RocketMan on 18/10/2009 at 01:20
You're tha man demagogue :D My parents' friends had theirs when they arrived through a special service so that's what made me think I needed mine too. Guess I'll buy it there.
Enchantermon on 18/10/2009 at 06:02
I wanna go to Japan. :(
The only thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned already is to slurp your soup; it's a sign that you like the taste.
RocketMan on 18/10/2009 at 06:08
Lol really? That sort of thing would drive me up the wall if half a dozen ppl were doin it...
Sweet I'm officially booked :D Staying in the Shinjuku Washington Hotel. Gonna branch out from there and have some fun !
Any of you guys actually going to be in the country during the Nov. 8-16 timeframe, let me know.
Only qualm I have at the moment is the lack of wifi in the hotel....not sure how easy it will be for me to pick up a free signal. Plus all the damn electrics at 100V at 50hz. The 50 Hz is a problem in some cases because the lower frequency means reactive components in electronics (caps and solenoids) don't do their job properly and my devices could blow up. Plus the recepticals are physically different (non-polar, no ground). My shaver is ok but my PDA....I dunno if it can take it. They all have internal power supplies but I'm skeptical.
Enchantermon on 18/10/2009 at 06:41
Quote Posted by RocketMan
Lol really?
Yup. When I first noticed it in anime, I really wondered why it was dubbed like that (because of course, in America, it's considered rude), but then I heard about it from a couple people who had been to Japan several times. Very interesting.
daniel on 18/10/2009 at 19:02
I can't believe you're visiting Japan right now. the exchange rate is at the worst point in several years...
RocketMan on 19/10/2009 at 01:13
Hadn't really factored into my decision....you may have noticed however that I'm Canadian. It's the American dollar that's in the shitter right now.
heywood on 20/10/2009 at 23:47
Quote Posted by driver
Hotels that advertise 'baths' might be referring to communal baths or possibly even 'Onsen' (Hot springs) depending on where you are.
I think it's only the traditional Japanese hotels that have communal baths. The western style hotels all have the usual bathtub/shower, western style toilet, and mattress.
Visiting an Onsen is a pretty neat experience, though I'm not sure where you can find them in Tokyo. The only one I visited was south of Tokyo in a touristy area (Japanese touristy, not western) that I can't seem to remember the name of.
Quote:
There are convenience stores every 3 feet in Japan, so if you're looking for milk, cereal, bread etc, you should be able to pick something up there. Supermarkets are uncommon in Japan (I found only one in all my time in Tokyo), so Lawson, Circle K and the like will be your friend.
RocketMan - in addition to the convenience stores, there's a supermarket underneath one of the department stores at Shinjuku station (Odakyu I think) which is just a short walk from your hotel. But the convenience stores should suffice.
Quote Posted by demagogue
They say there are Member Clubs that exclude Westerners, but chances are you couldn't find them anyway. Tokyo has sort of an interesting scene where the best clubs are like speak-easy's ... there's no sign, it's just a non-descript door in a back alley, and someone has to actually lead you there; but you get inside and it's crazy popular. You can actually google to read about how to find some of them; it is actually sort of cool to try to find one (if it's on Google, it'll be friendly to Westerners); I recommend you look it up.
Related to this, if you're a western man walking around Roppongi or Kabukicho after 9PM or so, you WILL get harassed by people trying to get you into their hostess clubs. For some reason, they seem to mostly employ pushy African men. Dunno why, but they can be annoying.
Quote Posted by RocketMan
Bit of an anecdote from my parents' friends....apparently they went on vacation in Japan and had people approaching them in the street to either make completely idle conversation in English, giggle and leave or to ask if they could "touch" them....like on the head or something, I guess to see what a Canadian / American feels like? Weird but kind of cool how you get treated so differently.
That's a common experience outside of Tokyo. In Tokyo, people are pretty used to seeing foreigners of all kinds, so that doesn't happen much. Though I did have a local lawyer buy me a couple bottles of saki at a conveyor belt sushi place while practicing his English.
Quote Posted by RocketMan
My appologies guys for the double post but I just remembered something important I need to know and I can't find the info on the phone so far or on the net.
I heard you need to book seats on the trains from the airport to Tokyo in advance. I plan on taking the NEX express train with the Suica card included for 3500 yen. I can't figure out how to arrange for a seat though. Any info on how to set this up? Many thanks.
First, since you're going to the Washington Hotel in Shinjuku, do not take the train from the airport. The (
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/timetable/narita/shinjuku_h.html) Airport Limousine Bus is usually a little faster and MUCH easier. The train may be a little faster when traffic is bad, but until you know your way around the train stations it will be more confusing and you also have to schlep your bags.
The Limousine Buses run about twice an hour straight from the airport to the Shinjuku hotels. It costs Y3000, and you don't need a reservation. As you walk out of customs at Narita, the Limousine Bus counter will be (
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/guide/map/narita_airport.html) straight across from you. Just go up to the counter, tell them you're going to the Shinjuku Washington hotel and they'll give you a ticket on the next available bus. The bus stops are right outside the door, and the staff there will make sure you get on the right bus and check your bags. The ride time varies depending on traffic, but for a typical late afternoon arrival expect 1:45 door to door. When the bus arrives at the hotel, the hotel staff will greet you and can take your bags to your room while you check in. The hotel staff can also make your return bus reservation for you. All in all, it's the easiest and most convenient way to get to and from the airport.
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Only qualm I have at the moment is the lack of wifi in the hotel....not sure how easy it will be for me to pick up a free signal. Plus all the damn electrics at 100V at 50hz. The 50 Hz is a problem in some cases because the lower frequency means reactive components in electronics (caps and solenoids) don't do their job properly and my devices could blow up. Plus the recepticals are physically different (non-polar, no ground). My shaver is ok but my PDA....I dunno if it can take it. They all have internal power supplies but I'm skeptical.
So far, I don't know of anybody having a problem with a computer, phone, PDA, shaver, or similar small electronic device. The wall-warts and power bricks for these are usually designed to cover the range. If you're bringing anything with a 3-prong (grounded) plug, make sure you also bring a cheater plug for it.
Unfortunately, I can't remember whether the Washington Hotel has wifi. The Hilton had wifi, but you needed to ask the staff for the key. I think the lobby of the Washington Hotel had wifi, but I'm unsure about the rooms. If you can't use a wired connection, then it would be worthwhile to locate some known hot spots and Internet cafes ahead of time.
RocketMan on 21/10/2009 at 06:05
Quote:
RocketMan - in addition to the convenience stores, there's a supermarket underneath one of the department stores at Shinjuku station (Odakyu I think) which is just a short walk from your hotel. But the convenience stores should suffice.
You just made my day. My first priority when I get there is to stock up on produce, milk, non-parishable grain products, booze and other crap to last me through the week. (sorry driver)
Quote:
Related to this, if you're a western man walking around Roppongi or Kabukicho after 9PM or so, you WILL get harassed by people trying to get you into their hostess clubs. For some reason, they seem to mostly employ pushy African men. Dunno why, but they can be annoying.
Shit...I read this somewhere else too so it's gotta be true. I will be scoping out these very places late at night too. I think that movie Blood Diamond scared the living crap out of me if you know what I mean. Would you say Shibuya and Machida are also like this or are the a bit more lax?
Quote:
So far, I don't know of anybody having a problem with a computer, phone, PDA, shaver, or similar small electronic device. The wall-warts and power bricks for these are usually designed to cover the range. If you're bringing anything with a 3-prong (grounded) plug, make sure you also bring a cheater plug for it.
Unfortunately, I can't remember whether the Washington Hotel has wifi. The Hilton had wifi, but you needed to ask the staff for the key. I think the lobby of the Washington Hotel had wifi, but I'm unsure about the rooms. If you can't use a wired connection, then it would be worthwhile to locate some known hot spots and Internet cafes ahead of time.
Wow, you're a wealth of information. Can't tell you how much this means to me. I've never had to go through so much planning in my life and I've been on dozens and dozens of trips....ALL to the tropics with all-inclusive packages...big step for me.
driver on 21/10/2009 at 13:31
Quote Posted by RocketMan
Shit...I read this somewhere else too so it's gotta be true. I will be scoping out these very places late at night too. I think that movie Blood Diamond scared the living crap out of me if you know what I mean. Would you say Shibuya and Machida are also like this or are the a bit more lax?
Not seen Blood Diamond, but what heywood says is spot on. Walking down Roppongi late at night you
will be approached by numerous, fairly hefty African men, all smiles, trying to shake your hand and steer you into various 'clubs'. This seems unique to Roppongi and Kabuchiko though as I've not encountered it anywhere else in Tokyo. A polite 'No thank you' is all you need to escape, though. Shibya is always crowded as fuck, the only thing you need to worry about there is if you're a pretty young lady as 'talent scouts' seem to use that as their turf.
I wouldn't be worried about personal safety, though. Japan is one of the safest countries to visit. I never felt intimidated, even walking through Roppongi late at night. There's numerous police patrolling about and in all my time there I've never encountered anything approaching hostility.
The Alchemist on 8/11/2009 at 20:33
I'm sorry, what does Blood Diamond have to do with this? I've seen the movie a few times and still, not sure what you're on about. =/
