The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[briareos_kerensky]

Even during my very first visit to the country (which was only a short holiday) I got stopped twice in Tokyo and asked to show my visa.

Do you need to carry the visa and the passport all the time?

Travel-related question: I'm planning to go to Kyoto the same day I arrive in Japan, spend three/four days there and then head back to Tokyo.
From Narita airport there's no direct train to Kyoto, you need to take the train to Tokyo and the the express to Kyoto...is it a particularly tiring task? I'm afraid to fall asleep somewhere after the long plane trip or make some stupid mistakes :P

[Darwock]

Yes it's a very wise idea to carry your passport everywhere. Some people are just lucky and don't get stopped, but it's a very common occurrence. A friend of mine neglected that advice when he arrived here, got stopped and as he had no ID he got taken to the police station. He wasn't let go until he called the company he was employed by and they came and sorted it out (not sure what you'd do as a tourist, so don't let it happen!)

Your train trip shouldn't be that tiring but Japanese trains do have a magical ability to make people fall asleep...

[randombs]

What about the limousine bus instead of the train from Narita to Tokyo?

I've taken the train from Tokyo to Narita on the way back for both my trips but when I've arrived at Narita in the beginning I've used the limousine bus. They put your luggage under the coach for you and the journey is nice and relaxing and if you can't sleep, you get to stare out the window and watch all the people going about their business. The times I've been on the train there have been lots of tourists and so lots of suitcases onboard (I find the limousine bus is largely empty) and I've had to manoeuvre mine about which wasn't particularly fun even after a good night's sleep and a decent breakfast, let alone after a 12-hour flight

It's 3000 yen and comes with a free one-day Tokyo Metro train ticket - although I doubt you'll need that if you're going straight to Kyoto - and I think it takes just under an hour and a half to get to Tokyo Station.

[briareos_kerensky]

What about the limousine bus instead of the train from Narita to Tokyo?

Open to all suggestions...I've read about the limo busses but I was worried about the traffic and how long it would take from Narita to Tokyo. And I have better experiences with trains that with busses here in Italy, but I guess Japan is a completely different thing altogether.
Also if the Narita express ends in Tokyo station and the Kyoto express starts there, it would require less baggage hauling.

[randombs]

I suppose that could be a problem although I didn't notice traffic, but that's because I hadn't needed to be on time for anything on the way in to Tokyo. On the way back I've used the train both times to make sure traffic wasn't an issue so I guess if I was doing what you were, I'd probably go for the train unless I was sure of the Tokyo-Kyoto timetable and could make allowances for buying my ticket, etc.

Having said that, if you're arriving in Tokyo quite early then there'll be lots of trains going to Kyoto anyway so you could probably afford to risk the traffic, unless there's something major along the way.

I guess here's the comparison:

Train

Pros: Fast (an hour I think), no traffic to worry about

Cons: Usually quite packed so could be difficult to get a seat unless you wait a bit, not much room for luggage, quite a few stairs to negotiate if I remember correctly.

Bus

Pros: They handle your luggage for you and drop you off more or less right outside Tokyo Station, the ride was more comfortable for me (6 foot) and the engine rocks you to sleep.

Cons: Takes longer (80 mins) and could be delayed by traffic

[kryss]

My mother and brother who visited us three years running never got stopped. The wife and I only got stopped once as we came out of our home station. The police officer asked to see our alien registration cards then asked us questions about english grammar...

Another time a friend got stopped but didn't have her card/passport on her and got taken to the nearest cop shop. She had to call her housemate and get him to bring her ID.

It's the luck of the draw it seems.

[Richard.John]

I have even managed to avoid being bag checked in Roppongi. They leave me alone it seems. I have just jinxed myself of course. If they spent more time catching real crims in
Roppongi, I would be happy. Those ****ing touts for example, who stand next to signs stating the illegality of what they are doing, and just ignore them of course.

[teddymeow]

Three years in a row we've visited and have never been stopped. The first two years we didn't carry any ID with us as we weren't aware of any potential
issue.

Re: bus vs train. We did the bus our first year and it was very relaxing. Also, driving along the Japanese Expressway in the bus is like being in a slow paced version of Ridge Racer with the way it winds around and is above the regular roads! The train into Tokyo is good too but I guess it depends what time you're arriving / departing as to how busy it'll be.

[randombs]

driving along the Japanese Expressway in the bus is like being in a slow paced version of Ridge Racer with the way it winds around and is above the regular roads!

YES! That's it! Although the blue tinted windows make it look like your AV cable's buggered up

[teddymeow]

YES! That's it! Although the blue tinted windows make it look like your AV cable's buggered up

Ah, glad it's not just me that views the normal world in videogame terms!!

[usman]

.....

[randombs]

Ah, glad it's not just me that views the normal world in videogame terms!!

A few years ago on Oxford Street I thought for a split-second that a street sweeper's rear-view mirror was running at 30fps(I used to notice that in 60fps Xbox games like PGR1, the reflections were at 30fps)!

It was just the vibrations from the machine making it all juddery

[teddymeow]

Has anybody ever flown with Air China?

Wondered as Expedia have an unbelievably good deal if I were to fly with them rather than Virgin / JAL.

Thanks.

[neoboy259]

Has anybody ever flown with Air China?

Wondered as Expedia have an unbelievably good deal if I were to fly with them rather than Virgin / JAL.

Thanks.

Not personally but friends have told me that service-wise, they aint great, and the IFE is hit and miss.

Personally I'd rather stump up the extra and fly with Virgin. When are you going btw?

[saif]

teddy, i have flown from Tokyo to Shanghai with them. I assume that is one of their premium routes.
They are OK but it depends what you want. All flights have (largely) the same seats and space due to legislation but the difference is service and entertainment.
Service was not great on Air China but they were fine (infinitely better than China itself!) and entertainment was irrelevant for me as I had gamer's entertainment. The way I saw it, the savings made could actually pay for either a better holiday or in-flight entertainment that last longer than the flight (ie a new games console!).
Briareos
Train v Bus to Tokyo.
The price is actually pretty similar to Tokyo station for a direct service but the train will be quicker. The Narita Express has space for cases and you can look outside as Narita becomes rural and then turns into a Megalopolis over the hour!

Assuming that you are travelling to Kyoto on a JR pass (and if not, that is the cheaper way), the NEX is usable with the pass and so will not cost any extra - potentially saving JPY6000.