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Busy Bee posted:I'm starting to get my basic Shikoku itinerary set for March 2024 and it looks like this: I feel like a shikoku trip without a naoshima island visit is incomplete
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Dec 10, 2023 00:07
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drhankmccoyphd posted:My brother is going to Japan soon and I’m looking for some gift ideas that would be helpful for him on his trip. Any ideas would be helpful. Will he need a plug or power converter? (If he's traveling from the US, no.) Otherwise, giving some cash in a fancy envelope never disappoints.
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Dec 10, 2023 00:15
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Riptor posted:you do not need a flashlight to go to japan what if it’s dark
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Dec 10, 2023 00:48
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History Comes Inside! posted:what if it’s dark If you're going hiking or backpacking somewhere specific, then maybe. if you're going to stay in the cities, you don't need a drat flashlight. if you somehow get to Japan and need a flashlight, it's still the third largest country in the world by GDP, we have flashlights here peanut posted:Will he need a plug or power converter? (If he's traveling from the US, no.) Grand Fromage posted:One of the more useful generic travel accessories I've had: https://nanobag.com/products/nanobag My only recommendation is a bag/storage solution for chargers to keep in your backpack. And possibly a portable charging battery to help top up any phones or cameras that might need it while walking around. But otherwise, good walking shoes and some cash.
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Dec 10, 2023 01:02
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+1 to cash being the best thing you can give. I brought along a flashlight but that was because it had different colors and I wanted to use it for fill light in photos. So if that niche applies to you then sure I guess.
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Dec 10, 2023 01:08
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Compression packing bags. There are a lot of cheapo ones on amazon which you should avoid. But the Eagle Creek ones are real good. They make packing so much better. You can fit so much more in less space. These for socks, underwear and that sort of thing: https://www.eaglecreek.com/products/pack-it-isolate-compression-cube-set-sm And these for shirts and things you want to keep relatively flat: https://www.eaglecreek.com/products/pack-it-reveal-garment-folder-l E: Also, a smallish, 1 quart or so, toiletry bag is helpful. The good ones are fairly good at keeping any spilled liquids inside. Waltzing Along fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Dec 10, 2023 |
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Dec 10, 2023 01:41
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If he's gonna hitting the strong zero, get him a koozie. They don't sell those here, at least not the American style ones.
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Dec 10, 2023 02:01
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Riptor posted:you do not need a flashlight to go to japan It's great for when you drop something and it rolls under the airplane seat or bed. 
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Dec 10, 2023 02:21
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99.99999% of phones have flashlights on them.
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Dec 10, 2023 02:29
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My hotel room in Dormy Inn has a flashlight and I’m still puzzled why
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Dec 10, 2023 02:32
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Explosive Tampons posted:My hotel room in Dormy Inn has a flashlight and I’m still puzzled why If the power goes out after an earthquake.
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Dec 10, 2023 02:32
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Please bring a wind up flashlight and water purification tablets.
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Dec 10, 2023 02:43
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You should get your brother a small change purse or a wallet with one built in because compared to the U.S. You will use cash more frequently, and everything under 1000¥ is in coins do you end up with a lot of them.
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Dec 10, 2023 03:50
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Explosive Tampons posted:My hotel room in Dormy Inn has a flashlight and I’m still puzzled why Emergency escape light.
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Dec 10, 2023 04:06
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Buy all these pointless items that have been suggested so far and also one of those utility belts that Batman wears to hold them all.
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Dec 10, 2023 04:09
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zmcnulty posted:If he's gonna hitting the strong zero, get him a koozie. They don't sell those here, at least not the American style ones. Why would a Strong Zero be sticking around long enough to need a koozie?
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Dec 10, 2023 04:13
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Charles 2 of Spain posted:Buy all these pointless items that have been suggested so far and also one of those utility belts that Batman wears to hold them all. My suggestions weren't pointless. They are very helpful items for travel.
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Dec 10, 2023 04:49
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Fuuzoku gift card 全国共通風俗券
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Dec 10, 2023 06:38
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Gabriel Grub posted:Why would a Strong Zero be sticking around long enough to need a koozie? An amazing point.
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Dec 10, 2023 12:08
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Grand Fromage posted:If the power goes out after an earthquake. Dumb post, good point. e: snip Explosive Tampons fucked around with this message at 04:17 on Dec 11, 2023 |
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Dec 10, 2023 16:15
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Of course thank you goons for replying to all of my inane posts here, they helped a lot. That deserves a double post.
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Dec 10, 2023 16:16
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Comedy option but not really: just go to my local currency exchange place and get a wad of yen? I actually think I still have some coins from my last trip. Any recommendations for a decent wallet change purse to put it in? drhankmccoyphd fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Dec 10, 2023 |
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Dec 10, 2023 18:51
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Riptor posted:you do not need a flashlight to go to japan One of my all-time favorite funny study abroad memories was an American guy on our trip bringing an actual desk lamp with him to China because he wasn't sure if they were going to have lights. He fobbed it off as a gift to one of the principals of the schools his group was visiting IIRC.
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Dec 10, 2023 20:32
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drhankmccoyphd posted:Comedy option but not really: just go to my local currency exchange place and get a wad of yen? I actually think I still have some coins from my last trip. Compare their rate to what you can get from a bank and what you can get inside Japan, the little exchange booths in a lot of places around the world frequently have bad rates but it's very situational.
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Dec 10, 2023 20:39
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Yeah I wouldn't recommend yen. The rates at those booths in Ueno Station are better than you'll get anywhere else. I did some in the US my trip since the yen had bottomed out at 150 and I figured it'd go up by the time I traveled, which turned out to be true, but that's a gamble. If you're not interested in doing light currency speculation you're better off just using an ATM in Japan or exchanging there. Or if you really want to bring 2000 yen bills and confuse people.
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Dec 10, 2023 20:48
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okay the flashlight post was one of the most unintentionally funny things I've seen, please make it the thread title
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Dec 11, 2023 02:32
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Good Listener posted:This might be a silly question but what are some good sites to look at to research places to visit? I know Japan-Guide is pretty good but a lot of these other sites feel like I'm reading the same travel blog over and over. Maybe that's just the way things are?
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Dec 11, 2023 10:03
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Oh yeah, one of the things I brought up a few weeks ago before my trip was worrying about how to maximize the exchange rate. After using my credit card a bunch in Japan and checking my statements (Chase Sapphire Reserve) it came like within 1-2% of the going rate. I'll worry less about that in the future then and just use my travel card whenever possible. Although getting a bunch of cash is still useful for various things. Useful when you pass some stand selling a snack at 100 yen or any other cash only restaurant/venue. I ended up going to my bank to get it and they gave me pretty close to the rate too (like 3% difference) Although I'm pretty sure the majority of the cash I did end up spending was in the arcade lol
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Dec 11, 2023 10:56
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Appreciate the suggestions, I'll have to check the sites out and look into some potential youtubers~ Also yea is it better to use card or cash while you're there?
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Dec 11, 2023 16:03
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Card when possible, cash when not. You don't get to choose, it depends on the store.
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Dec 11, 2023 16:29
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Btw if you're feeling fancy then https://deeperjapan.com/ is legit. They have connections to see stuff that even native residents have never seen.
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Dec 11, 2023 16:31
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Good Listener posted:Appreciate the suggestions, I'll have to check the sites out and look into some potential youtubers~ More and more places take card, so it's not like the stories from 10 or 20 years ago. But you should try to always have some amount of cash on you.
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Dec 11, 2023 16:34
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I've been loading up that Wise card I got here and there for prep so I can atleast use it at an ATM and it's got the yens already there for me. Good to know though.
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Dec 11, 2023 18:35
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Thinking about it, I'm sort of surprised that Suica cards aren't used for money laundering They're essentially a debit card that you don't need a bank account or any financial regulation hoops to get
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Dec 11, 2023 18:40
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Cards are waaaaaaay more accepted now than even a few years ago but you always want to have cash. Still plenty of cash-only places.
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Dec 11, 2023 19:00
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Grand Fromage posted:Cards are waaaaaaay more accepted now than even a few years ago but you always want to have cash. Still plenty of cash-only places. I was visiting in August, and I would just pull out like 20,000 yen at a time. Card worked pretty often in Tokyo and Kyoto, but still used more cash then I ever do in the US.
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Dec 11, 2023 19:12
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deong posted:I was visiting in August, and I would just pull out like 20,000 yen at a time. Card worked pretty often in Tokyo and Kyoto, but still used more cash then I ever do in the US. Yeah I usually have 20-30 on me at any given time and just assume anywhere I go is not going to accept cards. Not like you're going to get mugged. I know a dumbass who acts like he has an allergy to cash and refuses to carry it, ever, for any reason, and he goes to Japan then complains about how hard it is to pay for things and all the restaurants he can't go to. Don't be that guy.
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Dec 11, 2023 19:23
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If you take out too much cash you can always use it in place of a card too. You find everywhere accepts cash, and you will rarely run into card only places. I think maybe 1 or 2 in my 2 months there. BTW Schwab did refund my ATM feee, it was just so small after the exchange rate I barely noticed it lol.
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Dec 11, 2023 20:48
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I was having issues with my cards when I went last summer and was even able to pay for a rental car in cash. I was both surprised and not surprised that it was OK, lol.
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Dec 11, 2023 21:00
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| # ? May 18, 2024 04:29 |
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If I recall correctly, Japan has the same rules as the US and most modern countries, which is that legal cash tender is required to be accepted as a way to pay for things no matter if you have a card or not.
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Dec 11, 2023 22:00
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