I'm Going To Japan

qilver wrote:

thanks for the info, i got lots of reading, research on areas to visit within Tokyo, Kyoto, and surrounding areas...

i just hope i am not for a busy busy crowded time...(like Golden Week) arghhhh!!!!! :banghead: good thing i got my hotel accomodations taken care of...from what i heard, not as bad, busy as Golden week. atleast weatherwise it should be better from all the July rain humidity and clouds i am use to seeing, hey maybe i might see Mt Fuji this time..lol gosh, i hope i can get around ok, i know Japan is crowded....but Golden Week...ahhhhhh!!

You'll get around good. You know the drill. But you'll be busy. The discount ticket brokers for the trains will probably be sold out. But that's OK. We went to Mt. Fuji last year again but couldn't even see it. It was so foggy. They say that's part of the mystery of Mt. Fuji. It's like it's not even there sometimes.

Hanzo21 wrote:

You'll get around good. You know the drill. But you'll be busy. The discount ticket brokers for the trains will probably be sold out. But that's OK. We went to Mt. Fuji last year again but couldn't even see it. It was so foggy. They say that's part of the mystery of Mt. Fuji. It's like it's not even there sometimes.

maybe if i moved there, and lived on Mt Fuji or something then i would see it clearly..hahaha joking...hahaha

yeah i've been there enough to picture Shinjuku station, even Shinagawa station(I am staying in Shinagawa so i will be here a lot), i even know the steps up to get on the JR-Yamanote line, i can actually visualize it. I may go for a 14 day JR pass, but then again a 7 day and Suica card maybe cheaper. I just hope they don't sell out of Suica's.

qilver wrote:

maybe if i moved there, and lived on Mt Fuji or something then i would see it clearly..hahaha joking...hahaha

yeah i've been there enough to picture Shinjuku station, even Shinagawa station(I am staying in Shinagawa so i will be here a lot), i even know the steps up to get on the JR-Yamanote line, i can actually visualize it. I may go for a 14 day JR pass, but then again a 7 day and Suica card maybe cheaper. I just hope they don't sell out of Suica's.

Hopefully you will get a chance to go to Kobe. It's kind of out of the way. And takes a lot of time. But the bridge is great. Looking at some pictures taken earlier. You can take the ferry to Awaji which is nice if you have time.

These LNG tankers come by quite often. Taken from Maiko Park (10 minute walk from K-chan's house).

[image]

Here's the best picture I've taken of the bridge. Man, it was cool seeing it be built. in 1990 or 1991 only the bases were out in the water. As the years went by, the cables were strung and it turned into a real bridge. Even after the Kobe earthquake, the bridge was still within specification and work proceeded.

[image]

Wynter wrote:Yes, and that's all very nice for YOU. But don't post it as a fact in a thread where someone is asking for factual information.

Being a fan is great, but trying to convince someone who hasn't a clue of the country that MM or AKB48 is the most important thing to Japan is just insensitive and unnecessary. You have a thread to discuss how much you love those girls.

I have to agree with Wyn-chan on this... If you're gonna make statements as absolutes and without qualification, you're just beginning to start a flame war... :sweat:

Hanzo21 wrote:Here's the best picture I've taken of the bridge. Man, it was cool seeing it be built. in 1990 or 1991 only the bases were out in the water. As the years went by, the cables were strung and it turned into a real bridge. Even after the Kobe earthquake, the bridge was still within specification and work proceeded.

[image]

some great photos of the Kobe area, which is with in proximity while in the Kansei region, i have some time to explore, but one of those days will be most likely visiting Hiroshima, two hours west of Kyoto by Shinkansen.

qilver wrote:

some great photos of the Kobe area, which is with in proximity while in the Kansei region, i have some time to explore, but one of those days will be most likely visiting Hiroshima, two hours west of Kyoto by Shinkansen.

Take a lot of pictures! Grandpa is really keen on the Hiroshima Carp baseball team. But he's never taken us there for some reason.

Minna sama, watashiwa nihon ni iku koto ga yatto dekita.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :woot: :victory: :woot: :victory:

I ve passed da exam n goin' 2 Hokkaidou diz mac...

Whahahahahhahahah :metaldevil: :hehe:

Hokkaido too! Cool :victory: !!

Thanks for the replies (^_^).

I have studied japanese last year by my own (in my city there isn't japanese teachers). I think that I will not have big problems with that...

Hanzo21 wrote:Tomorrow I'll look in my big book of Seifuku's and see if your school, Kitamafuji Girls High School, is represented.

Haa, please (>w<)...I still don't know a thing about this school...

Tu_triky, thanks for the links :woot: .

Yesterday I read that in Hokkaido they had -11‹C or something like that... :shocked: ...Here we never have lower temperature than 10‹C...I will die :hehe: .

Do you know if there are events (idols and that..) in Hokkaido too or if it is a rejected (?) island? XDD. I found information about culture, cities, foods etc, but noone mentions it (‹o‹)...(Hope you can understand my question (‹3‹)).

I think that I will not be able to travel in Japan, because I will live with a family, and I can't travel alone (I'm 16 years old..), so I will visit other cities only if the family go out too.

Thanks for reading :woot: .

Sasami wrote:Hokkaido too! Cool :victory: !!

Tu_triky, thanks for the links :woot: .

No problem...they should be able to provide you lots of useful information.

Yesterday I read that in Hokkaido they had -11‹C or something like that... :shocked: ...Here we never have lower temperature than 10‹C...I will die :hehe: .

Yeah but you said you'll be there from March to January right? So hopefully you won't be there for most of the cold weather. Again the links I provided do mention the seasonal weather patterns and temperatures you should expect.

Do you know if there are events (idols and that..) in Hokkaido too or if it is a rejected (?) island? XDD. I found information about culture, cities, foods etc, but noone mentions it (‹o‹)...(Hope you can understand my question (‹3‹)).

As pcmodem mentioned, Sapporo is the biggest city in Hokkaido and I think it is the fifth largest city in Japan...to answer your question if there are pop culture events you will most probably find them in Sapporo and nowhere else in Hokkaido. I'm sure when you get there you can find out more...or try asking on another message board that has people that are a lot more knowledagble than us about such things! :sweat: There are probably lots of message boards with people like you who are already living in Hokkaido or other places in Japan.

I think that I will not be able to travel in Japan, because I will live with a family, and I can't travel alone (I'm 16 years old..), so I will visit other cities only if the family go out too.

Whatever you do I'm sure you'll have a great time...I wish I was able to have such an experience when I was 16. Have fun.

Sasami wrote:Hokkaido too! Cool :victory: !!

Thanks for the replies (^_^).

I have studied japanese last year by my own (in my city there isn't japanese teachers). I think that I will not have big problems with that...



Haa, please (>w<)...I still don't know a thing about this school...

Tu_triky, thanks for the links :woot: .

Yesterday I read that in Hokkaido they had -11‹C or something like that... :shocked: ...Here we never have lower temperature than 10‹C...I will die :hehe: .

Do you know if there are events (idols and that..) in Hokkaido too or if it is a rejected (?) island? XDD. I found information about culture, cities, foods etc, but noone mentions it (‹o‹)...(Hope you can understand my question (‹3‹)).

I think that I will not be able to travel in Japan, because I will live with a family, and I can't travel alone (I'm 16 years old..), so I will visit other cities only if the family go out too.

Thanks for reading :woot: .

NOPe,NOPe!! hokkaidou also has a big city, which is SAPPORO :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :. It is da 3rd or 4th big city in japan... so shinpa shinaide ne.. :woot: :victory: :woot: :victory: Hokkaidou de gambarimashouuu.......!!!!!!!!!!! :say_gdluck:

Besides dat, Fujimoto MIKI, Abe Natsume,Glay also come from hokkaidou.. :jumpie: :mwahaha: :jumpie: :mwahaha:

so dont worry, be hepi. Hokkaidou also produces big starz.. :say_cool: :say_cool:

douteisama wrote: NOPe,NOPe!! hokkaidou also has a big city, which is SAPPORO :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :. It is da 3rd or 4th big city in japan... so shinpa shinaide ne.. :woot: :victory: :woot: :victory: Hokkaidou de gambarimashouuu.......!!!!!!!!!!! :say_gdluck:

Actually it's the 5th largest city.

1 Tokyo
2 Yokohama
3 Osaka
4 Nagoya
5 Sapporo

Tu_triky wrote:

Actually it's the 5th largest city.

1 Tokyo
2 Yokohama
3 Osaka
4 Nagoya
5 Sapporo

Soudeska...?? :bonk: :nut: :doh:
Sumimasen.....:say_sorry:
Btw, it;s still one of da largest city in Japan :mrgreen:

douteisama wrote:

Soudeska...?? :bonk: :nut: :doh:
Sumimasen.....:say_sorry:
Btw, it;s still one of da largest city in Japan :mrgreen:

No problem. Yes, Sapporo has over 1 million ppl living there, it's a big city by most standards.

Help!
I'm planning my trip to Tokyo for coming mid April. I don't speak Japanese but I've watching J-dramas for years. My question is what is the best area to stay. Any recommendation for a good location for walking around and explore Tokyo? I found a hotel with good deal at Akasaka. is this a good place?

-Thanks

lunas wrote:Help!
I'm planning my trip to Tokyo for coming mid April. I don't speak Japanese but I've watching J-dramas for years. My question is what is the best area to stay. Any recommendation for a good location for walking around and explore Tokyo? I found a hotel with good deal at Akasaka. is this a good place?

-Thanks

That's a good place to say...it's near the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor and Empress live...there are some nice gardens around there. You'll also be close to a few major museums and Senso-ji Temple which is the most visited place in all of Tokyo. Probably a must see for first timers. The train and subway system can be a little daunting but once you get the hang of it you can go literally anywhere with ease, which is a good thing. They have signs in English as well as Japanese. In any event I don't know where you're staying exactly but I would seriously try to find out how FAR your hotel is from the nearest train station because you'll be doing a lot of walking to and from train stations...taxi cabs, as you might know are notoriously expensive. In fact they'll bleed you dry faster than food and other incidental expensives because of the high cost. So how far your hotel is from the nearest train station is important. I dunno about you but I wouldn't want to walk 15 minutes to the nearest train station every time I leave or return to the hotel. 5 to 10 minutes seems much more agreeable.

I don't know how old you are but I also recommend the Timeout Guide to Tokyo which I used when I went....it's a travel guide aimed at a younger crowd and doesn't only cover the traditional locations covered in Frommer's or Fodor's travel guides...the internet of course is a great resource with up to date info.

qilver wrote:

exactly, my point as well...
we'll try to keep the associated topics in the coresponding threads..

anyways, my friend and i will be spending 15 nights in Japan, this will be my fourth visit to Nihon. I have it generally planned out, including a night spent in a traditional Ryokan in Kyoto in prime Sakura season, and hard to reserve, unless you book early. I am hoping to spend 9 days in Tokyo and 6 in Kyoto. I really have strong interests in Hiroshima, Kobe, and if time permits, maybe a visit to Takayama. Kyoto is an area that is too important to overlook. Kinkakuji(golden pavillion), it will be my third visit, and a must-see along with Tokyo's (Asakusa Kannon temple, Sensoji temple, Nakamise) which is the top tourist spot in Tokyo! I can go on and on, i got 6 weeks to go, and i am reading a lot of books and info, and brushing up on my Japanese skills once again to practice while i am there.

Qilver,
Yo, mi amigo. Spent 8 days in the Kansai region earlier this month. Let me know if you need any random tips.

Kobe... if memory serves there's a nice waterfall behind the Shin-Kobe station. Of course, if it's the usual freakin' samui weather at this time of the year, it may not be worth getting off the shinkansen. :D


Cheers, :drink:
PCM

lunas wrote:Help!
I'm planning my trip to Tokyo for coming mid April. I don't speak Japanese but I've watching J-dramas for years. My question is what is the best area to stay. Any recommendation for a good location for walking around and explore Tokyo? I found a hotel with good deal at Akasaka. is this a good place?

-Thanks

All the hotels in Tokyo get booked EARLY for late March to early April: Cherry Blossom season.

If there's one hotel I'd recommend in Tokyo, it's the Sawanoya Ryokan.
http://www.tctv.ne.jp/members/sawanoya/

It's mentioned in Lonely Planet, Frommers, et al, and has great ratings from all of them.

As one of the few Japanese people in the Jdorama forums, I can tell you that if you want to experience a traditional ryokan in Tokyo, with a staff that speaks fluent English, has great customer service, nice rooms, and affordable prices, Sawanoya is the place.

Isao is terrific. The government has appointed him a tourism ambassador. They have great brochures all over the entryway.

It's up in Yanaka, one of the nice old-fashioned sections of Tokyo (along with Ueno and Asakusa). There are a number of good and inexpensive restaurants around.

The Ryokan Sawanoya is about 5 blocks from the Nezu station on the Chiyoda Line.


Cheers, :drink:
PCM

Tu_triky wrote:


I don't know how old you are but I also recommend the Timeout Guide to Tokyo which I used when I went....it's a travel guide aimed at a younger crowd and doesn't only cover the traditional locations covered in Frommer's or Fodor's travel guides...the internet of course is a great resource with up to date info.

Thanks for the tips Tu_triky
I just turned 28 yrs old couple days ago. Fodor and lonely planet is one of the few resources i use. I tried to do less the "tourist stuff" but to explore the tokyo in my own eyes instead of from watching j-drama in which I still appreciate.
I checked expedia, and they seem to give me a list of hotels within my budget and most of the selection is in Akasaka. And yes from the JP metro website the fees seem high compare to US. I definitely would want to use my feet more.

Any good recommendation for authentic japanese food? Food is the thing that I always concern when I travel. where to eat?