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Friends, I'm close to finally taking a trip to Japan.

Heimdall_Xtreme

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
These days I am going to process through my work the days that I will have on vacation, depending on what they tell me, I will make my trip to Japan, it will probably be approximately 10 to 13 days.... It will be the first time that I will travel, so I am very excited, the bad thing is that I will go alone... So what tips can you give me?

I was thinking of hiring a travel agent to plan the trip and not be alone.... I want to go to Disney Sea or Disney Tokyo, Nintendo World, Ghibli Museum, take photos at the Gundam statue, see the bullet train.

If there are more tourist sites more oriented towards Gamers and it could also be anime... Or museums focused on Samurai or Ninjas, am I available or what advice can you give me?

I pray that my trip can be made in the month of May or June... Otherwise it would be a little later, like August to November.
 
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Power Pro

Power Pro

Member
Just...be careful what you eat. First night I was there, I must have ate something that didn't agree with me and was out of commission for a whole day during my time in Kyoto :( Ended up being too scared to eat much else local after that, and ate a lot more familiar foods sadly.
 
fran.fernandez

fran.fernandez

Member
Osaka “akihabara” or Den Den town is bigger than Tokyo.

Nintendo world at USJ, u need reservation to go in, the watch to play cost 4.500 en.

If u wanna fuck go to tobita (u can choose the girl from the street like netherlands red light district )

Don’t come in may 😂, is golden week , awful idea.

Wakayama have lot of ninja stuff.

Osaka also have gamer hotel “e-zone”


First time I came Japan was 14 years ago. travel all Japan from Hokkaido to Fukuoka , stopping in almost every city day to day, took me 3 months , alone with no “iPhones”, only map and compas . Imo u make a lot more friend traveling alone .
 
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Valedix

Valedix

Member
Man I'm jealous can't wait to eventually go hopefully end of the year or next year. Hope you like ramen and sushi haha.
 
*Nightwing

*Nightwing

Member
1HtL8PS.jpg




DO IT!
 
Thaedolus

Thaedolus

Gold Member
My favorite overseas trip, can’t believe it’s been 11+ years since we went. Have fun, don’t cheap out like we did on the food so often (we were poor and there for two weeks). Pack your bag with souvenirs.
 
D

DogasNetwork

Neo Member
fran.fernandez said:
Osaka “akihabara” or Den Den town is bigger than Tokyo.

Nintendo world at USJ, u need reservation to go in, the watch to play cost 4.500 en.

If u wanna fuck go to tobita (u can choose the girl from the street like netherlands red light district )

Don’t come in may 😂, is golden week , awful idea.

Wakayama have lot of ninja stuff.

Osaka also have gamer hotel “e-zone”


First time I came Japan was 14 years ago. travel all Japan from Hokkaido to Fukuoka , stopping in almost every city day to day, took me 3 months , alone with no “iPhones”, only map and compas . Imo u make a lot more friend traveling alone .
Click to expand...
especially Tobita Shinchi part intrigued me the most 😝
 
Porcile

Porcile

Member
It would be useful if you learn katakana and hiragana. It will help you read and translate menus and shit like that. Shouldn't take more than a couple weeks with 30 minutes study a day. Just use a YouTube vid or something. You don't need to be 日本語上手 level of mastery but having a bit of knowledge will go a long way. I don't know if it would be enough to pick up a hooker in Tobita but you never know.

To be honest I think the most overrated place in Japan is Akihabara. Absolute trash tourist town. Fight me.
 
AJUMP23

AJUMP23

Gold Member
Plan things before you get there so you know what you want to see. Pack light if you are moving hotels.




Go to the Nintendo HQ and thank them.
 
Tams

Tams

Member
It seems like you already have most of it sorted.

I wouldn't use a travel agent unless you are really inexperienced with travelling. There's not much point for the urban areas of Japan. Though do do some research beforehand to avoid disappoint and getting lost.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. Myself and a number of others on here have lived or currently do live in Japan.
 
Vyse

Vyse

Gold Member
That is amazing. The Mrs and I are planning to go to Japan this fall. Can’t wait to hear about your trip!
 
DetectiveBananas

DetectiveBananas

Member
If you’re 6 ft+ then prepare to feel like the tallest person in the country! 😄. Navigating is easy, businesses treat you well, good food is cheap, hotels are very clean and quiet, Tokyo is probably the cleanest major city you’ll ever visit.
Have fun! Oh, visit second stores to get good gaming/music/nerd items (Bookoff, Hard Off). Good prices and Japanese usually take very good care of their stuff so it will seem like new.
 
AJUMP23

AJUMP23

Gold Member
www.japan-guide.com

Akihabara

Visitor guide for Akihabara, the electric town in Tokyo.
www.japan-guide.com www.japan-guide.com

Akihabra for gaming stuff. Probably not what it use to be in the early 2000s but I bet it is still fun.
 
Toots

Toots

Gold Member
I hope you have tremendous fun, see beautiful landmarks, and make a lot of friends, of the persuasion you are sexually attracted to.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
I took a week guided tour and it was phenomenal. I think I saw more than my brother did when he lived there for a year. I think it's a waste to not pack in as much as you can possibly see in multiple cities. It's super chill since you don't have to worry about driving or navigation or even language barriers that much unless you're going to a restaurant.

Their retail and malls are great. Kyoto is a must for the historic sites. Nara has literally the most insane temple I've ever seen in person. Tokyo is like New York if everything was clear and worked well and everyone was cool and nice. Osaka castle is a highlight.

I'd honestly say to mostly ignore any "gamer" shit and just see the historic sites.
 
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Alebrije

Alebrije

Member
As a general tip check tickets for the parks, Nintendo and Ghibil usually are sold out

You need to check in months or weeks before the day You plan to visit those places.
 
Heimdall_Xtreme

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Thanks for your answers friends...

I'm going to use this topic to plan the trip, in fact there are many places I want to go, gamer but also cultural... Especially Japanese folklore and religious temples.

I'm going to delve deeper into the topic to take advantage of the trip... Museums and I think there is more to see, like Hiroshima.

By the way... If I go on the adventure alone... In the hotels there are guides or how they do to reserve a hotel... Since also to be prepared and not sleep on the street xD.
 
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NeoIkaruGAF

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
I’m glad I never visited Japan when all I would think of was visiting Akihabara and other gaming-related places.
If I were to go today, I’d go for the nature, the history, the culture. I’d be a bit wary of the food, but that’s true for any place in the world.
Maybe one day…
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
Heimdall_Xtreme said:
Thanks for your answers friends...

I'm going to use this topic to plan the trip, in fact there are many places I want to go, gamer but also cultural... Especially Japanese folklore and religious temples.

I'm going to delve deeper into the topic to take advantage of the trip... Museums and I think there is more to see, like Hiroshima.

By the way... If I go on the adventure alone... In the hotels there are guides or how they do to reserve a hotel... Since also to be prepared and not sleep on the street xD.
Click to expand...
Just saying with the package thing it had all hotels reserved, tickets for the things we attended pre-purchased, reservations to a couple nice restaurants (you pick your own most times on breaks), and all travel worked out with the schedule, and an English speaking guide the whole time. They even pick you up from the airport.
 
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clarky

clarky

Gold Member
Power Pro said:
Just...be careful what you eat. First night I was there, I must have ate something that didn't agree with me and was out of commission for a whole day during my time in Kyoto :( Ended up being too scared to eat much else local after that, and ate a lot more familiar foods sadly.
Click to expand...
That goes for anywhere in the world though, you just got unlucky. Japan has some of the best food anywhere, period.

Ive eaten in fancy restaurants, cafes and down piss alley many many times and never had an issue.

OP: Get yourself down the red light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Lots to see and do there.
 
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Jaybe

Jaybe

Member
I went on my own November 2022 for about 16 days. Had a great time, it’s lovely there. Very safe and orderly. My biggest recommendation is to get an e-sim. Google maps makes it easy to get around. There is another site very helpful for train routes too. I used the Reddit japantravels a lot for information and itineraries. Being on your own that long can be a mixed bag. I had a couple lunches out with other tourists and breakfast with a local, I arrived on Halloween which was pretty awesome. You can chat with other tourists. Google translate was invaluable. English is often not in menus and not spoken much at least by middle aged and older. I did Tokyo, Osaka, Koyasan, and Kyoto, ending with a couples days back in Tokyo. I recommend Koyasan for a night and day if you can with an evening tour of the cemetery. It was all safe. The only scam I was informed in my research was Nigerians try to pull you into a bar and get you drunk and run up your card with variable priced drinks in the Shinjuku bar area.
 
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nush

nush

Member
clarky said:
That goes for anywhere in the world though, you just got unlucky. Japan has some of the best food anywhere, period.

Ive eaten in fancy restaurants, cafes and down piss alley many many times and never had an issue.

OP: Get yourself down the red light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Lots to see and do there.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of the time it's down to your bodys reaction to a change of diet. First few times I visited China I'd have a bad stomach often, when I lived there for many years I almost never did. There were times I ate in some proper sketchy looking places too.
 
StreetsofBeige

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Never been to Japan, but maybe one day I'll go if some fam members go and I tag along. I've been to HK though. And numerous friends and coworkers have visited Asian countries or did their bucket list 3 week trip covering numerous places.

All I can say is every person (including me doing HK) who has done an Asian trip has had a great time. Everything from the snazzy plane ride there (Cathay Pacific or the like) to the super friendly people, great food, tourist attractions, or just roaming around on your own have all been positive.

I've never heard one person say this Asian country or that Asian country is shit and avoid it.

And what I noticed right off the bat just shopping or taking a taxi on my own roaming around is how super nice everyone is. All the restaurant workers and taxi drivers are polite and dont bug you for tips. HK was so different as it'd be midnight and there's still tons of people out on the streets eating out and walking around on a school/work night.
 
N

NecrosaroIII

Ask me about my terrible takes on Star Trek characters
EviLore said:
10/10 tourism destination. Interesting and unique culture, great food, very clean, highly effective public transit, welcoming people.

Also, the exchange rate is insane right now.

6jxCH9q.png
Click to expand...
Last time I went it was 80 yen to the dollar :(
 
fran.fernandez

fran.fernandez

Member
Anyway if u show up in Osaka we can go drink.

I didn’t recommend but I really like Mt. kouya, is hiking with a huge old Japanese graveyard. Is quiet and peaceful .
 
navii

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
Once you have your travel dates set try to see if there are any Matsuri (festivals) you can visit (bonus points if you wear a yukata which can be bought or hired) Also watching a baseball game is amazing fun. Watching Sumo is also great but might be more of an acquired taste.

Don’t waste your time in lining up with other tourists for food.

You can hire a girlfriend or a friend for a day, sounds lame, but a Japanese local will maximise your fun.
 
navii

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
Also, I would budget about 10,000 yen per day on eating and drinking and transport. You can definitely do it cheaper though. And bring CASH, some places don’t accept card payments.
 
Puscifer

Puscifer

Member
Heimdall_Xtreme said:
These days I am going to process through my work the days that I will have on vacation, depending on what they tell me, I will make my trip to Japan, it will probably be approximately 10 to 13 days.... It will be the first time that I will travel, so I am very excited, the bad thing is that I will go alone... So what tips can you give me?

I was thinking of hiring a travel agent to plan the trip and not be alone.... I want to go to Disney Sea or Disney Tokyo, Nintendo World, Ghibli Museum, take photos at the Gundam statue, see the bullet train.

If there are more tourist sites more oriented towards Gamers and it could also be anime... Or museums focused on Samurai or Ninjas, am I available or what advice can you give me?

I pray that my trip can be made in the month of May or June... Otherwise it would be a little later, like August to November.
Click to expand...
Ghibli Museum is advanced reservation only, depending on the year (Especially with this supposedly being Miyazakis last film) you might've missed the boat on getting in, I'm talking weeks or months in advance.

I honestly would keep product related stuff to a minimum, there's so much "cooler?" stuff to see in Japan to the point that product related stuff was actually the least interesting to me after like day 2/3 after going to the anime/gaming/company related areas and museums.
 
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navii

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
Yeah, research everything. On my first trip we tried to go the ghibli museum, got to the closest train station only to find out you need to pre purchase your tickets. Another time we went all the way to Fuji-Q Highland only to find out that it’s closed every 3rd Tuesday of the month… same Tuesday we decide to go there.

You can also get fast passes for Disney sea, but they sell out real quick. So I recommend if you really want to do something research the shit out of it.
 
navii

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
Alright, last post from me. Download the LINE app for making friends you meet. Hit some some bars and try to talk to girls or boys or whoever you’re into. In Australia I would never try an approach a woman in a bar (certainly not without being immediately rejected). But in Japan it’s different, more often then not they will be keen to talk to a foreigner, don’t be afraid to ask them for their LINE details and try to set up a meet up.
 
ArtHands

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
If you’re on Iphone, add the virtual Suica or card to your Apple Wallet. Makes transit much more convenient. Besides metro you can also use them for vending machine and such.

Head on to Japan Web to perform the various arrival procedure couple of days before you depart to Japan.

No tipping for their meal. Some food places might have English menu for tourists so you can try asking via translate app

When paying with cash for anything, place the cash on the little tray. They will place the change on the tray.

Dedicate half a day for shopping at the nerest Mega Don Quijote

Bring your passport with you whenever you go, because you can enjoy tax rebate at some places with your passport if you spend more than 5,000 yen, especially at Don Quijote.

Prepurchase tickets to Disneyland. Express pass is an absolute must. In fact, prepurchase for every attractions if possible.

Pay a visit to the Asakusa and Sensoji temple. Rows of shops selling neat souvenirs

Warner Bros Studio recently opened a Harry Potter attraction mid last year. I haven't visited this place yet, but it's definitely where I'll go for my future trip

You can easily get by with the translator app on your phone

If you’re roaming with luggage, some major malls and train stations offer luggage locker. You can deposit coins and store your luggage while you shop around

Dedicate at least half a day, preferably the latter half of the day to Shibuya. Take photo of the iconic Hachiko statue, stroll across the scramble crossing, explore the streets, buildings and cafe such as the Tsutaya.

If you’re taking multiple longer distance trips on JR train, do calculate and see if it’s worth the money buying the JR pass. There are various JR passes, and all JR passes can only be purchased by tourist before entering Japan. If you’re traveling with luggage on JR train, do consider paying extra for reservation seating. There are reserved seats and non-reserved seats so be careful not to get mixed up. If you’re clueless, you can head to the tourist counter at one of the major stations and ask them for help.

Dedicate another latter half of the day to Shinjuku, and pay a visit to Kabukicho and explore the golden gai at night. Just be careful as it is a seedy part of Tokyo. Also take the lift up the Toho building nearby and take a close up night photo of the godzilla

Do extensive research on the Tokyo train system. Know the difference between JR and local metro.

Head to any Ichiran ramen for lunch. Ichiran is the most popular ramen chain in Japan

There are a couple of unique Starbucks outlets such as Tokyu Plaza Omotesando and Yomiuri Land HANA·BIYORI. The best Starbucks outlet is Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo, but getting in is hard due to its popularity. You’ll have to either get there early morning or evening. When you reached, scan the QR code to jump the virtual queue. Best time to go during Cherry blossom period where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery in the Starbucks building

And do remember try to pack as light as possible because you’ll find yourself lugging your baggage up and down the stairs often at the train stations.

I have been visiting parts of Japan almost every year or two.
 
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Dr.Morris79

Dr.Morris79

Gold Member
kruis said:
Beware of tourist traps.

Click to expand...

I was going to suggest watching a few Chris videos. I swear by now he must've covered every restaurant to eat at too, you could tell in the earlier videos where he was getting fatter :messenger_tears_of_joy:

His fiance does quite a few too



Must of watched em all. One day I'll go too.
 
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