I'm Going To Japan

How is this price..

Not final but for the week of Nov. 20-26 Flight+Hotel 2 people $2,084

Shinjuku New City Hotel

http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qsfr=cmfd&itid=&itdx=&itty=&ecid=

I dunno if Japan has alot of free Wifi spots around.

Oh and thats with JAL as well :mrgreen: :woot:

qilver wrote:

Aho,
you are closer than most of us to Japan, probably half the flight time there. I didn't get a chance to go to Hokkaido yet. Mainly stayed in Kanto region, but last trip did take the shinkasen to Kyoto, and will do it again next time. I would love to move to japan and get a chance to visit all areas of japan. Hokkaido would be one destination for me.
Sapporo is a big city there, i was reading somewhere that it is a 10 hr train ride to Sapporo area from Tokyo, probably by shinkasen. I think a tour would be good, but the both times i went to Tokyo, i did the self guided and read from tourbook thing, getting lost at the stations was a bit frustrating, but thanks to a little japanese, phrasebook, and very kind people of japan, i usually found my way around. Good luck in your research, when do you plan on going to Hokkaido, Japan?

I have no definite plans on when I will go to Hokkaido, however I will go soon someday. Within the next 5 years or so, I think.
My wife hasn't been there either so I'd like to go with her. The only thing is that I want to go to Tokyo first before going to Hokkaido. She's (wife)been to Tokyo many times, however I will drag her with me when I am ready. :hehe:

SubaruWRX wrote:Nice job!

So good thing thats not going to be a problem.. I only ask because I don't want to get yelled at, and I don't want anyone to trip... and I don't want anyone to make my camera tip over.

God knows The lenses are not cheap!

lol I've got people that want me to get a 70-200mm VR... $1,500

[image]
[image]
[image]

Damn!! :bonk: Can I get one of those? :beaten:

I'm still aching for Leica MP Silver 0.72 Camera :sweat: (it's not digital but I just fell in love with this camera).

lol in the last picture I have the 50mm f1.8 which is next to the 70-200mm.. Btw it's a heavy lens! Not something I want to hand hold.. and not a lens I would use too much in Japan anyways.

but yeah it's a nice lens that comes at a price.

ahochaude wrote:

I have no definite plans on when I will go to Hokkaido, however I will go soon someday. Within the next 5 years or so, I think.
My wife hasn't been there either so I'd like to go with her. The only thing is that I want to go to Tokyo first before going to Hokkaido. She's (wife)been to Tokyo many times, however I will drag her with me when I am ready. :hehe:

any ideas on what areas in Tokyo you want to check out and visit?
Tokyo is huge!, Kyoto is worth the visit too, if you get a chance to go. about a little over 2 hr shinkasen ride from Shinagawa to Kyoto station.

although seen pix of Hokkaido and would be nice any time of the year to visit in Japan.

qilver wrote:Tokyo is huge!

I've heard stories about people who've lived there all their lives and still find a lot of things that they didn't know existed there. Now that makes me want to go out and adventure around Tokyo. :hehe:

qilver wrote:

any ideas on what areas in Tokyo you want to check out and visit?
Tokyo is huge!, Kyoto is worth the visit too, if you get a chance to go. about a little over 2 hr shinkasen ride from Shinagawa to Kyoto station.

although seen pix of Hokkaido and would be nice any time of the year to visit in Japan.

I've already ventured through the Kansai area: Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, etc.
In Tokyo, I'd like to see the heart of Tokyo: Shibuya, Roppongi, Ikebukuro, etc. and the outer parts like Chiba, Yokohama, Saitama, etc. Basically anywhere I can go!
I really want to go to Okinawa too and see the village where my ancestors originated from... Itoman.
Oh and Hiroshima too. The other place my (minority) ancestors originated from.

ahochaude wrote:Just curious, anyone here have been to Hokkaido? If so, I'd like to know some of the hot spots for fun and to eat. If I went there without any recommendations, I would probably lose half of whatever vacation I have researching for great places to go. :sweat:

well, if you go to hokkaido, make sure you have some whale burger. its the only place in JPN where you can get it in a chain restaurant. check the news:

Hokkaido chain to sell whale burgers

i actually had whale sashimi before, it was pretty good.

Whale? Woaah..how did it taste?

SubaruWRX wrote:Btw it's a heavy lens! Not something I want to hand hold.. and not a lens I would use too much in Japan anyways

It is such a hazzle to bring big lenses. I've would never do the same thing too.. :sweat:

eightysix wrote:
I've heard stories about people who've lived there all their lives and still find a lot of things that they didn't know existed there. Now that makes me want to go out and adventure around Tokyo. :hehe:

Reminds me of something. I've lived near San Francisco my entire life, and I have never gone to Coit Tower or Alcatraz. I figure, it's always going to be there. Must be a similar thinking in Tokyo.

Akakage wrote:Whale? Woaah..how did it taste?



It is such a hazzle to bring big lenses. I've would never do the same thing too.. :sweat:

lol thats why you put it in a camera bag.. lol I've seen it in person and it's not that that big, but it's heavy.

eightysix wrote:

I've heard stories about people who've lived there all their lives and still find a lot of things that they didn't know existed there. Now that makes me want to go out and adventure around Tokyo. :hehe:

i could be way off, but i heard that the total population of Tokyo was 125 million, or is that all of japan? then what is the total pop. of Tokyo maybe? 25 million people?
because isn't Tokyo comprised of 23 wards, shinjuku, ropponggi, osaki, shinagawa, nakano, etc....... :bonk:

ahochaude wrote:
I've already ventured through the Kansai area: Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, etc.
In Tokyo, I'd like to see the heart of Tokyo: Shibuya, Roppongi, Ikebukuro, etc. and the outer parts like Chiba, Yokohama, Saitama, etc. Basically anywhere I can go!
I really want to go to Okinawa too and see the village where my ancestors originated from... Itoman.
Oh and Hiroshima too. The other place my (minority) ancestors originated from.

so are you thinking of a two week trip to Japan? cool. I haven't personally got a chance to visit Yokohama, Saitama, Osaka, Kobe, Ikebukuro. Tokyo is just so big of a city. But i did get a chance to visit the main areas i wanted to see Shinjuku, Roppongi, Shibuya, Shinagawa. I even in my last trip rode on the Shinkasen to visit Kyoto. Rode thru Chiba on the Limo-bus via to Narita airport on the way out of Japan. I believe that is where tokyo-disneyland is.
Other nice 1 day excursions outside the Tokyo area are Nikko, maybe Nara, and Nagoya, you can probably take the Shinkasen to see nara and nagoya, but not sure how much the roundtrip train ride is, could be much Yen....I know Nikko is about an hr train ride north of Tokyo, probably could use the JR-Trains for that. I heard a roundtrip Shinkasen ride Tokyo-Kyoto roundtrip is around close to $200 something, better off getting the JR-Pass before you come out to Japan, i got my seven day JR-pass at the travel agency for $167, it saved me lots and unlimited travel on the JR-Trains, Shinkasen train for seven days i was there in japan.
:bonk:

qilver wrote:
i could be way off, but i heard that the total population of Tokyo was 125 million, or is that all of japan? then what is the total pop. of Tokyo maybe? 25 million people?
because isn't Tokyo comprised of 23 wards, shinjuku, ropponggi, osaki, shinagawa, nakano, etc....... :bonk:

125 million would be for the entire country. ;) There are 8 million people within the 23 wards (or -ku) of Tokyo, and at least 10 million in the slightly expanded metropolitan area.

qilver wrote:
i could be way off, but i heard that the total population of Tokyo was 125 million, or is that all of japan? then what is the total pop. of Tokyo maybe? 25 million people?
because isn't Tokyo comprised of 23 wards, shinjuku, ropponggi, osaki, shinagawa, nakano, etc....... :bonk:

And also on the news Tokyo and Osaka are the worlds most expensive places to live.

SubaruWRX wrote:

And also on the news Tokyo and Osaka are the worlds most expensive places to live.

i believe it. heard a cup of coffee could be as much as $6, but fortunately, i didn't have to pay that much for one.

SubaruWRX wrote:

And also on the news Tokyo and Osaka are the worlds most expensive places to live.

Japan in general is expensive because of the relatively little space to build. There aren't alot of flat, plains areas (like the Kansai and Kanto regions).

dochira wrote:
Reminds me of something. I've lived near San Francisco my entire life, and I have never gone to Coit Tower or Alcatraz. I figure, it's always going to be there. Must be a similar thinking in Tokyo.

I've been living in the SF Bay Area pretty much all my life as well. I've been to Alcatraz during a high school field trip which had NOTHING to do with our History course and I've driven around where Coit Tower is. I think you're right about the mindset though. It doesn't seem "new" and interesting because you're from the area.

eightysix wrote:

I've been living in the SF Bay Area pretty much all my life as well. I've been to Alcatraz during a high school field trip which had NOTHING to do with our History course and I've driven around where Coit Tower is. I think you're right about the mindset though. It doesn't seem "new" and interesting because you're from the area.

same goes for me, i live 15 min from Disneyland, I think i have gone here maybe twice if that since i moved here back in '99
doesn't seem all that special. Would rather go to the one in Chiba, Japan.

dochira wrote:
Japan in general is expensive because of the relatively little space to build. There aren't alot of flat, plains areas (like the Kansai and Kanto regions).

yeah, heard it is about $800 for a one bedroom 'flat'(apartment) rental, i am not sure how big it is, they go by tatami mat sizes, probably a small rental though for that price. The japanese utilitze all the spaces they have left, they are so very efficient and maximize everything.