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AllenShrz

Member
Nov 6, 2017
1,011
WTF! go karts in Kyoto too?!

In Tokyo the gaijins that use them look dumb but in Kyoto..... in Kyoto they look very stupid and downright disrespectful.

I'm honestly surprised the government and nintendo hasn't come down hard enough on them.

Edit. Also... wtf, they even play music loud enough to hear them across the street!
 

Megabreath

Member
Oct 25, 2018
2,663
Hi guys, i am arriving in Osaka from Seoul in about 10 days. I need to get a train to Hiroshima the day i land, i arrive around midday. Is it best to book the train online in advance or turn up and get the next available train?
 

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
4 more days to go until I'm Tokyo bound! Any recommendations for must-have ramen places in Tokyo? I'm aware that probably seems like an insane request and there's likely hundreds, but I want to try a new place each day and was wondering if there was a consensus or list somewhere.
 

Krabardaf

Member
Jun 12, 2019
36
Hi guys, i am arriving in Osaka from Seoul in about 10 days. I need to get a train to Hiroshima the day i land, i arrive around midday. Is it best to book the train online in advance or turn up and get the next available train?
Plenty of trains from Osaka main station or Shinkansen from Shin Osaka if you have a JR pass. The regular train is not that much slower but is much cheaper(if you don't have this pass)

4 more days to go until I'm Tokyo bound! Any recommendations for must-have ramen places in Tokyo? I'm aware that probably seems like an insane request and there's likely hundreds, but I want to try a new place each day and was wondering if there was a consensus or list somewhere.
It's a really personal pick and not at all that famous but here's one of my fav : https://goo.gl/maps/P8CUBhNqAP3pesPh6
PS: recommend to go for Ajitama Shoyu, soy sauce based broth with marinated hard egg.
 
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MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
Plenty of trains from Osaka main station or Shinkansen from Shin Osaka if you have a JR pass. The regular train is not that much slower but is much cheaper(if you don't have this pass)

You what now? Shinkansen is a bit under 1.5 hours and costs around 10k JPY. Normal trains takes around 6 hours, with 3-4 transfers, and costs a bit under 6k JPY.
 

Xavillin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,028
I'm planning on arriving in Japan a week early to hang out with a friend before school starts on September 20th (but orientation and stuff on the 18th). Thinking of going either the 8th ($479) or the 11th ($449)*, and arriving at Narita Airport. Two place where we've decided on going are Tokyo Disney Land and Enoshima.

My mom works at the Hyatt, so I can probably get two free days at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo, on the 17th and 18th. Where would be the cheapest hotels and train tickets for a week?

*Hawaiian Airlines prices as of 6/25
 
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MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
Well, if you're there on a student visa instead of a tourist, then a lot of the train passes won't be available to you. Don't really need one if you're just hanging around the Tokyo areas anyway.
 
Oct 25, 2017
7,296
new jersey
Hi everyone. I'm planning to go to Japan for a general vacation and for, most importanly Summer Comiket. Probably from August 7th - 14th. I'm going to meet some friends at Comiket who are actually artist/sellers so on top of it we're having a little party/get-together the day before. I just called for my passport to be expedited. I'm 24 years old and my mother wants to go, too (not to my friends party lol!). Issue is, we've had some family stuff going on but I was still promised that I can go this year, so I might be going alone. I know the language decently, but I've never travel abroad alone before. Any advice would be awesome.
 

TomPUH

Member
Oct 30, 2017
133
Does anyone have any previous experience with hotels in Tokyo near the Yamanote Line? I currently have one booked slap bang in the middle of Roppongi which I am looking to cancel so I can make better use of a JR Pass, I'd like to use it to travel to Kyoto and also have it as a local pass to use around Tokyo without too much hassle changing lines.
 

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
I don't really have the time to go during the winter. I'm off during the summer so it's prefect. I don't mind the heat, too.

Same, though my body is acclimatised to hot and humid conditions on account of living in a northern Aussie state

Does anyone have any previous experience with hotels in Tokyo near the Yamanote Line? I currently have one booked slap bang in the middle of Roppongi which I am looking to cancel so I can make better use of a JR Pass, I'd like to use it to travel to Kyoto and also have it as a local pass to use around Tokyo without too much hassle changing lines.

What kind of hotel are you looking at? Expense? Style? Room/beds?
 

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
Any personal club recommendations? There's lists online but looking for reviews by users here.

Went to the Gas Panic in Shibuya and disliked that it was thick with cigarette smoke. Went to the giant warehouse rave called AgeHa or whatever at the Tokyo Bay a few years back and remembered that it was a pretty good time, though you need to stay out until 5am basically because the cabs are too expensive.

If there's a good one that you don't have to stay out past 1am to enjoy, let me know 😛
 

catpurrcat

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,789
Hi everyone. I'm planning to go to Japan for a general vacation and for, most importanly Summer Comiket. Probably from August 7th - 14th. I'm going to meet some friends at Comiket who are actually artist/sellers so on top of it we're having a little party/get-together the day before. I just called for my passport to be expedited. I'm 24 years old and my mother wants to go, too (not to my friends party lol!). Issue is, we've had some family stuff going on but I was still promised that I can go this year, so I might be going alone. I know the language decently, but I've never travel abroad alone before. Any advice would be awesome.

Went to japan over a decade ago way before smartphones even existed. Used paper maps and a small language book to help me. Was totally fine! A surprisingly high number of people and services in Tokyo speak english. I suggest getting a couple of japan travel books from amazon. They should have a chapter on basics about customs, how to get around, etc. And many books have profiles on attractions to visit. 7 days is really short though.

I had a friend living there but only got to see her near the end of the trip - which was great for nightlife as that can be tough to navigate as a single person. However, daytime on your own you will be totally fine.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that there are LOTS of things geared toward single people there. I guess it's a cultural thing? People eat alone, commute alone, shop alone, go to movies alone, arcades alone, ALL the time. It's totally normal there.
 

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
Nothing fancy really, less than £1200 (160,000 yen) for 9 night for a double room but be ideal for my quickly draining finances haha

Tried a site like hotelscombined or trivago that let you search for expense and room style over a map or particular area? Just do that and position the map over a major train station, like shibuya or Ueno or similar. Getting something within 500m is ideal but not always possible.
 
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MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918

Fallen rocks have blocked Mount Fuji's Yoshida trail in Yamanashi Prefecture, causing climbers to be restricted from using it to reach the summit when the hiking season starts July 1.

Initially, it was thought that clean-up work on the route would be completed in time for the mountain's opening. But after 40 to 50 centimeters of snow accumulated at the summit on June 10 and 11, officials of both Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, which host the 3,776-meter mountain, decided after an on-site inspection that they couldn't meet the deadline.

Work started to remove rocks from the route on June 24, but it is still not known when it will reopen. As a result, climbers can only go up to the 8.5th station of the mountain.

The work may also affect the opening of the Subashiri trail, one of the three routes on Mount Fuji's Shizuoka Prefecture side, since it joins the Yoshida trail.

The other two, the Gotemba and Fujinomiya trails, will be open to lead climbers to the summit from July 10.
 

aOlafsson

Member
Oct 27, 2017
37
I'm currently working on a plan for a trip this November to Japan. I would be flying in to Fukuoka, and then working my way north to Tokyo over the course of 10 days. At the moment I'm struggling a bit with a couple of things and was hoping anyone has any experience they could share. Some background, I have been to the country a few times before but never gone south/west of Osaka.

First is the list of places to visit on the way north:
Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Kitakyushu, Hiroshima, Onomichi (would be to bike along Shimanami kaido), Miyajima, Shikoku, Kobe, Himeji.
I have lots of things I want to do, but the problem is always time... any places that are a must visit or a skip? Also any places that I'm missing from here?

The second thing I'm struggling with is where to stay. At the moment I'm thinking maybe stay in 3 places and then use the shinkansen to do day trips. So something like 3 nights in Fukuoka, 2 nights Hiroshima, 2 nights Kobe. Rather than staying in a new place every night and constantly having to pack up and carry my bag north. Would I be wasting too much time on trains doing something like this? I wouldn't want to waste much more than 2-2.5 hours a day on transit for day trips. Any thoughts on if my idea of basing out of places is okay?
 

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
Tokyo is humid as fuck atm, reminds me of home 😅 oh well. Still nice out.
 

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
On the train to Shibuya for a bit then after that, Golden Gai. I remember not liking Shinjuku much last time because it was full of touts and stuff but let's see how this goes.

Any personal recommendations for the Shinjuku area?
 

Reanimatoin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,406
Cleethorpes UK
On the train to Shibuya for a bit then after that, Golden Gai. I remember not liking Shinjuku much last time because it was full of touts and stuff but let's see how this goes.

Any personal recommendations for the Shinjuku area?
Tenijaya Magic Bar, All you can drink, Stage show and personal magic show at your table. The magicians are great magicians and are HILARIOUS. One of them managed to steal my drink from right under me by distracting me with a card trick and slight of hand.

Absolute highlight of my last trip there
 

Reanimatoin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,406
Cleethorpes UK
There's a club in Shibuya called "Club Gas Panic" I'm guessing they got too drunk there and went home
D4Uh9xuU4AAdylw.jpg
 

Subpar Scrub

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,576
Yep, that's what happened 😅 ran into people who are in my same city back home and we were dancing with some Spanish girls most of the night, it was good. Also sorry I didn't remember posting that until I just read it now lol.

Heading out with the guys from last night later tonight though, they wanted to check out Shinjuku so I'll suggest Tenijaya
 
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MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918

The Meteorological Agency on Sunday forecast heavy rainfall in the coming days across wide areas of Japan, warning of mudslides and floods as a seasonal rain front sits over the archipelago.

The agency said precipitation of up to 250 mm is expected in the northern part of Kyushu, 200 mm in the southern part and in Shikoku, and 150 mm in the Kinki region in the 24 hours through 6 p.m. Monday

An evacuation advisory was issued in Kumamoto Prefecture with rainfall of around 60 millimeters per hour recorded in part of the prefecture.

Some areas in eastern and western Japan may see thunderstorms through Wednesday, the agency said, calling for caution as the conditions may trigger floods and landslides.
 

Youngfossil

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,668
I made this over at ectera, but I want to ask here too

I've been going on snowboarding trip with my friends for about a decade now (different places and it gives up a reason to travel). Been trying to get them to go to Japan for a few years now, but fuck it I'll just go alone next year if no one come with me. I plan on staying in Tokyo 3 nights then taking a train to Niigata for boarding(3 night) then back to tokyo for a night. Any tips from people that been there since it's a good chance that I'm going alone. Also I'm a PoC. I ask this now, because I'm in the planning phase.
 
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MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
If you're planning on using the JR Tokyo Wide Pass to go up to Yuzawa in Niigata, then do note that it's only valid for 3 consecutive days midnight to midnight, so you'd need to get a different pass (or just pay normal price for the trains) if you're staying 3 nights.
 

Youngfossil

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,668
If you're planning on using the JR Tokyo Wide Pass to go up to Yuzawa in Niigata, then do note that it's only valid for 3 consecutive days midnight to midnight, so you'd need to get a different pass (or just pay normal price for the trains) if you're staying 3 nights.
Cool, I'll check that slope out. Still trying to plan out where to stay on the mountains and which ones to go to.
 

catpurrcat

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,789
I made this over at ectera, but I want to ask here too

I've been going on snowboarding trip with my friends for about a decade now (different places and it gives up a reason to travel). Been trying to get them to go to Japan for a few years now, but fuck it I'll just go alone next year if no one come with me. I plan on staying in Tokyo 3 nights then taking a train to Niigata for boarding(3 night) then back to tokyo for a night. Any tips from people that been there since it's a good chance that I'm going alone. Also I'm a PoC. I ask this now, because I'm in the planning phase.

No advice needed. You will be totally fine. If I even stopped for 30 seconds to look at a map, I had random nice locals come up to me and offer to help (broken english and all). All demographics, including one lady whom I'm certain was 110 years old :)

Get a Passmo card (transit prepaid card) in Tokyo, makes it way easier to get around the city. There are large vending machine that sells them, in english. Youtube videos will help.
 

Pedrito

Member
Nov 4, 2017
2,368
There are some amazing deals with JAL right now from North America. I got tickets from Montreal to Tokyo in October for 592 $CAN. That's 451$ USD for 20,000 km.
 
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MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
More heavy rainfall:

The Meteorological Agency on Tuesday warned of torrential rain in western Japan in the coming days and urged people to evacuate early to protect themselves against life-threatening disasters.

It said parts of Kyushu could receive 80 millimeters or more of rain per hour through Thursday, and the precipitation through Friday could eclipse that seen in western Japan last July, when floods and mudslides left more than 200 people dead.

The Kyushu region is forecast to get 150 mm of rain in the 24 hours to Wednesday noon, 300 mm to 400 mm in the following 24 hours, and the rain could continue through Friday, the agency said.

The Shikoku and Kansai regions are also expected to receive heavy rain.


Edit: The JR Kitto Line in Kyushu has been damaged, so trains have completely stopped running there:
 
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Youngfossil

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,668
No advice needed. You will be totally fine. If I even stopped for 30 seconds to look at a map, I had random nice locals come up to me and offer to help (broken english and all). All demographics, including one lady whom I'm certain was 110 years old :)

Get a Passmo card (transit prepaid card) in Tokyo, makes it way easier to get around the city. There are large vending machine that sells them, in english. Youtube videos will help.
I'm guessing I'll be taking the train a lot in tokyo to get around. Is this just for tokyo or can I use the Passmo to get to Niigata?
 
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MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,918
I'm guessing I'll be taking the train a lot in tokyo to get around. Is this just for tokyo or can I use the Passmo to get to Niigata?

No. Pasmo/Suica cards are for travelling within cities/metropolitan areas. It won't work for getting as far as Niigata.

Edit: You can use it for trains when in Niigata though, just not between Tokyo and Niigata.
 
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Youngfossil

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,668
No. Pasmo/Suica cards are for travelling within cities/metropolitan areas. It won't work for getting as far as Niigata.
Cool, Another Q. I hear/read that the rooms there are pretty small (some reviews even saying they can barely fit their luggage). I will have my snowboard bag with me throughout the trip (unless I decide to ship it back early[Most likely not]). Will it be cumbersome lugging/storing this thing. I'm a tall guy so my bag is pretty long