The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[Richard.John]

On second thoughts, 2 month holiday in Japan, a month of which is in Tokyo, WOOHOO!!!!

Just remember to pack summer clothes. It gets unaturally hot in Tokyo during the summer months.

[Paradigm]

Just remember to pack summer clothes. It gets unaturally hot in Tokyo during the summer months.

It is a tropical island...

[JamesBelsey]

Many places don't take credit cards at all. Lot's of places in Akihabara don't accept them.

I didn't have any problems using credit cards when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Maybe things have changed recently, or maybe I was just lucky with the shops I went in to!

James.

[Richard.John]

It is a tropical island...

You are joking,surely?

I must have mistaken the snow we had in Jan., for sand

[womblingfree]

Yeah it's a cash country tbh, although u could cash your cheques at any major bank.

@Womblingfree, how often do you head to SHibuya mate. Pubs never ask for I.D but clubs are a different kettle of fish, on Fartpanic, and Pure (oh how it's not) don't ask.
Mainly because they're ****e holes.

Never go clubbing (well rarely), can't stand loud noises and jumping around.

I'm an Izakiya and karaoke man

I didn't have any problems using credit cards when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Maybe things have changed recently, or maybe I was just lucky with the shops I went in to!

James.

Lucky I'd say. The smaller places don't take em nd none of the import stores except Laox which charges a fortune for US software.

Mind you I don't expect you were in Akihabara looking for US games!

Just remember to pack summer clothes. It gets unaturally hot in Tokyo during the summer months.

Summer clothes alone won't help you. Drink Pocari Sweat and eat unagi (grilled eel) to stave off heat stroke and dehydration. Drink loads of water too.

I never believed the eel thing but last summer I was seriously run down at work, went to the sushi place for lunch, three plates of unagi and I was fine. It's rich in whatever vitamin you need that sweat and sun get rid of.

[Richard.John]

Unagi is the king of kings. How can eel be tasty you say,until you try it. Yummy

[Zanza]

Yeah, summer clothes are a given really, but like Woblingfree said; make sure you carry fluids around with you, drink plenty of Ice tea or Pocari Sweat and you should be fine.

You could also get a sun umbrella, although if your carrying lots of other stuff its just another item to weigh you down.

[tokyochojin]

Unagi is the king of kings. How can eel be tasty you say,until you try it. Yummy

My workmate just told me that if you eat unagi, your dick will get bigger and stronger!

Dunno why it hasn't worked for the Japanese so far but he's convinced.

[tokyochojin]

You could also get a sun umbrella, although if your carrying lots of other stuff its just another item to weigh you down.

Or make you look like an Oba-san..

[Richard.John]

Oba-san

[huxley]

Wahay in a little over 48 hours I`ll be in Tokyo, i was going through this thread picking out little bits of info / tips etc and putting them in a little note book..... how sweet and DUMB! I`m aking this laptop with me.
Think im going blonde

[Richard.John]

Enjoy it.

[huxley]

I will Dude wanna party (Im drunk sorry)

[Jushin-Thunder-Liger]

Got so pissed last night i couldnt find my hotel, had to spend all night in a cybercafe in Shibuya. My date wasnt too impressed i can tel you
A good start then

[segages]

Hehe you get in some situations Jushin

Just re-read this whole thread after thinking of going back sometime earlyish next near (March) for a few weeks.

Last time (2003), me and my bro spent just over two weeks doing a whistle-stop tour of the country armed with a rail-pass. It was ****ing ace but we barely had time to breathe as everyday was up early, back late. We stayed mostly in cheap ryokans. It went kinda like this (round trip):

Tokyo - visited Akiba/Ueno/Ginza/Asakusa and more.
Kyoto - spent mostly around the main town but day-tripped to Nara and rented bikes to go to the bamboo forest - great fun when you don't have a clue where you're going due to a hangover
Fukuoka - only a day here, wandering around the Canal City shopping centre. A bit boring tbh.
Hiroshima - went to the Museum/A-bomb dome and Miyajima island)
Tokyo - back for more Akiba then Yokohama/Shibuya/Kamakura and then home

This time, it'll probably be for two weeks again but based solely in Tokyo and day-trip from there if need be. Missed out on Roppongi last time due to time constraints but maybe I'll go this time Also wanna check out, if possible, some Sumo and/or a J-League match. Anyone got any info on how to sort this? Anyone here been on a day trip to Fuji from Tokyo? It was in Feb and a bit cold up there so we didn't bother but what's it like in March or maybe April? Plus, is there anything up north of Tokyo worth checking out?

One thing I wanted to ask was that early on in the thread MD (now banned) mentioned using jadetravel.co.uk to get a JAL flight to Tokyo via, and stopping in, Shanghai for three days. This sounds rather nice as I want to go there sometime but I dunno if they do this anymore.

I think cheap accommodation will be on the menu again for the most part but don't want to fly with Lufthansa again. For ?440 the flight was OK, meals pretty grim (I hardly eat any in-flight means anyway, but the staff were obnoxious tossers... are any of the ?450-550 airlines decent? I don't mind average food and can sleep through alot of the flight. ****wits for staff is what I can't stand.

Another flight question: how long do you guys wait to book? Right now, the el-cheapo flights I'm looking at are around ?550 (I guess oil prices affected this) departing mid-March for two weeks. I got 10 months to wait but I don't wanna hold off if the price is gonna go up. Is it better to wait 'til a few weeks until departure?

Hopefully I'll save some cash by not having to get a countrywide railpass this time.

While I'm here, anyone been to Hong Kong? It's another possible destination but I'm wondering how it compares to Japan/Tokyo.