Off to Japan, wish me luck!

[Viin]

So we head out to Japan for 2 weeks (ok, 12 days) tomorrow. Should be a blast.

But, can I live without email, cell phone, and F13 for that long? Could get interesting!

Just in case anyone cares, we are headed to Tokyo for a couple nights, then a couple trains to the Japan National Alps (a nicer ryokan), then to Kyoto for awhile, then a bullet train back to Tokyo for a few nights before we head home.

Gotta love 12hr flights that leave at 5pm on Saturday and get you back home at 3pm on Saturday!

Edit: I haven't learned any japanese at all (except hai and nani and the simple words you hear in anime all the time), should I be scared?

[bhodi]

Edit: I haven't learned any japanese at all (except hai and nani and the simple words you hear in anime all the time), should I be scared?

Don't use anything you learned from anime, or you'll sound like the 15 year old girl you learned it from :)

[Righ]

Edit: I haven't learned any japanese at all (except hai and nani and the simple words you hear in anime all the time), should I be scared?

No. If they don't seem to understand, speak louder and slower and use a mock Japanese accent. They will thank you for it.

[Xerapis]

And be sure to try the neko don.

[Oban]

Do not eat this:

[Trippy]

I agree. I'll eat all sorts of strange Japanese foods but that stuff is just nasty (as is the Chinese version as well).

[Baldrake]

Edit: I haven't learned any japanese at all (except hai and nani and the simple words you hear in anime all the time), should I be scared?

I've done a few business trips to Japan and also don't speak any Japanese. It's a challenge. Most Japanese people don't speak English (or are too embarrassed to speak it with you.) Pretty much anything written is Japanese script only. You don't realize how big a deal this is until you find you can't read the street signs, the subway map or a menu. Even addresses are not our simple number-street format, so getting around can be interesting. Going to Japan is not like going to a non-English speaking European country.

For all that, the Japanese people are incredibly friendly and helpful. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip.

[Ookii]

Edit: I haven't learned any japanese at all (except hai and nani and the simple words you hear in anime all the time), should I be scared?

I've done a few business trips to Japan and also don't speak any Japanese. It's a challenge. Most Japanese people don't speak English (or are too embarrassed to speak it with you.) Pretty much anything written is Japanese script only. You don't realize how big a deal this is until you find you can't read the street signs, the subway map or a menu. Even addresses are not our simple number-street format, so getting around can be interesting. Going to Japan is not like going to a non-English speaking European country.

For all that, the Japanese people are incredibly friendly and helpful. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip.

The funny thing is those subway maps and signs are in english, they're just written in Japanese.  You'll save yourself some time learning Katakana, as pretty much anything written in it can be sounded out in english.

Try pointing at stuff and saying sore and kore, that'll help.

[Teleku]

I somewhat have to disagree.  In the major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, there is actually alot of english written all over the place.  ESPECIALLY at anything remotely like a tourist attraction.  I found it very easy to get around Japan in general with no Japanese knowledge (when I first got their at least, heh).  Obviously knowing some makes it alot easier (and Ookii is right, half the damn language is katakana at this point), but where your going, it shouldn't be a problem.  I'd just make sure you bring english maps of the cities you are going to, that way you wont get lost (buying a cheep Japanese travel book works as well).

When are you going to be in Kyoto?  On October 22nd is Jidai Matsuri, which is one of the three biggest festivals in Japan.  In the morning, they have a big long parade of people in traditional dress going from mejii era back to the Heian period.  Its kind of cool, but is a bit slow.  What you REALLY want to see if you go their, however, is the fire festival at Kurama, which is held the night of the 22nd.  If you have the fortune of being in Kyoto when this happens, DO NOT MISS IT.  It is fucking awsome.  You have to take a bit of a train ride though, and for hours before it, there is a long wait (litterally thousands of people are cramming into the subways waiting to get on the trains), but trust me, its worth it.

[SnakeCharmer]

Do not eat this:

Looks like brains.

[Trippy]

It's natto, i.e. fermented soy beans. It is, as they say, an acquired taste.

[Shavnir]

It's natto, i.e. fermented soy beans. It is, as they say, an acquired taste.

The best I've heard about it is saying it tastes better than it smells. :p

I never wanted to try it personally.

[Trippy]

The worst part to me is the incredibly slimy mouth feel. I don't like yamaimo, Japanese mountain yam, for the same reason.

[Sauced]

Yeah, the yam is hard to get down.

Really, you only need a few - being polite goes a long way there.

 sumimasen ( soo - mee - mah - sen ) - Excuse me, I'm sorry, etc.

is a good one to have down.

[Soln]

luck dude

[Viin]

Well, I'm back from Japan. It was a great trip!

I didn't have any problems with English - there was only one place that I had trouble, and that was in the Matsumoto train station on the way to Komakochi .. for some reason they didn't have English signs *anywhere*. But, one of the ticketing office guys was more than kind enough to help us get a ticket and understand we had to switch to a bus later on to get to our destination.

Food was good, we did ryokans that served breakfast and dinner - so that was taken care of except when in Tokyo (where we found a good Indian place!). We got sick of fish for sure, and some of the pickled stuff is nasty.

On the last day we ended up in the electronic district (forget the name at the moment) and found some toy stores and anime stores, picked up a few action figures and saw a lot of weird stuff.

Here's some pictures:

Komakochi (Japan Alps National Park):




Shibuyah (entertainment/food/shopping/whatever area for younger crowds):


Couple pictures from the ryokans:




From one of the Edo-period castles, I think in Asakusa:


All in all, a great place to vacation. Clean, nice people, more than enough English to pass by (I didn't drive though, took trains everywhere) - but very expensive. Exchange rate isn't bad, but just in general stuff is expensive. Hotels in Tokyo (for example) normally go at least $400 a night, though you can find cheaper ones if you look.

:)

[BigBlack]

If you want crazy good deals in Japan, travel off-season.

I was living there for a semester (in Nagoya), and traveled to Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido during the winter (think Yosemite x 10).  During the winter, a lot of places are under-booked, and so I was able to haggle a 4-star Ryokan (Japanese Inn w/ hot springs, etc.) with 2 all-you-can-eat 'Viking Buffets' a day, in a really nice multi-room suite, for ~$70 a night by calling up within 48 hours of my intended stay.  If you don't speak Japanese, this is the kind of thing where you'd get a friend who's bilingual to help you out.

The mountains up in Hokkaido are incredible, if anyone's into that sort of stuff.  The southern islands of Japan are fun if you're into a more laid-back, redneck-y, Japan-meets-Cuba's-scenery-meets-Alabama's-atmosphere.  (Stayed out in Innoshima for a few days, did trailer park karaoke, good times)  Make get yourself some good J-Reggae for the trip to set the mood and it's an unforgettable experience.

[Signe]

Nice pics of beautiful places!  It's on my list of places to visit but not at the top.  It'll probably take me several lifetimes to do everything on my list.  I should take vitimins, I think.

If you want crazy good deals in Japan, travel off-season.

I was living there for a semester (in Nagoya), and traveled to Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido during the winter (think Yosemite x 10).  During the winter, a lot of places are under-booked, and so I was able to haggle a 4-star Ryokan (Japanese Inn w/ hot springs, etc.) with 2 all-you-can-eat 'Viking Buffets' a day, in a really nice multi-room suite, for ~$70 a night by calling up within 48 hours of my intended stay.  If you don't speak Japanese, this is the kind of thing where you'd get a friend who's bilingual to help you out.

The mountains up in Hokkaido are incredible, if anyone's into that sort of stuff.  The southern islands of Japan are fun if you're into a more laid-back, redneck-y, Japan-meets-Cuba's-scenery-meets-Alabama's-atmosphere.  (Stayed out in Innoshima for a few days, did trailer park karaoke, good times)  Make get yourself some good J-Reggae for the trip to set the mood and it's an unforgettable experience.

Déjà vu.

[Strazos]

$400 a Night?

Aren't there like...cheap places you can stay? Clean, but spartan?

[Teleku]

Hotel rooms are pretty god awfully expensive in Japan.  Even going to the cheep budget places, you can usually only get about 60-75 bucks per person (you don't buy by room there, it all maters how many people are staying in the room).  And that is for a room that litterally has enough room for a bed ,a night stand, a bathroom/shower that is about 6 feet by 6 feet, and narrowing walking room to get from the door to the bed/bathroom.  If you want a mental picture, think half the size of your average dorm room in college.

You CAN find special deals though.  My sister came to visit me in Japan and managed to get 45 bucks a night for a room much bigger than that, at the same hotel chain I stayed at that I described above.  I really have no idea how she got it though.  It was some super internet special.

If you stay at a normal, western style hotel, you can expect prices of several hundred dollars a night.

It also depends on where you are.  In the cities, obviously its expensive.  If you stay at a traditional Japanese inn where you all just sleep in one giant room with paper doors and tatami floors, WAY out in the country, then you can expect alot cheaper (they also served us Duck Udon!).

[Shavnir]

Hotel rooms are pretty god awfully expensive in Japan.  Even going to the cheep budget places, you can usually only get about 60-75 bucks per person (you don't buy by room there, it all maters how many people are staying in the room).  And that is for a room that litterally has enough room for a bed ,a night stand, a bathroom/shower that is about 6 feet by 6 feet, and narrowing walking room to get from the door to the bed/bathroom.  If you want a mental picture, think half the size of your average dorm room in college.

You CAN find special deals though.  My sister came to visit me in Japan and managed to get 45 bucks a night for a room much bigger than that, at the same hotel chain I stayed at that I described above.  I really have no idea how she got it though.  It was some super internet special.

If you stay at a normal, western style hotel, you can expect prices of several hundred dollars a night.

It also depends on where you are.  In the cities, obviously its expensive.  If you stay at a traditional Japanese inn where you all just sleep in one giant room with paper doors and tatami floors, WAY out in the country, then you can expect alot cheaper (they also served us Duck Udon!).

I stayed at a dorm room like place in a "bad" part of Osaka (wasn't really that bad) for about 2000 yen a night.  I probably should have gone for a more expensive place but saying you can't find lodging under $60 isn't right. 

Negotiating the reservation (although that place definetly had a more walk-in sort of feel) would have been hard if I didn't speak Japanese though.

[Viin]

Well, you can get places cheaper but it depends on what you want to get out of it. We wanted a nice comfortable room with our own bathroom, and for meals to be included (breakfast and dinner) .. staying someplace nice for a few days gets pricey vs just roughing it anywhere there's a place to sleep. We're a little beyond the roughing it days when we would just backpack, hitch hike, and stay at local hostels.

[voodoolily]

We stayed in a pretty posh place in Ginza for about $200/night. It was our second honeymoon and worth it, but the room was TINY. You can do better than $400 with an iota of planning.

We ate at the coolest little yakitori place in Shibuya - it was about a block or two from Tokyu Hands, but we don't know the name cuz we can't read kanji or katakana.

[Teleku]

I stayed at a dorm room like place in a "bad" part of Osaka (wasn't really that bad) for about 2000 yen a night.  I probably should have gone for a more expensive place but saying you can't find lodging under $60 isn't right. 

Negotiating the reservation (although that place definetly had a more walk-in sort of feel) would have been hard if I didn't speak Japanese though.

I'm know you can find some cheeper stuff in situations like you mentioned, but for places that you can book ahead of time through internet or travel agency, what I said was about the best I could get.  Hostel and or walk in type places in low end neighborhoods you could certainly get for cheaper though, yeah.

Or you could just take the really cheap way out like some of my friends did, and just rent out karaoke rooms or stalls in 24 hour a day internet cafes to sleep in.  A surprisingly large number of people do this.  One friend stayed in Kyushu for a week, sleeping only at an internet cafe.  You got your own little computer cubicle for privacy, which you could sleep in.  He said that there were prostitutes walking all around offering themselves to the various clients, and it was somewhat hard to sleep because his cubicle neighbors kept taking them up on it....

[Shavnir]

I remember reading an article on CNN's Japan site about that on my phone back when I was in there.  Basically these people would live out of these net cafes and do various odd jobs just to make ends meet.  Some even give you a shower and have laundry facilities or something.

[BigBlack]

Yeah, net cafes with showers aren't too uncommon.  I came close to having to stay in one a couple of times when I missed the last train home, but always ended up on a buddy's floor instead.

Love hotels can actually be pretty cheap, too -- and certainly an "only in Japan" experience (well, okay, only in Japan and Korea and Taiwan and a few other places, but still).