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ntan1 posted:itym the Tokyo Rinkai Kosoku Tetsudo Rinkai Line i do now! I guess the other thing this makes me want to do is at the end of the trip when I'm kind of out of steam and places to go, just pick a random station on this map, go there, and find some cool food or something around the area. I probably posted this before but last time I went I did a lot of secondhand shopping for fun electronics and things so I basically did a tour of a metric ton of Hard Off stores outside of the touristy parts of Tokyo. Heading out to the boonies and walking 30 minutes to a lonely shop in the middle of nowhere was actually really cool, I saw a ton of neat areas, and I always managed to find an awesome rando restaurant for dinner as the day drew to a close and I was starting to head back in.
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Apr 30, 2024 21:49
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I've been here for a long time but still find Shinjuku station confusing. I think part of it is because the naming of the exits is crap. Tokyo station OTOH is easy, you're either on the Yaesu side or Marunouchi side, and either street level or underground. Done.
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Apr 30, 2024 23:46
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The type of station I hate the most is the kind where you can’t swap platforms once you’re inside the fare gate.
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May 1, 2024 04:28
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Ikebukuro station is easy. It's the connected underground shopping arcades on the east side that are confusing.
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May 1, 2024 06:47
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My wife and I arrived in Fukuoka yesterday, and we had a great time this evening. Just by chance it was a special day so there were parades, stages with dancers and singers, food stalls and more. We had a great time drinking at a little bar but fell victim to a scam as we made friends with someone there who suggested a second location and we ended up paying for everything there and the prices were massively inflated. So, a) be warned and b) is there any thing else we need to be careful of in Japan while a bit drunk?
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May 3, 2024 22:04
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Not really, that's the most common scam in Japan. If you use a taxi make sure the meter is running, though I've never had a taxi in Japan try that one on me.
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May 3, 2024 22:08
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Isn't it golden week? I thought the shinkansen was reserved seating mandatory even. Surprised you made it there without that being a consideration. I too fell for the drinks somewhere else scam years ago. Luckily I caught the casual champagne order before it was poured and bounced before any big charges Def got drugged though because I fell asleep in the hallway of my rental with a half eaten egg sandwich about 20min later. Trying to take my shoes off was too much it seems. Sorry that happened to you but hopefully it wasn't too costly!
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May 3, 2024 23:10
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drink chuhais on the sidewalk for safety
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May 3, 2024 23:14
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Is smoking indoors still as prevalent as it was 5+ years ago? It was nice last time when I was a still a smoker but now I am not and that isn't something I'm looking forward to. Curious if social attitudes have shifted. It was bizarre to me that smoking outdoors seemed less common than smoking indoors even
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May 3, 2024 23:21
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root of all eval posted:Is smoking indoors still as prevalent as it was 5+ years ago? It was nice last time when I was a still a smoker but now I am not and that isn't something I'm looking forward to. Curious if social attitudes have shifted. No, it’s not. New regulations were introduced recently to restrict it. Some places still allow it, but they will mostly have explicit ‘smoking okay’ signs posted somewhere. The default is non-smoking. That’s how it is in Tokyo at least.
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May 3, 2024 23:28
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The Aguamoose posted:My wife and I arrived in Fukuoka yesterday, and we had a great time this evening. Just by chance it was a special day so there were parades, stages with dancers and singers, food stalls and more. Sorry to hear that  I've heard of that in Japan, but always thought it was more a Tokyo/Osaka thing. If it's any consolation, it happens all over Asia.Other than that just take normal precautions re: crossing streets, not falling into the train tracks, etc. Also, definitely don't drive if you've had any booze.
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May 4, 2024 00:24
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root of all eval posted:Is smoking indoors still as prevalent as it was 5+ years ago? It was nice last time when I was a still a smoker but now I am not and that isn't something I'm looking forward to. Curious if social attitudes have shifted. There's still a lot more smoking than you're used to in the US or something but much much less than there used to be. It is possible to go out for dinner and drinks and not reek afterward, praise be.
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May 4, 2024 00:49
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The Aguamoose posted:We had a great time drinking at a little bar but fell victim to a scam as we made friends with someone there who suggested a second location and we ended up paying for everything there and the prices were massively inflated. So, a) be warned and b) is there any thing else we need to be careful of in Japan while a bit drunk? I've never heard of this happening to a couple. How inflated are we talking here?
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May 4, 2024 03:01
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zmcnulty posted:I've never heard of this happening to a couple. How inflated are we talking here? It generally happens to singletons more frequently but bold scammers will target groups if everyone seems like they're pleasantly buzzed. If they notice there's one person at the table drinking only tea or water they move on pretty quick.
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May 4, 2024 03:34
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We had to pay about 40,000 Yen. Now that the surprise has worn off it's obvious it could have been a lot worse and it hasn't taken the shine off our first couple of days at all.
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May 4, 2024 06:19
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The Aguamoose posted:We had to pay about 40,000 Yen. Now that the surprise has worn off it's obvious it could have been a lot worse and it hasn't taken the shine off our first couple of days at all. It could’ve been worse, the yen could be stronger 
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May 4, 2024 09:15
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The BoJ helping to mitigate the damage done to scammed tourists by devaluing the poor yen
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May 4, 2024 11:55
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peanut posted:drink chuhais on the sidewalk for safety Honestly if an English speaker in Japan recommends a good place to drink and it's not a park with a convenience store nearby you are getting scammed.
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May 4, 2024 13:30
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Not blaming the original poster since in that specific case I could potentially see myself getting scammed (one of the very few times I’ve seen such a scam and thought "yeah that could have definitely, easily hit me"), but in general I’m surprised those scams still work on the street. Like even if someone recommends a place I’m going to google it and see if the photos look good and the Google maps rating is above 4.0. But yeah if I was with my partner and already in a bar that we chose ourselves, and someone started chatting with us and suggested a place while barhopping, it is like 80% chance I would "fall" for that. OTOH in Switzerland the two times I’ve had friends who were chatted up by strangers on the street before being invited to a restaurant, both times the stranger ended up paying for their entire meals (both were travelling as couples). In Fukoka especially I would have thought that outcome far more likely than the typical Roppongi style scam. Anyway OP make sure to leave one star reviews everywhere you can for that bar.
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May 4, 2024 14:16
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Confirmed, make friends with jolly yakuza looking guys and they'll pay for everything
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May 4, 2024 14:25
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We've been lucky enough to be travelling since August, Mexico and South America before Christmas, India and South East Asia since then. We only flew into Fukuoka 2 days ago from Hanoi (so didn't have any shinkansen golden week issues as someone mentioned). The funny thing is we managed to avoid any problems everywhere else we've been, aside from what was probably an inept attempt to grab a phone in Chile. Because Japan's got a very safe reputation we probably just let our guard down a bit when we got here. If before our trip started someone told us the worst thing that would happen would be spending far too much on a fun night out then we would have been very happy with that. We did experience some cool Fukuoka hospitality earlier in the evening. The owner at one of the bars we went to had had one of the important roles in the previous year's parade and gave us both a special decorated and perfumed fan which commemorated the occasion.
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May 4, 2024 16:06
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Speaking of Fukuoka, I picked up a bottle of Hakata whiskey the other night as a treat to myself. Honestly, not as good as I was hoping (usually I really like sherry cask matured stuff, but this one is both a bit too sweet and a bit too smokey), but I didn't even know there was whiskey production going on at all in Kyushu.Saladman posted:see if the photos look good and the Google maps rating is above 4.0. I think it was mentioned in this thread a month or two ago (and may be more a tabelog thing than Google), but Japan doesn't necessarily have the same score inflation the West does. Eg a 3 out of 5 star place on tabelog is quite good, whereas in the US anything less than 4 is gonna be garbo-tier. The Aguamoose posted:We've been lucky enough to be travelling since August, Mexico and South America before Christmas, India and South East Asia since then. That is pretty wild, because in my experience attempted scams/overcharging seem to be almost a daily occurance travelling SEA.
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May 4, 2024 16:34
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Ethics_Gradient posted:I think it was mentioned in this thread a month or two ago (and may be more a tabelog thing than Google), but Japan doesn't necessarily have the same score inflation the West does. I checked a few places and looks like Tablelog was consistently around 0.5 to 1.0* lower than Google Maps. Like I went to Ramen Daisensou which was a perfectly serviceable but not good ramen place, and it's 4.0 on Google vs. 3.2 on Tablelog. I checked a handful of other places too, but I didn't like... write an API to check it at scale. But yeah you're probably right, maybe 3.5* on Google Maps should be the floor of "absolute garbage warning, do not go here under any circumstance" in Japan, instead of 4.0 like it is in Europe and North America. The Aguamoose posted:If before our trip started someone told us the worst thing that would happen would be spending far too much on a fun night out then we would have been very happy with that. Yeah that was a really subtle scam, and honestly if you never do stuff like that, then you probably would have missed out on a lot of good experiences, if you look back at every time you've ever talked to a stranger in your entire life. I have had a lot of good times meeting strangers and following them places, and so far have never been murdered or scammed anything worse than being charged double/triple/quadruple by taxis and souvenir sellers. Fukuoka while travelling with your partner seems like one of those places where having your guard up to the extent that you never talk to anyone has more likelihood of downsides than going with the flow. YMMV, but based on your travel experience and tone I guess that's also your approach to life. Please do name and shame the bar though, they are in on the scam. I guess don't necessarily post it here since it semi-doxxes you if your google maps review name is even remotely unique, but do make a review about it so that other people can be more likely to avoid it. Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:41 on May 4, 2024 |
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May 4, 2024 18:37
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Ethics_Gradient posted:Speaking of Fukuoka, I picked up a bottle of Hakata whiskey the other night as a treat to myself. Honestly, not as good as I was hoping (usually I really like sherry cask matured stuff, but this one is both a bit too sweet and a bit too smokey), but I didn't even know there was whiskey production going on at all in Kyushu. That's because it's aged shochu.
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May 4, 2024 19:34
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The thing with google maps in Japan is it has 4+ stars and you skim through the reviews and they're in Japanese then it'll actually be good. If it's 4+ stars and mainly reviews in English then it's likey the place will actually be poo poo.
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May 4, 2024 23:20
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Just got back from Japan! I had a marvelously wonderful time, but I think the biggest lesson in pain I learned was taking the reservation system seriously or coming super early if you need to buy day-of tickets, otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for heartbreak - especially during a busy holiday like Golden Week. I'm already thinking of doing another trip to Japan next year, but considering Osaka or Kyoto instead. What about Fukuoka or other cities? Is it possible to make a day trip to a specific location like Jigokudani or Cat Island and back or do you need to plan on getting a hotel at these kinds of locations? Also, if I wanted to try out staying at a ryokan, what should I look for? What about choosing a location for the ryokan? Should you stay one night or multiple? I really loved trying out a sento public bathhouse during my trip too, so of course I’d love to try a genuine onsen as well on my next trip. 
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May 5, 2024 12:12
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Teriyaki Koinku posted:
If you didn't do any traveling in Kansai this trip, then they're is plenty of stuff to see in Kyoto and Osaka plus you have easy access to Kobe and Nara staying in either city. Honestly for planning day trips the best idea is to use Google maps or something to plan out the route you'd need to take and decide if that is something you'd actually be willing to do twice in a single day. Jigokundani is over 5 hours travel from Kyoto so you would need a hotel, for example.
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May 5, 2024 12:45
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Teriyaki Koinku posted:I'm already thinking of doing another trip to Japan next year, but considering Osaka or Kyoto instead. What about Fukuoka or other cities? Is it possible to make a day trip to a specific location like Jigokudani or Cat Island and back or do you need to plan on getting a hotel at these kinds of locations? Jigokudani as in the Nagano snow monkey park? Day tripping from Tokyo is possible, though you'd be better off staying at a hotel near Ueno or Tokyo Station to make things a bit easier since you'll probably have an early start. https://www.snowmonkeyresorts.com/smr/snowmonkeypark/how-to-get-to-the-jigokudani-monkey-park/ For the Cat Island, presuming you mean Tashirojima in Miyagi Prefecture, then day tripping from Tokyo wouldn't be a good idea. If you base yourself in Sendai for a couple of days, then a day trip from there should be reasonably comfortable. Note that daytripping from Tokyo is technically possible, but would be super rushed. Teriyaki Koinku posted:Just got back from Japan! I had a marvelously wonderful time, but I think the biggest lesson in pain I learned was taking the reservation system seriously or coming super early if you need to buy day-of tickets, otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for heartbreak - especially during a busy holiday like Golden Week. It's worth looking things up at least. Of course some attractions are just super popular, but others are just small and so have quite limited availability.
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May 5, 2024 15:55
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Teriyaki Koinku posted:Also, if I wanted to try out staying at a ryokan, what should I look for? What about choosing a location for the ryokan? Should you stay one night or multiple? I really loved trying out a sento public bathhouse during my trip too, so of course I’d love to try a genuine onsen as well on my next trip. Do two nights at an onsen ryokan. It's okay to make it a destination in itself. For example, if you're visiting two major cities, find an onsen town between them to take a break from the big city life.
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May 5, 2024 17:41
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the only times you really need a reservation for shinkansen is on new years, obon, and golden week
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May 5, 2024 19:06
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Teriyaki Koinku posted:Just got back from Japan! I had a marvelously wonderful time, but I think the biggest lesson in pain I learned was taking the reservation system seriously or coming super early if you need to buy day-of tickets, otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for heartbreak - especially during a busy holiday like Golden Week. Golden Week is the exception, not the norm. Like the other person said, outside of those peak travel periods you will have no problems reserving trains a day before or even day of.
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May 5, 2024 23:49
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DiscoJ posted:It's worth looking things up at least.
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May 6, 2024 00:23
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Trip is getting closer so getting excited. Thinking of looking into potential museums in the Tokyo area, are there any cool ones you might recommend? Maybe something like..that feels must see to you all? Also debating visiting the Imperial Palace unless there is a cooler castle nearby we could visit? Or even one we could do a lil day trip to from Kamata.
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May 6, 2024 03:41
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nielsm posted:Do two nights at an onsen ryokan. It's okay to make it a destination in itself. For example, if you're visiting two major cities, find an onsen town between them to take a break from the big city life. Any recommendations between kansai and kanto?
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May 6, 2024 04:04
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no, there's nothing, i'm sorry
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May 6, 2024 13:18
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Good Listener posted:Trip is getting closer so getting excited. Thinking of looking into potential museums in the Tokyo area, are there any cool ones you might recommend? Maybe something like..that feels must see to you all? Depends what you like. PlanetLabs is pretty unique and generally interesting to a lot of people. The imperial palace is famously not very interesting or fun to visit - and most visits just go to the grounds, not the palace itself. Only one of us last year went because the rest of us briefly read about it and it looked lame - and the one guy who did go confirmed that it was a miserable and super hot tour. I think the rest of went to a climbing gym or something. ymmv, if you worship the emperor as the descendant of the sun goddess maybe it is a good pilgrimage spot. For a normal tourist, there are better gardens to see with your time. VVV Yeah, Osaka Castle is also absolute garbage from the inside. It looks pretty cool from the outside though! Saladman fucked around with this message at 15:01 on May 6, 2024 |
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May 6, 2024 13:33
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That brings back vivid memories of going to Osaka Castle and having the least amount of fun one can have on a trip abroad. It was basically the box factory from the Simpsons.
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May 6, 2024 14:46
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We went to Japan for the first time in the fall and due to good timing, we're thinking about going back already in probably end of June, early July. We did 12 days including flying days and did Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, and Osaka. Based on an initial Reddit search it doesn't seem like there's an overwhelmingly common second trip itinerary, but I thought it's worth asking here. I see Hokkaido or Kyushu as the most common. We'd probably only go for like 8 days this time. Is June/July just absolutely miserable though?
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May 6, 2024 15:51
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Mostly I just thought it might be cool to see a castle. Maybe there are cooler ones we could train ride a few hours out of Tokyo and see perhaps. That's a shame to hear the palace is p boring though. Also I decided last night I'm going to stop looking ahead of time for places to get food. There are just TOO many choices it'll be easier to just wander upon stuff while we're there and maybe find something good.
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May 6, 2024 17:49
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Good Listener posted:Mostly I just thought it might be cool to see a castle. Maybe there are cooler ones we could train ride a few hours out of Tokyo and see perhaps. That's a shame to hear the palace is p boring though. The closest castles from Tokyo are in Odawara and Atami I think (could be wrong though). The Atami castle is on top of hill with nice views of the city and there’s a sex museum on the grounds. It’s not authentic as such, but is interesting at least. There are also fireworks in the town pretty much every month except January and June, and the town is known for its onsen resorts, so if your trip coincides, an overnight stay isn’t a bad idea. Odawara castle has some actual history to it (though it is a rebuild) and apparently there are ninja/samurai museums on the grounds too now. Odawara and Atami are not so far apart, so you could feasibly fit both into a day trip.
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May 6, 2024 18:01
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