The Japan Thread

[Neonmoon 38129]

8 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

one of those days is going to be at Tokyo Disneyland (at Mrs.LL's insistence).

[Gil Bang 25920]

11 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

Leaving Friday from LAX.  This is a trip that's entirely paid for with miles/points, so shoutout to @Spankytoes on that.  We're on Singapore Airlines to Narita.

We decided on four days in Tokyo, staying in Shiodome.  Probably not my first pick of neighborhoods to stay at, but again--this one is on Hilton points.  Anyway, it's reasonably convenient to a bunch of transit, so that's nice.

I say four days in Tokyo, but that's misleading as one of those days is going to be at Tokyo Disneyland (at Mrs.LL's insistence).  I was initially interested in going out early one morning to the Toyosu fish market, but that now seems very sterile and kind of boring.  Perhaps we'll go over to Tsujiki--it's fairly close to the hotel--but I think I'm a lot more excited about the department stores and the basement food courts.

Then we have the Shinkansen down to Kyoto.  I have to say--that's something I'm super-excited about.  Picking up a bento box at Tokyo Station to eat on the goddamned bullet train.  Oh--and a beer or five.  

I have three days in Kyoto.  Mrs.LL wants to take a day trip down to Hiroshima and Miyajima.  We'll see about that.  

Still wondering about these places that serve sushi while it's still flapping.  Haven't really seen that from any of the restaurants I've looked at.  And I might be down, but I think Mrs.LL would probably puke.

 

 

And first thing's first when we arrive--tamago sando at 7-11!

hit Robot Restaurant.  It's the goofiest motherfucking thing I've ever seen. 

[Reynolds Woodcock 4739]

You have three full days in Kyoto excluding travel, or you are traveling on some of those days? I ask because Hiroshima (and especially Miyajima) is a trek of a day trip. Certainly doable if you are committed, just depends on how much you want want to do in Kyoto. Shit is really spread out, so like Arashiyama is almost a full day (but can be paired with golden temple early am), fushi inari takes up a bunch of time, etc. 

Tokyo is so fucking awesome, I’m jealous. 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

11 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

hit Robot Restaurant.  It's the goofiest motherfucking thing I've ever seen. 

Can't.  Covid killed it.

55 minutes ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

You have three full days in Kyoto excluding travel, or you are traveling on some of those days? I ask because Hiroshima (and especially Miyajima) is a trek of a day trip. Certainly doable if you are committed, just depends on how much you want want to do in Kyoto. Shit is really spread out, so like Arashiyama is almost a full day (but can be paired with golden temple early am), fushi inari takes up a bunch of time, etc. 

Tokyo is so fucking awesome, I’m jealous. 

So yeah--it would be three full days in Kyoto.  Or two days in Kyoto and one in Hiroshima/Miyajima.  And I think it's going to be a gametime decision.

I could really see us being pretty templed out after a couple days in Kyoto.  I mean, yeah--I get that they're all different.  And they're all very interesting and beautiful.  But it's kind of like churches in Rome.  At some point, they do all blend together and you just want to stop at a place and get a beer.

Then again--I've never been churched out in Rome.  

Anyway, we're playing that very much by ear.  If we decide to go, I'll just hop on the JR website the day before and get a couple of seat reservations on the Shinkansen down to Hiroshima.  And if not, we won't.

[Reynolds Woodcock 4739]

32 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

Can't.  Covid killed it.

So yeah--it would be three full days in Kyoto.  Or two days in Kyoto and one in Hiroshima/Miyajima.  And I think it's going to be a gametime decision.

I could really see us being pretty templed out after a couple days in Kyoto.  I mean, yeah--I get that they're all different.  And they're all very interesting and beautiful.  But it's kind of like churches in Rome.  At some point, they do all blend together and you just want to stop at a place and get a beer.

Then again--I've never been churched out in Rome.  

Anyway, we're playing that very much by ear.  If we decide to go, I'll just hop on the JR website the day before and get a couple of seat reservations on the Shinkansen down to Hiroshima.  And if not, we won't.

Oh I get it; a few years ago we were supposed to spend 6 days in Kyoto after a week in Tokyo. After 3 or 4 days (including 1 in Osaka and Nara), we hopped on the train back to Tokyo to finish the trip. 
 

Adding on Hiroshima would be pretty easy as you suggest. Adding on Miyajima would require a bit more planning.

Edit to add: I’m sure you have all your big reservations (if any) planned for Tokyo, so below are some walk in noodle/other places I can recommend (as of like 5 years ago, so COVID closures may apply).

Tatsunoya Ramen - amazing smokey garlic tsukemen. My first meal off the flight extremely jet lagged. Order with vending machine.

Shin Udon in Shinjuku

Afuri ramen - yuzu based ramen.  They have a few locations, all in trendy locations.

Fu-unji ramen - long lines but fast and terrific

Nagi Ramen - in Golden Gai. Anchovy (or sardine?) based broth

Butagumi - marbled pork katsu.

Nodaiwa in Ginza for unagi

Tempura Tenfusa if you want eel tempura. 

Jazz Blues Soul Bar was a dope record bar we went too. Highly recommend doing a record bar if you can. This one (maybe all) will have plenty of tourists.

Edited March 2, 2023 by Reynolds Woodcock

[Ghost of LL 15531]

18 minutes ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

Oh I get it; a few years ago we were supposed to spend 6 days in Kyoto after a week in Tokyo. After 3 or 4 days (including 1 in Osaka and Nara), we hopped on the train back to Tokyo to finish the trip. 
 

Adding on Hiroshima would be pretty easy as you suggest. Adding on Miyajima would require a bit more planning.

Edit to add: I’m sure you have all your big reservations (if any) planned for Tokyo, so below are some walk in noodle/other places I can recommend (as of like 5 years ago, so COVID closures may apply).

Tatsunoya Ramen - amazing smokey garlic tsukemen. My first meal off the flight extremely jet lagged. Order with vending machine.

Shin Udon in Shinjuku

Afuri ramen - yuzu based ramen.  They have a few locations, all in trendy locations.

Fu-unji ramen - long lines but fast and terrific

Nagi Ramen - in Golden Gai. Anchovy (or sardine?) based broth

Butagumi - marbled pork katsu.

Nodaiwa in Ginza for unagi

Tempura Tenfusa if you want eel tempura. 

Jazz Blues Soul Bar was a dope record bar we went too. Highly recommend doing a record bar if you can. This one (maybe all) will have plenty of tourists.

That's great.  Thank you.  

The trip to Miyajima looks pretty easy from Hiroshima.  You just take the train from Hiroshima station down to Miyajimaguchi station, walk across the street, and hop on a ferry.

I'm probably making that sound a lot simpler than it actually is.

[Reynolds Woodcock 4739]

1 minute ago, Ghost of LL said:

That's great.  Thank you.  

The trip to Miyajima looks pretty easy from Hiroshima.  You just take the train from Hiroshima station down to Miyajimaguchi station, walk across the street, and hop on a ferry.

I'm probably making that sound a lot simpler than it actually is.

Def easy if you are waking up in Hiroshima. It just seemed like a lot of logistics to me if you are starting and ending the day in Kyoto. But some people are great at squeezing in everything. I aspire to be one of those people, but alas.

And no problem. In 2014 you and a few others were a huge help to me on the old site in planning a month long bar trip in Europe, which at the time was my first time out of North America. Safe travels

[Gil Bang 25920]

oh no. 

 

It was quite an experience 

[Texzilla58 4731]

It’s been a few years since I e been to Japan but I used to do at least two trips a year visiting factories and hq staff of various electronics companies. Tokyo and Osaka were the majority but I’ve been all over to places like Matsuyama and Hamamatsu.

We used to visit Yamaha in Hammatsu and stay in a super nice ryokan which had a relaxing hot spring spa. It’s a cool uniquely Japanese experience and very different than the city experience.

There used to be a airplane restaurant in Tokyo as most Japanese have never had an airplane meal. It was long and narrow like a real airplane, all seats facing forward. Three classes of service and food. Just silly.

As to eating live food it’s not my cup of tea. I’ve had too much of it and hated it. Dancing shrimp (live shrimp on he teppanyaki) or a lobster trying to crawl off a platter with its tail opened and meat hacked up while a bunch of Japanese dudes pull out chunks, or a flopping hacked up fish, or a live baby octopus trying to crawl back up your throat, is not my idea of fine dining. There is a difference between raw and live.

[mycox 582]

United has non-stop flights to Tokyo for $35k points each way. Economy seats, but not a bad deal and you can upgrade with cash.

[dmtx 159]

SOOOOOOOO...... you're not running the Tokyo Marathon?

 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

How was the flight, you ask?

 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

So as I said, we're staying over in Shiodome.  Last night, we walked our jet-lagged asses over to Shimbashi and wandered around.  We found a couple of izakayas and ate some things that I don't precisely know what they were, but they were tasty for the most part.

Today, we met up with a guide that we booked.  He took us over to the Art Fair Tokyo.  There was a lot of cool shit.  We saw Ambassador Rahm Emmanuel.  I can't believe we appointed Rahm Fucking Emmanuel ambassador.  I can’t possibly think of someone less inclined to diplomacy.  It’d be like making @Brisketexan an ambassador if you added 30% more vulgarity.  Of course, he was like the only guy in the joint running around without a mask.  But whatevs.

Anyway—we bought a piece. Mrs.LL is very happy.

I preferred a different piece, but Mrs.LL said she wasn’t going to have it in the house.

The subway system is absolutely incomprehensible, owing to the fact that it's done by several different companies.  There's no unified transit authority that does all the subway lines.  But basically, you get an IC card on your phone and then flash your phone at the entry gates.  It's pretty easy once you figure it out, but figuring it out takes some time.  

Google Maps is an absolute lifesaver--it maps out all your transit.

I'm thirsty.  Time to hit up a bar.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Ghost of LL

[Sam Lin 3551]

Google Maps does make the subway system super easy, and it is refined in Japan to the level of knowing every train's station time, and it will even tell you which train car to go to so you have the shortest walk at each connection. If you don't want to use your phone, you can buy the Suica tap card at any convenience store, card fee is 500y.

You should see some ok cherry blossoms around town, I went through last weekend and they were still 2-3wk from "great."

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19100]

Japan has started to creep its way up my wish list.  I need to find a travel buddy to go with me, though.

[Brisketexan 105069]

So as I said, we're staying over in Shiodome.  Last night, we walked our jet-lagged asses over to Shimbashi and wandered around.  We found a couple of izakayas and ate some things that I don't precisely know what they were, but they were tasty for the most part.

Today, we met up with a guide that we booked.  He took us over to the Art Fair Tokyo.  There was a lot of cool shit.  We saw Ambassador Rahm Emmanuel.  I can't believe we appointed Rahm Fucking Emmanuel ambassador.  I can’t possibly think of someone less inclined to diplomacy.  It’d be like making [mention=593]Brisketexan[/mention] an ambassador if you added 30% more vulgarity.  Of course, he was like the only guy in the joint running around without a mask.  But whatevs.
Anyway—we bought a piece. Mrs.LL is very happy.


I preferred a different piece, but Mrs.LL said she wasn’t going to have it in the house.

The subway system is absolutely incomprehensible, owing to the fact that it's done by several different companies.  There's no unified transit authority that does all the subway lines.  But basically, you get an IC card on your phone and then flash your phone at the entry gates.  It's pretty easy once you figure it out, but figuring it out takes some time.  
Google Maps is an absolute lifesaver--it maps out all your transit.
I'm thirsty.  Time to hit up a bar.

Wait…I refuse to believe that Rahm is more vulgar than I am. I demand satisfaction in the form of a vulgarity duel.

Eat some squid testicles or something like that for me.

[mycox 582]

Head out to Omoide Yokocho

[Sweetnsourpoke 166]

20 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Japan has started to creep its way up my wish list.  I need to find a travel buddy to go with me, though.

No, you don't. Go solo and explore the country on your own. You'll meet lots of great folks. 

As for the Google Map, I lived in Tokyo before the days of the keitai. Imagine trying to find addresses on your own when you have an appointment. Fun times. 

[Gil Bang 25920]

Oh fuck that subway line.  Get on the JR line, then go upstairs and walk two blocks and walk back downstairs to get on the Tokyo Metro line.  Rinse and repeat over an over and over with 4 or 5 different lines.  It's a fucking shitshow.  Lucky for me; the GF's DIL was our guide, and she's fluent in Japanese. 

 

Side note: you go to a restaurant and take of your shoes at the door. If you need to go to the pisser, they give you little wooden sandals.  Which is fine, UNLESS YOU WEAR A SIZE 14 SHOE.

[Ghost of LL 15531]

28 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Oh fuck that subway line.  Get on the JR line, then go upstairs and walk two blocks and walk back downstairs to get on the Tokyo Metro line.  Rinse and repeat over an over and over with 4 or 5 different lines.  It's a fucking shitshow.  Lucky for me; the GF's DIL was our guide, and she's fluent in Japanese. 

 

Side note: you go to a restaurant and take of your shoes at the door. If you need to go to the pisser, they give you little wooden sandals.  Which is fine, UNLESS YOU WEAR A SIZE 14 SHOE.

Oh, and don’t wear those bathroom shoes back to your table. That’s gross and wrong.

[SydneyCarton 48056]

18 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

Oh fuck that subway line.  Get on the JR line, then go upstairs and walk two blocks and walk back downstairs to get on the Tokyo Metro line.  Rinse and repeat over an over and over with 4 or 5 different lines.  It's a fucking shitshow.  Lucky for me; the GF's DIL was our guide, and she's fluent in Japanese. 

 

Side note: you go to a restaurant and take of your shoes at the door. If you need to go to the pisser, they give you little wooden sandals.  Which is fine, UNLESS YOU WEAR A SIZE 14 SHOE.

Your Girlfriend's Daughter In Law? Doesn't that mean either your Girlfriend is actually your wife, and she's...your daughter? Or that your girlfriend is married to someone else currently, and that's that person's kid? 

If you mean "Dad In Law," which is weird, aren't we right back at your girlfriend already being married to someone else? Am I the only person here who read that whole sentence as odd?

[Gil Bang 25920]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

Your Girlfriend's Daughter In Law? Doesn't that mean either your Girlfriend is actually your wife, and she's...your daughter? Or that your girlfriend is married to someone else currently, and that's that person's kid? 

If you mean "Dad In Law," which is weird, aren't we right back at your girlfriend already being married to someone else? Am I the only person here who read that whole sentence as odd?

My girfriend is divorced, and has a son who's married to a woman.  That woman is my GF's Daughter in Law.

[Brisketexan 105069]

So....you bought an abstract painting of a butthole?

That seems....on-brand.  I dig it.

Also, reminds me of a word you need to use in public at least once: KANCHO!

[tx 3 putt 76870]

3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

So....you bought an abstract painting of a butthole?

That seems....on-brand.  I dig it.

Also, reminds me of a word you need to use in public at least once: KANCHO!

Japanese butthole 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

Went over to the Tsujiki Outer Market this morning for breakfast, and was not at all prepared for what as there.  In fact, I'm not even sure I can describe it.  There were plenty of little sushi places.  But more than that, there were little storefronts all over the place with display cases with fish, oysters, crabs, lobsters, scallops, etc.  So you can just point out what you want, you get it on a little plate, and go over to one of the handful of standing tables nearby.  There's a squeeze bottle of soy and/or ponzu sauce on the table and a squeeze bottle of lemon juice.  Slurp down your oysters or whatever, and head to the next place.

The seafood was incredible.  I swear, these oysters were bigger than my hand.  You needed about three bites for each one.  And the crabs in that tank are at least five feet from claw to claw.

We had a Shinkansen train this afternoon for Kyoto.  Along the way, we had bento boxes and nice views of Fuji.  Not a bad way to start the day.

More from Kyoto later.

Edited March 15, 2023 by Ghost of LL

[speed817 19256]

Which soap lands you hitting up??? 😏

[Ghost of LL 15531]

6 hours ago, speed817 said:

Which soap lands you hitting up??? 😏

Just the ones that Mrs.LL likes.

[staboner 4969]

18 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

Went over to the Tsujiki Outer Market this morning for breakfast, and was not at all prepared for what as there.  In fact, I'm not even sure I can describe it.  There were plenty of little sushi places.  But more than that, there were little storefronts all over the place with display cases with fish, oysters, crabs, lobsters, scallops, etc.  So you can just point out what you want, you get it on a little plate, and go over to one of the handful of standing tables nearby.  There's a squeeze bottle of soy and/or ponzu sauce on the table and a squeeze bottle of lemon juice.  Slurp down your oysters or whatever, and head to the next place.

The seafood was incredible.  I swear, these oysters were bigger than my hand.  You needed about three bites for each one.  And the crabs in that tank are at least five feet from claw to claw.

We had a Shinkansen train this afternoon for Kyoto.  Along the way, we had bento boxes and nice views of Fuji.  Not a bad way to start the day.

More from Kyoto later.

huh, I thought Tsujiki market was closing permanently for some reason like 3 or 4 years ago back in the Before Times

I remember doing breakfast sushi once Xmas morning there, then walking the market. There were things in that market I have never, ever seen before. My stomach and mind were in a struggle to maintain a balance between good and evil, digested and vomited, smelly and smelt. It was interesting.

keep the photos coming!

 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

56 minutes ago, staboner said:

huh, I thought Tsujiki market was closing permanently for some reason like 3 or 4 years ago back in the Before Times

I remember doing breakfast sushi once Xmas morning there, then walking the market. There were things in that market I have never, ever seen before. My stomach and mind were in a struggle to maintain a balance between good and evil, digested and vomited, smelly and smelt. It was interesting.

keep the photos coming!

 

The Outer Market is still open at Tsujiki.  They moved the wholesale auction house out to Toyosa, which is a few miles to the east. I checked out going over there, and you can still visit. But it all looks very sterile and boring.

Last night we ran around Gion spotting the geishas and then had some wagyu for supper.

 

 

 Now we are off temple hopping.

 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

So we decided to skip Hiroshima—there’s just too much shit to do here in Kyoto. Chief among them eating street food outside the Fushima Iniri shrine. It’s seriously like a Japanese state fair—there’s every food imaginable on a stick. From chicken to Kobe beef to sparrow to oysters. It’s a great place for a standing lunch

 

 

 

And while you’re eating there, you can check out the girls in their kimonos. It’s apparently a thing for women’s to re t a kimono just to do the tourist thing. It looks uncomfortable, but looks cool.

 

There are a lot of temples here.  And some shrines.  I wish we could spend another month here.

 

 

 

[MrsLonghornLawyer 65]

On 3/2/2023 at 10:25 AM, Neonmoon said:

Fuck off it was fun. And that day accounts for most of the good pics I took. 

[MrsLonghornLawyer 65]

You're welcome, assholes. 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

Christ almighty—I’m sitting here at LAX waiting for my connection to Austin, and I now have to tip the bartender and wipe my ass with paper when I shit.

This country fucking sucks.

[Ghost of LL 15531]

Sadly, I had to come back.  But by way of wrap-up, I have a few practical tips for anyone who wants to go to Japan.

Pre-clearance Forms: All of the Customs, Immigration, and Covid forms are available online on the Visit Japan website.  Fill those out on your phone, and they'll give you a QR code.  You should take a screenshot of those QR codes, because the cell service at NRT isn't the best.  But if you have those QR codes, immigration and customs are an absolute breeze.  But if you haven't registered ahead of time, the formalities can take a little bit of time.

Get an IC Card: There are a number of "IC Cards" available, and you should get one.  It's essentially a pre-paid debit card.  You can download it to your wallet on your iPhone and connect it to your credit card to fill it up.  Suica is the one that is run by one of the Tokyo subway companies; Pasmo is run by the Osaka subway company.  But it doesn't matter which you get; they all work throughout Japan.

The IC Card is like a digital Metrocard in New York or an Oyster card in London.  It enables you to just tap your phone at the entry/exit gates at the subway station, and it automatically debits your account.  But unlike the Metrocard or Oyster card, you can use it at a whole lot of other places.  Vending machines accept IC cards.  Taxies, convenience stores, and some restaurants are going to accept your IC Card.

Speaking of taxis: Taxis are ubiquitous and really pretty cheap.  But you ought to know that drivers generally don't speak a lot of (or any) English.  The hotels we stayed at had a pre-printed card with the name and address of the hotel in Japanese to hand to a cab driver, and you should make use of that.  For other destinations, it's handy to pull your destination up on Google Maps, which will show the address in Japanese, to show the driver.

Dinner in Kyoto: You need reservations.  You just do.  Trust me.

Dinner in Tokyo: You can get reservations at some Michelin-starred restaurant if you want.  But our best meals were in the places in Shimbashi or Shibuya that we just happened into.

 

 

[SydneyCarton 48056]

25 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

Sadly, I had to come back.  But by way of wrap-up, I have a few practical tips for anyone who wants to go to Japan.

Pre-clearance Forms: All of the Customs, Immigration, and Covid forms are available online on the Visit Japan website.  Fill those out on your phone, and they'll give you a QR code.  You should take a screenshot of those QR codes, because the cell service at NRT isn't the best.  But if you have those QR codes, immigration and customs are an absolute breeze.  But if you haven't registered ahead of time, the formalities can take a little bit of time.

Get an IC Card: There are a number of "IC Cards" available, and you should get one.  It's essentially a pre-paid debit card.  You can download it to your wallet on your iPhone and connect it to your credit card to fill it up.  Suica is the one that is run by one of the Tokyo subway companies; Pasmo is run by the Osaka subway company.  But it doesn't matter which you get; they all work throughout Japan.

The IC Card is like a digital Metrocard in New York or an Oyster card in London.  It enables you to just tap your phone at the entry/exit gates at the subway station, and it automatically debits your account.  But unlike the Metrocard or Oyster card, you can use it at a whole lot of other places.  Vending machines accept IC cards.  Taxies, convenience stores, and some restaurants are going to accept your IC Card.

Speaking of taxis: Taxis are ubiquitous and really pretty cheap.  But you ought to know that drivers generally don't speak a lot of (or any) English.  The hotels we stayed at had a pre-printed card with the name and address of the hotel in Japanese to hand to a cab driver, and you should make use of that.  For other destinations, it's handy to pull your destination up on Google Maps, which will show the address in Japanese, to show the driver.

Dinner in Kyoto: You need reservations.  You just do.  Trust me.

Dinner in Tokyo: You can get reservations at some Michelin-starred restaurant if you want.  But our best meals were in the places in Shimbashi or Shibuya that we just happened into.

 

 

I would add that you can order a SIM card for your phones ahead of time, and pick them up at the airport. You can basically be up and running with cheap sell service the first 20-30 minutes you're in country. I found this very helpful. 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

17 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I would add that you can order a SIM card for your phones ahead of time, and pick them up at the airport. You can basically be up and running with cheap sell service the first 20-30 minutes you're in country. I found this very helpful. 

I've just gotten to the point where I pay the $10/day to AT&T for their international plan.  Yeah, it's expensive for a week-long trip.  But it's just so fucking easy.

[Gil Bang 25920]

On 3/16/2023 at 11:29 PM, Ghost of LL said:

So we decided to skip Hiroshima—there’s just too much shit to do here in Kyoto. Chief among them eating street food outside the Fushima Iniri shrine. It’s seriously like a Japanese state fair—there’s every food imaginable on a stick. From chicken to Kobe beef to sparrow to oysters. It’s a great place for a standing lunch

 

 

 

And while you’re eating there, you can check out the girls in their kimonos. It’s apparently a thing for women’s to re t a kimono just to do the tourist thing. It looks uncomfortable, but looks cool.

 

There are a lot of temples here.  And some shrines.  I wish we could spend another month here.

 

 

 

On 3/16/2023 at 11:29 PM, Ghost of LL said:

 

[Sam Lin 3551]

6 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

You should take a screenshot of those QR codes, because the cell service at NRT isn't the best.  

if you do it via PC at home, you can also print out the QR on paper and bring it. But, even if you don't have cell service at all, NRT does have free wifi at locations where you need to show the codes.

[staboner 4969]

7 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

Sadly, I had to come back.  But by way of wrap-up, I have a few practical tips for anyone who wants to go to Japan.

Pre-clearance Forms: All of the Customs, Immigration, and Covid forms are available online on the Visit Japan website.  Fill those out on your phone, and they'll give you a QR code.  You should take a screenshot of those QR codes, because the cell service at NRT isn't the best.  But if you have those QR codes, immigration and customs are an absolute breeze.  But if you haven't registered ahead of time, the formalities can take a little bit of time.

Get an IC Card: There are a number of "IC Cards" available, and you should get one.  It's essentially a pre-paid debit card.  You can download it to your wallet on your iPhone and connect it to your credit card to fill it up.  Suica is the one that is run by one of the Tokyo subway companies; Pasmo is run by the Osaka subway company.  But it doesn't matter which you get; they all work throughout Japan.

The IC Card is like a digital Metrocard in New York or an Oyster card in London.  It enables you to just tap your phone at the entry/exit gates at the subway station, and it automatically debits your account.  But unlike the Metrocard or Oyster card, you can use it at a whole lot of other places.  Vending machines accept IC cards.  Taxies, convenience stores, and some restaurants are going to accept your IC Card.

Speaking of taxis: Taxis are ubiquitous and really pretty cheap.  But you ought to know that drivers generally don't speak a lot of (or any) English.  The hotels we stayed at had a pre-printed card with the name and address of the hotel in Japanese to hand to a cab driver, and you should make use of that.  For other destinations, it's handy to pull your destination up on Google Maps, which will show the address in Japanese, to show the driver.

Dinner in Kyoto: You need reservations.  You just do.  Trust me.

Dinner in Tokyo: You can get reservations at some Michelin-starred restaurant if you want.  But our best meals were in the places in Shimbashi or Shibuya that we just happened into.

 

 

shit yeah man. Tokyo is a great city to wander and eat and drink in. I would never understand hitting up a white table cloth place there honestly, seems waaay overdone. The food is everywhere and all specializations are easily accessible. I did however do a happening nice spot in Tokyo (for work) and pretty sure I ate whale weiner. Now, I understand there is a sperm whale too, and its entirely possible it was just that, or maybe the still the weiner of a sperm whale. Multiple entendre. I slammed a 350ml of sake on both ends of the weiner and my hosts were certainly impressed. 

By chance do any learning of Shinto? The temples are certainly nice to visit. Last time I was there was Xmas to NY, and this is the time for the Japanese to really do their shinto thing and hit up the temples. I had some really amazing experiences and really noticed the general observance of Shinto and how it paints modern Japanese culture. 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

11 hours ago, staboner said:

shit yeah man. Tokyo is a great city to wander and eat and drink in. I would never understand hitting up a white table cloth place there honestly, seems waaay overdone. The food is everywhere and all specializations are easily accessible. I did however do a happening nice spot in Tokyo (for work) and pretty sure I ate whale weiner. Now, I understand there is a sperm whale too, and its entirely possible it was just that, or maybe the still the weiner of a sperm whale. Multiple entendre. I slammed a 350ml of sake on both ends of the weiner and my hosts were certainly impressed. 

By chance do any learning of Shinto? The temples are certainly nice to visit. Last time I was there was Xmas to NY, and this is the time for the Japanese to really do their shinto thing and hit up the temples. I had some really amazing experiences and really noticed the general observance of Shinto and how it paints modern Japanese culture. 

Yeah--I did a little bit of reading on Shinto and its underlying mythology.  Its interplay with Buddhism is really pretty fascinating.

And you're right that Shinto's mythology really gives some insight into Japanese culture.  It's like the story of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) when she gets pissed about her brother being an asshole and shitting in her house and throwing a flayed horse into her weaving hall.  So she goes down into a cave to pout, plunging the world into darkness.

If this were Greek mythology, Zeus would go and haul her ass out of the cave.  But in Shinto, the other gods hold a committee meeting to decide what to do.  And that gives some insight into Japanese culture--everything is done by consensus.  And once you figure that out, everything from their history to their business relationships to their politics becomes a lot easier to understand.

[Sweetnsourpoke 166]

That's cool you got to enjoy Japan. Amazing place.

Can I ask what you paid for your airfare? I've been pretty stunned at the prices I've seen this year.  

 

[zman13 178]

5 hours ago, Sweetnsourpoke said:

That's cool you got to enjoy Japan. Amazing place.

Can I ask what you paid for your airfare? I've been pretty stunned at the prices I've seen this year.  

 

You're not asking me but just came back, so I'm going to answer anyway!

About $1100 for IAH nonstop to Narita. 

Flying to Japan is like most places - expensive in the summer, cheaper before and after the summer. 

[BrazilHorn 6586]

I am working on a sale to The MFA in Boston and they are doing a really cool “Hokusai” exhibit right now. A Lego Master out of Japan did a replica of “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. Technically you can’t see this in Japan right now but whole exhibit was cool. 
 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

9 hours ago, Sweetnsourpoke said:

That's cool you got to enjoy Japan. Amazing place.

Can I ask what you paid for your airfare? I've been pretty stunned at the prices I've seen this year.  

 

I paid on miles (actually, AmEx points).  I think it was around 180,000 points per person round trip for first class on Singapore Airlines from LAX to NRT.  I then got a reasonably cheap flight on AA from AUS to LAX.

[TheBryMan81 2508]

Can't believe I just found this thread. Lived in Japan for 2 years, just moved back this past summer. Miss it every day. Even still have my ICOCA card

If you go back, definitely need to do one day in Hiroshima and one day in Miyajima.

Did you guys use the goshuincho temple books to collect each temple's calligraphy stamps?

[TheBryMan81 2508]

On 3/1/2023 at 5:25 PM, SydneyCarton said:

3.) The bullet train is awesome. YOu can enjoy your bento box, but they serve food and beer on the train. We drank a looooooooooot of sapporo on that train. 
 

Unfortunately, they mostly stopped this during COVID, but they may have restarted it since I left.

[DallasGatr 216]

Unfortunately, they mostly stopped this during COVID, but they may have restarted it since I left.

It’s all back.

[TheBryMan81 2508]

3 hours ago, DallasGatr said:

It’s all back.

Of course it comes back after I leave.

[SydneyCarton 48056]

1 hour ago, TheBryMan81 said:

Of course it comes back after I leave.

Sounds like a reason to move back. 

Easily the best vacation of my life. If I could convince my wife to move there, I would seriously consider it. 

[Helobious 9450]

None of you idiots went and took a photo with the godzilla statue at Toho studios? Why even go to Japan then?