Travelling to Japan - need advice!

[ElKarlo]

cash withdrawals on atms were the biggest ripoff. using my Visa was the best option though when I ran out of cash or was looking to buy something expensive

Really? 7-11 debits are pretty reasonable. I don't. Pay ATM fees though. I get the actual exchange rate. Which is nice as I withdraw my divs from my traditional brokerage.

Def check out not Tokyo next time. A really good contrast.

BTW any crazy food or drinks you had?

 

[ElKarlo]

LOL, it's apparent someone doesn't speak Japanese.

Whatever you Tucker mother!

 

[iThrillhouse]

Really? 7-11 debits are pretty reasonable. I don't. Pay ATM fees though. I get the actual exchange rate. Which is nice as I withdraw my divs from my traditional brokerage.

Def check out not Tokyo next time. A really good contrast.

BTW any crazy food or drinks you had?

Will do! as for food though I don't think any of us tried anything TOO far out of the ordinary as far as food is concerned

I did try gobo root soup for the first time which was delicious, and I'm pretty sure at the yakitori we ate at in piss alley was like kidney, and hearts of some animal lol couldn't be too sure though...also from the basement of Shibuya Station I got some bento box looking thing with a hodge-podge of stuff that didn't look familiar.

We we're sort of on a budget food-wise so we didn't risk wasting money on food we might hate, we chose to waste it on booze/beverages...

7-11 brand beer? the brew! fucking incredible. or the 4 litre of 7-11 brand vodka for like $12...honestly I could live out of 7-11 if I lived in Tokyo for a year

Convenience store food in Japan is fucking incredible. In Canada you get like heavily processed garbage snacks for like $7-$10. In Tokyo it feels like you get these large delicious meals for like $4.

 

[Harukaze]

Whatever you Tucker mother!

Nan da ファック！

 

[highkicknomore]

Got back 2 days ago. Still a bit whoozy from the time difference.

Favorite parts of the trip:

1) Giant Buddha in Kamakura - About an hour away from Tokyo. Didn't expect much from it and probably the reason why I loved it. The Buddha was really impressive but I also liked Kamakura. It wasn't crowded like Tokyo and it felt more like a small town. Saw little kids riding the train on their own. Must be really safe town.

2) Food - So good. Fresh and flavorful. Didn't feel like American foods where you feel like shit after eating. Revolving sushi was my favorite. I actually preferred it over the expensive fresh sushi from the Fish Market. Soba's at subway station was bomb. Cheap as hell too, about $4 - $5.

3) Theme parks - Visited DisneySea and Universal Studios. It seemed like the craftsmanship and materials they use are better than the US. It was snowing at Universal, which made it epic. DisneySea was even more awesome. Everything was detailed, even the restrooms were themed. Price was only about $58, compared to $85 - $100 here in the US

4) Shopping - Bought some action figures. I wish I had more time to shop as there were great deals and some items I've never seen before. Can't believe how many stores there are in Tokyo. Pretty much everywhere you look, there's a store.

Disappointment:

1) Kyoto - Probably came at the wrong time as it was raining but didn't find the 2.5 hour bullet train ride worth the effort. Stayed for 2 days and visited 2 of the biggest temples. It was good but I expected more Last Samurai environment more than a modern day city.

Overall, Japan was awesome. People were very helpful and took us to train stations when we asked for directions. Very trustworthy people. Customer service from all the stores were top notch.

I even watched Pancrase but missed on the main event as they had it fights 11-15 (26 fights total). I went in late thinking it was like the UFC where the main event is at the end of the show. Bunch of cans fighting but it was still fun seeing the MMA crowd in Japan.

 

[Adamant]

Is the Yakuza something to seriously look out for? Or not really, as long as you don't get stupid?

What about crime in general?

 

[Cherdawg]

On the to do list.


Buy ALL the GTR'S

 

[Adamant]

Got back 2 days ago. Still a bit whoozy from the time difference.

Favorite parts of the trip:

1) Giant Buddha in Kamakura - About an hour away from Tokyo. Didn't expect much from it and probably the reason why I loved it. The Buddha was really impressive but I also liked Kamakura. It wasn't crowded like Tokyo and it felt more like a small town. Saw little kids riding the train on their own. Must be really safe town.

2) Food - So good. Fresh and flavorful. Didn't feel like American foods where you feel like shit after eating. Revolving sushi was my favorite. I actually preferred it over the expensive fresh sushi from the Fish Market. Soba's at subway station was bomb. Cheap as hell too, about $4 - $5.

3) Theme parks - Visited DisneySea and Universal Studios. It seemed like the craftsmanship and materials they use are better than the US. It was snowing at Universal, which made it epic. DisneySea was even more awesome. Everything was detailed, even the restrooms were themed. Price was only about $58, compared to $85 - $100 here in the US

4) Shopping - Bought some action figures. I wish I had more time to shop as there were great deals and some items I've never seen before. Can't believe how many stores there are in Tokyo. Pretty much everywhere you look, there's a store.

Disappointment:

1) Kyoto - Probably came at the wrong time as it was raining but didn't find the 2.5 hour bullet train ride worth the effort. Stayed for 2 days and visited 2 of the biggest temples. It was good but I expected more Last Samurai environment more than a modern day city.

Overall, Japan was awesome. People were very helpful and took us to train stations when we asked for directions. Very trustworthy people. Customer service from all the stores were top notch.

I even watched Pancrase but missed on the main event as they had it fights 11-15 (26 fights total). I went in late thinking it was like the UFC where the main event is at the end of the show. Bunch of cans fighting but it was still fun seeing the MMA crowd in Japan.

How did you communicate? Do they generally speak english?

 

[highkicknomore]

How did you communicate? Do they generally speak english?

Here's what I did.

1) Have the map/destination ready

2) Approach the workers at train station

3) Point to the map

It seemed like they knew how to read the stops in English. Then they would signal which track to take.

If I didn't have a map, I'd ask strangers. They'd bust out their own maps and tell me which way to go - they're very resourceful.

I got attitude from 2-3 people I asked. I think they were offended I wasn't speaking Japanese. But that's from at least 50 people we asked.

As for Yakuza, we watched Robot Show at the shadier part of Shinjuku. No one bothered us. I asked a girl looking dude where the restaurant was at and he gave me a smart ass answer. I was going to say something back but then I remembered reading online just to let it go when locals are rude. After that, I asked older guys in a group where the place was at and they helped out - wouldn't be surprised if they were part of the Yakuza.

 

[420SherCat]

Wear a condom or pull out. Dont eat food, especially meat from food stands. Youve been warned.

 

[mushishi]

Is the Yakuza something to seriously look out for? Or not really, as long as you don't get stupid?

What about crime in general?

Super low crime rate. As long as you don't go into areas causing trouble, you'll be fine. It's probably not a good idea to walk around red light districts with full sleeve Japanese-style tattoos showing if you're Asian, though; might be mistaken for a gangsta and you might see a big black car drive by checking you out.

 

[oyaji poi]

Here's what I did.

1) Have the map/destination ready

2) Approach the workers at train station

3) Point to the map

It seemed like they knew how to read the stops in English. Then they would signal which track to take.

If I didn't have a map, I'd ask strangers. They'd bust out their own maps and tell me which way to go - they're very resourceful.

I got attitude from 2-3 people I asked. I think they were offended I wasn't speaking Japanese. But that's from at least 50 people we asked.

Why would you think they were offended you weren't speaking Japanese? Why can't 1 in 25 people be having a bad day? Maybe their reaction to you was less about you and more about the million other things going on in their lives?

 

[mushishi]

My Pinoy friend came to visit me and I took him to Kabukicho to walk around. The touts would give me fliers and try to get me into the club while they totally ignored him, although we were talking together.

My Hong Kong gf visited and at the airport she asked one man where ___________ exit was. He yelled at her to look at the sign. No one helped her get her luggage off the conveyor belt although she was struggling with it.

Saw a middle eastern family get off a train and they accidently left some piece of paper on their seats. One middle aged man picked up the paper, and yelled at them, throwing the paper out the train doors while the middle eastern family looked confused at the man. They picked up the trash and left.

Could be those guys were having a bad day, but also could be some racism. White folk usually won't experience it, but certain Asians and brown folk might. Of course, not all Japanese are like that, but some are.

 

[Harukaze]

Is the Yakuza something to seriously look out for? Or not really, as long as you don't get stupid?

What about crime in general?

Don't do anything stupid and they'll ignore you. The Yakuza is a bit like the Italian mafia on the East Coast: these days they have bigger fish to fry than to resort to petty street crime.

Japan is generally very safe. But like I always say to all travelers abroad: never do anything that you wouldn't do at home (in terms of jerkiness and/or risk-taking, not cultural experiences) and you'll be fine.

How did you communicate? Do they generally speak english?

Most Japanese tend to be very English-literate but terrible at listening comprehension and especially speaking. Pointing at text and signs or, if time/circumstances permit, passing notes back and forth are very effective.

My Pinoy friend came to visit me and I took him to Kabukicho to walk around. The touts would give me fliers and try to get me into the club while they totally ignored him, although we were talking together.

My Hong Kong gf visited and at the airport she asked one man where ___________ exit was. He yelled at her to look at the sign. No one helped her get her luggage off the conveyor belt although she was struggling with it.

Saw a middle eastern family get off a train and they accidently left some piece of paper on their seats. One middle aged man picked up the paper, and yelled at them, throwing the paper out the train doors while the middle eastern family looked confused at the man. They picked up the trash and left.

Could be those guys were having a bad day, but also could be some racism. White folk usually won't experience it, but certain Asians and brown folk might. Of course, not all Japanese are like that, but some are.

I'm ethnic Chinese, and the times I've been in Japan before I learned how to speak Japanese, most everybody was very polite and friendly to me. Then again, I'm also 6'1" and towered over everyone haha!

But I'll be honest, brown folks have it rough in Japan.

 

[NSX-R]

2) Food - So good. Fresh and flavorful. Didn't feel like American foods where you feel like shit after eating. Revolving sushi was my favorite. I actually preferred it over the expensive fresh sushi from the Fish Market. Soba's at subway station was bomb. Cheap as hell too, about $4 - $5.

I concur. Went to Tokyo in late December and ate at Genki Sushi (conveyor belt) and at Tsukiji market. My friends and I initially wanted to try the more popular Sushi Dai but the line was hours-long so we went to another shop with a shorter line. The shop we went to for $40 sushi/10 pieces was disappointingly underwhelming. I swear, the sushi at the conveyor belt place was better. The Tsukiji sushi was good but nothing exceptional.

But overall the food there is amazing. The freshness of ingredients and amount of effort the Japanese put towards food preparation is seldom found in Toronto outside of high-end places. The thing I miss the most about Japan was the food, bar none.

 

[Deathstriker]

If your size in clothing is above a medium and small you are morbidly obese in Japan.