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[MikeHattsu]

I think that's pretty frequent compared to the Kyoto-Shin-Osaka Hikari lines, where the interval seems to be 30 minutes.

There are other trains than Hikari shinkansen trains running between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto too. There are rapid/special Kyoto line trains that takes 25-35 mins and various other express trains that take about 25 mins each like Haruka, Thunderbird and Super Hakuto running at 5-15 minutes intervals overall. + Kodama shinkansen trains as well.

And if you're going directly from KIX to Kyoto, then you should just ride the Haruka train all the way anyway.

 

[Zoe]

Didn't the Yodobashi in Akiba use to have used games? I couldn't find any.

(spent too much money on their capsule row, btw)

If not, where's the best place for PS4/Vita?

Edit: oh, wait, I think I always went to Sofmap, not Yodobashi.

 

[mrklaw]

Related to that - saw some used iPhone 5/5s in sofmap for a good price. Will they generally be in good condition, and unlocked? Would need to work in the UK and seems cheaper than buying used there (looking for my son)

 

[Bullza2o]

There are other trains than Hikari shinkansen trains running between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto too. There are rapid/special Kyoto line trains that takes 25-35 mins and various other express trains that take about 25 mins each like Haruka, Thunderbird and Super Hakuto running at 5-15 minutes intervals overall. + Kodama shinkansen trains as well.

And if you're going directly from KIX to Kyoto, then you should just ride the Haruka train all the way anyway.

It really depends. My estimate in case customs/immigrations and getting the passes and tickets take some time is that we would arrive at Shin-Osaka at around 2pm. We'd have to eat lunch too and check in early at airbnb in Shin-Osaka. That would probably mean we would be at Shin-Osaka station ready to start our adventure around 3PM.

I guess this makes Himeji on day 1 really difficult as it closes at 1700 (1600 actually). If we go to Kyoto from 3 til like 8 or 9 we can explore the city more, like seeing Fushimi inari and kyomizudera during night illumination.

We're staying in the middle of Kyoto on day 3, so if we have Himeji on day 3 it would be like going back and forth doing the Shin-Osaka - Himeji - Kyoto line. I wish there is a better way to fit in Himeji.

 

[MikeHattsu]

It really depends. My estimate in case customs/immigrations and getting the passes and tickets take some time is that we would arrive at Shin-Osaka at around 2pm. We'd have to eat lunch too and check in early at airbnb in Shin-Osaka. That would probably mean we would be at Shin-Osaka station ready to start our adventure around 3PM.

Oh, I thought you'd store luggage at Shin-Osaka station then, just as you planned to store luggage at Kyoto station if you went to Kyoto.

 

[BannedEpisode]

So my friend hasnt applied for his passport yet but is going to this week.

We want to book our flights next month some time. Do you have to have your passport/info at the time of booking or just for the trip itself?

 

[Stuart444]

So my friend hasnt applied for his passport yet but is going this week.

We want to book our flights next month some time. Do you have to have your passport/info at the time of booking or just for the trip itself?

Just for the trip itself though I preferred waiting for my passport just in case anything went wrong before I booked my trip.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

So my friend hasnt applied for his passport yet but is going this week.

We want to book our flights next month some time. Do you have to have your passport/info at the time of booking or just for the trip itself?

You missed a "to" in that first sentence that made it very confusing on me.

You don't need a passport to book a flight, just be aware that processing times can vary in regards to getting your passport in case you're booking a flight for the very near future.

 

[BannedEpisode]

You missed a "to" in that first sentence that made it very confusing on me.

You don't need a passport to book a flight, just be aware that processing times can vary in regards to getting your passport in case you're booking a flight for the very near future.

Haha whoops I can see how that's confusing.

Thanks for the info, that's what we figured.

 

[Bullza2o]

Oh, I thought you'd store luggage at Shin-Osaka station then, just as you planned to store luggage at Kyoto station if you went to Kyoto.

That was the plan, but if I store luggage in Shin-Osaka station I would rather just drop it off at the Airbnb that's 20 minutes away on foot. If I store luggage at Kyoto station I still have to return to Shin-Osaka to check in --so much backtracking! Haha.

There's so much to see in Kansai that planning for my 3 days there is really difficult. I haven't even planned out the 2.5 day Tokyo leg of our trip as I think planning for it will be easier. I have been there once before after all; I just need to revisit non-temple tourist spots for my family to see.

By the way, has anyone been to Kyomizudera during their special night openings? I wonder if I should try going there on day 1 so I have the evening of day 3 as a backup --or maybe one night in Kyoto for this is enough? I don't know how bad the crowds will be at night during this season.

So my friend hasnt applied for his passport yet but is going to this week.

We want to book our flights next month some time. Do you have to have your passport/info at the time of booking or just for the trip itself?

I booked through a travel agency and didn't really need to give passport info other than name and birth dates.

 

[kooplar]

I'm planning my first trip ever with my mom and gf for about 2 weeks from late march to early april (2016). So far, it seems like the best areas to visit would be tokyo, kyoto, osaka. I'm wondering if 14 days is too much/too little for these 3 places? I would also like to include day trips to places like kobe (just to eat), and a couple of others so I'm still trying to work out a game plan.

A big question I have is that I see people going for 14 days but only getting the 7 day rail pass. In this case, they spend a couple days in tokyo before activating the pass. Is the transportation cheap enough from the airport to tokyo to warrant not getting a 14 day pass and just managing it out with a 7 day pass?

Also, is it worth visiting hiroshima and fukuoka, or is it just too far off for the 14 days? Any must see places if you were to travel to japan once and only once in your life (I know nobody only ever goes to japan once ;p )

If anyone here has gone from mexico to japan, how much were your tickets? Im currently looking at about $20,000 pesos ($1158.90 dollars) for a round trip from guadalajara-mexico city-narita and same way back (airline is aeromexico) . Does this seem like a good deal?

Thanks a lot!

 

[mrklaw]

Generally if you're in the Tokyo area, train travel isn't expensive. The rail pass value really kicks in when you start using the Shinkansen for longer journies. So it is likely that a 7 day pass + paying for local travel + buying ticket for train from airport is overall cheaper than a 14 day rail pass.

 

[MikeHattsu]

I'm planning my first trip ever with my mom and gf for about 2 weeks from late march to early april (2016). So far, it seems like the best areas to visit would be tokyo, kyoto, osaka. I'm wondering if 14 days is too much/too little for these 3 places? I would also like to include day trips to places like kobe (just to eat), and a couple of others so I'm still trying to work out a game plan.

Any number of days is too little ;p

Those 3 cities over 2 weeks is a good plan though.

The JR Pass is only worth it if you take the shinkansen both back and forth from Tokyo-Kyoto/Osaka + do some day trips. It's not worth paying extra for using it in any single city.

Hiroshima is definitely doable. What would you want to do in Fukuoka though?

 

[Zatoth]

Just came back from Takaragawa onsen.
Loved it. So cool sitting in the hot springs whit all the snow arround you.
Probably will not go back there though. Takes too much time to go there and back to Tokyo.

Makes probably more sense if you also plan to go skiing there.

Still an amazing experience.

 

[Bullza2o]

Just thought about this right now.

If I skip Miyajima and just go to Himeji in the morning then Hiroshima in the afternoon, will I regret it?
On the day I am going, high tide is 8am and low tide is 2pm, so I'd have to plan a very early arrival at Miyajima for the high tide.

 

[MikeHattsu]

If I skip Miyajima and just go to Himeji in the morning then Hiroshima in the afternoon, will I regret it?

Yes. Miyajima is more interesting than Himeji IMO.

 

[Zoe]

We decided to skip Miyajima this time because the tide just isn't in our favor.

What are some must-have Japan-only apps? I already created a Japanese Line account to get Line Music.

 

[Bullza2o]

Yes. Miyajima is more interesting than Himeji IMO.

I probably won't ever return to Hiroshima after this, so I might as well go to Miyajima.

We decided to skip Miyajima this time because the tide just isn't in our favor.

What are some must-have Japan-only apps? I already created a Japanese Line account to get Line Music.

Were you looking for high tide? What time would it be if you go? For me it's scheduled for 8AM on Apr 5, which really sucks. I hope it changes to around 10 or 11 but I doubt it.

It looks like Line Music is a subscription service.

 

[kooplar]

Any recommended ryokan on or around the tokyo-kyoto-osaka-hiroshima route? I'm planning on buying the JR pass so if its somewhere I can get to with that itll be great! Also, is early April any good for visiting host springs (ryokan onsen)? Thanks!

 

[Zoe]

Were you looking for high tide? What time would it be if you go? For me it's scheduled for 8AM on Apr 5, which really sucks. I hope it changes to around 10 or 11 but I doubt it.

It looks like Line Music is a subscription service.

We were looking for low tide so we could walk to the gate. Though to be honest, with this weather I wasn't looking forward to the wet feet.

Right now Line Music has a year end special of 60 days free trial.

 

[Zoe]

I just accidentally turned off airplane mode... which alerted me to Sprint's free global roaming. And with more research, their $5 Japan plan.

Oops. Don't know if I would be able to make much use of either from now to the end of the trip (turning on digital roaming is kinda scary anyway). Oh well, there's always next time.

 

[Laevateinn]

I just accidentally turned off airplane mode... which alerted me to Sprint's free global roaming. And with more research, their $5 Japan plan.

Oops. Don't know if I would be able to make much use of either from now to the end of the trip (turning on digital roaming is kinda scary anyway). Oh well, there's always next time.

Taking advantage of T-Mobile's free data while I was there was great. You should definitely get the $5 plan. It will make getting around much easier.

 

[KrisB]

I'm planning my first trip ever with my mom and gf for about 2 weeks from late march to early april (2016). So far, it seems like the best areas to visit would be tokyo, kyoto, osaka. I'm wondering if 14 days is too much/too little for these 3 places? I would also like to include day trips to places like kobe (just to eat), and a couple of others so I'm still trying to work out a game plan.

A big question I have is that I see people going for 14 days but only getting the 7 day rail pass. In this case, they spend a couple days in tokyo before activating the pass. Is the transportation cheap enough from the airport to tokyo to warrant not getting a 14 day pass and just managing it out with a 7 day pass?

Also, is it worth visiting hiroshima and fukuoka, or is it just too far off for the 14 days? Any must see places if you were to travel to japan once and only once in your life (I know nobody only ever goes to japan once ;p )

If anyone here has gone from mexico to japan, how much were your tickets? Im currently looking at about $20,000 pesos ($1158.90 dollars) for a round trip from guadalajara-mexico city-narita and same way back (airline is aeromexico) . Does this seem like a good deal?

Thanks a lot!

I did those 3 cities across that time span and I think it was a good length of time. Of course though I would have loved to stay longer

 

[Hastati]

Going to Sapporo in mid January, first time in Hokkaido.
I'm there for a few nights, sad that I'm not in time for the ice festival (should have planned for Feb...) but that's how it goes.

Anyone have any recommended cool places to visit during the day/eat at or drink at at night? I am up for anything.

 

[Zoe]

Taking advantage of T-Mobile's free data while I was there was great. You should definitely get the $5 plan. It will make getting around much easier.

Well we do have one pocket WiFi between the two of us, so we're okay without, but it is tempting.

 

[JEKKI]

ayo, shout outs to one of my favorite websites and blogs http://www.eataku.com/ for always hookin it up with the best food recommendations!!!

I'm always browsing it lookin for what to eat during any trip I take!!

that said, can anyone here help me translate the menu on this site:

http://ebikin.com/menu/

there's 4 ramens... what's the diff???

Going to Sapporo in mid January, first time in Hokkaido.
I'm there for a few nights, sad that I'm not in time for the ice festival (should have planned for Feb...) but that's how it goes.

Anyone have any recommended cool places to visit during the day/eat at or drink at at night? I am up for anything.

food wise, get soup curry!!

SOUP CURRY!!!

if you're playing Yakuza 5, you can eat soup curry in that game too!! (at Curry Shop S)

the two places I ate at were recommended by the ppl I was staying at and both were delicious!!! I wish I could eat it again ToT

Garaku: http://www.s-garaku.com/

Suage: http://www.suage.info/

they have a ramen alley there too, which is also in Yakuza 5, altho you cant eat there in the game

miso ramen runs sapporo, so jus google your way thru for recommendations, altho one of the stores at the end, shirakaba sansou, seems to be the most popular one. I tried it and it was good, but I also wasnt very hungry and forced myself to eat it becoz I knew I wouldnt get another chance.

reason why I wasnt hungry was becoz a few hours before I ate at the actual best ramen spot in sapporo, Shingen.

http://jpninfo.com/3291

best miso ramen hands down.

the other shop on that list, Ichigen, I would love to try!!! I believe they have another location at the CTS airport's ramen village, the line to get in is quite long.

 

[Hastati]

ayo, shout outs to one of my favorite websites and blogs http://www.eataku.com/ for always hookin it up with the best food recommendations!!!

I'm always browsing it lookin for what to eat during any trip I take!!

that said, can anyone here help me translate the menu on this site:

http://ebikin.com/menu/

there's 4 ramens... what's the diff???

food wise, get soup curry!!

SOUP CURRY!!!

if you're playing Yakuza 5, you can eat soup curry in that game too!! (at Curry Shop S)

the two places I ate at were recommended by the ppl I was staying at and both were delicious!!! I wish I could eat it again ToT

Garaku: http://www.s-garaku.com/

Suage: http://www.suage.info/

they have a ramen alley there too, which is also in Yakuza 5, altho you cant eat there in the game

miso ramen runs sapporo, so jus google your way thru for recommendations, altho one of the stores at the end, shirakaba sansou, seems to be the most popular one. I tried it and it was good, but I also wasnt very hungry and forced myself to eat it becoz I knew I wouldnt get another chance.

reason why I wasnt hungry was becoz a few hours before I ate at the actual best ramen spot in sapporo, Shingen.

http://jpninfo.com/3291

best miso ramen hands down.

the other shop on that list, Ichigen, I would love to try!!! I believe they have another location at the CTS airport's ramen village, the line to get in is quite long.

Woah thanks! I'm there for 3 nights, I'll def give these places a shot! Know absolutely nothing about Sapporo, so with your advice I'm already in the midori.

I took a crack at the menu, maybe my answers aren't specific enough though ><. Menu's are hard, especially understanding the variations in ramen.

It's shrimp soba-noodle ramen. Read a review, it's super shrimp flavor! Sounds great actually. Sort of standard half mix of chuuka ryouri with their focus on shrimp. The menu there listed from left to right:

1) Standard Ebi Soba ramen
2) Miso Ebi Soba Ramen
3) Shrimp curry meal

You can add chashu pork to the first two for an extra 100 yen, and the curry also comes in a "mini" version. They also have the typical toppings of eggs, nori and menma (brined bamboo slices) for 120 yen each, with it looks like their specialty fried shrimp topping for 120 yen as well.

Also, you can get side dishes of chashu pork for 300 yen, a side-dish combo set (only sides) for 450, shrimp gyouza for 500, Hakata mentaiko rice (is this everywhere now!?) for 250, raw egg rice for 200, and 500+ for beer ---whyyyy is beer so expensive in Japan sigh...

Was that clearer?? Or was I looking at the wrong menu :O?

Sounds like they actually have shrimp kneaded into the soba, the reviewer says it's made out of "shrimp flour". These guys are shrimp crazy!

http://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1313/A131301/13164977/dtlrvwlst/

 

[JEKKI]

yup, I figured it out! regular and miso! guess I gotta go regular if I want the pure experience,

but I always get bugged when they start removing /adding ingredients for no reason... like the miso version has corn but no egg... not that u cant order it on the side but whatevs...

few more things about Sapporo, some friends recommended I go to the Sapporo Beer museum / brewery... which I did!!

http://www.sapporo-bier-garten.jp/

it's jus a museum, nothing special if you're not into that stuff, but you can drink the beer sampler there, and eat beer ice cream too!! and they have a BBQ restaurant there (I think lamb meat?); looks good but I did not eat any...

Sapporo factory is a good place to go if you want to buy gifts; lots of nice craft stores there, altho dont worry about buying any snacks as you can easily get all those at the airport (unless you're not going to CTS airport). Note I'm talking about the more old-timey looking building, not the more modern mall which are across from each other (they are both part of Sapporo Factory).

if you want to hike, I did Mount Maruyama. At this time of the year, I'm not sure the weather would be very friendly for the hike, but the view overlooking the city when you reach the top of the mountain is beautiful.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...118949978-Maruyama_Park-Sapporo_Hokkaido.html

 

[Hastati]

Yeah, I'm not sure why that's such a common thing, but usually the more you pay the more you get...the miso one looks really great actually. The reviewer said they had like 50 small shrimps in their bowl!? so it sounds pretty interesting. I may go there as well if I ever get a chance, it's conveniently in Tsukiji so you could have fun there and then end up at the shrimp place.

As for Sapporo, awesome. I'd love to go to a beer factory, feel kind of awkward doing it alone but I'm sure I wouldn't care after the first few samples hehe. Yeah, I have NO IDEA what the mobility situation is like outside of the city this time of year. I'm sure it's damn cold though. Beer and ramen sounds like the best way to spend a few days there!

 

[kooplar]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to me, its been really helpful! After reading non stop about travel ideas, I have come up with this itinerary:

This will be my first time traveling to Japan. Both I and my gf (both mid 20's) as well as my mom (almost 50) will be traveling. We will be there from early march 29 to early april 13 2016. I still haven't decided exactly what to do with all the days in tokyo, but I'm sure ill figure something out

[Tokyo]
{when} march 29- early april1:
{where} stay somewhere near tokyo station, possibly around here: https://www.google.com.mx/maps/plac...2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xc0cb3994d27227df
{what} akihabara, emperial palace, some more central tokyo stuff

depart early april 1 to a ryokan onsen near/around mt fuji or hokone. It seems to be a bigger hassle to get to the ryokan onsen around mt fuji as apposed to hakone which are on the shinkansen route. Any tips if its worth it? Im looking at these 2 ryokan onsen right now. mt fuji ryokan is about 20,000 JPY more expensive:
1- near hakone) http://www.japanican.com/en/hotel/detail/4306017/?ar=A31&ryokan=1

2- near mt fuji) http://www.japanican.com/en/hotel/detail/4258025/?ar=A32&ryokan=1

*Activate 7 day JR pass*
depart april 2 after breakfast to osaka

[Osaka]
{when} april 2-6
{where} very,very near the shinkansen station
{what}
april 2: explore osaka
april 3: hiroshima and mijami -> back to osaka
april 4: nara -> back to osaka
april 5: himeji, then to kobe around 6 pm for some kobe beef dinner -> back to osaka

depart early april 6 to kyoto

[Kyoto]
{when} early april 6 - late april 8
{what} philosophers walk, kinkakuji, more...
{where} somewhere at most 30 min walk from shinkansen station.

depart late april 8 to tokyo
*7 day JR pass ends*

[Tokyo]
{when} late april 8 - early april 13
{where} somewhere in shinjuku close to the train station. plan b is in shibuya
{what} explore shibuya,shinjuku, more...

depart early april 13 to narita airport


Would it be better to pay more for the 14 day pass and also use it for the narita-tokyo train as well as letting me stay a couple more days in kyoto and for the travel from tokyo to the ryokan onsen?

Also, I picked osaka as home base for the day trips because its cheaper and easier to get a place near the shinkansen station than in kyoto.

Any suggestions? Thanks a lot for your input!

 

[finalflame]

I often wanna leave my sweet tech company job to go teach English in Japan, but that would probably be a poorly calculated move. I will definitely visit this year though, without a single shred of doubt.

 

[Bullza2o]

Taking advantage of T-Mobile's free data while I was there was great. You should definitely get the $5 plan. It will make getting around much easier.

How was T-Mobile's free data in Japan? I plan to use it when I go there in April, and it would be nice if I can use it for more things like GPS, maps, etc.

 

[RapidCancel]

How was T-Mobile's free data in Japan? I plan to use it when I go there in April, and it would be nice if I can use it for more things like GPS, maps, etc.

I used it back in October and it worked out a lot better than I was expecting. It was def quicker than 2G and I seemed to be connected to Softbank LTE most of the time. I had no problems with pulling up GPS or Maps unless I was in the more mountainous areas.

 

[Pennywise83]

Hi all,

A friend of mine will be visiting Tokyo next week, for around a week. Any suggestion on:

• travel tickets for around 7 days, within Tokyo, incl. train and metro?
• shopping districts / places / malls - where to buy clothes and stuffs (hipster-style but also local fashion-style)?
• where to eat typical Japanese food - even slightly expensive places are ok?
• must-see places; I already built a list with must-see modern buildings, such as the Capsule Tower, Kenzo Tange's stuffs, but more historic stuffs are welcomed.

I will appreciate your contribution a lot!

 

[Aurelius]

Booked my first capsule hotel for an upcoming trip to Osaka in april. 3 nights. Regular hotels were just too expansive.

Great location and an airplane theme.
http://first-cabin.jp/locationlist/osaka.html

 

[MikeHattsu]

depart early april 1 to a ryokan onsen near/around mt fuji or hokone. It seems to be a bigger hassle to get to the ryokan onsen around mt fuji as apposed to hakone which are on the shinkansen route. Any tips if its worth it?

Would it be better to pay more for the 14 day pass and also use it for the narita-tokyo train as well as letting me stay a couple more days in kyoto and for the travel from tokyo to the ryokan onsen?

Any suggestions? Thanks a lot for your input!

Depends on what you're gonna do. If you're there for just the ryokan onsen experience, then Hakone is great. And there's various museums and such in the area as well. If you want to get a good picture of Mt. Fuji, then you have a much better chance of that near Mt. Fuji.

Hi all,

A friend of mine will be visiting Tokyo next week, for around a week. Any suggestion on:

• travel tickets for around 7 days, within Tokyo, incl. train and metro?
• shopping districts / places / malls - where to buy clothes and stuffs (hipster-style but also local fashion-style)?
• where to eat typical Japanese food - even slightly expensive places are ok?
• must-see places; I already built a list with must-see modern buildings, such as the Capsule Tower, Kenzo Tange's stuffs, but more historic stuffs are welcomed.

I will appreciate your contribution a lot!

If your friend is just staying in Tokyo, then just get a Suica/Pasmo card.

For clothes they could check out the many department stores in Shibuya, or go to the many small boutiques at Takeshita Dori.

Food is everywhere

Well, the 2 most famous historic places in Tokyo is probably Asakusa Kannon Temple and Meiji Shrine. Next to Meiji is also Yoyogi Park if they want to check out a park.

If they want to see old buildings, then they could go to Edo-Tokyo Open-air Architectural Museum.

 

[Laevateinn]

How was T-Mobile's free data in Japan? I plan to use it when I go there in April, and it would be nice if I can use it for more things like GPS, maps, etc.

It was awesome. T-Mobile claims that their free data is 2G but it was definitely faster than that. I only travelled remotely in the beginning when I was worried that somehow I would get screwed over by it so I don't know how it is outside of Tokyo. In Tokyo, it was great. I used all the time when I needed a map, wanted to know why a game was so expensive, or just to look up info like "we're in Ginza now, what else is there to see."

My first trip I had to do everything from the hotel room so I wasn't able to adapt my maps and if I wanted to get more info on something in a store I had to wait and hope it would still be there when I got back.

 

[MikeHattsu]

and they have a BBQ restaurant there (I think lamb meat?); looks good but I did not eat any...

Jingisukan then? One of the other dishes Hokkaido is known for.

 

[Bullza2o]

I used it back in October and it worked out a lot better than I was expecting. It was def quicker than 2G and I seemed to be connected to Softbank LTE most of the time. I had no problems with pulling up GPS or Maps unless I was in the more mountainous areas.

It was awesome. T-Mobile claims that their free data is 2G but it was definitely faster than that. I only travelled remotely in the beginning when I was worried that somehow I would get screwed over by it so I don't know how it is outside of Tokyo. In Tokyo, it was great. I used all the time when I needed a map, wanted to know why a game was so expensive, or just to look up info like "we're in Ginza now, what else is there to see."

My first trip I had to do everything from the hotel room so I wasn't able to adapt my maps and if I wanted to get more info on something in a store I had to wait and hope it would still be there when I got back.

I did a quick google search and Japan discontinued 2G around 2008, so I think you guys were on 3G then.

Yeah during my last trip in 2012 I had to rely on paper maps as I navigated through Tokyo, but thankfully the metro was simple to understand. I did get lost trying to find Akihabara as I think I took the southernmost exit. Didn't know where to find good food either.

This time I'm excited I can use the internet as I travel! Mind if you guys share some apps you found useful? other than google maps and bookmarking hyperdia.

 

[Zoe]

I did a quick google search and Japan discontinued 2G around 2008, so I think you guys were on 3G then.

You're on 3G, but they're supposed to be throttled to 2G speeds.

 

[Laevateinn]

I did a quick google search and Japan discontinued 2G around 2008, so I think you guys were on 3G then.

Yeah during my last trip in 2012 I had to rely on paper maps as I navigated through Tokyo, but thankfully the metro was simple to understand. I did get lost trying to find Akihabara as I think I took the southernmost exit. Didn't know where to find good food either.

This time I'm excited I can use the internet as I travel! Mind if you guys share some apps you found useful? other than google maps and bookmarking hyperdia.

I don't really use too many apps. Aside from the normal things like maps, web browsing and youtube, I mostly relied on Imiwa? to help me with words I don't know.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

What's the best option of having mobile internet in Japan as a foreigner?
Buying those roaming day tickets from my local T-Mobile or getting those mobile wireless lan you can pick up at the airport when you arrive? We'll be there for 15 days.

Am I mixing things up or is there a combination with the JR pass?

 

[MikeHattsu]

What's the best option of having mobile internet in Japan as a foreigner?
Buying those roaming day tickets from my local T-Mobile or getting those mobile wireless lan you can pick up at the airport when you arrive? We'll be there for 15 days.

Am I mixing things up or is there a combination with the JR pass?

Well, renting a WiFi device costs 6480 JPY for 15 days from here:
http://wifi.tocoo.jp/en/

Dunno what T-Mobile costs.

There's no combination with the JR Pass. Some places that sell the JR Pass online also offers WiFi device rental as well though.

 

[Supermanisdead]

Hey, travel-gaf. I'm staying in Japan from Jan 28-Feb 6. I have booked my hotels in Osaka for the first 3 days and Tokyo for the rest of the time, but I want to spend most of my days doing trips to cities nearby. I have some questions about the rail pass:

Do you think a 7 day pass is worth it if I want to visit Kyoto and a few other cities. Ideally I would like to limit Osaka to one day and Tokyo to maybe two. Is the cost of a train cheaper if I get the pass or???

Also, how much is food generally going to cost eating out every meal for 9 days. I don't mind eating cheap, but I have literally no idea how much to budget even on the high end.

And finally... How the hell do I get to see the Ghibli Museum? How and when do I buy the tickets? I live in China now (near Hong Kong) and I read on wikipedia that you can buy reserve tickets from HK but not the mainland. What's the best way to do it?

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Well, renting a WiFi device costs 6480 JPY for 15 days from here:
http://wifi.tocoo.jp/en/

Dunno what T-Mobile costs.

There's no combination with the JR Pass. Some places that sell the JR Pass online also offers WiFi device rental as well though.

Ah ok, thank you very much!

 

[MikeHattsu]

Hey, travel-gaf. I'm staying in Japan from Jan 28-Feb 6. I have booked my hotels in Osaka for the first 3 days and Tokyo for the rest of the time, but I want to spend most of my days doing trips to cities nearby. I have some questions about the rail pass:

Do you think a 7 day pass is worth it if I want to visit Kyoto and a few other cities. Ideally I would like to limit Osaka to one day and Tokyo to maybe two. Is the cost of a train cheaper if I get the pass or???

Also, how much is food generally going to cost eating out every meal for 9 days. I don't mind eating cheap, but I have literally no idea how much to budget even on the high end.

And finally... How the hell do I get to see the Ghibli Museum? How and when do I buy the tickets? I live in China now (near Hong Kong) and I read on wikipedia that you can buy reserve tickets from HK but not the mainland. What's the best way to do it?

Which airports are you arriving at and leaving from in Japan? Which cities are you planning on visiting?

Food can cost anywhere from 500 JPY to 10000+ JPY. Depends on where you're eating. Shouldn't be too hard to find places to eat that cost 3000 JPY or less for dinner anywhere though.

Best way is to get somebody in Japan to buy you tickets. Tickets for February goes for sale on January 12th. They usually sell out fast, so you need to get them ASAP when they go up.

If you can't get anybody to help you get tickets, then you can get overpriced scalper tickets here:
https://www.govoyagin.com/activities/japan-tokyo-get-tickets-to-ghibli-museum-in-tokyo/186

 

[Tabris]

I don't know where to ask this as it's not exactly travel, but I will be living in Tokyo with my best friend for 3-6 months this year (depending on what we can do about Visas) and here is what we would be looking for:

Budget: 300k to 500k Yen

- 5 minute walking distance to a Tokyo Metro station (or I guess Toei Subway)
- Shopping complexes walking distance for things like groceries
- A view (this one is pretty important)
- Furnished
- Doesn't require a 12-24 month lease (3 month lease)
- 2 bedrooms
- Modern building amenities

I don't know if it exists but I don't really know where to look at google searches are either showing places outside my budget or they are 24 month leases.

 

[Supermanisdead]

I'm arriving at Osaka Ferry Terminal from Shanghai. I don't know where I want to visit yet except Kyoto, Nara, Yokosuka for sure and maybe Hiroshima and Nagano. I'm open to recommendations

I have found the ticket agent in HK that sells the Ghibli tickets and it's the same one that I'll need to get my rail pass from, so I'm going to go down there in a few days. If no luck, I'll definitely try that website, thank you.

3000Y seems quite expensive for dinner for someone coming from China, lol. But I'll budget around that and try to not go over. Thanks.

 

[MikeHattsu]

I'm arriving at Osaka Ferry Terminal from Shanghai. I don't know where I want to visit yet except Kyoto, Nara, Yokosuka for sure and maybe Hiroshima and Nagano. I'm open to recommendations

3000Y seems quite expensive for dinner for someone coming from China, lol. But I'll budget around that and try to not go over. Thanks.

Are you leaving Japan from Osaka as well?

3000 JPY is if you just go to nearby places to eat when you're hungry. If you can wander around for a bit checking prices then 1500 JPY shouldn't be impossible.

If you just eat cheap stuff like curry rice, beef bowl and ramen then it's less than 1000 JPY.

 

[Supermanisdead]

Are you leaving Japan from Osaka as well?

3000 JPY is if you just go to nearby places to eat when you're hungry. If you can wander around for a bit checking prices then 1500 JPY shouldn't be impossible.

If you just eat cheap stuff like curry rice, beef bowl and ramen then it's less than 1000 JPY.

I'm leaving from Tokyo Narita airport on the 6th.