Going to Japan: Request for info, tips, tricks, etc

You have to buy the JR pass from an agent before you go - you get a voucher which you get validated at the JR office at Narita train station. It cannot be bought when you're in Japan. Definitely do get it if you're doing any significant travelling - we took only I think four significant journeys in two weeks, but it still saved us cash.

Alright, so I'm going to ask on this thread.

I'll be in Japan next week.

Specif dates are:

Osaka: 22-25, 27-30
Tokyo: 25-27

While in Osaka, we will take the train to Kyoto (probably 23 and 24)

I'm going with my Japanese girlfriend, but I want to get another perspective.

What's with getting a JR pass outside of Japan? Is this really necessary?

Also, will my Visa credit card not really work there? I can exchange some dollars to yen, but I'd rather not, unless I must (I don't like carrying a lot of money).

Apparently, Christmas over there is a couples thing. Can anyone recommend something special to do with the missus in Tokyo? Something romantic, and semi-fancy to fancy. I'm packing a couple of suits already, anyway.

I'm hoping to see lots of cultural/historical stuff, live bands, art exhibits, go record shopping, and eat A LOT of different types of foods.

I know it's a short trip, but I'm hoping I can squeeze most things.

Any feedback is much appreciated!

JR Pass is way cheaper if you buy it outside the country. You can not buy it for the same rate inside Japan. If you're planning on doing a few train trips it will pay for itself fast.

Never had a problem using a Visa credit card there. ATM machines also much more accessible than they used to be, basically any 7/11 will have a bank machine that can access foreign accounts. Bring some cash, but don't sweat it.

Tons of fancy stuff to do in Tokyo. Go for a nice dinner and expensive drinks, maybe?

Brio2, sounds good!

Ya, I'm thinking nice dinner and expensive drinks. Any recs? She's from Osaka, so even she doesn't know Tokyo that well.

Cheers!

Oh jeez - your options are limitless for a nice fancy romantic dinner in Tokyo, really. Let me think and ask some friends. Is it your first trip? Kyoto is also really beautiful and romantic - walk around the old entertainment district of Gion at night. You can't go wrong.

My first trip ever, yes.

We'll be staying at the Courtyard Tokyo Ginza Hotel.

We're planning on taking the train early on the 25th to Tokyo.

Gion sounds amazing. We will do that, but not on the 25th, as we'll be in Tokyo that day.

Thanks so much!

(Forgot to say: we are flying into Kansai/Osaka, and flying out from there, as well)

There are some really high-end fancy bars around Ginza where the bartenders make a huge deal out of preparing your drinks. The Star Bar is the most famous one I think. I've never been, but it could make for a memorable Tokyo date night... And then when that gets too stuffy or expensive grab a cab over to get drunk with salarymen at the little izakaya around Yurakocho station: http://www.tokyorepublicblog.com/yurakucho-dining-under-train-tracks/

So, I'm just going to say my Japanese is basically nonexistent. I mean, yes, I can read katakana and hiragana and I know phrases, but real-life experience tells me all that will probably be useless once I get some liquor in me and I'm karaoking around Tokyo.

How many phrases do I need to memorise/write down/know to go to these places/bars? I don't want to hand over ordering completely to the GF.

Haha, anyway, this is already panning out to be one of the best trips ever. Beyond stoked!

if your experience is anything like mine, any effort you make will be appreciated but not necessarily understood!

There's the Caretta Media Tower skyscraper in nearby (to Ginza) Shiodome that has a couple of fancy restaurants near the top, you'll get great views over either Tokyo Tower or out to the bay and Rainbow Bridge.

http://www.caretta.jp/english/shop/restaurant/euro.html

or you could book the New York Grill at the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku.

Kaikei o onegaishimasu - check please! (said this a lot when I was there)

You will be fairly close to the Tsukiji Fish Market which has loads of good places for a sushi breakfast, the tuna auction is okay, but a wander through the inside of the market (at a more reasonable time) is a must see.

Just had a look at your Hotel, you are about 1 min away from Tsukiji Market, (and my favourite building in Tokyo, the Nakagin Capsule Tower)

Thanks, everyone!

MaresNest, I do want to go to Tsukiji.

Just out of curiosity, why do you like the Nakagin Capsule Tower?

Also, is Tokyo Sky Tree worth the wait?

I just really like the shape, the design, the way it looks from a distance: like a load of large washing machines, the modular nature and it's underdog status, I even like the rusty colour of the spires.

Shiodome is worth a little wander through, if even just to go to the Caretta to get foodies, it's like a multi-leveled media hub with shops and coffee places, lot's of walkways.

There's a nifty little Tower records in the lower levels near to Shimbashi Metro station and the famous Ghibli clock across from the Dentsu building.

Also you can take the Yurikamome line over to Odiba from an elevated station adjacent to the Shiodome Park Hotel (not the Royal Park) the line is a little like a gentle rollercoaster ride and it is mostly elevated and gives great views of the Bay area.

oops, *Odaiba*

I've never been up the Sky Tree, but the Mori Tower is ace and there might be a good exhib on at the Mori Art Gallery.

Nice choice of hotel, our favorite (Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza) is just a few blocks away. Excellent possibilities all around, as imho Ginza/Shimbashi/Yurakucho district has far more to offer than just the obvious shopping streets. Also one can take the JR lines from Shimbashi pretty easily.

Off the top of my head, in walking distance:
-Try the main street Ginza (6-Chome) on weekend when it's closed for traffic, lots of chairs/tables standing around (at least in spring/summer)
-As mentioned above, the Caretta Shiodome is a decent opportunity to get food especially when you don't want to search around for long. Even if you don't want to eat at the restaurants on the top levels make sure to go upwards once, magnificent (and free) view over the fish market, the Hamarikyu Gardens and over to Odaiba. Somewhere in there you'll also find the Dentsu museum of advertising, which was free iirc and interesting enough to kill some hours of bad weather.
-Hamarikyu Garden is just five minutes away and one of the most beautiful parks in Tokyo, you'll pass the Nakagin Capsule Tower on the way but it's difficult and more or less pointless to try to get in there. Also you can take a boat from a station in the park going up the Sumida river to Asakusa etc.
-Narutomi is literally 2mins from your hotel on the way to the fish market, tiny high quality Soba restaurant famous for its 100% buckwheat flour noodles
-Indeed make sure to visit the Izakayas at Shimbashi or Yurakucho station in the evening, lots of fun, beer and Takoyaki
-Beyond Ginza and Yurakucho you'll find the Hibiya Koen which was one of our favourite parks, full of feral cats & kois
-From there it's a 15min walk to Atago Jinja rather nice hidden temple on a steep hill

If you plan to go around the city and don't have a full schedule already, especially Daikanyama is indeed worth a visit, for the Tsutaya Bookstore alone and a nice place to spend the day...

Just out of curiosity, why do you like the Nakagin Capsule Tower?

http://failedarchitecture.com/nakagin/

You'll need this too.

http://diskunion.net/portal/st/images/ds_englishmap.gif

And I found this blog pretty helpful.

http://www.vinylrecordcollector.net/2012/11/tokyo-japan-style-definitions-table.html

You have to get to Tsukiji super early, like before 5 am. I loved it though. And take your time and line up at one of the really good sushi places at Tsukiji, the not-crowded ones are nothing special

SkyTree wouldn't be on my must-visit list but the view of Tokyo going on forever and ever in all directions is kind of mind-blowing. Tokyo Tower is a bit funkier and it has a Prog Rock Wax Museum on one of the lower floors!

http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=32401.0

You only need to go to Tsukiji super early if you want to check out the tuna auction, which is fun, for me the real draw is wandering the length and breadth of the big curved market building itself which you can do at 8am, then get some nice breakfast at the area close to the the Namiyoke Inari Shrine exit.

Nice choice of hotel, our favorite (Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza) is just a few blocks away. Excellent possibilities all around, as imho Ginza/Shimbashi/Yurakucho district has far more to offer than just the obvious shopping streets. Also one can take the JR lines from Shimbashi pretty easily.

Off the top of my head, in walking distance:
-Try the main street Ginza (6-Chome) on weekend when it's closed for traffic, lots of chairs/tables standing around (at least in spring/summer)
-As mentioned above, the Caretta Shiodome is a decent opportunity to get food especially when you don't want to search around for long. Even if you don't want to eat at the restaurants on the top levels make sure to go upwards once, magnificent (and free) view over the fish market, the Hamarikyu Gardens and over to Odaiba. Somewhere in there you'll also find the Dentsu museum of advertising, which was free iirc and interesting enough to kill some hours of bad weather.
-Hamarikyu Garden is just five minutes away and one of the most beautiful parks in Tokyo, you'll pass the Nakagin Capsule Tower on the way but it's difficult and more or less pointless to try to get in there. Also you can take a boat from a station in the park going up the Sumida river to Asakusa etc.
-Narutomi is literally 2mins from your hotel on the way to the fish market, tiny high quality Soba restaurant famous for its 100% buckwheat flour noodles
-Indeed make sure to visit the Izakayas at Shimbashi or Yurakucho station in the evening, lots of fun, beer and Takoyaki
-Beyond Ginza and Yurakucho you'll find the Hibiya Koen which was one of our favourite parks, full of feral cats & kois
-From there it's a 15min walk to Atago Jinja rather nice hidden temple on a steep hill

If you plan to go around the city and don't have a full schedule already, especially Daikanyama is indeed worth a visit, for the Tsutaya Bookstore alone and a nice place to spend the day...

― the european nikon is here (grauschleier), Wednesday, 17 December 2014 11:15 (10 hours ago) Permalink

We don't have a schedule just yet, because we've worked mostly on Osaka/Kyoto.

Everything sounds really interesting, but my girlfriend is allergic to buckwheat, so we'll pass on Narutomi, unless they have non-buckwheat? I'm not sure I want to risk her getting ill, though

MaresNest, Brio2, okay, I think I will need to sit down and properly plan my route/schedule. We're only staying in Tokyo 3 days, so I want to make sure I get to see the places that look interesting.

The Prog Rock Wax Museum looks really cool. I'll have to pick up a couple records, as well.

We wanted to go to Ibaraki to see Ushiku Daibutsu, but I don't think we'll have time, especially since we'd have to rent a car to get there faster.

Trouble is, as is written about a lot, Tokyo has no real centre, so it means a bit of forward thinking if you are pushed for time.

yeah great advice - really worth planning, and don't necessarily assume cars are faster - very easy to get caught in terrible traffic jams. trains almost always going to be faster in my experience

the prog museum is a good goof but don't go out of your way for it

Yeah, I found that the Yamanote line is kinda like a good frame of reference for bending your head around where stuff is located around Central Tokyo, you'll probably find that you will spend more time on that line than any other.

Ah, then maybe we should omit Ushiku Daibutsu, because it'll take 2 hours by train one way and I don't think it's worth it.

I'm at work, so I'm kind of quickly looking over what you guys are saying. Later tonight I'll look into everyone's suggestion carefully.

I thought the Yamanote line pass would be a good one to get. Maybe I can buy three 1-day passes and then a round-trip JR pass from Osaka to Tokyo.

I really wanted to go see a live band in Tokyo or Osaka, but I couldn't find any good ones. I really dig Toe, Mono, and even Boris would've been cool. I checked the venues where they played before but nothing of interest came up.

this can be helpful - but not complete at all: http://www.tokyogigguide.com/
This is an OK english-language alt weekly: http://metropolisjapan.com/culture/music/
Also look around for flyers at record stores.
I love seeing shows in Japan!

Otomo Yoshihide is playing on the 26th at the Pit Inn, I think Clammbon are playing on Xmas day, but ymmv obviously.

http://www.heavysick.co.jp/club/cgi-bin/imgdiary/diary/data/2014_12/1226.jpg

Guys, what can I say? I fell in love with Japan and would love to live there at least for a couple of years someday.

Your suggestions were appreciated!

We weren't able to go to the fish market in Tokyo and the missus wasn't feeling Club Heavy Sick, so we didn't go to that either.

Also, underneath the train tracks of Yurakucho wasn't such a good idea. We went but as someone who was raised in Japan, she didn't appreciate the vibe there. It was super interesting to me, though, even though we got there (at around 1am?) and left soon after.

I loved pretty much everything else. We had a date night on 24 December in Gion. We went to this fancy place called Takamura? Oh, and she loved Star Bar in Tokyo!

Great!

I have just started to edit together and make little movies of our stay from last April, I basically strapped a Go Pro to my rucksack so I have acres of material, it's bringing back lovely memories.

Cool! Bet you're already planning your next trip.

Yes, we are planning our next trip, actually!

Her parents are lovely and I got on really well with them, especially her mother.

We have so many nice memories. I was making a list of them the other day and kind of recounting our time there.

Have any of you ever been to Hiroshima, Nagasaki or Hokkaido? We're thinking a couple of those areas next, especially Hokkaido.

The other thing we want to do is go when it's hotter, that way I can decide if I can put up with the heat.

No, would love to travel around more - especially Hokkaido. The heat can be pretty brutal, but you'll have a good time no matter what.

Visited Hokkaido almost 15 years ago. Enjoyed the Sapporo beer garden - huge place inna Deutsche style. Also remember snow and train stations with great ramen shops attached.

Side note: all the Sapporo I've bought in the States is actually brewed in Wisconsin.

Yeah, it's just not the same in the US.

I miss the food (quality) already!

In Hiroshima, one must have Hiroshima okonomiyaki, which I personally prefer to Osaka style which seems to be the default. It's good with oysters, which Hiroshima prefecture is also known for.

have been to Japan before (Tokyo, mostly) for work but I'm looking forward to 12 days in August, for Summer Sonic + honeymoon this time. :D

Current schedule:
Tokyo - 19-25 (Summer Sonic on 20,21)
Hakone - 25-26
Kyoto/Osaka - 26-30

I think I've sorted out Tokyo but tips for Kyoto/Osaka? mostly interested in food recommendations, but anything else art/culture/cool shit-related would be appreciated too.

also is it okay to stay in Tokyo during Summer Sonic or would it better to spend a couple of nights in Chiba since we prob will be spending most of the day at the festival anyway?

Where in Hakone exactly? We spent some days in Gora this and last year, definitely a strange but rewarding experience and variation from Osaka/Tokyo.

I'm going to Japan in November. :) Haven't planned much of anything yet, interested in figuring out day trips from Kyoto/Osaka, and I'll be traveling with a vegetarian which should be interesting.

You must now go to Bird 56 as it has become the official ILX Osaka hangout (2 ilxors have visited).

As a vegetarian in Japan I ended up buying lots of custard rolls from Lawson stores when I was out somewhere on my own, it's much easier when you're travelling with a native

Ha, I've talked to two different vegetarian couples who recently went to Japan and said "oh, we just decided not to be for this trip," which is unfortunately not how my wife rolls.

Everyone's very helpful, they just don't really grasp the concept. Might be better these days though what with the 21st century taking hold.