I know I know! Work in a school so I can't be flexible when I take my holidays.
I spent a month in mainland Thailand a couple of summers ago and the heat/humidity wasn't THAT bad, which I think Japan is similar to.
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Japan Travel |OT| We have to go back
- Thread starter MikeHattsu
- Start date
I spent a month in mainland Thailand a couple of summers ago and the heat/humidity wasn't THAT bad, which I think Japan is similar to.
In degress and humidity? Yeah "about" the same. Staying in cities like Osaka and Tokyo won't be as pleasant as Bangkok or anything else in Thailand though. The reason is the high buildings - the air is unable to escape. But if you are used to a wet drenched ass you will be fine and won't mind.
Oh sorry I'm drinking and thought I was being helpful lmao
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Take care if you going now then :p
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Hello Japan travel thread! I'm starting to look at various accommodation options for a trip I'm planning in Feb next year (13th - 27th provisional dates) and wondered if anyone had hostel suggestions for Tokyo and Kyoto?
Ideally looking for somewhere with a decent social area or bar. I'll be travelling solo so would like to have an area to meet people, even if it's just chatting and drinking in the hostel or for heading out afterwards.
Ideally looking for somewhere with a decent social area or bar. I'll be travelling solo so would like to have an area to meet people, even if it's just chatting and drinking in the hostel or for heading out afterwards.
Japan ERA! Quick question: What's the best way to get from Kamikochi to Tokyo? At the moment I'm thinking either a direct 5 hour bus trip, or somehow break it up with some sightseeing stopovers.
I used to always go to the asakusa khaosan hostels. They used to have a killer hostel group bar (khaosan turned musashi) but it closed down. Met my wife at that bar and a lot of my long standing friends were ex bartenders there. I think Khaosan world or samurai have a hostel bar, but I wouldn't be able to confirm anymore as it's been a while. Though for 9 years kabukicho rock bars always end up being my consistent new person spot. There has never been a night where I've been there any by 11 not met someone with a crazy story from a random country. Hell I'm working in shinjuku now and I go to Bar PSY and Rock Inn Dice (rock inn dice is run by a former awesome tender at PSY) and sometimes From Dusk Till Dawn regularly on Fridays. Just this month I've met; a Japanese Pro Wrestler, a Diamond seller, a lobbyist, a Famitsu game journalist, A Roland Synth engineer, a member of Skinny Puppy, a French Laos chili agriculture specialist, an.... especially shady undescribed person, among various game enthusiasts, DJs, graphic designers, Artists, and people from Ireland, Scotland, Australia, France, Germany, Austria, Cambodia, Thailand, California, and so on and so on. The rock bar scene in the shady areas is really close nit and separate from the snares you run into regularly in the kabukicho streets. Every bartender/bar crew knows all the other bars and their crew like family. They all go to each other's celebrations/anniversaries know each other's families. It's its own village and I love it.
As for my own question (tired in the Japan OT but no response over the weekend), What are good men's haircut chains in Tokyo? It's starting to get too hot for how long my hair is and I know it's only going to get worse and worse the next few months. This'll be my first time getting a cut here so don't really know where to start. I'm living next to kabukicho so pretty much all salons I'm finding are crazy over the top women's places. Since this will probably be my only cut for a few months I'm willing to fork out a bit extra but just looking for a place that can do a normal dude's haircut. Midrange salaryman cut would be fine.
Well you could always head south and hit up Fuji-san The routes from Mt Fuji back to Tokyo are regular and fast. If you're a persona 4 fan and wanna get extra nerdy, on the way there-ish is Yamanashi which is what Inaba was based on.
Nui Hostel & Bar in Asakusa had a very trendy & decently popular bar on the Ground Floor, we liked it.
It didn't seem like they do Hostel Events like some others though, that's the kind of place I would recommend you looking for.
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I havn't seen details but normally it's older people that die from heat, so depends on how many travel there. The idea of being in Japan in July after being here for the last 3 weeks is horrifying. And I say that as someone who's spent 6 months in Pakistan.
For someone who is traveling within a budget ($2K-$2.5K) and wanting to go for 14-days, would you guys have any big recommendations for locations? So far, I'm thinking Tokyo in 3 days, Kyoto in 3 days, Hiroshima, Osaka, Okinawa & Hokkaido, but trying to figure out if that is doable within that time frame or not. I'm aiming for around beginning of April next year and tickets from my area to Tokyo are normally $800-ish. I don't plan on spending crazy amounts of yen on nice restaurants all of the time and am looking at Hostels & AirBnB (for certain cities where it is cheaper). It has been my biggest dream to see Japan ever since I was little and can finally pull it off, so I thought I would ask. :)
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Skip either Okinawa or Hokkaido.
Stay in Osaka and take day trips to Kyoto since it's cheaper.
Ahhh ok. I was going to use the Japan Rail Pass, but if that is cheaper, I'll go that route. How long do the rides from Osaka to Kyoto normally take via subway trains?
Ok, awesome. Thanks! Now, if I wanted to see the other locations, is it just better to sleep at major cities and do day trips from there? I'm quite overwhelmed by all of this, so bear with me. XD
If you are thinking of going to Okinawa. I would recommend heading towards Ishigaki for 2-3 days instead. One of my favourites places I've been to in Japan. Rental car or maybe a scooter is highly recommended, if that is possible for you.
Thanks for the tip! Are rental cars fair in terms of cost over there? I doubt I can ride a scooter, as I have never ridden a bike of any kind (even a bicycle) in my entire life since I am disabled (unbendable left leg), so the car might be safer. In regards to travel all over, what are the most effective ways besides the Japan Rail? I'm working on my itinerary and I am beyond overwhelmed, as I have never been to another country before (besides Canada) and doing this solo. Shit, even figuring out airfare is insane, as I live in Nashville, TN and flying out to Tokyo from here or Atlanta is at least $1,200+ RT, but I'm trying to see if it's cheaper for me to fly to LAX and go to Tokyo from there, as I have already found RT tickets for $650 around March-April of next year and that's a steal.
You need an international drivers license to drive a car in Japan. As for costs I can't really say. Not that cheap. But always shared the costs with friends in the past. For longer distances cars are not that great as the speed limits are rather slow. At least compared to what I am used to.
In the bigger cities you can go to most places via public transport. To use them you can get an IC card like Pasmo.
In the bigger cities you can go to most places via public transport. To use them you can get an IC card like Pasmo.
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Yeah. You can do Hiroshima as a day trip (or overnight trip) from Osaka.
Wait, Inaba was based on Yamanashi-shi? Or Kofu? I spent a lot of time in those areas lol, and never once occurred to me. But then again perhaps this is why P4 felt so homey.
Yes me too, but I don't think I will do it again this year, but spring next year though....
Sadly I'm looking at 2022. This trip got very expensive and I'm planning on getting a new car next year...
I'll be in Osaka during Nintendo's E3 livestream. Anyone else? Anyone planning to go anywhere to watch live?
Speaking of Hakone, is there any way to check when the ropeway might be reopened? It's been closed for a while now due to volcanic activity but the site doesn't seem to give an estimated date. I'm going in 4 weeks and was hoping it would be available.
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Hey! Back in January I posted a little about my plans for an upcoming solo trip to Japan. At the time, I was travelling for three weeks and the advice I got was to do Tokyo for week one, and travel around for the remaining two. Well, it's now under two weeks until I fly out of Glasgow and I've locked down my travel itenary. I'd love to hear some thoughts?
I ended up extending my trip by an additional week, because there's just so many places I want to see and do, so I'll be away for a full month. I'll be travelling light, staying mainly in hostels (with a few hotels sprinkled in), and doing this all as cheaply as possible. I'm not a huge spender, so outside of Tokyo and the other big cities, I'll be quite content just exploring and doing small trips and hikes in surrounding areas. I have a 28 day data SIM ready to use when I land and a 3 week JR Rail Pass bought to get me around.
Here's where I'll be -
Land in Tokyo Narita 19/06
Tokyo, Emblem Hostel Nishiarai
19/06 - 24/06 (5 nights)
Acivate 3 week JR Rail Pass
Nagano, Guest House KURA
24/06 - 26/06 (2 nights)
Takayama, Guesthouse Daruma
26/06 - 28/06 (2 nights)
Kyoto, Ryokan Hostel Gion
28/06 - 01/07 (3 nights)
Hiroshima, Hostel Kawate-ya
01/07 - 04/07 (3 nights)
4th July, cycle the Shimanami Kaido route from Onomichi to Imabari (bike reserved)
Imabari, Imabari Kokusai Hotel
04/07 - 05/07 (1 night)
Kochi, Sansuien Hotel
05/07 - 06/07 (1 night)
Osaka, Osaka Guest House Midoriya
06/07 - 08/07 (2 nights)
Sendai, ORIT Hostel & Cafe Bar House
08/07 - 10/07 (2 nights)
Tokyo, Emblem Hostel Nishiarai
10/07 - 14/07 (4 nights)
Thursday 11th July, climb Mt Fuji (got a hut at 8th station reserved for 11/07), descent Friday 12th July
Tokyo, Hotel Bellclassic
14/07 - 16/07 (2 nights)
Return flight 16/07
I realise that some of travelling between some of these locations might be a little lengthy (especially Osaka - Sendai), but I'm cool with spending time on trains travelling tbh, it doesn't bother me much.
Does anyone have any suggestions for things to do while at any of these smaller locations?
I ended up extending my trip by an additional week, because there's just so many places I want to see and do, so I'll be away for a full month. I'll be travelling light, staying mainly in hostels (with a few hotels sprinkled in), and doing this all as cheaply as possible. I'm not a huge spender, so outside of Tokyo and the other big cities, I'll be quite content just exploring and doing small trips and hikes in surrounding areas. I have a 28 day data SIM ready to use when I land and a 3 week JR Rail Pass bought to get me around.
Here's where I'll be -
Land in Tokyo Narita 19/06
Tokyo, Emblem Hostel Nishiarai
19/06 - 24/06 (5 nights)
Acivate 3 week JR Rail Pass
Nagano, Guest House KURA
24/06 - 26/06 (2 nights)
Takayama, Guesthouse Daruma
26/06 - 28/06 (2 nights)
Kyoto, Ryokan Hostel Gion
28/06 - 01/07 (3 nights)
Hiroshima, Hostel Kawate-ya
01/07 - 04/07 (3 nights)
4th July, cycle the Shimanami Kaido route from Onomichi to Imabari (bike reserved)
Imabari, Imabari Kokusai Hotel
04/07 - 05/07 (1 night)
Kochi, Sansuien Hotel
05/07 - 06/07 (1 night)
Osaka, Osaka Guest House Midoriya
06/07 - 08/07 (2 nights)
Sendai, ORIT Hostel & Cafe Bar House
08/07 - 10/07 (2 nights)
Tokyo, Emblem Hostel Nishiarai
10/07 - 14/07 (4 nights)
Thursday 11th July, climb Mt Fuji (got a hut at 8th station reserved for 11/07), descent Friday 12th July
Tokyo, Hotel Bellclassic
14/07 - 16/07 (2 nights)
Return flight 16/07
I realise that some of travelling between some of these locations might be a little lengthy (especially Osaka - Sendai), but I'm cool with spending time on trains travelling tbh, it doesn't bother me much.
Does anyone have any suggestions for things to do while at any of these smaller locations?
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Looks good. Just a heads up Nishiarai Hostel is a bit inconvenient for the location and how to travel there. Hostel itself is nice even though we didn't have the best experience back then, but that wasn't exactly the staffs fault (broken toilets okay, but most of them had shit in them after a night of some tourists drinking and also the "chill" level looked like a bomb field the next day and it wasn't cleanaed at all by anyone lol). Have a nice time! Do Shimanami Kaido for me because we didn't have enough time with all our delays etc. :(
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Well, guess it's too late now, but I'd suggest staying in Kanazawa instead of Takayama (With a day trip to Shirakawago and Takayama), and possibly Marugame or Takamatsu instead of Kochi unless there's something specific you're looking to do there.
It's a little hard to remember exactly right now (lol), but I think I picked Takayama for the historic streets, and potential day hikes to some of the surrounding Alpine scenery. Spending some time in the smaller, quieter towns is more my speed anyway.
For Kochi, I basically picked it because although I won't be spending a lot of time on Shikoku island (2 days total), I wanted to visit the south side of the island briefly. Plus I like the idea of a semi-relaxing coastal train ride between Imabari and Kochi :)
I'm doing this in October:
Osaka - 5 nights (there should be a ton of stuff to do and I only brushed the surface in 2001, also I want to see Dotonbori after playing Yakuza 0)
Kobe - 1 night (basically only so that we can have a nice dinner and then travel onwards the next morning)
Himeji - 1 night
Hiroshima - 3 nights (this includes possibly stopping on the way and just arriving in the evening on the first day after Himeji, and doing a day trip to Miyajima, and doing historical sightseeing one day)
Tokyo - 8 nights (this includes the Mitsuda concert)
I'm collecting a list of things to see and eat. So much stuff I didn't try last time. I will be doing shopping but since we're travelling around I will try to save that for Tokyo. Of course, that means I will definitely find something awesome in Osaka and have to lug it around the whole time.
Since we're doing the west this time, the next trip (well, duh!) will probably go north.
Oh, and someone mentioned sending stuff by post. On my first trip I did that, and it was really freaking expensive. Of course, that was a heavy box of stuff, maybe half a luggage worth.
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My wife and I just got to Japan for our honeymoon!
We are currently in Tokyo staying near shiodome. Yesterday we had a guided tour. Today we are doing our own thing.
Thinking about going to senso-ji temple then akihabara. Any suggestions? I do love video games so any good shop and arcade recommendations will be greatly appreciated!
I would love to buy yakuza ishin! And looking for a good lunch spot!
We are also going to hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima and then back to Tokyo and staying in the shinjuku area the 2nd time around.
Thanks!
We are currently in Tokyo staying near shiodome. Yesterday we had a guided tour. Today we are doing our own thing.
Thinking about going to senso-ji temple then akihabara. Any suggestions? I do love video games so any good shop and arcade recommendations will be greatly appreciated!
I would love to buy yakuza ishin! And looking for a good lunch spot!
We are also going to hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima and then back to Tokyo and staying in the shinjuku area the 2nd time around.
Thanks!
Best arcade in akihabara imo is the "Hey! Taito" arcade along the Main Street. It's recessed in a little and doesn't have a huge entrance but it's actually like 5-6 stories and has a good assortment of games. There's a similar arcade in northern shibuya but I forget the name unfortunately.
If you're in Kyoto and looking for a fairly chill night with some games and cocktails, gaming bar Clantz is pretty nice. Just need to hope nobody is smoking... which is kind of a gamble in most Japanese bars unfortunately.
HEY is definitely the place to go for arcades. Many other arcades are just gashapon and mobile lootbox nonsense now.
Go to Mandarake Galaxy after 12. They have pretty much everything in terms of used games and figures. Yakuza Ishin should be available there, and if not, try any of the Trader shops or Book-Off. If you ask for it, remember that it's Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin, obviously. For new figures, try Kotobukiya. I could spend days in Akihabara (already have) but if you only have a few hours or so, Mandarake, HEY and Kotobukiya should be your stops.
For lunch, you could just pop into any little place that doesn't seem like a chain, and have a great ramen or katsudon or karaage meal. Next time I visit Akihabara I specifically plan to go to a ramen shop at the top of Yodobashi, because they supposedly have Black Ramen which I really want to try.
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Just a correction there. The Mandarake in Akihabara is called Mandarake Complex. Mandarake Galaxy is the used games Mandarake in Nakano.
Also, I'd recommend the Radio Kaikan building for figures and goods instead of Kotobukiya for more variety. Just take the elevator up to the 9th floor and work your way down.
HEY is definitely the place to go for arcades. Many other arcades are just gashapon and mobile lootbox nonsense now.
Go to Mandarake Galaxy after 12. They have pretty much everything in terms of used games and figures. Yakuza Ishin should be available there, and if not, try any of the Trader shops or Book-Off. If you ask for it, remember that it's Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin, obviously. For new figures, try Kotobukiya. I could spend days in Akihabara (already have) but if you only have a few hours or so, Mandarake, HEY and Kotobukiya should be your stops.
For lunch, you could just pop into any little place that doesn't seem like a chain, and have a great ramen or katsudon or karaage meal. Next time I visit Akihabara I specifically plan to go to a ramen shop at the top of Yodobashi, because they supposedly have Black Ramen which I really want to try.
Thank you for the helpful info!
Hi guys, wanted to ask for recommendations. Right now I'm planning a trip and we want to go to a ryokan that accepts tattoos, I'm googling options, but wanted to hear personal recommendations from the forum, I'm looking for the 200-300$ for a couple, can be either in Tokyo,Osaka,Kyoto. Thanks!
https://tattoo-friendly.jp/ should be useful.
I'm going to one in Hakone this trip, which based on reviews seems to be tattoo friendly, however that might be a little out of the way for your trip and I haven't been there before.
We went to clantz last night and had an absolute blast!
Wait that's open again?
I went there 2 years ago but heard it got shut down after the police raided it
Fantastic to hear! I enjoyed some strong cocktails and smash bros when I went haha. The figures and games on display are cool too.
Was open when I was there this time last year too, didn't know about a police raid 😯