Carrying it doesn't bother me. It's getting railed exchanging the unused cash back to CDN when I get back that bothers me.
Ahh fair enough, we actually haven't converted the yen we came home with back with, as we intend to return. But it's a valid concern.
One other thing, Robot Restaurant, don't ask questions. Just go. When you arrive ask the hotel concierge to call & get a reservation/ticket for you. Don't bother with the meal, just the show.
Last edited by Regular_John; 01-19-2016 at 06:01 PM.
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Heading to Japan in a few weeks and looking for some tips
- We're doing a couple nights in Tokyo, any suggestions on what area to look at to stay in?
You are up for a treat of a lifetime. Well, it was for me and I have traveled the world extensively. I believe it was Jaydorn here on CP, who said that Japan has the ability to screw up the enjoyment of your future travel anywhere else, because nothing can beat it.
We stayed at Odaiba Island. Beautiful views and walking distance to lots of shopping and Museum of Technology, which was a blast by itself. I think anywhere you stay in Tokyo is going to be close to something and far from something else. 30 million people live there, almost the entire Canadian population in a small city.
A few tips:
No tips required - nobody takes or expects tips anywhere.
Buy Japan Rail Pass now before entering the country (you can't buy it there). It's discounted to foreign tourists and is a great value. Here
Plan to spend at least one full day at Ueno Park in Tokyo. It is magnificent.
Everyone says that you must see Shibuya, because it's so "Lost in Translation" Tokyo. Meh. Lots of people and department stores, that's it. Times Square on a reduced scale.
Buy your dinners at the department stores. Most large department stores have huge food courts on the basement level. You can buy anything there – from sushi trays and beer to French pastry desserts much cheaper than same meals at the restaurants.
Go to Roppongi at night and have a few drinks at the open bars there - thousands of people standing at their tables just drinking and talking to each other and to complete strangers.
Don't be afraid to use subway system to get anywhere in Tokyo. It's very crowded but really easy to understand and use, once you figure out the lines and change stations.
Avoid taxis, way too expensive.
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Last edited by CaptainYooh; 01-19-2016 at 06:30 PM.
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I go to Japan about once or twice per year. Here are a few websites that I find useful.
japan-guide.com - helpful to plan itineraries, and do a little research on places in Japan
japanican.com - I use this site to book all my accommodations. I usually stay at business hotels which are a little small by Western standards, but very clean and affordable. You can also book tours or events like the robot restaurant.
econnectjapan.com - free wifi isn't as common as you would think. Bring an unlocked smartphone and get one of their prepaid sim cards. If there's more than one of you, you might want to share a wifi device. You can pick them up at the post office at the airport, or have it delivered to your hotel.
hyperdia.com - tells you which trains to take from station to station, and will even let you know the cost and platform to use. I think there's also an app, but you'll need wifi or data.
I always use the ATMs at the 7/11. Convenience stores are everywhere, and about every third one is a 7/11. I find 10,000 yen per day is my usual cash requirement, excluding accommodation expenses. Japan rail passes are great if you're travelling a lot within Japan. However, I think you'll also find that flights to Sapporo from Tokyo are competitively priced. Sapporo is great if you love seafood. They're famous for their scallops and king crab, and make sure you try their ramen.
Last edited by wontondestruction; 01-19-2016 at 07:27 PM.
Be forewarned: you will want to come back, guaranteed.
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One other thing, Robot Restaurant, don't ask questions. Just go. When you arrive ask the hotel concierge to call & get a reservation/ticket for you. Don't bother with the meal, just the show.
Cannot agree more. I'd thank this 10 times if I could.
We went for a week over Christmas last year, miss the hell out of it and can't wait to head back. ...
You mean 2014 or did you actually go again this past Christmas???
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydorn
...
In terms of cash... it's a crap shoot. You just have to get over the mental block of carrying a ton of cash in Japan, I did use my visa a few times, without issue, but there weren't a ton of merchants that accepted credit cards. We purchased YEN at the exchanges here in Calgary before we left....
I don't know about this one. We read about this too and brought Japanese money with us (exchanged at the Chinook Centre currency exchange outlet). We've encountered only a few places in four cities we've visited, where credit cards were not accepted. Usually, small mom&pop shops at street markets. Hotels, restaurants, bars, museums, shops at shopping centres, even temples and shrines - all take plastic. We probably would have HAD to use an equivalent of $200 in cash only in two weeks. Japanese bills are bigger than $CDN/$US bills and don't fit in North American wallets properly. They stick out. Plus, they have a variety of coin denominations that you'd need to learn. Anyway, I wouldn't fret too much about bringing lots of cash.
Kunkstyle: One more tip. You will need cash or plastic wallet card to ride subway trains. Get a Suiko wallet card when you exchange your Japan Rail Pass voucher at the airport JR Office and put $100 on it right there. Very convenient. You just flash it at all public transit turnstiles and it debits the balance automatically. Plus, all 7-11's and many other stores take it as payment.
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I understand they have some weird and wild kit kat flavors there.
You should bring a bunch back.
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Kunkstyle: One more tip. You will need cash or plastic wallet card to ride subway trains. Get a Suiko wallet card when you exchange your Japan Rail Pass voucher at the airport JR Office and put $100 on it right there. Very convenient. You just flash it at all public transit turnstiles and it debits the balance automatically. Plus, all 7-11's and many other stores take it as payment.
I agree on the suica card, it's very convenient and you can return it at the end of your trip to get a refund on whatever is left plus the 500 yen deposit. Just a word of caution, the lines at the JR office at Narita can be very long, because everyone wants to activate their JR rail pass. I waited almost 2 hours on one occasion. If you're not going to start traveling right away, then you might want to activate it at one of the major stations in Tokyo.
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I understand they have some weird and wild kit kat flavors there.
You should bring a bunch back.
I brought back wasabi and cheesecake flavoured. The wasabi KitKats were amazing.
Everything about Japan is amazing. I went with a group of about 12 people in May. We separated into smaller groups on a couple of legs, the recombined in Tokyo and Miyajima.
Japan is exactly as Calgarypuckers describe it... the travel experience to ruin all other travel experiences.
For Tokyo (list stolen from bf):
1. Tsukiji market: I heard that it was closing down for some reason in March? Such fantastic food around there.
2. Pokemon Centre, Ikebukuro: Lots of Pokemon. Opportunity to shop. Good chance to see a horde of insane Japanese men obsessing over a girl band on a level that can only be achieved by Japanese nationals. I could not begin to describe the scene around the atrium when the girl band was there signing autographs.
3. Harajuku: A little disappointing, could have been poor timing but we only saw Harajuku men, rather than Harajuku girls. Next door is Meiji Shrine, which was a very pretty stroll around the time we went.
4. Miraikan: I didn't actually make it here, but my friends did. It's a science museum with apparently neat things like robots and the unicycle things from the OK Go video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ZB_rGFyeU). Outside the museum is a giant Gundam.
5. Akihabara: This is an arcade/anime/electronics/sex shops district. A very entertaining place, even if you don't have a strong interest in any of the aforementioned things. This is one of those "only in Japan" areas. If you have a girl with you, you can venture to the "no boys unless accompanied by girls" floors of the arcades to get some AMAZING glamour photos. Also, try going to a maid cafe. So bizarre, yet awesome. Just remember that the word she is saying is 'Twitter'.
6. If you're into meeting other travelers, there is a Tokyo pub crawl (http://www.tokyopubcrawl.com/) every Friday night.
7. Robot Restaurant: eat beforehand, do not skip.
Remember that the subway closes after midnight until 5am. I remember walking through a bar district after the trains shut down and thinking it was deserted... until we stepped out onto the street before 5am and saw 1.3 million people doing the exact same thing at the same time. It was a crazy sight.
However, I think it is the food that is the biggest reason for me to go back.
I've always wanted to move to Japan but alas finding work there is not easy for dirty gaijin's. This thread is making me want to add Japan to my Korea trip.
There was a huge snowstorm in Tokyo couple days ago that paralyzed the town's transports. I'm in Fukuoka right now, been here all week riding the JR around Northern Kyushu on a ramen run Next stop is Taipei for more eats.
I would say 60% of the places here in southern Japan don't take plastic. 7-Eleven ATMs are a godsend. I've only spent $$ on meals, tourist stuff and transports all week, didn't buy anything else and spending around 8000 Yen per day excluding hotel. Haven't been back to Tokyo in 15+ years, probably will do it next year.
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I've always wanted to move to Japan but alas finding work there is not easy for dirty gaijin's. This thread is making me want to add Japan to my Korea trip.
If you have a degree, could teach English.
Kunkstyle The Sapporo Snow Festival is Feb 5-11. You should check that out if you're still there.
Last edited by wontondestruction; 01-20-2016 at 08:07 AM.
Christmas 2014, haven't been back yet! But we've checked flights every month since
If everything works out on the job front in 2016 we're hoping to do 2-3 weeks next time. Get outside Tokyo, see Kyoto, Hiroshima.... Tokyo Disney
Ah, I was getting jealous.
We want to go back too. I'd like to see northern areas, fishing villages, rural Japan.
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"An idea is always a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize means to think." Georg Hegel
“To generalize is to be an idiot.” William Blake
Next stop is Taipei for more eats.
