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Question Mark Mound posted:Speaking of wait times, did Ichiran Ramen queues skyrocket at some point since 2019? Luckily, I never saw a queue at the Nakano Ichiran, so if I was in Shibuya during my trip last month it was faster to hop on a train over there rather than queue at one of the more local branches
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Dec 19, 2023 14:33
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leather fedora posted:It must've gotten picked up by influencers/tour guides because the locations in Shibuya and Shinjuku almost always have lines. When I see how long they are, part of me wants to tell them about the other locations not even 15 minutes away on train, but if they're going by whatever they saw on Youtube or whatever to begin with, they might not be adventurous enough for the diversion. I always wonder if people like that think or assume some locations of a chain are truly ‘better’ than others. I wouldn’t know for Ichiran. Of course maybe it’s just a question of want to go to THE place that was recommended.
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Dec 19, 2023 14:50
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Gabriel Grub posted:What's Ichiran? Nothing much, what's ichirunning with you
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Dec 19, 2023 17:24
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Honestly, those Ichiran kits taste terrible. The Nissin Ra-O (ラ王） Tonkotsu ramen is so much better.
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Dec 19, 2023 20:18
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Thanks for the Sushi-Ro feedback. We went on a Saturday night in Kyoto and a Friday night in Tokyo and it was packed, plus we were asking for 2 tables next to each other. Fortunately the young folks were fine with hanging in the waiting area so we wouldn't miss our number being called, and whenever we popped in to check they were happily chatting with the locals. This was big because they were hoping for more interaction which they couldn't find elsewhere- they actually resorted to using apps to connect and meet up with locals. Yeah I'd never rave about the food but for the price the experience was good fun.
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Dec 19, 2023 20:38
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Zettace posted:Honestly, those Ichiran kits taste terrible. The Nissin Ra-O (ラ王） Tonkotsu ramen is so much better. Is this the stuff you’re talking about? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nissin-Japanese-Instant-Noodles-17-1oz/dp/B07JNCRJ7K The reviews all call it “instant ramen” so in my head it’s like a cup noodle and I’ve never had one of those from any brand that I’d call any good.
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Dec 19, 2023 21:01
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Wish I could give you the Ichiran kit I have in my cupboard then - still has 2 packs left lol. I had it and it tasted terrible and no one around me wants to eat it again. Yeah, that's the ラ王 brand, the flavour would be Tonkotsu though. It's labelled instant for English speakers but using the same logic the Ichran Kit is also instant ramen. In Japanese these are called fukuro-men. It's not a cup noodle, you have to boil the noodles and add it to the soup - the same way you make the Ichiran kit one.
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Dec 19, 2023 21:28
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Zettace posted:Wish I could give you the Ichiran kit I have in my cupboard then - still has 2 packs left lol. I had it and it tasted terrible and no one around me wants to eat it again. Thanks for the recommendation though, I’ll do some searching for the Raoh tonkotsu flavour and pretend that’s how Raoh from Fist of the North Star tastes.
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Dec 19, 2023 21:48
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I know it's not much of a recommendation but sometimes you gotta roll the dice and eat at some hole in the wall, if you have the time for that. I'm not very experienced in the world of sushi but some of the best stuff I've had in my life was from the geriatric hangouts whose menu was only in kanji. Just use your translation app and get the gist of it.
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Dec 20, 2023 13:21
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One of my regrets was not picking up some of Ichiran's Chili seasoning. I'm not sure if all of them have it for sale, but the one I frequented in Fukuoka had a number of items on display besides the full take-home kit. I just want the red chili seasoning they use  I think it was like 800 yen or something. I got it mixed up in my mind and thought I could find some at the airport's duty free, but they only sold the full take-home kit (and the queues in the airport duty free were massive) One of the nights I was there, it got really friggin hot in my capsule hotel, like too hot for me to sleep; woke up all sweaty and poo poo in the middle of the night. So I went outside into the freezing cold at 2am and walked to ichiran where I ate a full set and man it was so satisfying.
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Dec 21, 2023 02:22
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Y’all looking for the Ichiran home kits Cause we got the home kit stuff nearby in bulk.
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Dec 21, 2023 08:06
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What kinda cool goony stuff can I buy in Japan that is difficult to find anywhere else? I've already got some high quality nail clippers, chefs knives and a tiny cooking whisk on my shopping list.
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Dec 21, 2023 20:35
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Apart from various character merchandise? Mainly I'd suggest browsing Daiso and Donki for unusual household or kitchenware items. One thing that surprised me a bit is that they seem to have a larger selection of trackball mice than I've ever seen even in online stores here, and having them all on display so you can actually try them in your hand is a huge positive when browsing computer peripherals. (Go to a Yodobashi Camera or Bic Camera for that.)
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Dec 21, 2023 20:55
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The stationary stores are excellent and you can get really dope pens and art supplies for cheap.
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Dec 21, 2023 21:46
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Walk through every floor of a Tokyu Hands and a Loft. You'll find stuff you want.
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Dec 21, 2023 22:17
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Thank you!
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Dec 22, 2023 08:23
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Diodeous posted:The stationary stores are excellent and you can get really dope pens and art supplies for cheap. if you go to Ginza look for the giant red paperclip and Itoya, or.... Grand Fromage posted:Walk through every floor of a Tokyu Hands and a Loft. You'll find stuff you want. I think they're now Hands, because Tokyu sold 'em, but yes, this is another answer to the same question. Especially stationary stuff. if you're nerd (video games) then I don't need to tell you about that, even the fact that there are plenty of stores that have everything NES forward on shelves in used shops is remarkable to some. if you're nerd (music) then the vinyl hunting is top-notch as well, but also don't underestimate getting CDs from those same used shops (though now Book-Off also sells records, god help us all).
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Dec 22, 2023 09:00
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Book Off has always sold records but the Mercari resellers pick them immediately.
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Dec 22, 2023 09:26
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Thinking of maybe hitting up Yokohama for a day trip when we're there next summer. Any hidden gems any of you could recommend there? I kind of wanna see if I can find the Arc Systems offices and just go "Wow Sol Badguy works there!" (Please note I do not want to actually interrupt any people working there I just think it'd be cool to see a game studio I like's office from outside)
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Dec 23, 2023 01:53
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Depending on what kind of nerd you are you can go further south and see the Mikasa, the only extant pre-dreadnought battleship.
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Dec 23, 2023 02:09
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Good Listener posted:I kind of wanna see if I can find the Arc Systems offices and just go "Wow Sol Badguy works there!" (Please note I do not want to actually interrupt any people working there I just think it'd be cool to see a game studio I like's office from outside) Sometimes it doesn't hurt to just ask. 99% chance you get no reply at all but at least you can say you tried. Hell the A in ARC apparently stands for "action." If there's one thing Japanese companies love, it's being accepted by non-Asian foreigners.
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Dec 23, 2023 22:33
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bee posted:What kinda cool goony stuff can I buy in Japan that is difficult to find anywhere else? I've already got some high quality nail clippers, chefs knives and a tiny cooking whisk on my shopping list. Shopping in Japan today is mostly overpriced and tons of stores mentioned just sell chinese made junk you can get online anywhere in Asia. However, there are some surprising values, including traditional clothing elements and shoes. A Yukata or wooden style shoe was surprisingly well priced at a number of stores. My shopping advice for a "truly Japanese product" would go a different direction than Daiso or similar dollar type stores- I would recommend researching Japanese microbrands and spending more on fewer items. Get a pair of jeans from a well known Japanese shop, fitted on the spot. Get a microbrand Japanese watch and skip the overpriced Seikos and Citizens. Visit a potter and watch them make the products you're buying. Let me give you an example of how bad the pricing is at stores in Japan. You can get an anime figure for 40 in Japan and 20 in another country nearby. I got a grand seiko for 30% less in Singapore than Tokyo or Osaka/Kyoto. Used items on average were 25% more than I could get them for elsewhere or on eBay. The true shopping experience in Japan is buying online on an ebay type store and having it delivered to your room. Otherwise my earlier advice is the best way to get value and not get taken on price or quality. Shammypants fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Dec 23, 2023 |
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Dec 23, 2023 22:41
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Go to Singapore for your nail clippers
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Dec 24, 2023 00:37
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Charles 2 of Spain posted:Go to Singapore for your nail clippers Buy your nail clippers on japanese amazon
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Dec 24, 2023 02:11
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Really depends if op likes going to physical stores to look at stuff and not particularly worried about getting the perfect deal.
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Dec 24, 2023 02:24
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Yeah I guess I'm more interested in getting good quality things otherwise difficult to find at/from home (Australia) and don't mind spending a little coin to do so. I tend to avoid buying lots of plastic thingamabobs that break five minutes later, although that being said sometimes some of the stationery you can get at Daiso or Miniso appeals to me. I wouldn't go off on a mission looking for it though.
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Dec 24, 2023 02:48
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A few ideas: I got white glove treatment at a few watch businesses, one called Knot but there are other brands I watched over the years that are also very cool. The watches weren't super expensive at all compared to what people are spending on watches these days, but the movements and finishings are good. Watches ranged from 140ish to 1000 US dollars but they will tell you about the construction, fit your wrist, set the watch up completely on the way out. I got white glove treatment for BIFL jeans from Momotaro, perfectly fitted, hand made. There are other jean makers in Japan that are pretty cool too and cheaper but still handmade. Outside of traditional clothing, where you can get something from extremely old family businesses, you can also find some novelty clothes of very high quality in tubular shirts (shirts made in a circular machine that avoids needing side seams). This shirt is popularized now in The Bear where the main character wears them in every episode. In terms of a tea set I did the more expensive tea ceremony and added on a tea set afterward in Kyoto, which was totally worth it. Snowpeak is a known brand of camping and four season adventure and they have some very cool Japan Market Only products they sell there. I got a 4 seasons tent and also a branded/anniversary/adventurer-linked cookpot. I bought a Japanese doll from Kimura Ohshido, a company that has been making/distributing products since the late 1800s and the prices ranged from 180 to 700 or so American dollars for higher end dolls but also much much cheaper toys that ranged from 5 dollars for knickknacks to 50 or so. One thing I found is that researching the companies with long and interesting histories in advance helped save me a lot of time. Their businesses were often not conveniently located and I never in a million years would have found them by foot just randomly. Shammypants fucked around with this message at 07:51 on Dec 24, 2023 |
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Dec 24, 2023 07:40
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Shammypants posted:The true shopping experience in Japan is buying online on an ebay type store and having it delivered to your room. got a good site for this? or just use ebay
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Dec 26, 2023 18:43
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Shredder posted:got a good site for this? or just use ebay Buyee.jp is a proxy service (also consolidates packages and posts internationally) that you can use to buy from Yahoo Auctions, Mercari, Rakuten, and some others.
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Dec 26, 2023 19:30
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Ethics_Gradient posted:Buyee.jp is a proxy service (also consolidates packages and posts internationally) that you can use to buy from Yahoo Auctions, Mercari, Rakuten, and some others. Yes, Buyee or amazon japan or you can use one of the Japanese language only sites that are like ebay.
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Dec 26, 2023 23:47
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Any suggestions for a two night stay in a ryokan max 4 hours drive from Tokyo where one can go on a day hike in the middle of March (not covered in snow still)? I was looking at places in Yamanashi since there are many nice 10km+ day hikes with views of Mt Fuji but wondering if there are any other ideas. Busy Bee fucked around with this message at 08:31 on Dec 27, 2023 |
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Dec 27, 2023 08:27
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I've arrived in Okayama! Yes, many things are closed as it's new years but I wandered around the castle and Korakuen gardens today and enjoyed it very much. The good thing about the new years period is that all the shops have sales so lil bee and I are enjoying just walking around and looking at stuff  Also I have spent an absolute fortune on booking Shinkansen tickets getting from here back to Tokyo holy poo poo 
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Dec 30, 2023 09:12
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Speaking of shinkansen. It's not tourist friendly, but JR East is running a deal since 2022 where you spend 6000 JRE Points and go "somewhere" round trip via shinkansen. Basically you're given four different possible destinations--that you can regenerate as many times as necessary--and will end up going up one of them. All at least 150km from Tokyo, though you don't necessarily need to depart from Tokyo. https://dokokani-eki-net.com/ You can also use points on behalf of other people, and have seats next to them as well. During the snow season they're doing a similar deal that's specific to ski resorts. Considering how much shinkansen tickets normally cost (even when using points) this sounds pretty good if you're flexible about the location. While you can choose the dates and times, the reservation window is only like two or three weeks out. Three days after applying you find out where you're going. That timeframe probably rules out staying at the more famous onsen/ryokan, but there's plenty of them in east Japan. I'm sitting on a mountain of JRE Points because of the View credit card, so will post a trip report later.
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Dec 30, 2023 10:07
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Busy Bee posted:Any suggestions for a two night stay in a ryokan max 4 hours drive from Tokyo where one can go on a day hike in the middle of March (not covered in snow still)? Nikko is always good and never bad. The problem with Mt. Fuji is that if it's cloudy, you won't see it at all.
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Dec 30, 2023 10:11
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peanut posted:The problem with Mt. Fuji is that if it's cloudy, you won't see it at all. I've passed by that fuckin mountain so many times and the only time I've ever seen it is just barely in the distance from the Haneda observation deck.
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Dec 30, 2023 10:16
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I've climbed the drat mountain when it was cloudy and still couldn't see it.
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Dec 30, 2023 14:28
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Went and had the Donki experience this morning as it was raining and it seemed like a good bad weather activity. Lil bee managed to hone in on the Pokemon cards in the toy section and was luckily distracted enough by that not to notice all the vibrators on the shelves behind them 
bee fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Dec 31, 2023 |
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Dec 31, 2023 04:29
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well, you said yourself it's the toy section 
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Dec 31, 2023 12:28
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You're more likely to find sex toys and porn than anime toys and arcades nowadays.
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Dec 31, 2023 19:20
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Sex/porn > guns/killing
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Dec 31, 2023 20:39
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