# Japan Help



## Jello89 (Nov 29, 2008)

Hello Everyone!
I dunno if this is the right place to ask..
Im planning on going to Japan with my best friend in the near future. However, Im really not familiar with this location. I live in Canada. I will most probably want to stay in Tokyo. I would like to be in the city and alot happening around me. If there is anyone who lives or has been there, can you help me out XD!?


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## Taj (Nov 29, 2008)

This link may help
Japan National Tourist Organization


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## mtrimier (Nov 29, 2008)

I was in Tokyo this past January, but didn't hit any clubs with the people I was with, so I am of no help there. I spent most of my time on the train and at the Blue Note at night with my stepfather, but during the day we mostly took the train to Asakusa to see the large shrine there, walked around Omote-sando for the shopping and Ginza for more shopping. Hit up Harajuku, Shinjuku, and Shimbashi. All of these are on the metro if you do decide to take the metro around. You can also get to the central fish market (Tsukiji) if you are interested in that sort of thing. 

Take good walking shoes.

Here is a Wired article with a metro map if you are interested in what you might be looking at soon:
Riding the Rails in Tokyo Is Overwhelming, But Easy | Autopia from Wired.com


We really didn't do too much in the city that didn't involve my stepfather's work, though. The last few days we had we went out to Kamakura and through Yokohama for a minute.

Hopefully some of the members here in Japan can be more helpful to you.


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## Jello89 (Nov 29, 2008)

Thank you! I really wish to see as many things as possible. I dont mean to go clubbing or anything. But I just prefer staying in a busy city. Shibuya seems very interesting. All though I would like to see some other attractions. I dont mind a lot of travelling.


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## Dice1233 (Nov 29, 2008)

I'm in the same boat as you - planning to go to Japan with my hubbie when I graduate in May, but we don't know too much about what we want to do there.  A classmate of mine went to Japan last year and highly recommended the Let's Go : Japan travel guide.  She said she basically planned her trip using their recommendations.  So, I bought that and have been reading through it, but I'm anxious to see what others who have been there or live there would recommend.


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## Jello89 (Nov 30, 2008)

Same here! I really wanna know what people have has as experiences. The sites above are really useful. I think Ill end up staying in a in or bed and breakfast type place.


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## mtrimier (Nov 30, 2008)

Experience wise, I LOVED it. It was great to walk around in these controlled but chaotic crowds and take the train and WALK everywhere. I love that part the most. 

I took guide books, but mostly left them in the hotel, or only referenced them for a map to plan where we had to get on/off the metro.

Planet Tokyo - A Traveler's Guide to Japan has interesting tour information, as well.

I am more of a night owl, and would walk around at 3-4 AM looking at nearby shrines and felt safe. It's super quiet, but the konbini's (convenience stores are mostly open 24 hours if you need a soda or comic or onigiri). 

There are all sorts of things in the nooks and crannies of side streets, so don't be afraid to venture off the main roads. I didn't take many pictures, but if you want to see the ones I have you are free to check out my flickr page: Japan 2008 Trip - a set on Flickr

The Japanese people were very friendly and even with my super limited Japanese, were patient and helpful and would try to speak English with me when they could.


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## banjobama (Nov 30, 2008)

I live in Japan. 

A lot of people speak English, especially in the tourism industry (hotels, etc.). Be aware it's extremely hot and humid in summer, rainy in spring, and cold in winter. Autumn is not too hot, not too cold. There are definitely four seasons here.

Also, do you have tattoos? If you do, you have to cover them up if you plan on going to a water park, Tokyo Disney, or any hot springs parks.

It's really safe and clean here, because they have super strict laws-up to five years in jail for illegally dumping garbage, for example. It is also a very friendly country for cigarette smokers, a lot of hotels still have smoking and non smoking rooms while in the states basically everything is non smoking.

If you have a specific question, you can PM me!


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## Jello89 (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *banjobama* 

 
_I live in Japan. 

A lot of people speak English, especially in the tourism industry (hotels, etc.). Be aware it's extremely hot and humid in summer, rainy in spring, and cold in winter. Autumn is not too hot, not too cold. There are definitely four seasons here.

Also, do you have tattoos? If you do, you have to cover them up if you plan on going to a water park, Tokyo Disney, or any hot springs parks.

It's really safe and clean here, because they have super strict laws-up to five years in jail for illegally dumping garbage, for example. It is also a very friendly country for cigarette smokers, a lot of hotels still have smoking and non smoking rooms while in the states basically everything is non smoking.

If you have a specific question, you can PM me! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
I would love to visist Tokyo. I love the city. But I would also like to see some nature/cultural things and so on. I dotn mind walking or taking trains/buses. I dont mind if its an hour ride or so. Where do you suggest I stay?(to be able to access all these places with resonable transport time and cost) Also what are some things you suggest I should visit? 

I hear about a train pass or something that touritsts can purcahse? Do you know anything about this?

Have you ever heard of this place?
Hotel Edoya

Thanks alot!!!


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## banjobama (Dec 1, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Jello89* 

 
_I would love to visist Tokyo. I love the city. But I would also like to see some nature/cultural things and so on. I dotn mind walking or taking trains/buses. I dont mind if its an hour ride or so. Where do you suggest I stay?(to be able to access all these places with resonable transport time and cost) Also what are some things you suggest I should visit? 

I hear about a train pass or something that touritsts can purcahse? Do you know anything about this?

Have you ever heard of this place?
Hotel Edoya

Thanks alot!!!_

 
Honestly I have only been to Tokyo when we landed at the airport there, I live about two hours away. I'm going there the weekend of December 20-21 though. I live in Yokosuka and I go to Yokohama a lot too. Tokyo is such a huge city. Yokosuka is like the size of Seattle where I used to live, Yokohama is bigger, and Tokyo is biggest. Even in my relatively small town, there is always something to do and there are always people around, and there are a lot of malls and shopping. It's really exciting.

I have never heard of the Hotel Edoya but it looks nice. It might be expensive though. And anywhere you stay, there WILL be a train station, subway, or bus within walking distance.

To ride the trains you buy tickets, but if you are going to ride a lot you buy a pass card, either a Suica or a Pasmo. It's not really a tourist thing, everyone has one. You buy the card and put money on it, and then you scan it as you go into and come out of the train station, and it deducts the right amount from your card. It's not a discount card, your travel will be the same price as a normal ticket but it's much more convenient to not have to figure out which ticket you should buy. 

You can also use your Suica or Pasmo card on some buses, and inside stores in the train stations for snacks and drinks. (The two cards are the same, only one train line sells Suica brand and one sells Pasmo. They are totally interchangeable.) 

In Tokyo there are a lot of different neighborhoods, like Akihabara, Asakusa, Harajuku, etc. If you want to browse eletronics stores, then visit Akihabara. You get the idea. 

You might want to visit Kyoto too. Kyoto is more old-style Japan, where they have old castles and shrines. It is a couple hours train ride but maybe you could go and stay there one night. 

If you want, I can mail you a train map in English. I work on the Navy base so they have a lot of tourist info here that might be hard for other people to find. To me that map has been invaluable. It has every train stop on it, so you just have to count the stops till the station you want to get off at, instead of having to try to listen to the Japanese announcements on the train and possibly missing your stop. 

Let me know if you want me to send you some stuff like that! It is really easy for me to do.


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## Taj (Dec 1, 2008)

BTW, transportation is expensive in Japan. So remember to buy the JR tickets at your home country before you get on your plane to Japan.


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## Jello89 (Dec 1, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *banjobama* 

 
_Honestly I have only been to Tokyo when we landed at the airport there, I live about two hours away. I'm going there the weekend of December 20-21 though. I live in Yokosuka and I go to Yokohama a lot too. Tokyo is such a huge city. Yokosuka is like the size of Seattle where I used to live, Yokohama is bigger, and Tokyo is biggest. Even in my relatively small town, there is always something to do and there are always people around, and there are a lot of malls and shopping. It's really exciting.

I have never heard of the Hotel Edoya but it looks nice. It might be expensive though. And anywhere you stay, there WILL be a train station, subway, or bus within walking distance.

To ride the trains you buy tickets, but if you are going to ride a lot you buy a pass card, either a Suica or a Pasmo. It's not really a tourist thing, everyone has one. You buy the card and put money on it, and then you scan it as you go into and come out of the train station, and it deducts the right amount from your card. It's not a discount card, your travel will be the same price as a normal ticket but it's much more convenient to not have to figure out which ticket you should buy. 

You can also use your Suica or Pasmo card on some buses, and inside stores in the train stations for snacks and drinks. (The two cards are the same, only one train line sells Suica brand and one sells Pasmo. They are totally interchangeable.) 

In Tokyo there are a lot of different neighborhoods, like Akihabara, Asakusa, Harajuku, etc. If you want to browse eletronics stores, then visit Akihabara. You get the idea. 

You might want to visit Kyoto too. Kyoto is more old-style Japan, where they have old castles and shrines. It is a couple hours train ride but maybe you could go and stay there one night. 

If you want, I can mail you a train map in English. I work on the Navy base so they have a lot of tourist info here that might be hard for other people to find. To me that map has been invaluable. It has every train stop on it, so you just have to count the stops till the station you want to get off at, instead of having to try to listen to the Japanese announcements on the train and possibly missing your stop. 

Let me know if you want me to send you some stuff like that! It is really easy for me to do._

 
Thank you!!! I would love if you could send me a map. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



I think Id like to visit shibuya and harajuku. Kyoto sounds nice. I was thingkign of possibly staying in two different places. Maybe someplace near Tokyo or in. And then somewhere else. Thank you sooooo much


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## banjobama (Dec 1, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Jello89* 

 
_Thank you!!! I would love if you could send me a map. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



I think Id like to visit shibuya and harajuku. Kyoto sounds nice. I was thingkign of possibly staying in two different places. Maybe someplace near Tokyo or in. And then somewhere else. Thank you sooooo much
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
Just PM me your address and I'll send one next time I get a chance. Also look at the site www (dot) gaijinpot (dot) com, there's a lot of info there about Japan for English speakers. What time of year are you coming?


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## ritchieramone (Dec 1, 2008)

I've been to Tokyo a couple of times (most recently in October) and we stayed at the Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku which is very close to Shinjuku Station. We found it extremely handy for travelling around as the station is so central for most underground and train lines. It was also very easy when arriving as we got the Narita Express to Shinjuku and had a 5 minute walk to the hotel with no stairs or steps to cause us problems with our cases (escalators everywhere, including outside). The hotel was fantastic for the price, very clean, modern and friendly. We would definitely stay there again.


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## Jello89 (Dec 1, 2008)

I most def will be going in the summer. I have no other fre time to go with school and all.


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## breechan (Dec 2, 2008)

Hi. Canadian as well here. I lived in Japan for 2 years and recently moved back to Canada. I lived in Tokyo for a bit and thats where my BF is too.

I can hopefully answer any specific questions you have.


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## Jello89 (Dec 3, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *breechan* 

 
_Hi. Canadian as well here. I lived in Japan for 2 years and recently moved back to Canada. I lived in Tokyo for a bit and thats where my BF is too.

I can hopefully answer any specific questions you have. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
Do you have any tips on saving money? As in where should I stay, where should I eat, etc. I really need to plan that out. I know some hotels have breakfast included or 2 meals or something. Thereis also Ryokans. I wanted to stay maybe half in tokyo and half somewhere else in a traditional style inn. Any Ideas XD?


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## breechan (Dec 3, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Jello89* 

 
_Do you have any tips on saving money? As in where should I stay, where should I eat, etc. I really need to plan that out. I know some hotels have breakfast included or 2 meals or something. Thereis also Ryokans. I wanted to stay maybe half in tokyo and half somewhere else in a traditional style inn. Any Ideas XD?_

 
Saving money: Only splurge on one nice meal a day. Go to a grocery store and get fruit or a rice ball etc for breaky and lunch on the go. You can stay at a youth hostel to save money. Sakura hostel, and Tokyo Backpacker's are reputable places in Tokyo. For cheap but very nice and convenient hotels, try the "toyoko inn" chain. They have tons of locations all over Japan. They also have an English website with online booking. But book in advance!! 

I'd recommend staying in a Ryokan for at least one night, but go to one with an onsen (hot spring). That's something you shouldn't miss out on. It's an essential Japanese experience! Just make sure you know the etiquette beforehand.  I'd recomment Hakone, it's just a short train ride from Tokyo, lots of ryokans and tourist-friendly stuff and it's near Mt. Fuji. 

You need to decide on a timeframe, then I can help you out more. Also, if you aren't a good sleeper on airplanes etc, it may be a good idea to get an airport hotel for the first night. Getting into Tokyo from the airport takes 1.5-2 hours, and its not fun when you're really really dead tired. Also, navigating Tokyo on no sleep for beginners (I would imagine) would be quite daunting. Especially if you are arriving in the evening. The trains shut down around midnight. 

Print maps ahead of time. Tons of them. Print maps for everywhere you'd like to visit. Japanese addresses do not follow numerical sequence, and many roads do not have names. Many signs do not have English. 

Lastly, learn some Japanese basics. There's hundreds of resources on the net. I'd recommend japanesepod101.com. Many Japanese are very shy to and cannot communicate well in English outside of people in tourism industry. If you can speak some basic things, it goes a long way. They like to see you making an effort to learn their language and will probably praise you if you can string along a phrase or two. 

I have so much advice spewing forth. I'll try to keep my answers to specific questions.


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## Jello89 (Dec 3, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *breechan* 

 
_Saving money: Only splurge on one nice meal a day. Go to a grocery store and get fruit or a rice ball etc for breaky and lunch on the go. You can stay at a youth hostel to save money. Sakura hostel, and Tokyo Backpacker's are reputable places in Tokyo. For cheap but very nice and convenient hotels, try the "toyoko inn" chain. They have tons of locations all over Japan. They also have an English website with online booking. But book in advance!! 

I'd recommend staying in a Ryokan for at least one night, but go to one with an onsen (hot spring). That's something you shouldn't miss out on. It's an essential Japanese experience! Just make sure you know the etiquette beforehand.  I'd recomment Hakone, it's just a short train ride from Tokyo, lots of ryokans and tourist-friendly stuff and it's near Mt. Fuji. 

You need to decide on a timeframe, then I can help you out more. Also, if you aren't a good sleeper on airplanes etc, it may be a good idea to get an airport hotel for the first night. Getting into Tokyo from the airport takes 1.5-2 hours, and its not fun when you're really really dead tired. Also, navigating Tokyo on no sleep for beginners (I would imagine) would be quite daunting. Especially if you are arriving in the evening. The trains shut down around midnight. 

Print maps ahead of time. Tons of them. Print maps for everywhere you'd like to visit. Japanese addresses do not follow numerical sequence, and many roads do not have names. Many signs do not have English. 

Lastly, learn some Japanese basics. There's hundreds of resources on the net. I'd recommend japanesepod101.com. Many Japanese are very shy to and cannot communicate well in English outside of people in tourism industry. If you can speak some basic things, it goes a long way. They like to see you making an effort to learn their language and will probably praise you if you can string along a phrase or two. 

I have so much advice spewing forth. I'll try to keep my answers to specific questions.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
Thank you! You have been really helpful! Ill check out those places you mentioned and Ill get back to you


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## Dice1233 (Dec 3, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *breechan* 

 
_
I'd recommend staying in a Ryokan for at least one night, but go to one with an onsen (hot spring). That's something you shouldn't miss out on. It's an essential Japanese experience! Just make sure you know the etiquette beforehand.  I'd recomment Hakone, it's just a short train ride from Tokyo, lots of ryokans and tourist-friendly stuff and it's near Mt. Fuji. 

You need to decide on a timeframe, then I can help you out more. Also, if you aren't a good sleeper on airplanes etc, it may be a good idea to get an airport hotel for the first night. Getting into Tokyo from the airport takes 1.5-2 hours, and its not fun when you're really really dead tired. Also, navigating Tokyo on no sleep for beginners (I would imagine) would be quite daunting. Especially if you are arriving in the evening. The trains shut down around midnight. 
_

 
You rule - thanks for some awesome advice.  I will be coming summer '09 as well and would love to go to a hot spring, but I am tattooed.  They are covered by clothing, so they won't be a problem in public, but they are not covered in a bathing suit.  Are there any hot springs that would allow that? My husband and I are planning to come for 2-3 weeks in June.  Luckily I will have some time off after these next two weeks to try to plan our trip a little bit. 

Does anyone know of or recommend any organized tour groups in Japan?  I love the idea of contiki tours , but they don't do Japan.  Anything similar?

Thanks everyone!


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## sambibabe (Dec 5, 2008)

I love Japan. Once Yen fares better, I am so going there again 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




My favorite place is Kyoto!  We usually book the hotel there and make a day trip to Osaka and Nara. Are you planning to make a lot of Shinkansen (bullet train) rides? If so, JR pass works out a lot cheaper and you can use it for both Shinkansen and local JR lines.  If you stay in Tokyo, don't forget to visit Shinjuku on Saturday night. There were literally millions of people on the street and all those neon signs blew me away!

Edited to add:
I also found the airport baggage storage service helpful too. I had to travel to Canada from Japan and didn't want to carry 2+ luggage with us, so we left them at the airport and pick them up a week later. You can also ask hotels to organize the courier for your luggage, too.  When we went there first, we didn't know any better..  We dragged our luggage and shopping bags through Tokyo station and that was a nightmare!


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## Le-Saboteur (Dec 6, 2008)

There are soo many hostels and backpackers in Tokyo and Kyoto, we were staying in one which was really nice in Kyoto and was the equivalent of about NZ$30 a night for a dorm bed. Dunno how the exchange rate for you guys, but I doubt it'd be more than US$20. Lots of places had free security lockers and internet usage, bike hire (which was SO helpful!). And, like someone else said, there is always public transportation nearby. 

In Tokyo, going to the East Garden at the Emperors palace is really nice. Also, the museum is HUGE and there is so much awesome stuff in there! That was all I really saw in the city, otherwise I was just staying in the suburbs. Even a random mall in Kamagaya was way bigger than anything we have in this country so it was a huge experience for me 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




As for Kyoto, what an amazing place, so much stuff to see, and like another poster said, safe! I was about 16 and walking around at night wasn't a scary experience at all... There weren't any drunks or glue sniffers so that's different to home, hah. The tourist attractions are listed elsewhere, and I can say that most of them really are as good as they sound. Kyoto was an amazing city, so much to see.

Didn't see much of Osaka or Kobe, but I would love to have a look around there, too. I hope you have time to just wander around, that's really where you find the best spots. There was a mall in Kyoto somewhere and I turned out a door and there was a big Shinto shrine right in front of me. It was so cool and completely unexpected. There was a lot of that. :]

I wanna go back so bad >.<


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## Jello89 (Dec 6, 2008)

Thank you everyone for your advice! This has really made my life easier! Listening to your experiences make me so excited I wish I could just leave right now! I will def. take all of your advice into consideration while planing my trip! You guys are awesome
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Right now I believe that CAN-YEN is 1$-70-ish$.
I looked into the places Breechan mentioned and they look really neat!

Here is another question!
What kind of food(particular dish/restaurant/things to be bought at a grocery store) did you guys enjoy the most??


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## sambibabe (Dec 6, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Jello89* 

 
_Here is another question!
What kind of food(particular dish/restaurant/things to be bought at a grocery store) did you guys enjoy the most??_

 
Did you say you'll be going there during summer? OMG, try all the fruits, especially grapes! I ate grapes, strawberries, house mikan (mandarines) everyday. At restaurants, we mostly had sets, like sushi would come with a bit of tempura, soup, etc. They only cost like $5 a set!   Do try Okonomiyaki (savory pancakes with seafood and vegies) and Takoyaki. Some restaurants offer 'cook your own Okonomiyaki or tempura'. Yumm..  You can basically get food everywhere though.. Supermarkets, stations and lower ground of Department stores all have special bentos and sushi packs, and even convenience stores like Family Mart or Lawson have bentos!  You won't be starved lol.  For breakfast, try bakeries- they have sets for $4 and you get salad, sandwich and coffee/tea.  Triangle rice balls are great too, but unfortunately they don't have English labels and you might end up with weird flavor, like cooked fish eggs eeek.


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