• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Japan Travel |OT| One does simply not visit just once

W

Worthintendo

Member
Should not look at the AirAsia website during sale periods.

I could fly to Tokyo next October for $431 (Australian) and around the same to fly out of Osaka.

:|

I should not be thinking about this, I should be thinking about buying a house next year :/

But I really want to go back, I miss it soo much :(
 
D

dani_dc

Member
So I was hoping to start doing some hiking more regularly (assuming weather allows), any recommendations for places to go around Saitama area (or within an hour travel)?

Already did Takao.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Divvy said:
Any particular reason?
Click to expand...

A lot of hotels in Japan doesn't put up rooms that far in advance.

Example with random search on Kayak.

A March search gives 560 hotels with free rooms:
http://www.kayak.com/hotels/Tokyo,Japan-c21033/2016-03-01/2016-03-02

And September gives 260:
http://www.kayak.com/hotels/Tokyo,Japan-c21033/2016-09-01/2016-09-02


It's only during sakura season you should try to book as early as possible, since that's the period that seems to sell out quickly.
 
W

Worthintendo

Member
MikeHattsu said:
Don't. Wait till around March next year (if you're talking about hotels and such).




Do it!
Click to expand...
Well I've budgeted it up, for what I want, 3 weeks in Japan, including hotels, spending money, flights and rail pass, I'm looking at around 5 to 6 grand (Australian) its doable, but other priorities >.<

Need to make up my mind quick, I do want to be going for October again, had fun being there for Halloween.
 
D

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
MikeHattsu said:
A lot of hotels in Japan doesn't put up rooms that far in advance.

Example with random search on Kayak.

A March search gives 560 hotels with free rooms:
http://www.kayak.com/hotels/Tokyo,Japan-c21033/2016-03-01/2016-03-02

And September gives 260:
http://www.kayak.com/hotels/Tokyo,Japan-c21033/2016-09-01/2016-09-02


It's only during sakura season you should try to book as early as possible, since that's the period that seems to sell out quickly.
Click to expand...

Ah thanks, anything else important we should book in advance? We'd like to go to some nice restaurants, I'm not sure what the reservation situation is like in Tokyo.
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
Divvy said:
Ah thanks, anything else important we should book in advance? We'd like to go to some nice restaurants, I'm not sure what the reservation situation is like in Tokyo.
Click to expand...

If you mean something like Michelin-star restaurants then it's mostly by phone. Either get your hotel to help you book stuff or if you can speak Japanese I guess you can call them. Guess most of them won't take reservations more than 1-2 months in advance.
 
M

Mattlikewhoa

Member
Any international drivers here? I've put in my request for a international license, so that I can do a bit of driving while I'm there.

So then, driving in Japan... Will I want to pull my hair out? Any recommended sites I can visit to brush up on their traffic laws?
 
K

KillGore

Member
Been here for three days now. Loving it but it's been very cloudy during these days. Currently in a tour on mt fuji and you can't see it lol fuck

I also see kyoto, osaka and hiroshima are cloudy (weather site ). Any reason for this? Is this normal? Does it happen frequently?

Still haven't seen the sun in the land of the rising sun
 
S

Splash Wave

Member
My girlfriend and I running out of time in Tokyo and we've seen neither Kyoto nor Osaka, so we're kinda scrambling to see both before we're out of time (and the weather looks to be pretty nice this weekend).

It's extremely difficult to find affordable lodging in Kyoto right now, so we were thinking of getting a place in Osaka and just making a day trip Kyoto. I know that isn't even close to enough time to see everything, but I'd rather see a little of each city than nothing at all. Does this sound like a viable plan?
 
S

sfedai0

Banned
Jimmy Stav said:
My girlfriend and I running out of time in Tokyo and we've seen neither Kyoto nor Osaka, so we're kinda scrambling to see both before we're out of time (and the weather looks to be pretty nice this weekend).

It's extremely difficult to find affordable lodging in Kyoto right now, so we were thinking of getting a place in Osaka and just making a day trip Kyoto. I know that isn't even close to enough time to see everything, but I'd rather see a little of each city than nothing at all. Does this sound like a viable plan?
Click to expand...

I mean its doable for sure, since its like a 30-45min ride from each city but Kyoto has so many things that you're going to be limited as to what you would want to do.
 
Z

Zatoth

Member
Zatoth said:
Need some recommendations for day trips from Tokyo in December. I'll probably have a JR pass. So using the pass to make the trip is a big plus. Onsens are always welcome.

Have been to Hakone and Nikko. Unless there is something special during winter to experience there I don't plan to go there again.

One plan is to go to Kamakura. Is Kamakura + Enoshima Spa doable on one day?
Click to expand...

Quoting myself here. Still looking for some recommended day trip from Tokyo.
 
S

Stuart444

Member
Jimmy Stav said:
My girlfriend and I running out of time in Tokyo and we've seen neither Kyoto nor Osaka, so we're kinda scrambling to see both before we're out of time (and the weather looks to be pretty nice this weekend).

It's extremely difficult to find affordable lodging in Kyoto right now, so we were thinking of getting a place in Osaka and just making a day trip Kyoto. I know that isn't even close to enough time to see everything, but I'd rather see a little of each city than nothing at all. Does this sound like a viable plan?
Click to expand...

That sounds fine. If you only have time for one day trip, you won't see everything but from what I can see, it's less than an hour to Kyoto from Osaka which is fine. (I mentioned it before but I travel an hour and a half to get to the city from here so I don't see 45 minutes as anything big)

But since you said you're scrambling about, don't expect to see everything haha.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
What are our options if we want to watch broadcast TV without having a TV? I know there are 1seg tuners we could buy in Japan, but they're way too expensive for something we'd only be using for a week at most. There's something like this, but bf thinks we need might something more than just the tuner.

(I really just want to watch the Kouhaku and maybe some other year-end shows live)
 
J

JEKKI

Member
ahhhhh nobody answered my last question lol, but now I have another!

another question!

question:

if you had to choose, what would you:

1 day Osaka, 2 days Kyoto.

or 2 days Osaka, 1 day Kyoto.

note one thing, between the two cities I will be visiting Itsukushima shrine so there will be one light lodged somewhere between visiting both cities,

but also I know both places are like 30 min away by train so it may not be too much as issue if I want to explore both cities.

still, for the sake of convenience, if you had to choose one option, what would it be?
 
R

Resilient

Member
JEKKI said:
ahhhhh nobody answered my last question lol, but now I have another!

another question!

question:

if you had to choose, what would you:

1 day Osaka, 2 days Kyoto.

or 2 days Osaka, 1 day Kyoto.

note one thing, between the two cities I will be visiting Itsukushima shrine so there will be one light lodged somewhere between visiting both cities,

but also I know both places are like 30 min away by train so it may not be too much as issue if I want to explore both cities.

still, for the sake of convenience, if you had to choose one option, what would it be?
Click to expand...

2 days Osaka, 1 Kyoto. But, depends what you want to do. If you want to see a bit more history, then do 2 days Kyoto. But, if you want to shop more/party/see the night, do 2 days Osaka.
 
S

stryke

Member
What's late March like weather wise? That's when I've got annual leave and thinking of going to Japan again but looking online, it looks pretty cold.
 
J

JEKKI

Member
Resilient said:
2 days Osaka, 1 Kyoto. But, depends what you want to do. If you want to see a bit more history, then do 2 days Kyoto. But, if you want to shop more/party/see the night, do 2 days Osaka.
Click to expand...
I'm going with my mom so I'm leaning more towards the touristy side of things,

thing is I have no idea what touristy stuff there is to do in Osaka, and the one time I went to Kyoto I was there only for a night and felt like I saw enough.

like you do Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, then what else??

wonder if I should jus do one night in each then have an extra day in Tokyo...

-EDIT-

actually this Kinkaju-Ji temple looks cool, I'll add it to the destination list lol.
 
Z

Zatoth

Member
JEKKI said:
ahhhhh nobody answered my last question lol, but now I have another!

another question!

question:

if you had to choose, what would you:

1 day Osaka, 2 days Kyoto.

or 2 days Osaka, 1 day Kyoto.

note one thing, between the two cities I will be visiting Itsukushima shrine so there will be one light lodged somewhere between visiting both cities,

but also I know both places are like 30 min away by train so it may not be too much as issue if I want to explore both cities.

still, for the sake of convenience, if you had to choose one option, what would it be?
Click to expand...

What about 1 day Osaka, 1 day Kyoto and 1 day Nara?
 
A

AllenShrz

Member
JEKKI said:
ahhhhh nobody answered my last question lol, but now I have another!

another question!

question:

if you had to choose, what would you:

1 day Osaka, 2 days Kyoto.

or 2 days Osaka, 1 day Kyoto.

note one thing, between the two cities I will be visiting Itsukushima shrine so there will be one light lodged somewhere between visiting both cities,

but also I know both places are like 30 min away by train so it may not be too much as issue if I want to explore both cities.

still, for the sake of convenience, if you had to choose one option, what would it be?
Click to expand...

2 Kyoto, 1 Osaka.

Still you are rushing it.
 
J

JEKKI

Member
Zatoth said:
What about 1 day Osaka, 1 day Kyoto and 1 day Nara?
Click to expand...
ahhh what is Nara?!?! *googles*

AllenShrz said:
2 Kyoto, 1 Osaka.

Still you are rushing it.
Click to expand...
probably am, but again the trip is not for me, it's for my mother. She'll be happy no matter what, but she'll also get tired easier so not sure running around crazy will do her any good.

I'm going to see a few concerts, one in Shibuya, another in Osaka,

so after that it's just chillax and show my mom things that I've already seen
 
M

MikeHattsu

Member
stryke said:
What's late March like weather wise? That's when I've got annual leave and thinking of going to Japan again but looking online, it looks pretty cold.
Click to expand...

Depends on where you're living. Seems decent to me ;P



Laevateinn said:
We went to the Penguin Bar. It was fine but kind of expensive (are all bars? I don't drink). The penguins were molting so they looked gross and were just laying around. They didn't even regale us with bad rakugo.

Penguin Bar, Nakano etc

Robot Restaurant
Click to expand...

I see you got one of those photos featured on Kotaku then:
http://kotaku.com/robot-restaurant-tokyo-japan-by-laevateinn-jpgs-is-1745430237
 
T

ThatCrazyGuy

Member
Speaking of weather. I'll be there in December. I am just bringing a thick hoodie and fleece base layers. Seems fine for the average temps i see for that part of the year?
 
H

hwalker84

Member
Resilient said:
2 days Osaka, 1 Kyoto. But, depends what you want to do. If you want to see a bit more history, then do 2 days Kyoto. But, if you want to shop more/party/see the night, do 2 days Osaka.
Click to expand...

That would be my choice but since he's going with his mom i'd say 2 days Kyoto 1 Osaka.
 
O

Osahi

Member
I'll be in Tokyo for work in two weeks. I was wondering how easy it is to get yens from ATM's and such, or is it better to bring some with me? And are credit cards easily accepted?

Problem is I don't know how much is payed by the hosting company, and how much I'll have to fork out myself. (I get a fixed budget a day from work, which won't cover the costs I supose-
 
R

RapidCancel

Member
Osahi said:
I'll be in Tokyo for work in two weeks. I was wondering how easy it is to get yens from ATM's and such, or is it better to bring some with me? And are credit cards easily accepted?

Problem is I don't know how much is payed by the hosting company, and how much I'll have to fork out myself. (I get a fixed budget a day from work, which won't cover the costs I supose-
Click to expand...

Japan is largely a cash society. You can bring some money with you and exchange it at the airport, they have some pretty good rates there.

I've never pulled money from an ATM there, so someone else will have to chime in on that.
 
Z

Zatoth

Member
RapidCancel said:
Nara is awesome, go if you have the chance. I got so caught up playing with the deer that I lost my phone there one year.
Click to expand...

I enjoyed Nara more than Kyoto. But I am not the biggest fan of temples and shrines. And from what I can remember you have to pay for a most of them in Kyoto to see them.

Osahi said:
I'll be in Tokyo for work in two weeks. I was wondering how easy it is to get yens from ATM's and such, or is it better to bring some with me? And are credit cards easily accepted?

Problem is I don't know how much is payed by the hosting company, and how much I'll have to fork out myself. (I get a fixed budget a day from work, which won't cover the costs I supose-
Click to expand...

Maestro and Mastercard may cause problems at ATMs. Visa should work fine. No idea about other cards.

Paying with Mastercard is also no problem. Only getting money from ATMs is.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2208.html for more information
 
O

Osahi

Member
Thanks. I have a mastercard, but if I would pull money I would use my Maestro (in 7-Eleven). I allready cleared it with the bank, so my card isn't blocked anymore for Asia (which is standard)

I'll bring cash and change it in the airport. My bank has pretty shitty exchange rates.
 
U

u_neek

Junior Member
So Japan-GAF, I am planning a six week visit from late February to mid April.

All I've decided at the moment is that I will spend the first two weeks or so in and around Okinawa and then travel to Kagoshima or Fukuoka and slowly make my way towards Tokyo by train.

What are some absolute must-sees and places to visit and stay? I visited Kyoto, Hakone and Tokyo on a previous trip so these are not top priority. Any suggestions are welcome and I'd love to experience some lesser known and more rural areas.
 
Z

Zatoth

Member
u_neek said:
So Japan-GAF, I am planning a six week visit from late February to mid April.

All I've decided at the moment is that I will spend the first two weeks or so in and around Okinawa and then travel to Kagoshima or Fukuoka and slowly make my way towards Tokyo by train.

What are some absolute must-sees and places to visit and stay? I visited Kyoto, Hakone and Tokyo on a previous trip so these are not top priority. Any suggestions are welcome and I'd love to experience some lesser known and more rural areas.
Click to expand...

Maybe Takachiho.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e8050.html
http://takachiho-kanko.info/en/

Good for one day. Liked it there. Stayed at this hostel.
http://ww6.tiki.ne.jp/~takachiho-yh/

One of the nicest places I stayed in Japan.

Accessing it could be tricky with public transport. We had a rental car.

I also enjoyed the Takachiho Kagura Dance which is performed every night.

When we visited I did not see other foreigners. I think it is mainly visited by Japanese because, like I said, accessing at can be tricky.
 
C

chrominance

Member
Hey y'all! So I went to Japan in February this year and had a blast! I also loaded my suitcase full of music, games and candy (some of which I'm still eating now, as I've rationed out the Poiful for last). I hit Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nara with a friend of mine and spent two weeks.

So here's the thing: I'm considering going again, largely because a) the other friends who were supposed to come with me in February couldn't do it, but can next year, and b) airfares are CHEAP right now. We're thinking about March. On the one hand, I liked Japan a lot and feel like I could go again. But on the other hand, I just went, and though there's a ton of stuff I'm sure I haven't seen yet, I'm having a hard time thinking of what itinerary I would want that isn't just a complete rehash of what I did the first time, but also mixes in enough of the stuff I thought was awesome because my friends have never been.

So, JapanGAF: what are your recommendations for what to do on a SECOND trip? Here's stuff I saw/did/enjoyed last time:

Tokyo
Asakusa and Senso-ji
Hamarikyu (so pretty even in February!)
Tsujiki fish market (not the auction, but we did eat there)
Tokyo Tower
Shimokitazawa, sort of (I mistakenly wandered in the opposite direction from the train station)
Ghibli Museum
Robot Restaurant
Akihabara (of course)

Kyoto
a metric crapton of shrines and temples
snow monkey park!

Osaka
Osaka Aquarium
Den Den Town

also
Okunoshima (bunnies!)
Nara (deer!)

Hiroshima/Himeji is an obvious spot I missed the first time around, so that's on the list. Onsen might be on the table too, since I also didn't do any of those, but I'm not sure how that would work as the third wheel traveling with a married couple. Apparently there's a sumo tournament in Osaka in March, and Nara's got a torch festival, so might be neat to do those (but I don't know how big the Nara festival is, seems like it's good for watching for twenty minutes and that's it?). What other obvious things (or not-so-obvious things) am I missing?

(also, I won't lie, I couldn't sleep last night because I had this bizarre fear that I wouldn't enjoy my second trip and that it was a waste of time. I worry that this means I shouldn't do it but I dunno.)
 
J

JEKKI

Member
chrominance said:
Tokyo
Asakusa and Senso-ji
Hamarikyu (so pretty even in February!)
Tsujiki fish market (not the auction, but we did eat there)
Tokyo Tower
Shimokitazawa, sort of (I mistakenly wandered in the opposite direction from the train station)
Click to expand...
oh I googled all these lol, gonna write them down and show my mom see if she wants to go =P

my recommendation is go to Sapporo! it's wonderful there!

much smaller so u dont get overwhelmed, but still good things to do and a lot of miso ramen to eat!

Sendai too; those two and Aomori are where I went on my 2nd trip to the country.
 
S

Stuart444

Member
chrominance said:
So, JapanGAF: what are your recommendations for what to do on a SECOND trip?
Click to expand...

Visit some areas you didn't last time like Fukuoka, Sapporo, etc :p (I don't have any specifics, I just know on a second trip, I'd visit some places I did last time like Tokyo but also want to go to new areas that I didn't go to the first time lol)
 
K

KillGore

Member
Well, my journey is almost at an end. Ufortunately. Anyways, I need to return my wifi device and have the envelope I'm supposed to put it in. Question, can I ask the hotel staff to mail it for me ir is that not possible? If not, where to I leave it? I'm in the shinjuku area as of this moment. Any site I can go and check where mailboxes are? How do japanese mailboxes look like? Never really seen one lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

An Introduction To Japanese Adventure Games pt.1 - What They Are and The Different Types
Analysis
47
12K
SlimeGooGoo replied
Hideo Kojima or a cult game designer and his story
Game Dev
40
7K
brian0057 replied
The Legend of Heroes Trails series discussion |OT| : All aboard the head-patting express!
|OT| 2 3
116
14K
Rean no Kiseki replied
HBO Max launches May 27th, will have original Loony Tunes Cartoons (trailer inside)
2
81
5K
JareBear: Remastered replied
  • Locked
Mask Efficacy |OT| Wuhan!! Got You All In Check
763 764 765 766 767
38K
2M
EviLore replied
Top Bottom