The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[kryss]

Easiest way to pay when getting around Tokyo is to get a Suica card. You can get them from NewsDay (convenience store) for 2000yen, of which 1500 is credit. This then functions as an electronic ticket for ALL lines in Tokyo and most of Kantou, but not the Kantou Tetsudou lines though as they are in Ibaraki prefecture I highly doubt you'll be using those. Although the Kantou Tetsudou Ryuugasaki line is the shortest in Japan, with only 3 stations, running from Sanuki to Ryuugasaki.
The joy of the Suica is that you can just touch it to the oval panel on the ticket gate and walk through. Provided you have credit. You can top-up the card by putting it into any ticket machine with "Suica" Pasmo" or "IC card" labels. You can even use it to pay for goods in some shops, including BIC Camera, IF you have enough on there - it's NOT a credit card.

I shop at MediaLand all the time, they have the best prices in Japan.

[ezee ryder]

Money - Take cash, as noted elsewhere, since Japan is very much a cash-based society. We kept our cash in the safe in the hotel we were staying and didn't resort to using the cards once.

Also, it's worth mentioning that you should take your passport EVERYWHERE with you in Tokyo, especially if you plan on making big-ish purchases. Because your not paying the tax I think, they log all your details down, well, they did in Yodobashi Shinjuku-ku when my missus' bought a new camera, and for the same when I picked up an 80Gb iPod from the Apple Store in Ginza.

Travel - The Tokyo subway is punctual, clean and cheap. Easy to find your way around as well. Buying a ticket is a piece of piss. The machines (and trains) are dual-language English/Japanese.

Places - Visit akiba-ch.net, there's a map there for some of the best haunts in Akihabara. Obviously, Club Sega, Taito and Hirose Entertainment Yard are must visits, as is Media Land I think it is, near Akiba Station.

Where else? Yodobashi Akiba (across the road from Akiba Station - you can't miss it!!), Nakano Broadway (located outside Nakano Station) and the Sony Building (Ginza) spring to mind, there's a lot more, but can't think right now.

Language - It does help to learn a few phrases to get around Japan, the people also appreciate that as well, goes a long way there IMO.

Superb mate, thanks for the detailed info

[kryss]

If you go out the Electric Town exit in Akiba you can miss Yodobashi completely mind you.

I should start giving tours...

[Escape-To-88]

Thought it worth sticking on here - may have been noted before - that if you open a Nationwide accoutn before you go there the only building society that offer FREE cash withdrawals from the Post Office. You'll find them in all major cities and small towns. I set one up before I went and taught English for a few months.

[IanE]

Yep, my dad is setting one up for me, as they won't give me one even though I have an account with them and have kept it in good standard! (a VISA Debit Card, that is)

kryss - I'd certainly pay for a tour.

[wakka]

Planning to go Tokyo with a few guys from work in May, never been before and don't speak Japanese. Anyway alot of you guys seems to have been, so any advice?

Read the thread?

[L3wisD]

Hi guys, Pretty much registered here because of this thread! (got pointed here by a chap from the GamesRadar UK forums)
Read the whole thing over the last few days and it's been a brilliant resource of gold nuggets of info!

Myself and a friend are flying out on March the 26th and will be there until April the 14th. (Not long to go now!)
I won't go and ask any questions that have already been answered, so I'll ask a couple that -hopfully- aren't daft questions:

1: Neither of us really like nightclubs or bars whatsoever... preferring a pub setting. Is there anywhere we can pull birds that isn't a dance club in roppongi, or essentially, can you suggest any really cool japanese pubs?

2: Are there any really cool J-rock/Punk rock clubs?
It'd be awesome to go see a live J-Punk gig.

If it helps we're staying in the Shinjuku Prince hotel.

Cheers fellas,
-LewisD

[kryss]

1: The Hub is meant to be pretty good for that, it's just a pub. Can't guarantee the quality of what you find though, but they would be after a bit of foreign.

[IanE]

Righty, flying over to HK, making trips to different places and then want to go to Tokyo. But, it seems extremely hard trying to find a reasonably priced flight (return) to Tokyo from HK, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur.. any of those. The cheapest I've found previously was £550, but another search brought up £290 which isn't too bad. Anyone know of cheaper deals?

[Richard.John]

For pulling locals, Motown 1 or 2 in Roppongi should do. It's just bar but is packed with foreign guys and Japanese girls most nights. Many transsexuals also make it their home so if that is not your thing, be careful.

HUBs seem to be mostly Japanese from the ones I have been to.

[ezee ryder]

Read the thread?

Thanks for the sarcastic comment but you were a few hours too late as I was already kindly given advice by other helpful people.

[Brian Topp]

All being well, I'll be in Tokyo in April... on my own for a week! Just need to book the tickets come March payday. 10% bonus ftw.

Umm, will there be enough distractions for me so that I don't go crazy through lonliness? I'm thinking of doing a district-a-day or something. And I'm a bit unsure as to if I should try and speak in my dodgy Japanese, or just stick to English?

[teddymeow]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!! Why does time appear to go so slowly when you're really looking forward to something?

3 weeks today i'll be just finishing me packing, listening to random J-Pop trying to get super tired so I can sleep on the plane so the jetlag doesn't kick in too much.

Anyone up for a gaming all-nighter on Thursday 14th Feb? The Club, Burnout and various others will be out by then (after my Cold Turkey period).

[randombs]

I'm a bit unsure as to if I should try and speak in my dodgy Japanese, or just stick to English?

Japanese all the way, mate. It's even more fun when the person you're speaking to doesn't know English

As you're only there for a week, I'd imagine even with dodgy Japanese it'll still be fun and you won't get into too much trouble, but like someone on here said, when you start speaking Japanese their automatic assumption is that you've mastered it.

At immigration I'd speak Japanese, too, as it seems to mellow them out a bit and speeds things along. Immigration's a proper boring job, and having to do it in a non-native language would get irritating very quickly, especially when the person's English isn't that good. It's like me with Japanese - when I'm tired it becomes very difficult for me to say anything useful

[Brian Topp]

Japanese all the way, mate...

Okay, it'll be "michi ni mayoi ma****a" all week long then