozen-in-time place in that you don’t see the invasion of nearly as much Western culture there as in the rest of Tokyo. Again, might be a little dull, but we liked it. 
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Jan 19, 2020 06:31
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In addition to the Minato Mirai and Yamashita Koen areas, Sankeien is nice, and Enoshima is an easy day trip from Yokohama. Yokohama Chinatown is kitschy but interesting. The Yamate Bluff area has a nice harbor view park and the road along the bluff has a lot of historical points. Yokohama benefits from reading up ahead of time on its history, since so many sites are concentrated in the Yamashita/Kannai/Yamate area.
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Jan 19, 2020 07:50
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Sankeien also has some badass cats. 
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Jan 19, 2020 08:15
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Those are some nice looking cats
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Jan 19, 2020 13:26
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field balm posted:The missus and I are in Japan for a few weeks late February. We've both done Tokyo a few times before, we've stayed in Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno, Asakusa, any other districts you guys could recommend staying in? I feel like Ginza and Roppongi are more places you visit than stay in but I'd love input. Also recs for out of the way places to see, we're gonna check out odaiba because neither of us have done that, but feel like we've exhausted most of the common touristy things and places. If you’ve done Tokyo a few times I’m not sure you’d like Roppongi. It’s nice and central to everything but it also has a lot more foreigners due to all the embassies being there. So it feels less Japanese. Caveat - I stayed there like 12 years ago, maybe it’s changed.
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Jan 19, 2020 13:59
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Roppongi is like Itaewon. It's nice if you live there but I don't know why you'd visit it as a tourist. Except the local Fukumitsuya store is in Roppongi so stop by to buy good sake. Then leave.
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Jan 19, 2020 17:55
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There are a lot of very good restaurants in Roppongi.
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Jan 19, 2020 23:22
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Can anyone tell me why there are plastic bottles full of what appears to be rusty water strewn about the sides of various buildings in Osaka?  
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Jan 20, 2020 01:34
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Dramicus posted:Can anyone tell me why there are plastic bottles full of what appears to be rusty water strewn about the sides of various buildings in Osaka? They think it keeps cats away for some reason.
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Jan 20, 2020 01:39
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Old wives tale that feral cats are afraid of bright flashing lights, so people put water bottles out to refract sunlight and keep the cats off their property. However like many old wives tales throughout the world, it's complete bullshit and cats don't care at all. That still doesn't stop some people from putting them out though. I'm guessing some of those people can't be bothered to throw out the bottles once the water inside gets all murky.
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Jan 20, 2020 01:42
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Navaash posted:They think it keeps cats away for some reason. Huh, I figured there was some reason beyond just littering. Is there any basis for cats being repelled, or is it just superstition?
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Jan 20, 2020 01:43
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Dramicus posted:Huh, I figured there was some reason beyond just littering. Is there any basis for cats being repelled, or is it just superstition? Superstition. Cats don't give a gently caress about those bottles.
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Jan 20, 2020 01:44
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Cool, thanks for clearing that up. Have a sign I found mildly amusing.
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Jan 20, 2020 01:47
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Dramicus posted:Cool, thanks for clearing that up. Have a sign I found mildly amusing. So that's why smoking rooms and areas smell so terrible, they're smoking massive cigarettes!
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Jan 20, 2020 03:56
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captkirk posted:So that's why smoking rooms and areas smell so terrible, they're smoking massive cigarettes! That's just a beginner's cigarette, real men smoke ones that are large enough for 3 people to stand on. 
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Jan 20, 2020 04:03
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I don’t know if that’s meant to be three stages of one street cleaner but I could 100% believe that Japan has three people at a time working hard to pick up a single cigarette.
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Jan 20, 2020 09:33
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My first time in Tokyo I stayed in Nishi-Kasai, which was really, really quiet and pretty much no tourists, and Shimo-Kitazawa, which was similar but more subdued than the really busy areas. In a month I'm headed back and plan on staying like a 3 minute walk from Skytree then moving up to Ikebukuro. I'm particularly interested in the latter, a lot of the stuff in and around Sunshine City seems fun to me.
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Jan 20, 2020 09:49
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Sweet sweet Olympic prep money flow into me, yes I can feel the power
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Jan 20, 2020 10:31
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Probably not the right thread but since it's full of japan loving nerds it's probably good as any. Anyone use a Japanese auction proxy site to buy stuff from abroad? I'm bidding on something with fromjapan.com right now but its listing browser is awful and doesn't seem to want to show all items in any given category. Just wondering if anyone has go-to site recommendation for Yahoo auctions specifically.
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Jan 20, 2020 14:43
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Thanks for all the input guys, we booked a few nights at the Prince in Shinagawa then we're in East Ginza for the rest of the week. Gonna pester y'all for resteraunt recs closer to the date.
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Jan 20, 2020 20:28
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I'm at least a year out for a trip to Japan (gotta finish paying a mortgage off then we'll have the funds to do it) and I'm planning stuff and adding ideas/hotels/etc. to a list when I'm bored at work. I have a few questions that I'm wondering about as I put it together. There's 2 of us (30s, married couple), and we want to hit up Tokyo first and do the normal nerdy touristy stuff (Disneysea, Ghibli museum, etc.) and then off to Kyoto. (Yeah, I know a year+ out is a long time, but I enjoy daydreaming and planning this stuff out. We're not going to book anything until sometime next year.) What area should we stay in in Tokyo? I'm looking at either Shibuya or Shinjuku, as both seem to be very central and have transportation hubs, many restaurants, and plenty of nearby tourism. I don't care so much about nightlife and nightclubs, and we're not super-nerds that need to meet all our favorite animes, but I'd like to be walking distance from great cuisine and things to do for days we haven't filled with plans. What should I look for in a hotel? We very specifically don't want a capsule hotel or hostel, but looking online it's sometimes hard to tell which ones aren't that - most of the budget options turn out to be those, and while we don't need to be THAT cheap, we don't have any need for luxury prices. And are most hotels very good with English-speaking tourists, or should I focus on certain ones?
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Jan 21, 2020 20:11
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I'll give you my perspective from someone who's finalizing another trip right now: I always stay at an AirBnB. I've been to four AirBnBs in Japan, three were really nice, one was kind of ratty but far from bad. I've never spent more than $70/night Canadian since my mindset is that I'm paying to be in Japan, not be holed up in my room. I'm in my room to relax and unwind but not to spend significant time. To that end, I'm minimizing cost without going to the extreme by staying in a dorm or hostel. This also limits my options in terms of location. Drag the price slider on AirBnB down to $70CDN and your choices are very limited. Even more so if you plan an extended stay in one flat. That said, I've been lucky and for the past three trips I found good accommodations around Shibuya, Nakano, central Shinjuku; and this May I'm in Yotsuya. I was never more than a 5 minute walk from izakaya, bars, pubs, and you've really go to try hard to be any sizeable distance from a convenience store. My favourite overall so far has been Shibuya, but Shinjuku was a close second for convenience, and Nakano wasn't too far behind. If you're okay spending more on accommodations then your options really open up and you can pretty much stay wherever. To that end I'd say any of the big transit hubs on the Yamanote are fair game so Shinjuku, Toyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro and Akihabara are probably places I'd expect there to be a lot to do without leaving the immediate neighbourhood, but realistically transit is so cheap and Tokyo is so vast that you'll find yourself adjusting to taking a quick train trip like it's nothing. More experienced people feel free to correct me and tell me I'm full of poo poo; this is just a stream of thought off the top of my head  e: Still 108 days to go 
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Jan 21, 2020 20:57
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Rotten Red Rod posted:What should I look for in a hotel? We very specifically don't want a capsule hotel or hostel, but looking online it's sometimes hard to tell which ones aren't that - most of the budget options turn out to be those, and while we don't need to be THAT cheap, we don't have any need for luxury prices. And are most hotels very good with English-speaking tourists, or should I focus on certain ones? Dormy was pretty good to me when we stayed near Ameyoko. I’d recommend them.
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Jan 21, 2020 21:01
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Martytoof posted:e: Still 108 days to go big mood
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Jan 21, 2020 21:04
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Stay at a hotel near Shibuya imo. There's so much to do there that you could probably spend 2-3 days without even needing to get on a train. I'm like...23 months out from my next trip. 
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Jan 21, 2020 21:18
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I think a lot of it also has to do with what you consider close too. Like, I stayed in Nakano and I considered Shinjuku and even Shibuya “close” but I also walked like a thousand KM a day according to my watch. Central Tokyo is such a walkable city and it really helps that even walking down long stretches of streets there’s always some winding alley or interesting shop or sign to gawk at or something to keep you from feeling like you’re trekking in the middle of nowhere. This obviously changed the further out from central Tokyo I got and there was a lot more of “hey I’m in the burbs and there’s nothing here” the further out I want. Saitama felt kind of boring and I was in and out of there really quickly after visiting the train museum. E: And obviously if your tolerance for walking isn’t high then absolutely pick a spot with a lot of really-really-really local establishments and sights. E2: And as I read all that poo poo I posted I realize how much of a hypocrite I am — I cancelled an AirBnB in Ueno and picked one in Yotsuya because it was like two minutes closer to a bunch of konbini and shops, so obviously convenience is a thing. Nothing beats waking up at 2am after your flight and just walking out of the house to a Family Mart for a tea and snack. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Jan 21, 2020 |
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Jan 21, 2020 21:25
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I stayed in Sugamo, which barely qualifies as Tokyo, and I still found it incredibly easy to get to anywhere I wanted in Tokyo proper with plenty of time to explore. That said, we were pretty diligent in waking up early/on time and having a (fairly loose) schedule that we stuck to. If you like to sleep in, definitely try to stay somewhere with a high density of stuff you want to see to avoid commute times as much as possible. But honestly, why would you want to sleep in on your international vacation? Personally, commuting around was part of the charm of being in Tokyo. I was telling my travel partners just the other day, three months after our trip, that one of my fondest memories of the trip was being on the train after 5 pm and watching groups of people get on the train together, obviously coming from work, and just chatting before their stop. It's such a small thing, but something that doesn't really exist in the US where everyone just kind of gets in their own car after work and commutes alone.
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Jan 21, 2020 21:37
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Seconding staying in an airbnb. I was in Tokyo with a group of 8 people including me and we stayed in an airbnb in yotsuya that was great. It ended up being about $50us a night per person, was comfortable, and was really close to places to eat, konbinis, and train stations. Getting around was really easy, we were even about a half hour walk from shinjuku which was really convenient for hanging out around there at night.
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Jan 21, 2020 21:48
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It will be obvious if you book a capsule because the websites have pictures of capsules and the hotels are often capsule-only. Group travel, travel with kids, get airbnb. Normal travel, Dormy or Toyoko is fine.
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Jan 21, 2020 23:56
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Thanks! Dormy in Shibuya sounds like the ticket. I've always felt weird about AirBNBs - the one time I used one here in the USA the host actually last minute told me to tell her roommates we were friends of hers, not from AirBNB, because she wasn't supposed to be renting out the room. Very awkward, and I feel like it would be doubly so in a foreign country unless it's a private apartment, so I just feel more secure doing a hotel. Another thing - one of us has a sensitivity to shrimp and other certain shellfish. Not a life threatening allergy - she doesn't go into anaphylactic shock, but if she has even a piece of shrimp, she's going to puke up her meal an hour or so later. (She's fine with fish sauce and miso and such in cooking, all non-shellfish seafood, and larger shellfish like lobster and crab - we eat Japanese food all the time in CA and she's never had a problem unless we get careless at a sushi restaurant or don't ask what's in the gyoza). Any tips on watching out for this and asking about allergens when in a restaurant?
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Jan 22, 2020 00:02
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Japan may actually have an upper hand on other countries when it comes to Airbnb. It’s strictly controlled and apartments must be registered with the government. There’s always the chance you land a turd but that’s why I read past reviews and look for the government registration number. Definitely not saying it’s for everyone and if you’re not comfortable then by all means exhaust all other options. I just think it’s a safer bet than, say, here in Canada.
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Jan 22, 2020 00:30
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Every AirBnB I've been to in Japan was just a small hotel that was professionally run and like 1/4 the price of a normal hotel because Japan.
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Jan 22, 2020 00:38
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Fair enough, good to know. I'm still a little wary, partly because I want to make sure I get a place that speaks English the first time I'm in the country. Also, apparently hotels charge by the person in Japan instead of by the room? Does that happen with AirBnB too? If not I can see why people gravitate towards it.
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Jan 22, 2020 00:42
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Yeah definitely not trying to push you to do something you’re not comfortable with. A hotel certainly has its advantages too. Find one with decent lobby service and you can lean on them for local recommendations, help with tickets, maps, etc. which can be super helpful if you’re just feeling your way around the country at first or too overwhelmed by choices or maps. For a first trip you don’t have anything to lose by staying at an established hotel other than some budget which may or may not be an issue for you. I’ve only done one trip with another person and I don’t recall off the top of my head, but I could have sworn that it was one fixed price and we just split the bill between us later. E: funny enough, when I went with my buddy in 2018 he also has a shrimp/shellfish allergy. He did okay just ordering what looked to be non-seafood but I would definitely keep google translate or a card with “I have a shrimp allergy, I have a shellfish allergy” in Japanese. Restaurants were more than happy to oblige from what I saw. If they didn’t speak English well we made do with google translate. At smaller shops some cross contamination is very likely inevitable so depending on the sensitivity to shellfish you may want to stick to larger chains and more established stores. Imo I could have spent an entire trip just eating at the food levels at Takashimaya Shinjuku or Yodobashi Akihabara. Obviously not getting the traditional izakaya experience but definitely safe and somewhat exotic options available. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Jan 22, 2020 |
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Jan 22, 2020 00:47
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Rotten Red Rod posted:Another thing - one of us has a sensitivity to shrimp and other certain shellfish. Not a life threatening allergy - she doesn't go into anaphylactic shock, but if she has even a piece of shrimp, she's going to puke up her meal an hour or so later. (She's fine with fish sauce and miso and such in cooking, all non-shellfish seafood, and larger shellfish like lobster and crab - we eat Japanese food all the time in CA and she's never had a problem unless we get careless at a sushi restaurant or don't ask what's in the gyoza). Any tips on watching out for this and asking about allergens when in a restaurant? My husband has similar allergies. It's probably one of the easier allergens to avoid. Just saying "kairui arerugii" should get the point across.
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Jan 22, 2020 01:01
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Rotten Red Rod posted:Another thing - one of us has a sensitivity to shrimp and other certain shellfish. Not a life threatening allergy - she doesn't go into anaphylactic shock, but if she has even a piece of shrimp, she's going to puke up her meal an hour or so later. (She's fine with fish sauce and miso and such in cooking, all non-shellfish seafood, and larger shellfish like lobster and crab - we eat Japanese food all the time in CA and she's never had a problem unless we get careless at a sushi restaurant or don't ask what's in the gyoza). Any tips on watching out for this and asking about allergens when in a restaurant? My mom has a pretty severe shrimp/shellfish allergy, for example she can't even have tempura cooked in the same oil. If the kitchen uses the same knives without washing them etc. it makes her sick as well. So for her unfortunately it's not just a matter of requesting allergen information from the restaurant, we had to actually confirm how they prepare the food and such. To be brutally honest it was a huge hassle, most places--especially low/mid-range restaurants--simply said they can't make any guarantees or do any kind of special handling to avoid the allergy. Most restaurants don't have allergen information readily available. I live here and speak Japanese, so it wasn't some language barrier either. We had to eliminate entire categories of Japanese food (tempura, ramen, sushi) due to being unable to find places that would support her. Even many yakiniku places for example have shrimp on the menu... so essentially any time we went out to eat we had to call in advance and check. Obviously she didn't starve to death though, and it sounds like it's not as severe for your spouse. So hopefully drastically easier. As for AirBnB! I've not stayed in many in Japan but yeah the laws are supposed to be quite strict, so hopefully they are fairly professional. Personally I don't really like to gamble on that kind of thing. If it's just two people though there should be plenty of decent hotels in the 3000-6000 yen range (per person). Some chains to check out: Dormy Inn, APA, Super Hotel, Mitsui Garden, MyStays, remm, and Mets.
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Jan 22, 2020 01:17
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Rotten Red Rod posted:Fair enough, good to know. I'm still a little wary, partly because I want to make sure I get a place that speaks English the first time I'm in the country. You're going to Tokyo and Kyoto. They'll speak English or have written material to give you, don't worry about it. I have never been to a hotel, hostel, or AirBnB no matter how far off the beaten path in Japan that couldn't handle at least basic tourist English.
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Jan 22, 2020 01:20
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Great, thanks! Thankfully her sensitivity is not as severe as some others' allergy - she actually needs to eat a chunk of shellfish, and can eat ramen, sushi, and other meals with cross-contamination just fine. We're not crazy seafood fans anyway aside from (Americanized) sushi, where it's generally pretty easy to tell what you're eating. So we can probably survive and thrive just fine on all the other amazing, non-seafood options.
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Jan 22, 2020 03:46
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I would add Shinagawa Station to the list of locations to stay. There’s hotel options nearby ranging from Toyoko Inn (3-star) to much more expensive, but also the train access from that one station for JR is very good, including from Narita and for the bullet trains. Besides, most anywhere you stay on the Yamanote will be okay to go see most of the sights. I would only add one more comment - I haven’t stayed with an Airbnb at all myself, partially because I don’t really approve the business model, but at least it has been regulated some in Japan. The other is to avoid APA because they’re owned by a strongly right-wing family — like, “Nanking didn’t happen” materials in the hotel room right wing.
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Jan 22, 2020 06:51
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