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Tokyo Summer Olympics 2020 Travel |OT| Tetsuoooooo!

Nephtes

Nephtes

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,546
So with the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang coming to an end, I figured this is as good a time as any to start planning the trip to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Going to Japan and going to the Olympics have both been on my bucket list for some time, and with the Olympics in 2020 taking place in Tokyo, it seems like the perfect time to check both items off at once.

This is a thread for information sharing about international travel, tourism in Japan, and attending Olympic games. While I'm personally well versed in international travel, I've never been to Asia, and I don't have the first clue about how to actually attend any Olympic events.

Questions for people who have been to Olympic events before and/or Tokyo:
  1. How early should one plan on booking hotels in Tokyo?
  2. How does one go about getting tickets to sought after events like gymnastics and table tennis?
  3. How much money are tickets to each event going to run?
  4. What are some good places to travel to outside of Tokyo and the Olympics?
  5. Where are some good areas of Tokyo to stay for both attending the Olympics and doing some tourism?
  6. Street signs in Japan, do travelers need to know basic Kanji and hiragana or is there enough English hanging about?
  7. Should there be a ResetEra Olympics 2020 Official Meet-up party? If so, suggestions on location?
  8. Will the opening ceremony start before or after Akira's remains are cryogenically stored beneath the Olympic stadium?

Beyond these initial questions, this thread is for discussion of the following topics:
  • Traveling to Japan in 2020
  • Attending the Olympic Games
  • Proper Japanese etiquette (how not to offend the host nation)
  • Locations to visit within Japan outside of Tokyo and the Olympics
Tokyo Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony: 24 July 2020
It's sooner than you think! Start saving those travel funds and securing those passports now!

Compiled Tourism Ideas:
  • Nicco, Odaiba, Yokohama, Kamakura are popular destinations from Tokyo, but may be quite crowded during the Olympics, so you may want to try places off the beaten path a bit more kmfdmpig
  • Try to visit a hot spring with the full food experience in Kyoto kmfdmpig

Compiled Tips:
Here are some good tips compiled from responses:
Ticket Prices and Info
https://tokyo2020.org/en/news/notice/20180720-03.html
 
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kmfdmpig

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,347
In Tokyo you can get by without knowing hiragana or katakana. You can certainly get by without knowing kanji.

Popular tourist destinations from Tokyo are Nicco, Odaiba, Yokohama, Kamakura, but I imagine that each will be quite crowded during the Olympics, so you may want to try places off the beaten path a bit more.
Kyoto is a bit far, but by bullet train you can get there in a few hours. It's well worth it and has tons of great sites and food.
Try to visit a hot spring with the full food experience while there. You won't regret it.
 
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Nephtes

Nephtes

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,546
Me personally, I'm planning on spending 10 days in Japan, with 5 days dedicated to the Olympics and Toyko and another 5 days to tourism in Kyoto. My wife absolutely needs to see gymnastics at the Olympics, or I probably won't be leaving Tokyo alive, so that's super important to me, getting info on how to get into gymnastics events.

As to international travel, I can offer the following tips:
- Passports take time to come in unless you want to spend $$$ and get it rush delivered. In the US, you need your birth certificate and a passport photo (available at most pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens).
- Make sure your credit card and debit card don't charge for international use.
- Research your airline and find out if they offer comp alcoholic beverages. I always fly Delta internationally because of the airlines I've taken overseas, they've been very generous with beverage service which includes free beer, wine, and spirits (like whiskey and scotch and vodka) compared to something like AlItalia which serves only beer and wine and rarely come around to fill up your cup. Also, the three meals served on every Delta flight I've taken to Europe have been quite good.
- Learn how to ask for the check at a restaurant. Actually, learn as much of the foreign language as you can. In my experience, many people in other countries know some English, but they seem generally happy when you attempt to speak their language, even if you butcher it.
- Check out Know Roaming for cheap international cell phone and data service. It's about $7/day for unlimited data, which is about the cheapest option I could find if you don't have a carrier like AT&T or Verizon who offer international travel plans.
- Learn how to politely say "no" to people trying to sell you things at tourist locations.
 
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Nephtes

Nephtes

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,546
WhoaIsThatMars said:
Good luck. You'll likely be buying everything secondhand. The only thing I'm gonna try and attend is a marathon or something. MAYBE a soccer game since I live near the stadium, but I'm sure every game will be sold out before I can even load the page
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This is my big fear, not being able to buy tickets to Olympic events before I actually get to Japan. I'm really hoping people on ResetEra went to the PyeongChang games can talk more on how that worked for those most recent games. I seem to recall watching some of the events and seeing large areas of empty seats, so that gives me some hope perhaps even second hand tickets won't be too expensive.
I have no delusions of imaging I'd actually manage getting tickets to the opening ceremony... But if I can see some gymnastics and table tennis, I'll consider it a successful trip.
 
MMarston

MMarston

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,605
For those intending to go beyond Tokyo, please for the love of all that is good in the universe, get a JR pass.

You won't regret it.
 
Mii

Mii

Member
Oct 25, 2017
168
I'm definitely finding my way there for the Olympics. I've been a few times before but swore once I heard they were hosting that I'd return for it.

We might as well have a ResetEra Tokyo Olympic meetup.
 
munchie64

munchie64

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
2,541
This is my thread. It was made for me.

Already started planning places to go. Basically using Olympics as an excuse will probably go to 2 events though.
 
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Nephtes

Nephtes

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,546
MMarston said:
For those intending to go beyond Tokyo, please for the love of all that is good in the universe, get a JR pass.

You won't regret it.
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Thanks!
I've added it to the compiled tips list.

kmfdmpig said:
In Tokyo you can get by without knowing hiragana or katakana. You can certainly get by without knowing kanji.

Popular tourist destinations from Tokyo are Nicco, Odaiba, Yokohama, Kamakura, but I imagine that each will be quite crowded during the Olympics, so you may want to try places off the beaten path a bit more.
Kyoto is a bit far, but by bullet train you can get there in a few hours. It's well worth it and has tons of great sites and food.
Try to visit a hot spring with the full food experience while there. You won't regret it.
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Thanks!
Added to tourism ideas!
 
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WhoaIsThatMars

WhoaIsThatMars

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,557
湘南
Nephtes said:
If I can see some gymnastics and table tennis, I'll consider it a successful trip.
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If I'm still in the country in 2020 (I have no intention of leaving), I can maybe grab tickets at a convenience store. I'm sure other ERA members in Japan can do the same. Just keep an eye out for when word goes out that tickets are starting to go on sale.

I imagine the opening/closing ceremony will be the hardest to get tickets to; followed by soccer and basketball. So maybe you'll have luck with gymnastics?
 
duckroll

duckroll

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,142
Singapore
And don't fuck your JR Pass up. Make sure the activation length covers the days you need ESPECIALLY for return if required. You don't wanna pay for a pass and then have it expire a day before you need to take a Shinkansen back to the airport. Lol.
 
Celestine

Celestine

Member
Oct 31, 2017
694
Tokyo, Japan
Oh man it's going to be so crowded. I live in Tokyo and am super curious how it all will play out. There's already a lot of hype behind it and I'm sure it will be super easy to get around using English at the time as people will be excited about everyone being in for the Olympics and willing to help. Signs and so on already have English for the most part around Tokyo (unless you head to the boonies) and they've been working on making sure things are accessible (although, when they fail at it, they fail spectacularly).

Second the recommendation for a JR pass. It makes getting around by train lots easier and you can even use it for the bus. Also second the hot springs/ryokan with full course dinner/breakfast idea. God they are always soooo good.

Other than that, general common sense should carry you far. Ask questions politely and it shouldn't be hard to get help for whatever. I'm not that familiar with super touristy stuff tbh but for general questions I can answer lots.
 
RoKKeR

RoKKeR

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,375
Haven't been back to Tokyo since I studied abroad there in 2015, been thinking about going for the Olympics... but honestly the more I think about it the more of a nightmare it sounds. Maybe I'll just go next year or sometime right after the olympics haha.
 

Deleted member 2802

Community Resetter
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
33,729
  1. How early should one plan on booking hotels in Tokyo?
  2. How does one go about getting tickets to sought after events like gymnastics and table tennis?
1. I would probably be looking to book outside of Tokyo and taking the shinkansenpai to Tokyo. Even the PC cafes are going to be packed and expensive af
2. I would try to go to the less popular events, those tickets are going to be silly expensive if you don't cop the retail price
 
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Nephtes

Nephtes

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,546
shira said:
I would try to go to the less popular events, those tickets are going to be silly expensive if you don't cop the retail price
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What do you anticipate "silly expensive" to be? Like NFL game upper deck ticket price for a pre-season game ($99-$150) or are we talking full on NFL Playoffs tickets ($1000+)?
 
beelulzebub

beelulzebub

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,583
Yes. Thank you for making this thread. Planning a big trip around then to celebrate my girlfriend graduating from Optometry school (class of 2020 lol). We've always wanted to go to Japan, and that's as great an excuse as any to go.

Already a lot of great suggestions ITT. Thanks everyone! Will bookmark and keep revisiting over the next couple years.
 
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Nephtes

Nephtes

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,546
beelulzebub said:
Yes. Thank you for making this thread. Planning a big trip around then to celebrate my girlfriend graduating from Optometry school (class of 2020 lol). We've always wanted to go to Japan, and that's as great an excuse as any to go.

Already a lot of great suggestions ITT. Thanks everyone! Will bookmark and keep revisiting over the next couple years.
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lol, Optometry class of 2020! That's great!

Here's hoping this thread helps everyone on Era get to Tokyo for the Olympics who wants to go.

I'll try to keep the OP post as up-to-date as possible over the next 2 years.
 

Deleted member 2802

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33,729
Nephtes said:
What do you anticipate "silly expensive" to be? Like NFL game upper deck ticket price for a pre-season game ($99-$150) or are we talking full on NFL Playoffs tickets ($1000+)?
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A lot of factors are involved. Obviously the method Japanese retailers distribute the tickets, how many IOC and VIP tickets are resold, and interest from Chinese millionaires. If you have a bunch of Chinese VIP's who will pay any price then. . .

Also big are fake tickets from resellers. So it's hard to judge a good price.

http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2014/09/16/rio-olympics-ticket-prices-set-2016/
For Brazil it was $2k for opening ceremony, $500 for track/basketball/volleyball finals.
But this was with the Zika and Brazil crime.
 
Cruxist

Cruxist

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,814
Yup, been saving since the 2016 olympics ended. Another general piece of advice if you haven't done it yet, pick up a credit card known for travel points and use it exclusively. I've been doing this and have a ton of points already. Hoping to get the whole flight for free, but who knows.
 
Bán

Bán

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,307
I'm just going to pretend this thread is about the Rugby World Cup in 2019, lol. I'm definitely going to that and if it's good I may just return the next year for the olympics.

I'll be going for three weeks and want to see plenty of the country - what kind of rail pass would be appropriate?
 
Socivol

Socivol

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Oct 25, 2017
6,659
I want to go so badly but I think that waiting until LA 2024 would be easier since it will be in the US. I've always wanted to go to Japan though.
 
Noroi_Kisaragi

Noroi_Kisaragi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,711
An old guy with a passport told me anyone with a TOEFL certificate can sign a paper to move to japan to temporarily work at the olympics site, and you can bring your family.

Applications close sometime this year, so thought i'd mention for anyone that's interested.

I don't have a TOEFL certificate, or know how to get one, but if I did i'd probably do it! Would be fun to work at the olympics.
 

lupinko

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,154
Tickets will be almost impossible to get and they'll cost an arm and a leg.

That's what I remember from Vancouver 2010.
 
oasis007

oasis007

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Oct 27, 2017
732
You read my mind OP. I've been planning this since Rio. Plus the Nintendo World theme park is opening that summer!
 
passepied joe

passepied joe

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Oct 25, 2017
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Ever since it was announced that Tokyo won the bid for 2020 I knew I had to go. I know it's still two years off but me and a friend are planning to meet up there.
 
Osa15

Osa15

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Nov 13, 2017
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2020 seems so far. I loved the Rio Olympics and I am sure this one will be great aswell.
 
BladeRunner

BladeRunner

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Oct 31, 2017
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I wonder how Tokyo will perceive Russia's constant cheating, if they once again are found to cheat.
 
Jubern

Jubern

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Oct 25, 2017
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Darksol said:
Start planning now.
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This right here.

I'm co-owner of a small travel agency here in Japan (for the French-speaking market tho) and can't stress enough how far right planning will take you.
It depends of everyone really and backpacking randomly can be a nice experience, but IMO if you have specific expectations when it comes to what you want to see, to do, where you want to sleep etc. Japan is one of these country where you need to prepare well in advance. Booking something you really wanna do and have been planning can be hard already with how overcrowded the country currently is.

We've been selling tours for this spring since the last one ended basically, and had our first inquiries for the Rugby World Cup like over a year ago. Those related to the Olympics can't be too far ahah.
 
Jamie OD

Jamie OD

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Oct 27, 2017
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duckroll said:
And don't fuck your JR Pass up. Make sure the activation length covers the days you need ESPECIALLY for return if required. You don't wanna pay for a pass and then have it expire a day before you need to take a Shinkansen back to the airport. Lol.
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I was in this situation the first time I went there. Hurts the wallet a fair bit indeed.
 
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Nephtes

Nephtes

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Oct 27, 2017
4,546
StrikeVillain said:
You all are brave planning to go to Tokyo during summer. Woof.
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shira said:
It's not the heat it's the humidity.
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I'm not all that worried.
I'm from New Orleans... We're used to that kind of summer.
The kind where the humidity is so high, it hasn't rained in days, but somehow everything has a fine layer of water on it and the temperatures are pushing 103 with the heat index.

As far as I know, Tokyo is both at a higher latitude and elevation than New Orleans... And air conditioning is a thing in Tokyo as well right?
 
MikeHattsu

MikeHattsu

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Oct 25, 2017
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Nephtes said:
As far as I know, Tokyo is both at a higher latitude and elevation than New Orleans... And air conditioning is a thing in Tokyo as well right?
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Well, depending on what events you're hoping to see, they might not have air conditioning there. Oh, and when booking places check what kind of air conditioning they have. If you're staying in hostels they usually have air conditioning in the rooms themselves, but not in the common rooms, bathrooms or shower rooms. Cheap (business) hotels sometimes got central systems that only have 1 common air condition temperature for the whole place that you can only turn on/off. I've seen some AirBnB places that don't have air conditioning at all, just fans, so check reviews and read all the info :P


Bán said:
I'll be going for three weeks and want to see plenty of the country - what kind of rail pass would be appropriate?
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Depends on which cities you want to visit and for how long you're going to be outside of Tokyo.
 
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SonicX_Zero

SonicX_Zero

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Oct 26, 2017
469
Oh man just the topic I need, my main goal is badminton and basketball buuuut I'm pretty sure basketball is going to be the more difficult and expensive event to get if I even manage to snag one ticket. :( Oh well, I'll be looking out for more useful info in this thread. -subbed-
 
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