Added: Pics on Page 2 - So i'm going to Japan...in 2 weeks

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by Muta

Try and go in the morning (like, REALLY early), as most places at Tsukiji use fish caught only hours before they end up in the restaurants. Still, as Bertuzzied said, you can go later at night as well, and really... it's still ridiculously fresh.

Gawd... I miss that market. Now I want to go back again. You're one lucky dude to be doing that trip.

We need cmyden to hook us up with a $350 roundtrip ticket from YYC to Tokyo again!

That was some awesome sushi there. I was all worried that the bill would come out to a fortune. It was less expensive than any place here in Calgary that is any good.

[loob job]

How much were the hookers?

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by loob job

How much were the hookers?

hmmm funny enough. on our tour all our hotels were in the red light districts.

They have these shops where you can walk into and they have like trading cards of the girls. Not sure if you have to phone them or swipe them or what not. I was there with my wife and her 2 sisters. not exactly the best place for me to hang out.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

Nope. you can go later at nite too. We didn't get there until 7-8pm. There are alot of restaurants around there.

Ah but it is freshest in the morning. First boat of the day arrives around 5am. If you can make it there that early you can watch them reel it in. It's quite the sight. Usually you can time it with the morning after you land. You'll be jet lagged and likely up at that time anyway, so why not?

As for the hookers, you have to be cautious. A guy at my hostel decided to go to the red light district and follow one of the guys offering "pretty girl" just for kicks. He said the bottomless drinks were enticing enough. But it's pretty much a scam.

He said they brought him into a bar, sat him down and give him his first drink. Afterwards, they never served him again. He sat there for about 30 mins milking the one drink, when this ugly African girl came up and started hitting on him. She wanted him to buy her drinks and promised him a good time for the right price. He was pretty disgusted and walked away lol.

[TylerSVT]

You want fresh?

Try eating Live octopus.. that is fresh.

[BaldyAuldy]

Originally Posted by loob job

How much were the hookers?

I got really drunk and stumbled into a massage parlor. Got a happy ending and then fell asleep for 4 hours on the message table. Racked up a $1700 bill.

Yup. Trying to get my money back from visa. Not sure that's going to go over well.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Jing

Hey guys, hoping you can help me out with the transit part.

I will be in Tokyo for 7 nights and Osaka for 6 nights. I will be taking the train from Tokyo to Osaka (but not the other way around as I have a connecting flight from Osaka to Tokyo back to Canada). Would it be worth it to buy a JR pass? I plan on doing some day trips, such as Kyoto, maybe Hiroshima, and probably one of Nikko or Hakone.

Any other travel advice would be greatly appreciated!

I think the JR pass would be worth it, especially if you activate a one-week pass before leaving Tokyo. You may want to consider some day trips out of Tokyo too, and upgrade to a 2-week pass (e.g. Nikko, Hakone). Depends on how much partying you plan on doing.

Definitely hit up the Kinkakuji, Fushimi Inari, and Kiyomizuderi in Kyoto. You might want to do Nara as well. Add Miyajima to your list (Mt. Misen is worth it on a clear day, as is Itsukushima shrine). Miyajima can be combined with Hiroshima, although it will be a long day if you're doing it as a day trip from Osaka. I'd add Himeji too as a day trip out of Osaka (half-day even). The samurai castle there is original (unlike Osaka), it's not far, and it's free to get to if you have the JR pass.

The one place I went to that IMO was not worth it was Koyasan. Quite a bit off the beaten path and nothing to do at night.

[CaramonLS]

Off to Japan in 2 weeks...

Sapporo for 11 days (including new years) and Tokyo for 4 days.

[GP_Matt]

Any more recent suggestions? I take off today for two weeks in Japan.
Tokyo -> Kyoto mostly with day trips and several unhooked nights available for side trips to Hiroshima and wherever the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Also managed to snag sumo tickets in Osaka.

[starseed]

I will latch on to GP_Matt's request.

I am going on May 15th for 2 weeks. Tokyo for 5 days > Kyoto 2 days > Osaka 1 day > Miyajima/Hiroshima 2 days > Osaka 2 days > Tokyo 2 days.

Can we use Japanese sim cards in Canadian phones?

[GP_Matt]

If they are unlocked I think you can get a data only SIM card but no local number for some reason.

[ae118]

We just went to Japan in October thanks to the Delta deal, and instead of switching SIMs we just rented a portable wifi hotspot. It was really easy and pretty cheap. Highly recommend.

[GP_Matt]

Thanks,
I picked one up at the airport and so far it works great.

[Regular_John]

We were in Tokyo over Christmas and used the bmobile travel SIM for my unlocked 4s (RIP). Ordered it before we left and it was waiting for us at the hotel when we arrived, no issues with it at all.

But having said that, our hotel sold them as well and we saw them in lots of other places, so you may not have to pre-oder.

[Calgary14]

About 7 years ago while I was in university I went to Japan as part of an exchange group. The trip was funded mainly through scholarships that we won and we had to be selected based on grades, interview, etc.

The trip was a blast. Started in rural northern Japan, then to Sapporo, then all the way down to the Hiroshima area. We were there for about 6 weeks.

I learnt a ton while there. The Japanese are generally very friendly and willing to help out with directions etc whenever they can. We stayed with host families so we got the true Japanese experience which was way better than a tour group.

A couple of things I remember about Japan:

- in their culture it's very rude to say 'no' to a guest. A simple question such as whether we would make it to our dinner reservations on time would produce an awkward, run-around response rather than just a simple 'no'
- they take their shoes off in a ton of places as a show of respect
- they also bow quite often as a show of respect
- people don't usually tip in restaurants and it may actually be disrespectful in some places if you try to tip
- kampai means cheers. They do it often and they love to drink
- if you don't know how to use chopsticks, try to learn prior to leaving. They use them for almost every meal
- earthquakes happen often there and they are usually so minor they go almost unnoticed. While I was there I experienced a tiny one and it felt weird, walking on the street and it seemed like the ground had moved slightly. So minor and lasted a couple seconds, and I was told it happens frequently

[Forbsey-123]

Went to Japan for 10 days in '07. Got the mid-level rail pass (there are 3 speed levels....middle is best bang for your buck) Hotels are a rip off and many of them have a curfew....if you are out past the curfew then you will be locked out for the night. We stayed in Media Cafes. There is a huge one called Popeyes in every city that will rent you a little cubicle with a padded floor and a couch and tv. 12 hrs is like 30 bucks and the place is technically a massive library so everyone is deadly silent. These media cafes have little snack shops and a shower that you can rent for an hour. We found one in every city...Fukoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Kobe, Tokyo and Kyoto. I highly recommend stopping in Kobe for an authentic Kobe steak.....we stopped twice. Don't worry too much about the language barrier...everyone is pretty nice and like to help out a person who is lost....avoid Tokyo at all costs if you can....the place is a maze and nothing really too special...good for people watching tho. Kyoto, Kobe and Osaka were our favs. The hardest part to deal with is ordering food.....many menus are just a bunch of Japanese writing with no pics so we stuck to the street-side izakaya's and just ordered what other people were having. Hope this helps...PM me if you have any more questions.

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Forbsey-123

...Hotels are a rip off and many of them have a curfew....if you are out past the curfew then you will be locked out for the night. ..

I can certainly say this wasn't the case for us staying in Tokyo. The price we paid was about $110/night and didn't have any curfew to speak of. Was very much a "western style" hotel.

Ryokans outside the major hubs might be a different story, but I'd pick an actual hotel over a media cafe, especially if traveling as a couple.

[starseed]

I have heard opposite opinions on Tokyo from different sources. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do in the city? I think so far on the list:
-Harajuku
-Kanda Matsuri Festival
-Nikko day trip
-Mt Fuji/Hakone day trip
-Ninja restaurant?

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by starseed

I have heard opposite opinions on Tokyo from different sources. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do in the city? I think so far on the list:
-Harajuku
-Kanda Matsuri Festival
-Nikko day trip
-Mt Fuji/Hakone day trip
-Ninja restaurant?

ROBOT RESTAURANT. Seriously. Get reservations after you arrive. Eat before you go.

- The Shrines are stunning.
- Yoyogi Park (attached to meiji shrine grounds)
- Robot Restaurant
- Get lost in 6 story department stores, check out impossible compact appliances
- Robot Restaurant
- Circle Line in Tokyo, hop on/hop off. Explore
- Robot Restaurant
- Genki Sushi in Shibuya, order your sushi on a touchscreen, delivered on a track
- Robot Restauant
- Japanese Tempura, 2nd best meal we had there
- Convience store onigiri
- Robot Restaurant

We had a great time in Tokyo, just so much to see and do. But next time we'd make a point of leaving the city, just too short of a trip this time.

[Thor]

I hate the fact tall people have an issue in Japan with hostels and even hotels. How big of an issue is that, if I want to go on a budget?