The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[Anpanman]

It's probably a whole other story for actual day-to-day living and working.

Agreed, the Japanese work insane hours, that said you could apply that to many countries, a lot of people like Dubai but I wouldn't really want to work in the construction industry there like a lot of Bangladeshi immigrants do.

Yeah, but when you have things like dickheads cycling down a pavement that is packed wall-to-wall with pedestrians, that's happening no matter how long you spend there.

Suppose it depends on where you are, in Tokyo we encountered a bit of that but I wouldn't choose to live in Tokyo for similar reasons to living in London - though I'd much prefer Tokyo to London.
We are in more rural Japan so don't encounter wall to wall pedestrians. We see more Cranes (birds), Cicadas, butterflies and mosquito's than people.

Ironically I see it as a great place to live and work, but can't for the life of me understand why people come here on holiday, unless they want to go game shopping.

Really? A look at JNTO's site should give you some ideas. Most people would want to sample the culture/food and experience the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
Japan has some decent history and a good selection of temples, not just in Kyoto plus some very good examples of castle construction.
The Sakura season would be a big draw plus others may want to see Fuji-san, experience an onsen, visit Hiroshima, Sapporo in winter, Nikko for the autumn leaves etc etc.

And all can be done in a country that is relatively safe, clean and has a very good transport infrastructure - in fact a Shinkansen trip is reason enough for some to visit.

[Legendary Wolf]

I've never noticed this thread before and thought I'd join in as I'm planning on a holiday to Japan next year. I'm most likely going for 2-3 weeks during late summer, early autumn.

I've been doing a lot of research on the people and culture, reading bits on the web, buying some books and regularly watching programmes on NHK world and a few Japanese films. There is so much to take in with all their rules and customs but that's part of the charm I think.

I've also started learning Japanese and hope to be competent enough to converse with the locals. I am planning to go to Tokyo and Kyoto with maybe a few trips to other cities if I have the time.

[Len]

You'll have an amazing time. Exactly where my wife and I went on part of our honeymoon.

Loads of great info in here, njoy.

[wakka]

Go to Osaka too, Den Den Town is the balls. Better than Akihabara I would say for finding teh rarez as it's much less touristy and there's tons of great stores. Also Osaka Castle is nice.

[teddymeow]

Summer is the rainy season too so it might be better to go after that.

We love going in February / March time as it's just crisp enough to warrant wearing a jacket and the skies are always blue and the ladies still wear stupidly short skirts and knee-high boots! (That last bit only applies to me!)

Ideally we'd love to go out there for Christmas. I know that the Japanese aren't that interested in it but the thought of being somewhere else, waking up on Christmas morning and opening presents (or even going to Akiba to choose my own) before going out to wander around for the day is a cool one.

Just thinking about running around shouting "Merri Kurisumasu!!" puts a huge grin on my face!

Looking like Xmas 2012 before that happens though - got to make sure Mrs Teddy finishes her teacher training and finds a permanent job before we can afford another trip to Japan.

[DeathAdder]

Agreed, the Japanese work insane hours, that said you could apply that to many countries, a lot of people like Dubai but I wouldn't really want to work in the construction industry there like a lot of Bangladeshi immigrants do.



Suppose it depends on where you are, in Tokyo we encountered a bit of that but I wouldn't choose to live in Tokyo for similar reasons to living in London - though I'd much prefer Tokyo to London.
We are in more rural Japan so don't encounter wall to wall pedestrians. We see more Cranes (birds), Cicadas, butterflies and mosquito's than people.



Really? A look at JNTO's site should give you some ideas. Most people would want to sample the culture/food and experience the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
Japan has some decent history and a good selection of temples, not just in Kyoto plus some very good examples of castle construction.
The Sakura season would be a big draw plus others may want to see Fuji-san, experience an onsen, visit Hiroshima, Sapporo in winter, Nikko for the autumn leaves etc etc.

And all can be done in a country that is relatively safe, clean and has a very good transport infrastructure - in fact a Shinkansen trip is reason enough for some to visit.

I know the things which are supposedly the tourism highlights. I've been here ten years. It just amazes me that people would rather come here than, say, Thailand, where their money would go far further. To each his own - it will probably never cease to surprise me.

[Anpanman]

I've done Thailand, off the beaten track a bit too as I like me temples & stuff. Did three crackers in Nakhon Ratchasima/Buri Ram. All in all one of the best holidays I've had, but I still prefer Japan as for me there is more to do.

You're spot on about the money though it will go a lot further in Thailand so yes it is all down to personal taste - though I would imagine that a hell of a lot more Brits for example go to Thailand than Japan anyway.

[Anpanman]

Go to Osaka too, Den Den Town is the balls. Better than Akihabara I would say for finding teh rarez as it's much less touristy and there's tons of great stores. Also Osaka Castle is nice.

I'd agree, though if you want normal stuff keep an eye out for a chain called Geo, prices were lower than those in Den Den. Also K's Denki has good prices for non gaming electrical stuff.

Osaka Castle is good, but Osaka has some other good stuff, Kaiyukan aquarium (I think second biggest in the world) - has two whale sharks and situated next to the largest ferris wheel in the world, Umeda Sky Building is worth a look and they also have USJ - Universal Studio's Japan.
Oh and the airport is miles better than Narita, closer to the city, smaller and not as busy. You could still have exactly the same holiday but just start/end in Osaka - only drawback is there are less carriers into KIX than NRT.

If you fancy Osaka Castle but want something better, Himeji isn't far away and is by far the best castle in Japan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site to boot.

[Darwock]

Summer is the rainy season too so it might be better to go after that.

Rainy season is early summer - July basically. It will be stiflingly hot right up until the end of September. After that it's comfortable and probably the second best time to visit in terms of climate here (after cherry blossom season).

Personally I hate Christmas here and was hoping to return home for it this year.

[teddymeow]

Personally I hate Christmas here and was hoping to return home for it this year.

Why, what's wrong with it?

[randombs]

It just amazes me that people would rather come here than, say, Thailand, where their money would go far further. To each his own - it will probably never cease to surprise me.

A photo of somewhere in HK. It's basically Japan but with more signs and less hiragana. I tell people they may as well go there if they don't speak Japanese because it'll sound the same but will be cheaper.

[Darwock]

Why, what's wrong with it?

It might be alright as a one-off novelty, but it's pretty depressing to wake up on Christmas morning to the sound of (for example) a building site in full swing. Myself and most of the ex-pats I have met here get the strongest home-sickness around that time.

I always try to give my fiancee the feeling that Christmas is special but I'm fighting a losing battle. All the decorations and trees are gone by the 26th as well (in some cases they are already gone on the 25th - xmas eve is for some reason perceived to be the more important day)

[Darwock]

I'd agree, though if you want normal stuff keep an eye out for a chain called Geo, prices were lower than those in Den Den. Also K's Denki has good prices for non gaming electrical stuff.

There is a Geo *in* Den-Den town, it's one of the better shops to find stuff around there too.

Osaka Castle is good, but Osaka has some other good stuff, Kaiyukan aquarium (I think second biggest in the world) - has two whale sharks and situated next to the largest ferris wheel in the world,

Not anymore on both counts - both the whale sharks died a couple of years ago, one has been replaced but now they only have the one. The Kaiyuukan is a stunning building though, definitely worth a visit.

The Tempozan Ferris wheel was the largest when it was built, but was soon surpassed by the London Eye, and then that big one in Singapore (I think).

[noobish hat]

100% with Darwock on this. One of the most depressing things I've ever had to experience. It would be less of an issue if they didn't have to ape everything we do, and make a big deal out of it. If you're not going to celebrate it properly, kindly desist with this unworthy charade, and leave all your hollow gestures in the bin, where they belong.

[Darwock]

A photo of somewhere in HK. It's basically Japan but with more signs and less hiragana. I tell people they may as well go there if they don't speak Japanese because it'll sound the same but will be cheaper.

Only if you take the view that Japan consists purely of built-up metropolitan areas. I suppose it would apply to a lot of people that come here who can't (or don't want to) see beyond Tokyo, which is a shame.