The Japan trip resource thread 2.

[teddymeow]

Can anybody recommend a great 飲み放題 bar?

Ideally somewhere that also does a decent range of yakitori etc.

[kryss]

The chains 笑笑 (warawara) and 魚民 (uotami) were places we used to go with work. They don't have a huge range of yakitori but they do have decent-ish food. But you'll have to stumble through in Japanese, and expect a sizeable bill at the end.

[Darwock]

鳥貴族 (torikizoku) more commonly known as the 280 bars (yellow signs with red 280 or vice versa). Think that's mainly a Kansai chain but I heard they were spreading to Tokyo.

[randombs]

Yeah, I've seen a few of those torikizoku signs around Tokyo.

I've been here once:

http://tokyobelly.blogspot.jp/2012/10/ikebukuro-sushi-izakaya-koi-ke-for.html?m=1

It's an izakaya in Ikebukuro called Koike. 100 yen beers and highballs and the food is decent for the price. I don't think they do 飲み放題 but for that price you can get a good amount of beer into you, I reckon.

Also, it's five floors and ruddy lively.

[teddymeow]

I'm going to be honest... I'm not really enjoying my holiday.

For the most part its because I feel like utter death. Stepped off the plane and instantly came down with he worst cold I've had for years. Shakes, cold sweats, chapped lips, blocked nose. The whole nine yards. On top of that I've burned my tongue and bitten the inside of my mouth so hard I've taken a chunk out of my inner cheek.

It means that eating and drinking are proving difficult and things I'd been really looking forward to doing are annoying me. Went to Nakano Broadway today and instead of running from store to store like a child on too much sugar I was resenting the fact that everything was ridiculously expensive and I was getting pushed about.

My brother-in-law has come down with a stomach upset too meaning that we cut today short and were back at the hotel for 3pm Tokyo time. I checked on him at 6.30 and he still felt rough so I went out for dinner on my own. I didn't mind this so much and it meant I didn't have to worry about where I went as the only person eating was me. However, 40 minutes to eat a bowl of katsu curry due to the state of my mouth was stupid!

We're supposed to be hitting Akihabara tomorrow but I don't think its going to happen.

There's a smaller part of me that thinks I've "fallen out of love" with Japan. I'm finding the fact that people won't come sit next to us on the train annoying rather than funny like I used to. The homeless situation has gotten to be shockingly bad and it is sad nobody seems to be doing anything about it.

So, yeah. I'm kind of regretting coming back. I miss my wife, I miss my son and I miss my bed.

/Rant.

[nakamura]

Japan is lovely but Japan is also very flawed. Too many western idiots treat it as some kind of haven with no problem at all and where everyone loves everyone and is happy.

[teddymeow]

Japan is lovely but Japan is also very flawed. Too many western idiots treat it as some kind of haven with no problem at all and where everyone loves everyone and is happy.

Yeah. The first couple of visits were magical but now the veneer has worn away and I can see too many issues.

[ETC]

Yeah. The first couple of visits were magical but now the veneer has worn away and I can see too many issues.

Yeah, I have only been once but have no intention of going back. There are better places to go.

[Yakumo]

Yeah. The first couple of visits were magical but now the veneer has worn away and I can see too many issues.

How many issues do you think I've found after 18 years here

[teddymeow]

How many issues do you think I've found after 18 years here

Jeez, I shudder to think.

On the flip side today was epic!! Went and walked around Akihabara for 6 hours. Bought nowt.

Then went up Tokyo Tower for Sunset. Gorgeous.

Then went to my favourite standing bar. Met and chatted with a Morrocan, Canadian, American and Australian. Two different Americans wereremoved by the Police.

I'm utterly wasted on ?300 beers and feeling amazing!!

A. Good. Day.

[randombs]

Teddy, please post that rant on TripAdvisor

Sorry you're having a rough time. When I first came here on holiday my mate and I both had 2-3 day fevers in Kyoto which knocked us out.

It's during those times that you can really feel down but I'm glad to hear you had a good day today. Seeing Americans getting removed by police is the cherry on top!

[Asura]

There's a smaller part of me that thinks I've "fallen out of love" with Japan. I'm finding the fact that people won't come sit next to us on the train annoying rather than funny like I used to. The homeless situation has gotten to be shockingly bad and it is sad nobody seems to be doing anything about it.

This is, almost verbatim, a symptom of culture shock btw:

differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety. Excitement may eventually give way to unpleasant feelings of frustration and anger as one continues to experience unfavorable events that may be perceived as strange and offensive to one's cultural attitude. Language barriers, stark differences in public hygiene, traffic safety, food accessibility and quality may heighten the sense of disconnection from the surroundings.

The Wikipedia article is brief, but longer explanations include the idea that the most noticeable part of this stage is when you find things annoying that you once found "quirky". For instance, when I lived there, I too found the fact you get many glances when out-and-about (as a caucasian man in my case) initially just a weird quirk, but eventually it does become annoying.

I strongly recommend reading up on culture shock for anyone going to Japan a great deal, or for a long duration. I thought it was just psycho-babble, but I came to realise it is a real, measurable thing and the stages described are pretty spot-on.

Then went to my favourite standing bar. Met and chatted with a Morrocan, Canadian, American and Australian. Two different Americans wereremoved by the Police.

I went to Roppongi 3 times during my stay; twice for random nights out and once for new year, all as part of a group of people. I stopped going after the third time because each time, something would always happen. There'd be a raid, or someone would almost get in a fight, or something. I put my foot down the third time because that never happened to us anywhere else in Japan, just in Roppongi, and, if I'm going to be brutally honest, it nearly always involved American military service personnel being ungentlemanly toward our female friends. I realised we'd been lucky to get out unscathed from some of the things that'd happened, and we should probably just draw a line under it.

[Yakumo]

I have to say that anywhere the Americans gather to drink is going to be a **** hole mainly due to the army types. Not always but most of the time. The bar I go to is run by a half Japanese American and even he has banned 80% of his American customers for being arse holes. The bar is fantastic now. No dicks at all. There are still many none Japanese including Americans but these are all cool people. I love going there. In fact one of my favourite drinking buddies is American yet he also agrees that most of the Americas he sees in Japan are right pricks from a Military background.

[randombs]

Weirdly, I enjoy going to Roppongi. Last time I went it was a welcome change to see all the different races of people walking around instead of the generic Japanese salarymen I usually see.

I rarely go there at night, though, and never to bars, so I haven't experienced any negative stuff. It's usually for an afternoon at the art gallery or the cinema.

[Ghost]

It's a shame you are not enjoying your trip here. Unless you want to go to maid cafes I wouldn't bother with Akiba, place is stupidly expensive now and is now mostly all about AKB 48 and maid cafes, Yodabashi Akiba is great but there's nothing there that you couldn't find elsewhere in Tokyo.

I'd recommend going to an onsen, especially if you're feeling bad, there are not so many in Tokyo but there's plenty on the outskirts, which are one train ride away