Trip to Japan (Help)

[FinestRyeBread]

Just now, dragoon20005 said:

Tokyo, Akihabara and Osaka will be doable for 2 weeks

 

Okinawa might be rushing unless you give or take 1 or 2 more days for flying from Okinawa to Tokyo and fro

Only flights I will be taking are to and from Japan. I think the train will take about 7hrs.

[dragoon20005]

Just now, FinestRyeBread said:

Only flights I will be taking are to and from Japan. I think the train will take about 7hrs.

Okinawa is only accessible by flight only

 

it pretty far from the mainland

[FinestRyeBread]

1 minute ago, dragoon20005 said:

Okinawa is only accessible by flight only

 

it pretty far from the mainland

No ships?

[TopWargamer]

22 hours ago, FinestRyeBread said:

Hi everyone. Just need to gather some info for this trip. The trip will be in the summer of 2017.

Come with me. I'm going in May with a buddy, for reals. I have plans and stuff set up already. Hit me up in a PM or in Discord.

[dragoon20005]

Just now, FinestRyeBread said:

No ships?

nope

[TopWargamer]

@FinestRyeBread Below is attached a still in progress Word doc and Excel spreadsheet with my information on the trip that I am taking in May. Again, it's still a work in progress and is, at the moment, focused on Tokyo. I 100% plan on going to other cities. The Word doc full of stuff to do does need to be trimmed. I do not plan on doing everything on that list. Just think of it as a master list.

 

[TopDollar]

17 hours ago, FinestRyeBread said:

Hi everyone. Just need to gather some info for this trip. The trip will be in the summer of 2017. Most likely around June or so and the trip will be about 2 weeks.

 

I want everyone's input on this. (Don't say "google it"). I want to know where are good places to visit, sightsee, good food and places where I can buy gaming/anime stuff.

 

What type of housing should I go for 2 heterosexual males? I'm fairly certain hotels are going to cost an arm and a half.

 

For the Chinese who knows Japanese: How hard is to learn Japanese when you already know Chinese? What are some good ways of learning it? Mind you, I have uni and work to attend to but I am willing to learn online.

 

What's the fashion for Japan?

 

More questions may pop up.

 

Thanks in advanced everyone.

I would think if you can read Kanji, you would already have a leg up on most foreigners in Japan. I spent a month in Yokosuka (an hour train ride south of Tokyo) in 2015. I knew zero written language, and only really knew how to say "hello" and "thank you" in Japanese. Even so, I found Japan to be way less stressful to travel around than even in my home country (US). Everyone I ran into were incredibly helpful and friendly. Most can understand some English as well even if they haven't spoken it in a while. Had one guy help us out with the local trains in the outskirts of Kawasaki.

 

I'd highly recommend getting a "pocket wifi" which will give you 4G LTE internet wherever you are. There are a few different companies which will ship the device to the airport or your hotel. Then it's unlimited data (fixed cost per length of time) and just drop the device into a mail box to send it back. I also used a PASMO card for trains (think it works for buses too). Made train travel a breeze. They can be purchased for a deposit at automated kiosks at train stations.

 

You also don't really have to get caught up in all the different etiquette rules too much people have been mentioning. It's getting less prevalent among young people. Just be courteous to others and follow their example. I did enjoy that all train cars were quiet though, even at peak rush hour.

 

As far as places to visit, I think Akihabara is the place for Anime stuff; or at least it's known for being an electronics district. At least that's what it seemed like when I was there. Other places I went were Shibuya, Tokyo Imperial Palace, Tokyo Science Museum (where you can watch an Asimo demo), Urahara shopping districts, tsurugaoka hachiman Shrine in Kamakura,  Minato Mirai 21, etc. I really only had Sundays to explore since I was working 60 hours a week, but was still an amazing country to visit.

 

[TopWargamer]

22 hours ago, FinestRyeBread said:

What type of housing should I go for 2 heterosexual males? I'm fairly certain hotels are going to cost an arm and a half.

Not really if you know where to look. Booking.com is an amazing place to find affordable hotels. Also look into Rakuten Travel. AirBNB is great for "renting" out somebody's place. Also ryokan.or.jp as some good listings for traditional style places, but as for affordability, it depends which city you stay at. Hostel World is also great for dormitory style living.

 

Links

https://www.booking.com/

http://travel.rakuten.com/

https://www.airbnb.com/

http://www.ryokan.or.jp/english/

http://www.hostelworld.com/

[TopWargamer]

2 hours ago, Magikarpdrowned said:

Avoid United!

I actually had a pleasant experience with United when I flew to Germany a couple years ago. I wouldn't say to avoid them, but there's definitely better airlines out there. I would be wary of Chinese airlines though. I have not read good experiences about them...

[dragoon20005]

1 hour ago, TopWargamer said:

I actually had a pleasant experience with United when I flew to Germany a couple years ago. I wouldn't say to avoid them, but there's definitely better airlines out there. I would be wary of Chinese airlines though. I have not read good experiences about them...

JAL and ANA usually shares flight with United and Delta,

 

but you still be in a JAL/ANA flight

 

so the food and seats are decent for the economy class.

 

typically they fly the Airbus 350 or the B777 iirc

[dragoon20005]

oh almost forget one point you must take note if you are sick

 

WEAR a face mask as this is courtesy because when you cough, you are spreading germs to others

 

this is also frown upon esp those china tourist who cough and spit.

 

Oh yes

 

NO SPITTING and NO LITTERING

 

basic common sense 

[FinestRyeBread]

2 minutes ago, dragoon20005 said:

oh almost forget one point you must take note if you are sick

 

WEAR a face mask as this is courtesy because when you cough, you are spreading germs to others

 

this is also frown upon esp those china tourist who cough and spit.

 

Oh yes

 

NO SPITTING and NO LITTERING

 

basic common sense 

Are doctors there expensive? Cuz if I'm sick, I would want to see a doctor, depending on how sick I am

[dragoon20005]

1 minute ago, FinestRyeBread said:

Are doctors there expensive? Cuz if I'm sick, I would want to see a doctor, depending on how sick I am

yes and kinda hard to find a clinic

 

so prepare some medication or go to the nearest pharmacy and ask for the required medication.

[dragoon20005]

if you are hungry and need to eat late in the night

 

go to those 24 hour thrift store/Diaso and stock up on cup noodles and snacks.

[FinestRyeBread]

2 minutes ago, dragoon20005 said:

if you are hungry and need to eat late in the night

 

go to those 24 hour thrift store/Diaso and stock up on cup noodles and snacks.

konbini?

[dragoon20005]

3 minutes ago, FinestRyeBread said:

konbini?

7 Eleven/Lawson cost a bit more

 

those 24 hour thrift stores are cheaper when bought in bulk

[AlTech]

34 minutes ago, FinestRyeBread said:

konbini?

Yeah, what @dragoon20005 said.

 

They're a little expensive. The popular ones are 7 Eleven, Lawson and Family Mart.

[AniJan]

On 12/27/2016 at 0:19 AM, FinestRyeBread said:

Hi everyone. Just need to gather some info for this trip. The trip will be in the summer of 2017. Most likely around June or so and the trip will be about 2 weeks.

 

I want everyone's input on this. (Don't say "google it"). I want to know where are good places to visit, sightsee, good food and places where I can buy gaming/anime stuff.

 

What type of housing should I go for 2 heterosexual males? I'm fairly certain hotels are going to cost an arm and a half.

 

For the Chinese who knows Japanese: How hard is to learn Japanese when you already know Chinese? What are some good ways of learning it? Mind you, I have uni and work to attend to but I am willing to learn online.

 

What's the fashion for Japan?

 

More questions may pop up.

 

Thanks in advanced everyone.

For the Chinese who knows Japanese: How hard is to learn Japanese when you already know Chinese? What are some good ways of learning it? Mind you, I have uni and work to attend to but I am willing to learn online.

Sadly, there isn't too much similarities with the Chinese and Japanese language.

I am Korean and the Korean language share a very similar grammatical to the Japanese language. If you know Korean, it'll help you greatly

 

What's the fashion for Japan?

During special events, there is a shit ton of cosplay of anime characters, movie characters, etc.

During festivals or special events, a lot of Japanese people wear:

Yukata

Happi

Geta

Zori

Kimonos (Although the clothing itself is very, very formal)

Dance costumes

 

I want to know where are good places to visit, sightsee, good food and places where I can buy gaming/anime stuff.

 I really recommend eating the ramen and sushi there. It's 10/10.

 

Generally, you can find anime-related merchandise in almost anywhere. It's a very popular place for tourists to go, so naturally, there'll be a lot of tourist shops.

 

I don't know too much sight-seeing places in Japan, so...

 

 

 

 

[AniJan]

1 hour ago, FinestRyeBread said:

Are doctors there expensive? Cuz if I'm sick, I would want to see a doctor, depending on how sick I am

Yeah, it's still pretty expensive there. Good thing you weren't in the 1970s.

The climate there is very humid, from what I heard.

[dragoon20005]

1 minute ago, AniJan said:

For the Chinese who knows Japanese: How hard is to learn Japanese when you already know Chinese? What are some good ways of learning it? Mind you, I have uni and work to attend to but I am willing to learn online.

Sadly, there isn't too much similarities with the Chinese and Japanese language.

I am Korean and the Korean language share a very similar grammatical to the Japanese language. If you know Korean, it'll help you greatly

 

What's the fashion for Japan?

During special events, there is a shit ton of cosplay of anime characters, movie characters, etc.

During festivals or special events, a lot of Japanese people wear:

Yukata

Happi

Geta

Zori

Kimonos (Although the clothing itself is very, very formal)

Dance costumes

 

I want to know where are good places to visit, sightsee, good food and places where I can buy gaming/anime stuff.

 I really recommend eating the ramen and sushi there. It's 10/10.

 

Generally, you can find anime-related merchandise in almost anywhere. It's a very popular place for tourists to go, so naturally, there'll be a lot of tourist shops.

 

I don't know too much sight-seeing places in Japan, so...

 

 

 

 

Yakata are mostly worn in summer periods or in hot spring towns or in the inn or ryokan that you are staying

 

Kimono are the more formal ones but that also has a sub category

 

Black kimono are worn for mourning during funerals or widows

 

 

 

[AniJan]

Just now, dragoon20005 said:

Yakata are mostly worn in summer periods or in hot spring towns or in the inn or ryokan that you are staying

 

Kimono are the more formal ones but that also has a sub category

 

Black kimono are worn for mourning during funerals or widows

 

 

 

Like I said, kimonos are a very formal clothing.

[FinestRyeBread]

Just now, AniJan said:

Like I said, kimonos are a very formal clothing.

So for festivals I would wear a kimono

[dragoon20005]

1 minute ago, AniJan said:

Like I said, kimonos are a very formal clothing.

formal yes

 

it prob dont matter for guys

 

but the type of kimono worn for different age group of woman matters and what occasion

 

 

guys are usually one design

[dragoon20005]

1 minute ago, FinestRyeBread said:

So for festivals I would wear a kimono

usually its a yukata and for guys the design is simple vs the gurls ones

[AniJan]

Just now, FinestRyeBread said:

So for festivals I would wear a kimono

No.

Kimonos is a very formal clothing. Wear it at special or formal occasions such as weddings, tea ceremonies, etc.