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Hi fellow weebs, I'm going to Japan for two weeks, during the first half of April. Mostly going to stay in Tokyo area, but I've booked a weekend at a ryokan in Hakodate to eat food. However I'm unsure about travel up there. As far as I can tell, there is the JR East + South Hokkaido rail pass, which should cover the entire trip, but I haven't been able to find a local agent selling that pass. One of my friends insists that the regular JR East rail pass should also cover the entire route, and that one is for sale locally. However it also seems that they've started selling rail passes in Japan without any pre-order requirement, is that a permanent change? I'd like to plan this part ahead so I'm not suddenly stuck having to buy expensive tickets (for train or plane) after arriving.
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Feb 13, 2018 16:02
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 06:41 |
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JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass is a thing that exists, and what I've been eyeing. Advertised as 27k when purchased after arriving in Japan, should cover the entire route, but half my question was just whether it was necessary. Busy Bee confirms that yes, the regular JR East rail pass does not cover past Shin-Aomori, so yes something else is necessary  The other half of my question is, can I be sure I can purchase it after arriving in Japan? It seems to be a new thing they're selling the rail passes over the counter, and I think I read somewhere this would end on March 31st 2018, but can't find that source again. (And yes I would also use the pass for other trips.)
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Feb 13, 2018 16:35
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ntan1 posted:If you are a foreign traveler, JAL and ANA offer versions of programs that make it a max of 10,800 yen per one-way flight within Japan. Do tell more. Apart from that, I generally dislike the theatrics of airports, and if the cost is about the same I'll prefer a train ride even if it's 2 hours more (on paper). The air fares I've been able to find so far would wind up about the same as a rail pass (25k-30k), and the rail pass would be useful for more than just a single trip. But if I can get a return flight for 22k yen, I'll at least consider it. I also only just realized that there is an "actually really all of Japan" rail pass, in addition to the various regional passes. And it's not that much more expensive than the JR East + South Hokkaido one. Thank you for making this very confusing, JR.
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Feb 13, 2018 22:46
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I booked hotels for my early-April trip at the end of January, and it was getting difficult to find rooms then.
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Mar 8, 2018 19:18
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I've arrived in Japan and now writing from my hotel room in Ikebukuro. Stupid tired from flight (not used to intercontinental at all), but have managed to get all the basic stuff in place with Suica, data-SIM. Need to get a hang of the coins, and holy poo poo you get a lot of them, feels bad to stand in the konbini trying to pluck out the right ones so you don't just get even more change. Weather is fine, comparable to late summer in Denmark, glad I'm not here during July-August.
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Mar 30, 2018 10:27
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I ate at Mos Burger. I don't feel any particular need to eat there again.
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Apr 2, 2018 09:35
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I have arrived at my ryokan in Hakodate. I'm okay with this being expensive, it's definitely an experience. Greeted by five attendants who naturally take care of all the luggage. Shown around to dining room, onsen, etc. Huge room with view of the sea. It doesn't matter the least that it's cold, sleet weather, I could sit here for hours just listening to the waves rolling.
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Apr 6, 2018 08:00
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Holy gently caress onsen water is hot. I'm not used to being sous-vide cooked, especially not of own volition.
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Apr 6, 2018 12:01
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Aredna posted:If you're staying in an AirBnB you should make sure it's ok. Laws are changing in mid-June and lots of places are gonna have trouble staying open for service. Is it this? https://resources.realestate.co.jp/news/japanese-govt-releases-details-law-airbnb-style-rentals/ As far as I understand from that article, what the hosts are doing is already illegal, and the new laws actually just provides a method for the business to become legal. But I suppose that will involve taxation and some management fees?
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May 29, 2018 09:08
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You can get decent prepaid data SIMs over the counter from Bic Camera stores all over.
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Jun 18, 2018 09:47
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Last time, I booked via Agoda.com, didn't have any particular problems with them. (I made a mistake with the booking dates, and they didn't let me change the booking, only cancel and make a new, and I ended up with a worse room, but I think that might be on the hotel not accepting changes to bookings?)
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Jun 24, 2018 08:27
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Richard M Nixon posted:When shopping for hotels, my biggest question was wtf was with all the rooms with three beds. Single-child families?
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Jun 25, 2018 07:45
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I paid 90k for a weekend stay (solo) at Wakamatsu ryokan up in Hakodate. Room with ocean view, when everything in the room was silent there was nothing but the sound of the waves against the beach, very soothing. The price included dinner, every evening a full seven course menu with lots of local specialties. I won't do it again solo, but I will definitely recommend anyone experience this.
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Jul 7, 2018 15:46
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Cbear posted:16- Arrive to airport at 7pm, Tokyo Remember to plan for 1-2 hours in the airport getting through customs and other entry procedures. Also if arriving in Narita, it's an hour from Tokyo proper even by express train. If you arrive in the evening, don't expect to do much more than check in at hotel and crash afterwards.
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Jul 30, 2018 15:13
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You must visit all the meido cafes. On a different subject, any tips/gotchas for driving in Japan? I'm going again in two weeks, got myself an international driving permit this time, and I want to rentacar a day or two and drive into the country side. Any unusual road rules, coming from Europe? Any rental companies to prefer or avoid?
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Aug 1, 2018 10:08
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There's storage lockers on most railway stations, but I'd start by contacting whatever place your staying and ask them if they can help with storage. (I assume you mean storing your snowboarding equipment while not using it. Otherwise the answer is "don't bring stuff you don't need.")
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Aug 17, 2018 00:05
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punk rebel ecks posted:Cool. Is there a lot of good arcades and old game shops there? There's a ton of arcades in Akihabara, and if you look in the shadier-looking buildings on the small side streets you can also find smaller places with older and more unusual machines. The "Trader" store in Akibahara also has a floor dedicated to old video game consoles and games for them, and you can almost definitely find more similar shops if you look around. Nakano Broadway (2nd floor up) is heavily defined by the Mandarake stores, which are all specialized in various retro or otherwise second-hand nerd merchandise. There's also non-Mandarake stores selling other kinds of interesting, old things. Also make sure to explore the small streets around the Broadway building, not because you'll find nerd stores, but for the huge number of varied food places and bars.
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Sep 7, 2018 23:00
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There's really no excuse not to get a data SIM. Every BIC Camera has a large selection (and they're everywhere), and heck you can even pull one from a vending machine in the Akihabara metro station. Of course if you're going somewhere that doesn't have cell coverage, then you might be slightly hosed, and I'd suggest also carrying a printed map and a simple magnetic compass in that case, since you're obviously far away from civilization.
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Oct 14, 2018 16:21
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totalnewbie posted:This talk about renting a car made me curious about rules for an international license and multiple entries/stays in Japan, so here are the rules: That's really loving weird. One thing that above memo doesn't cover (I think) is, what if my IDP was issued before visit 1 to Japan, but I never used the IDP during that stay. Then 3+ months after leaving Japan, I re-enter for visit 2, which is still within the issued validity of my IDP. Is it valid then? Nobody ever saw the IDP during the first visit.
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Nov 12, 2018 18:50
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caberham posted:Or rent hotpot from them. Wifi-nabe kudasai!
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Jan 17, 2019 14:41
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Pollyanna posted:Do I need to buy Shinkansen tickets in advance? Like, before we leave the country? No. You can get a regular ticket (at least for unnumbered seats) at the gate just before departure. If you want a reserved seat, possibly with a railpass, you may need to be out the day before.
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Mar 26, 2019 22:57
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Instead of going to the Ghibli museum just visit the bird cafe across the street.
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Apr 4, 2019 15:45
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I didn't see much rain last year's August.
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May 12, 2019 07:33
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mikeycp posted:imo if you're on a trans-pacific flight and don't watch at least 5 movies what the gently caress are you doing They only had one or two anime movies last time.
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May 12, 2019 08:31
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As long as you try it before claiming you don't like it. If you refuse to set foot in a ramen or gyuudon shack and just head straight for McD you're being closed-minded. Drop the ¥500 on a basic serving and then make up your mind whether you like it or not.
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Jun 6, 2019 20:15
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The Great Autismo! posted:though I am curious where you live that you meet a lot of people who are proud that they hate a certain type of food, I can't think of a single person I've ever met in the United States that I would say is proud that they hate a certain type of food lol I've met one person who was completely serious about disliking anything besides McNuggets. Possibly he was also okay with pancakes.
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Jun 6, 2019 20:48
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I'd remove the storage from it and bring those along in carry-on, then carefully pack the rest in one piece.
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Jun 26, 2019 10:09
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Those I've had did not taste mealy at all, they've all been good. Also the main fill is generally not ice cream but sweetened whipped cream. I've had good Harajuku crepes and good kakigoori, both are delicious.
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Jul 2, 2019 10:25
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When doing Airbnb should you bring omiyage?
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Aug 1, 2019 16:26
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Nanigans posted:This is awesome news, thanks both of you for the heads up. My wife is the only one planning to make calls, so she'll grab the plan for the month and otherwise we'll communicate through Whatsapp. Are you expecting Wifi coverage everywhere, or to use connection sharing via your wife's phone?
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Aug 18, 2019 23:35
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So you have to mine ChatCoins to win the right to send a message?
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Aug 19, 2019 10:08
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Your phone charger probably only needs a simple plug adapter, they're mostly universal switching power supplies and take any standard mains voltage across the world. Or you can just buy a new charger wallwart when you arrive. Things with heating elements are different and generally need both voltage and frequency matched, you would need a full transformer for that. Japan is 120 volt mains (UK is 230 volt), and half the country runs at 50 Hz (like Europe) and the other half runs at 60 Hz (like USA), so depending on where you are staying your transformer would also need to convert the frequency.
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Sep 8, 2019 22:47
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Grand Fromage posted:Nothing a mainland tourist likes more than going to another country, eating only at Chinese restaurants, and complaining that the food is bad. I'm going to visit all stores of the Japanese bakery chain Andersen and eat their Danish pastries, and complain they are nothing like the pastries made in bakeries in Denmark.
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Sep 12, 2019 08:29
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I guess the capacity is lower if the walking lane isn't filled all the time? Also walking on escalators is somewhat dangerous.
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Sep 27, 2019 15:17
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I doubt I'm either of those, but I'm sitting in a little room in Tokyo now, arrived this morning.
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Oct 28, 2019 08:56
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Sitting in a futon at 4am and can't sleep despite being massively tired?? loving jetlag.
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Oct 28, 2019 20:19
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Archer666 posted:Sitting in a train to Akiba, considering my options for the day. As well as prematurely regretting my immenent spending decisions. Oh hi, I'm also on a train to Akiba.
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Oct 29, 2019 03:07
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Somewhat crowded around Hachiko/the scramble right now, it'll probably get much worse.
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Oct 31, 2019 08:20
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Stringent posted:If you enjoy tonight you can relive it every day at rush hour on the Chuo line. Little Tokyo pro tip there. There's cosplayers on the morning chuo trains?
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Oct 31, 2019 08:55
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 06:41 |
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Hm having some trouble getting back to Shibuya St atm
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Oct 31, 2019 13:01
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