I'm Going To Japan

Tu_triky wrote:

Yes, I agree Time Out is good...that's what I used when I went to Tokyo.

Also,

"Eyewitness", "Lonely Planet", "Fodor's"(this one has a lot of good info, i am currently reading this one for my trip).

I also heard of Time Out, which has some good info as well. Lonely Planet is a good recommendation with good info, and i got one for Tokyo and one for Kyoto. Eyewitness series has some good info as well, but better for pictures, illustrations.

mashasno1 wrote:
would also appreciate any input on where best to get english-subtitled dvds of japanese movies and music cds.

Keep in mind that most movies released in the Japan will not have English subtitles. And the ones that do will not say "English Subbed". It will say so in Japanese (Eigo Jimaku: ‰pŒêŽš–‹) on the back of the DVD case.

Oh, don't forget about the region encoding, but that's an easy one to overcome.

Tu_triky wrote:
If I were staying in central Tokyo I would take the Limo bus, which we did, 3100 is chump change....it dropped us off right at the Grand Hyatt, albeit stopping at other hotels first along the way for other passengers. If you were to get a door to door shuttle in most American cities from the airport to your destination it would probably cost you 20 bucks so 3100 yen from Narita all the way to Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, etc...is very reasonable. If I didn't have lots of lugguage I would take the subway...

If your hotel is multiple rail lines away from Narita, this is the best advice. Trying to make the transfers with luggage is not fun since escalators are difficult to find.

But the bus limousines don't run all day, so make sure your arrival time matches the schedules.

tabana wrote:Apparently, they only last between a week or two. Depending of the region, it can starts in early March until May. I hope I can see sakura too.

Awesome! The place to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo apparently is Ueno Park.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/interests/cherry.html

Improved Tokyo Metro site:
http://www.tokyometro.jp/global/en/

Have fun!!

dochira wrote:
If your hotel is multiple rail lines away from Narita, this is the best advice. Trying to make the transfers with luggage is not fun since escalators are difficult to find.

But the bus limousines don't run all day, so make sure your arrival time matches the schedules.

Good advice...we secured the schedule prior to arrival in Tokyo....we landed at Narita at 5:30pm on Friday....

...word to the wise! If taking the limo bus, this is a bad time to arrive in the sense that the Friday night Tokyo traffic is BRUTAL!!!! Makes L.A. look like Cedar Rapids.....it took us over 2 hours to get to the hotel because the traffic was so bad. After being stuck on a flight for 12 hours you don't don't want to have your butt stuck on a long bus ride....that's why my first beer tasted so good. The gyoza and asparabakon were good too!

[image]

Crap. Unless I'm avoiding part of the traffic by going south, I'm doomed. It should take 90minutes without traffic. With is going to take 5 hours. :bleh:

monta wrote:. how long are you gonna be there? You know, i think when you get there, you're just in time to see a Koda Kumi concert!

10 days, but more like 8, due to the 14+ hours flight and 7h+ connection and waiting. No Koda Kumi for me tho. ;)

adylma wrote:Tanaba where are you flying from?

Montreal.

EstherM wrote:
Lucky!!!
If youLre going to Tokyo - Time Out is always a good reference - trendy yet informative. I even owe the one for Brussels and I live here :mrgreen:

:woot: That's the one I bought. I has nice maps too.

dochira wrote:
Awesome! The place to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo apparently is Ueno Park.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/interests/cherry.html

Improved Tokyo Metro site:
http://www.tokyometro.jp/global/en/

Have fun!!

Thank you. :D
It suppose to be full bloom on the 27th, so I should be ok. :dancing:

tabana wrote: That's the one I bought. I has nice maps too.

one last tip - if you go to a certain place by metro, letLs say for example Maruzen bookstore or Ueno market or Roppongi Hills, stick to the metro exit recommended by Time Out - some stops have 40, 50 or more exits. It saves some time and gets you directly to the right spot.

Anyway Tabana - have a great time! :mrgreen: (a bit jealous :shamefulcry: )

tabana wrote:Crap. Unless I'm avoiding part of the traffic by going south, I'm doomed. It should take 90minutes without traffic. With is going to take 5 hours. :bleh:

5 hours...nah, not that bad! Hehe.

It suppose to be full bloom on the 27th, so I should be ok. :dancing:

Sakura is in full bloom.....cool. What's her last name?

I hope it won't take 5 hours, cause I'll have to sleep at the station, if I'm too late and they give my room to someone else. :puppydog:

EstherM wrote:one last tip - if you go to a certain place by metro, letLs say for example Maruzen bookstore or Ueno market or Roppongi Hills, stick to the metro exit recommended by Time Out - some stops have 40, 50 or more exits. It saves some time and gets you directly to the right spot.

Anyway Tabana - have a great time! :mrgreen: (a bit jealous :shamefulcry: )

40 or 50! :shocked: I'm doomed. I always take the wrong one here. Considering I'm living here and subway only have 6 exits or so... :ashamed:

Thanks for the tip. :bow:

tabana wrote:I hope it won't take 5 hours, cause I'll have to sleep at the station, if I'm too late and they give my room to someone else. :puppydog:

40 or 50! :shocked: I'm doomed. I always take the wrong one here. Considering I'm living here and subway only have 6 exits or so... :ashamed:

Thanks for the tip. :bow:

Exits are numbered and written in English as well as Japanese....don't worry about it.

Tu_triky wrote:
Exits are numbered and written in English as well as Japanese....don't worry about it.

There's also maps and signs that'll help you pick the right exit. Don't worry, be happy. :)

I don't know if you're already planning to, but I would pick up a Suica or Pasmo card for travel on the trains/subways. That way, you'll never have to figure out how much a ticket costs.

And I'm not sure if the map you have is bilingual. Have one will help immensely since the Japanese characters and the English translation appear together.

dochira wrote:
There's also maps and signs that'll help you pick the right exit. Don't worry, be happy. :)

Haha....I never stressed too much about the exits, personally...as long as I got to the right stop....it's finding some of the f**cked up Japanese addresses that's tough, if you're looking for a particular place that is not obvious in terms of how it stands out.

dochira wrote:I don't know if you're already planning to, but I would pick up a Suica or Pasmo card for travel on the trains/subways. That way, you'll never have to figure out how much a ticket costs.

And I'm not sure if the map you have is bilingual. Have one will help immensely since the Japanese characters and the English translation appear together.

i bought a little Tokyo Subway guidebook, it written in english, and has the characters in kanji so i hopefully will be able to identify them when i see them. I bought a 7day rail pass, and i plan on also getting a Suica/Pasmo card for the remaining time. I just mainly need the JR rail pass when i go to Kyoto, and elsewhere, and the pasmo within Tokyo areas.

do you know where i can find a Pasmo card station, Shinjuku station? i hope i can find them, but i am sure i will figure it out.

dochira wrote:I don't know if you're already planning to, but I would pick up a Suica or Pasmo card for travel on the trains/subways. That way, you'll never have to figure out how much a ticket costs.

And I'm not sure if the map you have is bilingual. Have one will help immensely since the Japanese characters and the English translation appear together.

Yes. I want to grab one of those card. I'm a bit geeky when it comes to those things. :hehe:

I'll print all the maps and stuff, just in case. Cause I'll get lost in nameless tiny streets for sure. :sweat:

Tu_triky wrote:

Exits are numbered and written in English as well as Japanese....don't worry about it.

That's better. With number, you can't failed. :D

qilver wrote:
do you know where i can find a Pasmo card station, Shinjuku station? i hope i can find them, but i am sure i will figure it out.

You can get the Pasmo cards at most (I can't say all) subway stations that accept it. For sure the larger stops like Ginza.

The Suica cards are available at JR stations, Tokyo Monorail, and the Rinkai lines. Since you're staying at Shinagawa, I actually bought mine there. I think the machine is next to the Chuo (Central) gates.

The Pasmo and Suica are interchangable within Tokyo. The Suica is also good for travel within Osaka (they use ICOCA) and Nagoya (they use Toica). But if you have a JR rail pass, then use that for JR travel.

tabana wrote:
Yes. I want to grab one of those card. I'm a bit geeky when it comes to those things.

If you want geeky, I have a Suica card issued by JR, Tokyo Monorail, and Rinkai lines. (three different colors). I want to get the Pasmo next time I'm there. I also have an Edy (digital money) card from Circle K and the USB reader to get the balances from said cards.

Tu_triky wrote:
Haha....I never stressed too much about the exits, personally...as long as I got to the right stop....it's finding some of the f**cked up Japanese addresses that's tough, if you're looking for a particular place that is not obvious in terms of how it stands out.

I believe addresses were issued when buildings were made, not based on locality. Even taxi drivers have to use maps and GPSes to get around.

dochira wrote:
I believe addresses were issued when buildings were made, not based on locality. Even taxi drivers have to use maps and GPSes to get around.

Yeah, indeed...I remember we were walking around Shibuya looking for this one bar...and we asked some people working at a gas station....gave 'em a map and the address and even they couldn't tell us where it was.

qilver wrote:I anticipate a longer wait time with the new implementation of fingerprnt, photo, standard procedure, not sure if any of you had to deal with it yet...

Didn't take me any longer, don't stress.


Cheers,
PCM