Crab Lungs Posted 29 November, 2009 Share Posted 29 November, 2009 Thinking of going out there for a holiday/cultural experience in March-April... firstly, is there any suggestions on where to go to for the cheapest flights - and, of course a few pointers (where to stay, visit, eat, drink, what to do etc) I've got a few things in mind but would obviously like some advice from peoples previous experiences etc - especially on getting a decently priced flight! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Alert Posted 29 November, 2009 Share Posted 29 November, 2009 Just watch Lost In Translation its a great holiday guide to Tokyo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verbal Posted 29 November, 2009 Share Posted 29 November, 2009 Just watch Lost In Translation its a great holiday guide to Tokyo. That's true - which means you have to try playing Pachinko in the arcades (utterly pointless but addictive), and watching Japanese take Karaoke way too seriously. If you want to eat cheaply, stick to noodle shops (and learn to live with the slurping), or if you go to a fancy restaurant, make sure it's one that has plastic versions of the meals in the front windows, because there won't be any English translations on the menu. You could also try whale meat, to annoy your beanbag friends back home, and breakfast at Tsukiji fish market - the biggest and most exotic in the world - is brilliant. The 'fun' neighbourhood is Shinjuku - but watch out for (among other things!) the price of beer in those hostess bars. (Better anyway to drink hot saki, which better than anywhere, naturally) And if you're serious about drinking, it's amazingly easy to get your own beerglass behind the counter at surprisingly friendly neighbourhood bars. The subways are completely unintelligible. Make sure you're with a Japanese speaker - although there's no need to be sober, because the subways stations employ people especially to catch drunk salarymen falling on to the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
View From The Top Posted 29 November, 2009 Share Posted 29 November, 2009 Karaoke in Japan is a 'kin serious business and because you are English you will be expected to "perform". I love Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsland Codger Posted 30 November, 2009 Share Posted 30 November, 2009 Cheap tickets - it is usually cheaper to travel via a European city (Paris, Amsterdam, Helsinki) than flying non-stop. £500 for a return should be your benchmark. Sometimes it can be £550 but I travelled there earlier this month for £440. I use Expedia, Opodo, Travelocity or Ebookers but sometimes if you go direct to the website of the airline it can be a few pounds less. It might be worth checking out Finnair as they sometimes have surprisingly good offers, as does Air France. BA, Virgin, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways fly non-stop but usually at a premium. On arrival at Narita airport don't be put off by the phrase 'limousine bus'. To you and I this means a 'coach' to travel into the city centre and this is a good way to get into town if you have heavy bags. The train is also available and if you have your Japan Rail Pass (see below) you can activate it at the airport train station. If you intend to travel around Japan, a Japan Rail (JR) pass is a must ... http://www.japantravel.co.uk The Tokyo subway can be difficult to negotiate but it's cheap (one of the few things that is), efficient and hopelessly over-crowded. It would be very convenient to buy a Pasmo card - a pre-paid card which you touch onto a reader at the ticket gate. Using one doesn't make any savings but you won't have to decipher a subway map to work out how much you need to pay each time you travel so it is a great time saver. You can buy one at any ticket machine area with English language instructions available on-screen. http://www.pasmo.co.jp/en/ Sadly, the latest weakness in the Pound means Japan has gone back to being expensive again (a couple of years ago it was almost affordable) but if you look around there are plenty of affordable local restaurants with the menu often displayed in plastic model form in the window as Verbal says above. On the bright side this is a country with a no-tipping culture so you save 10 per cent straight away. If you go, make it more early April rather than late March as early April is cherry blossom time. Japan is a large country with a big north/south span so where you travel inside the country will determine the clothes you need. There will still be heavy snow up north but it will be much warmer in the south. At that time of year Tokyo will be changeable, it might be warm but it could be cold. When I was living there in 1983 there was snow in Tokyo in April, but this is unusual. Verbal suggests visiting Tsujiki fish market for breakfast - this is one of life's Great Treats. The auction is a great piece of theatre and the sushi will be as fresh as you will find onshore. Japan is a great place, very safe and petty honesty is rampant (if you lose your wallet on the train the chances are very high it will be handed in intact) but beware of hostess bars which can be outrageously expensive but are usually easy to identify. Other websites you might find useful are ... http://www.japan-guide.com/ http://www.tokyoessentials.com/ http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Lungs Posted 30 November, 2009 Author Share Posted 30 November, 2009 Wow, thanks for the help everyone, amazing stuff! There's a few places I want to go to (Shinjuku, Roppongi) plus I'd like to somehow make my way to Hiroshima for obvious reasons. Has anyone ever been there before? Plus, are the rumours true about "Love hotels", sleeping capsules at train stations and of course, train groping? I'm not a gal but does this seriously, honestly happen!? :-o Japan has always romanticised me by it's wayward, somewhat unique culture - don't know what I'm going to do for food though - can't imagine me living on fish for a couple of weeks! :-o As for karoake - I hope you're wrong about expecting me to perform - unless they want a really bad rendition 'Matt Le Tiss - gets the ball and takes the ****'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsland Codger Posted 30 November, 2009 Share Posted 30 November, 2009 To clarify one thing in my earlier reply - when I say the Japan Rail Cad is 'a must' I meant this to mean it is a seriously-good-bargain-and-well-worth-considering rather than an essential requirement and you will be denied access to the train station without one! I've visited Hiroshima several times. Well worth a visit but be prepared - it can be very emotional. Have a look at the story of Sadako and the one thousand paper cranes as this might make your trip to the Children's Statue more insightful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadako_and_the_Thousand_Paper_Cranes Also see ... http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/index_e2.html and ... http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=357&pID=1303 Just south of Hiroshima is Miyajima - an island with the large red shinto shrine gates that rise up out of the sea. You can see a photo of this in the final (BBC) link at the end of this post. If you have the time/energy to visit Nagasaki then I would recommend it as the experience is different and more positive. The regular cost of return tickets on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hiroshima will be more than the cost of a one week Japan Rail Pass, hence my enthusiasm for it. For an online Japanese train timetable, together with fares have a look at ... http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ . Needless-to-say, Japanese trains are extremely puntual, clean and, you've guessed it, overcrowded. Train groping - 'chikan'? Yes, a real problem such that some Tokyo trains/underground now have designated 'women-only' carriages during the rush-hour times. These are clearly marked. Shinjuku I've been to a few times (I lived in Tokyo from 1978 to 1994 and visit frequently) but it wasn't really in my patch. It is a very busy part of central north-west Tokyo. When I first started living in Tokyo the train station at Shinjuku had no signs at all in Romaji (western alphabet). It is a very Japanese district and therefore even more worth a visit - just be prepared to become a bit lost. Roppongi is a much more cosmopolitan area with plenty of restaurants and bars and was the only place in Tokyo where I ever felt as though I blended in (I'm 6ft 3in). But where ever you go for the night life it will be fun and pricey. Beers are usually about Yen 1000 (£6.60) for about a pint. Love Hotels certainly exist, although the famed 'Meguro Emperor' closed many years ago. Capsule hotels are also found easily enough, mostly near major railway junctions. Look at Tokyo as not so much a huge city but more as a collection of towns all linked by the train/subway (subway=tube). For online maps of the Tokyo train system go to ... http://www.tokyotopia.com/tokyo-train-map.html Other areas in Tojyo you might want to visit are Shinbashi, Shibuya and Akihabara - the latter is where loads of elctronic gadgets are sold. Food? You name it, they've got it so it's not all raw fish. Yakitori is chicken on sticks, udon and ramen are different types of noodles, tonkatsu is deep fried pork, korean barbecue restaurants are plentiful. MacDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC are all there for the unadventurous. I'm sure you'll have tremendous fun - just be polite in your own way and you'll be fine. If you would like to talk directly, I can be found in The Platform Tavern in Town Quay on match days. And in the meantime ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/japanese/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 30 November, 2009 Share Posted 30 November, 2009 Is this to quench your thirst for Jap females lungs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Lungs Posted 1 December, 2009 Author Share Posted 1 December, 2009 Kingsland Codger - thank you so much for all the information, it's going to prove very useful! I'm back for Xmas so if you're in the platform tavern for the Exeter game I'd love to hear a bit more first hand, if thats OK? :-) and Stevo, ha.... I've flitted back to 'emos' now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutch Posted 1 December, 2009 Share Posted 1 December, 2009 Unless you're going direct non-stop, I would seriously have a look at the Gulf-based airlines (Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways). It's not far off the direct route, and the service is excellent. I've used them all recently. Great facilities and duty free too while you change, and you get to stretch your legs halfway through the flight, not right at the begining or end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsland Codger Posted 1 December, 2009 Share Posted 1 December, 2009 On the Tokyo-Hiroshima-Tokyo leg of your trip you should also arrange to spend a day or two in Kyoto. This is the old capital and the place is full of temples and castles. Places to Google/Wiki are Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavillion), Ginkakuji (The Silver Pavillion), Ryoanji (The Temple of The Peaceful Dragon) - with the famous stone garden and Nijo-jo (Nijo Castle) with its medieval 'nightingale floor', designed especially to squeak when walked on, thus providing a highly effective warning against assasins. If you're seriously into Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines then nearby Nara should also be on your list, but if you just want to dip a toe or two in the culture then Kyoto offers more than enough. Exeter game is on Boxing Day? I should be in the Platform Tavern by 13:15 ish just after the ferry docks (assuming the pub is open that morning - I'll check out tonight if it is). I'm tall, in my mid 50's, will probably be wearing a red-and-white quartered rugby shirt and will be with a few others of similar age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyo-Saint Posted 1 December, 2009 Share Posted 1 December, 2009 The best time of year is Hanami, which is usually around about the middle of April in tokyo. This is when they have huge drinking picnics in the parks under the cherry blossom trees. It sounds a little strange but is really enjoyable. Everyone takes part from the young to the old, the whole country gets drunk. If you are going to Tokyo go to Yoyogi Park on Sunday, it's a good experince. The nearest station is Harajuku on the Yamanote line. Yoyogi/Harajuku is where all the 'strange' people go on Sundays, From the rockbillie dancers to the young kids in costumes. Don't go to Irish bars and get ripped off. If you want to go drinking to to a tradittional japanese place like Watami or Wara Wara. These are chains of restraunts/drinking places and are much cheaper + much better than the 'pubs'. The most useful japanese phrases are: "Nomi Hodi" or "Tabe Hodi". This means all you can eat or all you can drink. You can usually get this for about £12.50 for 2 hours. It will make your trip much cheaper. Worth a trip is the Sushi bar at the top of "ichmaluku" in Shibuya. The building is easy to spot from the station as it has oioi written on it in huge neons. This building is where all the 20 something and teen girls go shopping so worth it for that alone. The sushi bar is really cheap and they keep the fish alive in tanks until people order it. Sometimes the fish is still twitching. It doesn't get any fresher than that. If you need any further info then PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PES Posted 3 December, 2009 Share Posted 3 December, 2009 The wife and I will be in Tokyo for 10 Days over Easter Holidays. I'll keep my eyes peeled for your red and white Deck chair shirt in amoungst the Pachinko machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsland Codger Posted 13 December, 2009 Share Posted 13 December, 2009 Exeter game is on Boxing Day? I should be in the Platform Tavern by 13:15 ish just after the ferry docks (assuming the pub is open that morning - I'll check out ... if it is). I'm tall, in my mid 50's, will probably be wearing a red-and-white quartered rugby shirt and will be with a few others of similar age. Yes, the Platform Tavern (in Town Quay, just across the road from the Red Funnel terminal) will be open on 26th from 12 to 3. So if you're around and want to have a chat about a trip to Japan I'll look forward to seeing you. George is my name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonjoe Posted 13 December, 2009 Share Posted 13 December, 2009 Is this to quench your thirst for Jap females lungs? Can't see what all the fuss is about to be honest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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