The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[112]

reading Jushins advice has really got my juices flowing! I NEED to go to Japan! If what you say is true, im going to have the best time of my life! Tell me though, do the girls that are pullable look like Ayumi? Cos if they do, ima marry one!

By the way are there any good hip hop clubs there? cos ima hafta dust my skills off on the flo' and drop some knowledge in the far east!

112

[Jushin-Thunder-Liger]

reading Jushins advice has really got my juices flowing!

112

I'm glad i'm turning you on mate...........

[112]

If you move as good as you do in the ring, you can moonsault me any time m8!

?_~

Thanks for the helpful advice! Ive been hankerin' for an Ayu look a like for ages! bye bye, tango/peroxide girls! hello porcelain skin and surgically altered eyes!

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[Oh! My Car!]

Tell me though, do the girls that are pullable look like Ayumi?

Yes. They all look the same.

By the way are there any good hip hop clubs there?

Shibuya Nuts?

[Kizzycrew]

Cheers for the advice! Looks like it will be 2 weeks now, are going to visit every place on Jushin's list of pulling hotspots, Kamakura (as I fancied temples, but didn't know where they were).

Kyoto and Mt Fuji sound great, but a bit expensive maybe?

Oh, and Izakaya? Is that that pay a fee - drink for a period of time places? I heard they don't like Gaijin there.

Also, if a little Japanese goes a long way with the girls, i'll be pulling, my friend won't

~~Kizzycrew

[Zanza]

Kyoto is only about 2 hours train ride from Tokyo on the Hikari Shinkansen (hour and a half if your on the slightly faster Nozomi Shinkansen) and costs around ?140 for a return ticket, and it is well worth the price, not only do you get a ride on one of the coolest trains ever, but you get to visit one of the most interesting cities in the world. If your not a smoker and are going on the Shinkansen, make sure you book a non-smoking ticket in advance; the smoking carridges are horrible, you can't see from one end to the other its that bad.

Don't think there is much happening in Kyoto in September as far as festivals go (the big ones are in July), but there are still tons of jaw dropping architecture and scenery to take in, would take a good 2-3 days to see the best of it tho.

[Kizzycrew]

Hmmm... ?140 eh? It's sounding less and less do-able, 2 hours each way and i'm guessing infrequent late services back to Tokyo makes this an expensive and short outing.

[Richard.John]

You are allowed to drink when you are an adult, and in Japan that means twenty years old.

I doubt anyone would stop a gaijin buying booze though, and anyway you can just buy beer from a vending machine if you run into trouble.

[Kizzycrew]

Not that they wouldn't serve you, but than it can take about half an hour to get served. Anyuways, it's just what I heard, wondered if it was true

[Bleeders]

I'm off with the other half in October for 16 days; 11 of which will be spent in Tokyo and 3 spent in Kyoto (you allow an extra day either side of the flight).

I can't bloody wait... o_O

[Robster]

anyone fancy meeting up for a beer etc in tokyo in feb march

[Nobu]

I'm moving to Tokyo in April. I got a Monbukagakusho scholarship, five years from the first week of April 2006. Paid to go to a university in Japan, and learn Japanese. Great.

I'd easily be able to meet people from April on, I reckon. Let me know.

[Robster]

howdid you get that?? do you speak basic japanese at the moment .

It sounds great to me....

[Nobu]

Actually, I have no Japanese skills whatsoever (except for parts I've picked up randomly). You do not need to know any Japanese, written or spoken, to qualifiy for the scholarship.

The procedure has been a big pain, but it started last May, when I got the application forms. From then on there was the basic document-screening with the Norwegian Research Council, interview and exams at the Japanese embassy in mid-August (exams in World History, English, Maths & Japanese for me, the latter merely for reference - just needed to put my name on it), then notification of nomination to the international pool where my application and interview-results competed with other applicants from around the world. Finally, in the middle of December (!) I got a positive final reply, and was notified of my five-year scholarship for a bachelor grade, including one year of language-education at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in Tokyo before applying with a uni. Pays 135000 Yen a month, education-related fees and costs, 80% of medical expenses, air fare Norway-Japan and back (one ticket, before and after graduating). I'm happy.

As you can imagine I need to get mad Japanese skills before leaving. Japan-Guide.com FTW (big thanks to Jushin for sharing that one with the world).

[JamesS]

Me and a friend are off in September HOPEFULLY for 2 weeks but will settle for one.

Me and a mate went in September and it seemed to be a great time to go. Another advantage of late September, of course, is that you can go to the Tokyo Games Show

Thirdly, someone reccomend me some nice oldy worldy japan scenery near to Tokyo!

It's nowhere even remotely near Tokyo, so is probably of no use, but by far the best day we had in Japan was our trip out to Miyajima Island, which is just beautiful. It has deer just wandering around the town, but you have to beware the ones with antlers, apparently. Highly recommended to anybody who's out that way. Cheered us up no end after the previous day at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (also well worth a visit, but not exactly a fun day out).

I'd love to go back to Japan again at some point. Had a great time there.