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Booked my hotels for Osaka and Tokyo. Decided to do the sane thing and just stay in Tokyo overnight after landing HND before booking it to Osaka on the bullet. First time doing hotels instead of AirBnBs so I hope I chose well. Tokyo stays are right by Tokyo Stn. for ease of getting to the bullet, then near Kanda Stn. for just hopping on the Yamanote. Osaka stay is close to the Dotonbori area because I've never been to Osaka and have no bearings. It's off the main strip so hopefully not too rowdy. Now to get ready to snag Sumo tickets in April when they go on sale 
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Jan 22, 2023 23:32
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Planning a trip in May and wanted to try some kaiseki places. More specifically, I'm trying to go to a restaurant who trained a kaiseki place I really enjoy in LA. To that end, has anyone used https://omakase.in/ before? Or am I better off just calling the restaurant instead?
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Jan 23, 2023 06:14
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My friends and I live in Japan and are looking at trying out scuba diving. None of us are certified so we'd just be doing Discover Scuba or whatever it's called. Any dive shop recommendations around Kanto/Tohoku? We want to stay near Tokyo or somewhere accessible with a JR East Pass if need be.
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Jan 23, 2023 10:07
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edit
Busy Bee fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Jan 23, 2023 |
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Jan 23, 2023 13:30
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Catching up a bit, I'm seeing a bunch of distaste for staying in Shinjuku. We're already booked for the Hyatt Regency, mostly because it was close enough to a Metro station connecting to HND and we could get a west facing room - maybe we see Mt. Fuji in the morning, maybe not. I can still cancel the booking and rebook elsewhere as long as they take Amex points. Should I be looking elsewhere? Our priorities are centrality, Metro station close by, and quiet, nonsmoking rooms with decent views. Yeah, I know the skyline isn't pretty, I'm in it for the sprawl. If it helps, we have no fear of navigating Shinjuku Station - we're NYC area vets, if we can get into and out of New York Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal, hopefully we can get into and out of Shinjuku.
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Jan 23, 2023 15:34
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Kaiseki would be pretty dope actually, maybe I’ll look for one in Shikoku-Ehime.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:00
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MJP posted:If it helps, we have no fear of navigating Shinjuku Station - we're NYC area vets, if we can get into and out of New York Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal, hopefully we can get into and out of Shinjuku. Just be ready to surface on the wrong corner of the station and have to power walk around the station to where you meant to be. Shinjuku was built using non Euclidian geometries.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:36
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MJP posted:Catching up a bit, I'm seeing a bunch of distaste for staying in Shinjuku. We're already booked for the Hyatt Regency, mostly because it was close enough to a Metro station connecting to HND and we could get a west facing room - maybe we see Mt. Fuji in the morning, maybe not. I can still cancel the booking and rebook elsewhere as long as they take Amex points. Should I be looking elsewhere? Our priorities are centrality, Metro station close by, and quiet, nonsmoking rooms with decent views. Yeah, I know the skyline isn't pretty, I'm in it for the sprawl. Shinjuku is perfectly fine but shitloads of people. If you are from NYC you will be fine and if you aren't in a hurry you won't struggle because you got out at the wrong exit of Shinjuku station. If you want to have easy access to Haneda another option is Shiodome. It has some fancy hotels and is near some fun areas, but right on the monorail to Haneda and everything there is new and fancy-ish. It's also right next to Ginza. I wouldn't get my hopes up about seeing Mt. Fuji in the morning. It has to be a very clear day to see it from Tokyo.
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Jan 23, 2023 18:16
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MJP posted:Catching up a bit, I'm seeing a bunch of distaste for staying in Shinjuku. We're already booked for the Hyatt Regency, mostly because it was close enough to a Metro station connecting to HND and we could get a west facing room - maybe we see Mt. Fuji in the morning, maybe not. I can still cancel the booking and rebook elsewhere as long as they take Amex points. Should I be looking elsewhere? Our priorities are centrality, Metro station close by, and quiet, nonsmoking rooms with decent views. Yeah, I know the skyline isn't pretty, I'm in it for the sprawl. I stayed in that area for a week last year and I found it to be very boring. That whole area where the Hyatt Regency is are just corporate office buildings so there's not much to do in the evening, Shinjuku station is kind of close by but I personally would not want to stay in that area again.
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Jan 23, 2023 18:21
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Busy Bee posted:I stayed in that area for a week last year and I found it to be very boring. That whole area where the Hyatt Regency is are just corporate office buildings so there's not much to do in the evening, Shinjuku station is kind of close by but I personally would not want to stay in that area again. Yup. As a spot to get around from it's fine, despite the uh, fun of trying to navigate Shinjuku Station. But it's an expensive spot and there really isn't much in the immediate area. Couple of yokochos, you can go to Kabukicho and get roofied. Other than that it's office buildings. There's a lot more stuff to do even just one Yamanote stop away in either direction. Staying there isn't bad, you're going to be traveling around from anywhere you go. It wouldn't be high on my list though.
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Jan 23, 2023 19:34
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Man_of_Teflon posted:Me and my partner are going to Japan from Jan 31st-Feb 12th and are looking for suggestions! Our trip is coming together a little more - here's what it looks like so far, trimmed down some of the travel: - Arrive in Tokyo 5pm day 1, stay up for dinner and drinks until at least 9pm to try to get a full night sleep and wake up at a semi-normal morning time the next day... this worked for me when I went to Italy, at least. - Days 2-5 in Tokyo to unwind and shop and explore and eat everything, see teamlab, etc. Our friend we are staying with is indeed in Shibuya (Nishihara) so it should be easy to get around from there it seems. Options for day trips to Hakone/Kamakura/Enoshima etc as we feel like it. - Days 6-7, take early trains about 5 hours to get to a small fishing town outside of Maizuru where our friend's cousin lives. Staying in a beach house, her cousin has a car, we can explore rural/seaside Japan a bit. - Days 8-10, 2 hour train ride to Kyoto - Days 11-13, train back to Tokyo, where we can do further day trips. - Day 14, some antiques fair in the AM and fly out early afternoon from Haneda. For Kyoto, since we will be coming from the NW, we were thinking we could just stop at Arashiyama on the way into Kyoto, see everything there, and stay one night in that area, then get a different spot for the rest of our time in Kyoto (Gion seems the most popular area to stay in?). We can rent bikes to get around too. Any favorite things to see and do in Kyoto? Apart from Arashiyama, we want to bike around town, climb Mt Daimonji, visit the sake district, wander around temples/shrines, etc. Just overwhelmed with all the options right now!
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Jan 23, 2023 23:19
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Grand Fromage posted:Staying there isn't bad, you're going to be traveling around from anywhere you go. It wouldn't be high on my list though. We aren't exactly nightlife types - a drink or two in a bar or izakaya would be lovely once or twice but the most nighttime excitement is probably me going out late to try night photography and eating taxi fare back. Other than Shiodome, are there any other areas I should think about? As long as the views are nice and the rooms decently sized and non-smoking, I'll be a happy camper.
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Jan 24, 2023 04:06
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Stay up until 5, take photos of the night crew going home
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Jan 24, 2023 06:32
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MJP posted:We aren't exactly nightlife types - a drink or two in a bar or izakaya would be lovely once or twice but the most nighttime excitement is probably me going out late to try night photography and eating taxi fare back. Adding in a vote for “Shinjuku is Fine,” especially given your criteria. You will exit Shinjuku Station at the wrong spot at least once, but wander back around and it’s fine. That hotel is right next to the Tokyo Metro building, which has 40+ floor viewing decks open late. There’s plenty of shopping, restaurants etc all around the station, plus tons of neon. Even now sunset is about 17:00, so taking late-night photos won’t always require taxi fares for return - the Yamanote line runs past midnight. Coming home on last train is a rite of passage 
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Jan 24, 2023 09:03
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JR Tamachi station is local favorite for access, restaurants, and affordability.
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Jan 24, 2023 14:28
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I'm gonna stick to Shinjuku - seems like bookings are tightening up anyway. I'm super hype for the fact that we planned the trip timing months ago with the hope of cherry blossoms, and now the forecast says they're gonna start coming out right on day 1 and get to full bloom right before we leave. Dumb question - how prevalent are flashing lights and effects and stuff at small rock venues? It'd be fun to catch an indie show or something but my wife has some medical issues where bright flashes out of nowhere are a bad thing. Not epilepsy but similar triggers.
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Jan 24, 2023 15:33
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I’m doubly excited, first to be heading back to Japan, and now reading that Kanda is apparently “Currytown Completely aside, any recommendations for clubs playing House/Trance/DnB? Tokyo or Osaka welcome, I’ll be hitting both. Just want to check out something local 
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Jan 24, 2023 17:41
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MJP posted:Dumb question - how prevalent are flashing lights and effects and stuff at small rock venues? It'd be fun to catch an indie show or something but my wife has some medical issues where bright flashes out of nowhere are a bad thing. Not epilepsy but similar triggers. some kinda jackal posted:I’m doubly excited, first to be heading back to Japan, and now reading that Kanda is apparently “Currytown
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Jan 25, 2023 01:04
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I purchased our JR passes through https://japanrailpass.net/en/. It provided an email with reservation numbers and it says I can use this to pick up the passes at the airport or a Japan Rail office. From reviewing websites about the process, it says I should be getting an exchange voucher, but there is no indication from the site that I will get one of those, nor did they ask for my address. Am I overthinking the process?
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Jan 25, 2023 01:13
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gonna jump on the bandwagon (lol) for asking about venues etc - id like to catch some punk/hardcore/grind/metal etc while im there, are there any good sites/social media pages for finding out about shows? i follow a couple of clubs in osaka i saw bands at last time i was there but thats about it. Probably a long shot but i'd appreciate it if anyone has ideas.
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Jan 25, 2023 01:14
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Cacafuego posted:I purchased our JR passes through https://japanrailpass.net/en/. It provided an email with reservation numbers and it says I can use this to pick up the passes at the airport or a Japan Rail office. From reviewing websites about the process, it says I should be getting an exchange voucher, but there is no indication from the site that I will get one of those, nor did they ask for my address. Am I overthinking the process? If you buy it from their official website you no longer need an exchange order. You go to one of the designated offices and show your passport. You will only get an exchange order if you buy from an authorized third party seller but this method is cheaper. You can now buy JR passes in Japan directly from JR but you pay a premium to do so. When you order from the official website you are basically pre-ordering the purchase of an in Japan JR pass at the premium rate.
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Jan 25, 2023 06:30
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Im going to be going to in the Kyushu area in the middle of February and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a stay at a hotel with a private onsen, preferably in the Kagoshima area?
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Jan 25, 2023 08:59
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Angry Asian posted:Im going to be going to in the Kyushu area in the middle of February and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a stay at a hotel with a private onsen, preferably in the Kagoshima area? Sakurajima is quite good.
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Jan 25, 2023 10:47
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Zettace posted:If you buy it from their official website you no longer need an exchange order. You go to one of the designated offices and show your passport. That’s extremely helpful, thank you for the answer!
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Jan 25, 2023 13:11
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On JR pass: I saw it got more expensive in CAD relative to last time I went so I was considering maybe NOT getting it, but there is still a non-zero value-prop for my trip if I think of how I’ve structured it so far: - Land in HND on May 6, stay overnight in Tokyo to acclimate/de-jetlag slightly - Cash in a 7-day JR Pass and take Shinkansen to Osaka on May 7 - Toot around Osaka and side trips using JR pass until, - Shinkansen back to Tokyo May 13 By my math that’s taking the bullet on day 1 and day 7 of the validity of a 7 day ticket, assuming I activate it on the 7th. Doing the math I probably make out a little ahead if I factor in a side trip to Kyoto and Nara (I think I remember the most direct/fastest train not being JR eligible which is fine), and wander around Osaka in general, but it doesn’t give me much opportunity to change the trip up on the fly if I’d choose; I basically have to leave Osaka on the 13th or risk the entire thing not making financial sense vs single trip tickets. All my accommodations are fully refundable/re-bookable until day before so I have the leeway of changing things up, but unless I really fall in love with Osaka I honestly doubt that’s much of a risk. I’ve kind of talked myself into probably getting it again while the Canadian dollar is more or less on-par with JPY (at least compared to when I last went). some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 14:00 on Jan 25, 2023 |
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Jan 25, 2023 13:58
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MJP posted:I'm gonna stick to Shinjuku - seems like bookings are tightening up anyway. I'm super hype for the fact that we planned the trip timing months ago with the hope of cherry blossoms, and now the forecast says they're gonna start coming out right on day 1 and get to full bloom right before we leave. Shinjuku is really bad for flashing lights. It is a place of overstimulation. If your wife has any sort of medical issues related to crowds, lights, noises, or smoke, it is probably not the best place to be. Also, indie shows as a cheap event are not really a thing. You might be able to find a place that caters to foreigners that has a band playing, but something that caters to Japanese is going to be semi-expensive and for their insane fans. Personally, I do not enjoy seeing live music in Japan. It is very robotic.
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Jan 25, 2023 14:17
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Grand Fromage posted:Yup. As a spot to get around from it's fine, despite the uh, fun of trying to navigate Shinjuku Station. But it's an expensive spot and there really isn't much in the immediate area. Couple of yokochos, you can go to Kabukicho and get roofied. Other than that it's office buildings. kabukicho is on the opposite side of the station from the hyatt so i guess you mean all of shinjuku? there's nothing special about staying in shinjuku other than it being pretty convenient, but saying it's expensive and that there isn't much there is just ignorant.
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Jan 25, 2023 14:19
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There’s shin Okubo north of kabukicho, giant Korean town, there’s the restaurant genkai, which servers amazing mizutaki soup that you can’t really get overseas. Kabukicho is getting gentrified now and there’s a good unagi place called unatetsu. Oh and there’s the original tsunahachi and if you want hk style tomatoes there’s TJSG. Lots of shopping in shinjuku as well like Oshman’s for good backpacks and bags of all kinds, there’s the takashimaya department paired with a giant tokyu hands which sells a whole bunch of neat household goods as well. There’s also some neat parks around shinjuku, lots to see, and eat. You can also head west to the metropolitan building and eat mouyan curry. It’s one of the bigger and richer districts of Tokyo and japan, there’s bound to be something for everyone. But I won’t stay in Shinjuku because of my own silly preferences
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Jan 25, 2023 15:54
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Japan trip is still on with a bunch of changes. It is now all Shikoku, seems to be centered around hiking (e.g. round trip around Shodoshima and temples) plus all the recs in the area so far. I gave up and let my dad plan the rest of it, my experience is that I have no talent at planning trips and that’s not how I vacation anyway so this is now his trip no matter how much he complains about that. Yer call dude I will have to come back again after that visit someday but not with family.
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Jan 25, 2023 23:13
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Oh also BIG BIG BIG PROTIP!! If you try to visit late March/early April, contract a local guide service no later than the preceding October to set up accommodations and poo poo. Too many people try to visit at that time and everything gets booked. Dad’s Kumano Kodo thing was completely swamped and there are no accommodations for us, it’s all taken. It was actually pretty stupid, dad secured his vacation dates, then the plane tickets, and then we tried to get accommodations for Kumano. No wonder we missed out. Oh well, I’ll be happy as long as you feed me and dad doesn’t throw a tantrum.
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Jan 25, 2023 23:18
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Ned posted:Personally, I do not enjoy seeing live music in Japan. It is very robotic. I’d like to see more live music next time I’m in Japan, but I do think I prefer seeing Japanese bands when they tour abroad.
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Jan 25, 2023 23:20
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After a lot of back and forth between my wife's schedule and mine, we finally landed on the only two-week stretch of time we can both take off to visit Japan for the second time: the first two full weeks of December. We plan to visit Tokyo, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto. I've done a bit of digging, and other than not being able to enjoy as much of the Fall leaves and it generally being on the chillier side, are there any major things I should be watching out for during this stretch? Again, weather-wise things seem dry, but a bit cold. I don't think I saw any major holiday closures since it's well before New Years, and I think generally crowds are a bit lighter most places since the Fall leaves will already be past their peak. Anything else y'all think I should know? Obviously too early to start booking flights or hotels, but I wanted to know if I should brace myself for any major BS since I can't really go any other time.
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Jan 26, 2023 01:00
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Weather wise December is a nice time to go. The downside of December is the daylight hours are short. It will literally get dark at around 4pm in Tokyo but if that doesn't bother you then it's a non-issue.
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Jan 26, 2023 03:21
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Get an open jaw ticket fly in Tokyo and fly out Osaka. Get a train pass so you can go further out to Hiroshima (it’s the same time consumed going back to Tokyo), stay in a nice ryokan further out west, and day trip to himeji.
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Jan 26, 2023 03:28
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Pollyanna posted:Japan trip is still on with a bunch of changes. It is now all Shikoku, seems to be centered around hiking (e.g. round trip around Shodoshima and temples) plus all the recs in the area so far. Mt Ishizuchi is the highest mountain in Western Japan, and there are some other chill and less intense mountains too.
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Jan 26, 2023 04:20
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Zettace posted:Weather wise December is a nice time to go. The downside of December is the daylight hours are short. It will literally get dark at around 4pm in Tokyo but if that doesn't bother you then it's a non-issue. Yeah, last time I went in October, I was really surprised at how few daylight hours there were. Guides never mentioned that. I’ve read lots of places put lights up in December, so more chances to see those. And temples and shrines are cool af at night too.
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Jan 26, 2023 04:52
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Just casually asking, anyone know of a place in Tokyo to buy a jinbei? Nothing fancy. I'm sure they're sold pretty commonly, just wondering if anyone already has a place in mind.
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Jan 26, 2023 05:35
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Nanigans posted:Yeah, last time I went in October, I was really surprised at how few daylight hours there were. Guides never mentioned that. Even in June, it’s pretty thin on daylight hours. The Japanese really take Land of the Rising Sun seriously, apparently, with sunrise at like 4:30am but sunset at 7pm even in late June. Shift your time zone, jeez. Fukuoka must have been in charge of setting clocks in Japan.
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Jan 26, 2023 09:06
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Nanigans posted:Yeah, last time I went in October, I was really surprised at how few daylight hours there were. Guides never mentioned that. Yep, the Christmas/holiday stuff starts from early November, so should be in full swing early December. Based on recent years it’s a real dice roll if it’s going to be like 14 degrees C or freezing, this year I got good kōyo photos at Ueno Park on the last weekend of November. Climate change. And yeah, the time zone is off by at least one hour. I’ve banged that drum before - move it one hour east and the sun would rise later and stay up later, which would be nice. Sunrise at 4:15 in June ain’t helping anyone.
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Jan 26, 2023 09:15
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totalnewbie posted:Just casually asking, anyone know of a place in Tokyo to buy a jinbei? Nothing fancy. I'm sure they're sold pretty commonly, just wondering if anyone already has a place in mind. It’s kinda seasonal I think. Donki will have basic ones towards the summer months for sure.
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Jan 26, 2023 14:35
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