The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[darkangel]

Yeah man, the best place for Videogames is Roppongi, but only after 10PM, you get some great bargains there, dude.

Where to eat?
How about trying what the locals eat?, Mc Donalds

What to do for fun?
Hmmmmm Try reading topics on import gaming forums, on visiting Japan to buy videogames
There is a good one here

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/viewtopic.php?t=19458

Have fun, and dont get raped

How about Akihbra: AKA: Electric City? Theres a map of it somewhere on the earlier pages, that place is mental.

[Jushin-Thunder-Liger]

How about Akihbra: AKA: Electric City? Theres a map of it somewhere on the earlier pages, that place is mental.

Akihbra: AKA: Electric City?
No such place, it doesn't actually exist, its like a gamers inside joke.
When i was in Tokyo, i got most bargains in Ropponngi after about 11PM.
Give it a look

[MD]

Surely Shinjuku at around 1am where they even have these guys outside that nicely offer you to show you where the entrance is. They normally have pictures of anime girlies or women, but that's just a Japanese gamer thing. It's important to buy at least one drink or you won't see any of the real bargains under the table.

[DjSatansfury]

Aye, the same as in London, all the best game shops are in Soho and if you go to Kings X after 1am, you will often find gamers playing handheld duel link up goodness

[tokyochojin]

Your both wrong, as everyone knows that "real mens" games are to be found in the Shinjuku Sanchome area I have also heard that many guys play shoot em ups there too!

[Jushin-Thunder-Liger]

A little tip for any Tokyo visitor, keep your passport (or a photocopy) with you at all times, japanese policemen, with nothing beter to do, sometimes stop westerners to ask them what they are doing in Japan, having your passport w Visa will save you a lot of awkward questions.

[MD]

Well booked my ticket to Japan, cost me a fortune (?870) but it's a direct flight with BA (my first choice JAL came back to me to tell me the flight was full). Going from the 13th August to the 6th September when my girlfriend is on her summer holiday. ^_^

Although now struggling to find somewhere to stay for 3 weeks. Want to stay in an apartment (need a kitchen), but most of the places I've contacted have written back to say, sorry you can't book an apartment this far in advance, please contact us in Mid July. Anyone got any suggestions? Apart from booking a back up hotel first and then trying again in July?

Probably going to spend too much time in Akihabra again, but I still fail to see how anyone can say they can do it in a day. You don't find any bargains if you do it in a day, it's the difference between spending 4000 Yen on a game or 980 Yen on a game (sometimes even more....). Plus looking at games takes a while even if you can read katakana / hiragana. My first night of going around Aki around 7pm and buying games is a good memory. ^_^

[tokyochojin]

My first night of going around Aki around 7pm and buying games is a good memory. ^_^

Dude, you shouldn't be in Akihabara at this time??most places close in Aki around 9. Get yourself over to Shibuya or omote sando, and get some beverages down you.

[Jushin-Thunder-Liger]

Shibuya is indeed marvelous, but for a genuinely deranged evening of carousing head over to 6 trees, you may even get interviewed by Rob Pongi himself.
I had a marvelous conversation with a bloke from Ipswich about winning eleven, I also nearly had sex with a Russian she-male, before a nice man from Derry warned me off.
I also got mistaken for an American GI by a Japanese girl in the Gas Panic, we later went to a love hotel, which was nice.
Yokohama is ok for a few beers, lots of nice Chinese girlies there, who moan about the Japs.

[MD]

Places I went to in Tokyo...

Ueno - Where I got off train from Narita airport...
Asakusa - Where I stayed during the night
Akihabara - Where I stayed during the day
Kanda - Post office for cash
Ginza - Nice indian resturant
Shinjuku (both ends of the station which seem a mile apart...) - Nice arcades and met someone there
Ebisu - Waited for someone
Naka-Meguro - Had lots of Lemon sours and met quite a few people
Kuramae - Walked past it when walking from Asakusa to Akihabara
Mitaka - Studio Ghibli Museum

That it. ^_^;

Still looking forward to August. Damn you July...

I remember being relatively sober the whole trip too. ^_^ Only got drunk once and that was mainly because lemon sours don't taste alcoholic... ^_^; I know Akihabara at 7pm sounds a bit sad but I needed that games rush. I've already planned my next next trip too (Mid Janurary 2005...). I will probably explore Tokyo a bit more this time, not sure if I will get as far a love hotel though. Although I'm sure you didn't play tiddlywinks Jushin, did it look like a normal hotel room or did it have some weird stuff in it?. :P

[dave heats]

Well, 2 weeks today I'm off to Japan for a month, and I'm starting to really look forward to it now. The past month or so has been really hardcore at Uni, so I've got a load of planning to do in the meantime. Flight is going to be harsh, but Im taking my laptop for flight entertainment, and my iPod for plane/subway marathon journeys.

Regarding apartments, as mentioned earlier in this thread I initially intended to use Sakura House to acquire an apartment for 1 month. So, a few weeks ago I checked their website and found an ideal apartment. Nice price, internet connection, private kitchen and bathroom and in a nice area. "Great!" I thought, and after checking on the site, it appeared that it was indeed available 2 days prior to when I needed to stay. After emailing them to request reserving the apartment, I didnt hear from them for 3 days, by which time it was apparently "no longer available".

After that, I tried reserving another 3 apartments, but due to their appalling communication and a website that isnt updated not nearly enough, the same "no longer available" reply was always waiting in my inbox days after the original message was sent.

At the moment, Im trying to arrange a very tasty apartment through another company, and hopefully all will be sorted. If all else fails, sakura house assure me they will have a fairly drab looking apartment free on my required dates. Needless to say, Im hoping I dont have to take them up on their offer.

All in all though, going to Japan for a month alone is going to prove a very beneficial experience for me. Its been a tough year at Uni, and current girl problems/lack of having a girl problems are making me go stir crazy simply sitting at home playing JSR. When I went last summer, it was my first visit to Japan, and I had alot to learn about living like a Tokyo-ite.
As I'm sure many here are aware, certain aspects of Tokyo can be daunting at first, such as using the public transport. Going back with prior experience ,and actually knowing what to do on the subway and train lines is a great feeling. In fact, this is gonna sound really sad, but Im actually LOOKING FORWARD to using the subway again. Its only once you leave that you realise what an effiecient and good value transport system it really is. And i miss the little jingles that play at each station, and the hanging adverts.. and the white gloved pushers.....and the......

Btw, is asobitcity still open, or has that horrific closure already taken place? Aki wont be the same without that place.

[Ginza]

I'm seriously considering doing what bobontheway did and spending a year in Hong Kong. Personally that sounds like gaming / gadget heaven but the downside would be id have to teach but bob made that sound pretty cool aswell. I'm meant to be heading off to Uni in September but if all doesnt go to plan then ill be considering the year in japan. Ill probably do the same after Uni aswell

[MD]

Sounds like Sakura house is being imcompetent or got a better booking offer... when I tried to book an apartment with them, they were fecking useless saying 'Ring us when you are in Tokyo and we will see what we have', er no... Stayed in a self catering business hotel instead cost around 7000 yen a night but was clean and in a nice area.

Apartments for a short period (i.e a month) seems to be fairly hard to do, as booking in advance is basically a no no... Found a company that offers good apartments, however they are more expensive then Sakura House but it won't be full of dodgy americans.

Tokyo metro is excellent, really liked it. Especially in the evening when all the OLs went home. I also liked the way that if you get on the first train you can stand next to a window and see out the front. ^_^ The only thing I didn't like was the fact that some stations you have to enter via a certain entrance to get to a certain platform as there isn't a bridge or cross over...

Astrobit city closed when I was there in April. Still looked like an average store anyway, but they had posters on the wall showing another place (new astrobit city?).

[Zanza]

Osaka & Other Places in Japan

Hi, great thread, i myself will be going to japan for 5 weeks, starting beggining of august, the tokyo stuff is a great help on where to go in tokyo, but has anyone got any good information on Osaka (places to look for games, places that are a general must see), or any other regions of japan, as im going for 5 weeks i hope to travel about abit, especialy to Osaka. Thanks for the help! :P

[Kungfu]

Cool thread everyone, will be embarking on a year long trip soon first stop SEA. Have always had a passion for videogames and would be a great experience to visit Japan but I don't think my shoestring budget could survive in a first world country. Is it really as expensive as I believe or am I misinformed?