Anyone Been To Japan?

Nobu9

Hey just wondering has anyone been to Japan?!?! ive been to Fukuoka!

Share you stories! why you went, what you did etc..

BuffyBot

More suited for Travel Reports and Reviews, so moving. OP - why not share your stories first?

vasch_ro

I was Fukuoka as well, its the last stop on the bullet train in the south
the little food stalls at night are really cool, they are dotted all over the city particularly near the river,
did u go to canal city ?

Dont be at yourself

I studied for a year in Kyoto, but also visited most of the kansai area, as well as Hiroshima and Tokyo.

I hope to go back in a few months, I loved it.

Nobu9

Yeah Canal city was amazing! i was there over christmas and the decorations and shows were unbelievable! i hope to be back in Fukuoka in june!

MizzKattt

Japan was a lot of fun! The people are extraordinarily polite. There is so much to see and do. Each city was unique and amazing.

littlejp

I got the Hydrofoil from Busan (Korea) to Fukoka last year. Spent a week in Japan getting the train around. Went as far north as Tokyo. Spent a few days in Hiroshima. Loved it there.

Favorite thing about Japan was the politeness of everyone. The train conductors bowed to all the passengers when they entered or exited each carriage. Totally different attitude to service then we have over here.

Stayed in a capsule hotels aswell which was a weird but cool experience.

Sonnenblumen

Spent a few weeks in Tokyo a couple of years ago. City of extremes. Extreme Crowding, loudness, smells (not pleasant), gambling halls, rip off bars, sad kaoroke joints, disenfranchised youth, arrogant older generations, reluctant politeness to westerners, chain smoking gamblers, pathetic misogynists, wierd reverence of employer, work first, followed by self indulgence and family lower down priorities. Men seem to be absentee parents, see wives at weekends, mistresses during the week. Mothers are otherwise responsible for everything. Whiskey bars a go go and the girls want yanks. Didn't see much of the old culture in the big city. Transport is a disaster, taxis are memorable but dont get anywhere, cops are everywhere and there is a weird militarisation to everything even some of local protests I witnessed. Still believe there is a sadness lingering from WWII defeat, but they caused much suffering on real innocent folk. Busheido has been replaced by Sushedo and Sake by Jack Daniels, Sushi is still king, but burgers might yet catch on.

They love their deep fried insects and we love their consumer electronics. Jap guys like to party, jap girls seem to dislike jap guys, guys dress like girls, but the girls wanna die if they get it on with a westerner.

Sad I didn't make it to the countryside, but deep down, I couldn't help wondering what might have been, if there was no Enola Gay and Hirohito was still in town. A race that treats its own with so much open contempt is a worry for me, gladly I don't live there.

Finally, smiling and bowing is everywhere but the gift wrapping is much more memorable. First time in a foreign country in which I genuinely felt alien. No matter how hard I'd try I could never be like them.

bloodninja

whats the cost of travlelling over there like. How much would you need if you were touring for a few weeks?

Trevord

bloodninja wrote:

whats the cost of travlelling over there like. How much would you need if you were touring for a few weeks?

Japan is amazing ! Its like living in the the future.

Long distance travel by train is very expensive but is also a good step up on CIE standards. One way trip from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka costs about 80 euro I think.

The yen is getting weaker about 150 to euro now was 140 to euro last year so that should make things a little cheaper.

You can buy a rail pass for about 250 euro I think. But this has to be organised before you go there.

Broadly I'd say that general prices (accommodation/food) are cheaper than Ireland and probably on similar level to France or Germany.

Business hotels (similar to our 3 star hotel) can be got for about 60 euro a night for single room or 80 for a double in the main cities. asiarooms.com is a good website for value for money booking. Get breakfast excluded if you have that option - as chances are you won't like it.

The capsules are cheaper but are not suitable if you're more than 5ft 10 inches.

Suggest you prebook a few nights in hotels before you go and decide when you are there about where to stay for the unbooked nights.

Middle of summer can be a bit wet. Like Ireland only 30 c rather than 20 c.

Finally - a guidebook (Lonely Planet) is essential. You can stop people and ask for directions. They will try all they can to be helpful but most of the time you will not be able to communicate successfully (get no info or worse still the wrong info).

Where to stay:
Shinjuku in Tokyo
Namba in Osaka
Near the Train station in Kyoto

If you want to escape the madness of Tokyo for a few hours then take a train out to Yokohama.

Oh also - your mobile wont work there so you end up making arrangements to meet people - and you have to stick to them - just like in the old days!

Conar

I'm thinking of spending part of my honeymoon in Japan.
We might do a few organised tours, a bit of shopping and some lounging about in the hotels.

I've always wanted to see Japan (not insanely craved, but that kinda back of the mind thought of how it'd be a cool place).

We'll be getting married in Koh Samui, Thailand and spending a week and a half there first so thats the sun/sea/palm tree bit done, and we may go on to China or possibly even Oz afterwards.

Do people think it would be a nice place for part of a honeymoon?

Trevord

Conar wrote:

I'm thinking of spending part of my honeymoon in Japan.
We might do a few organised tours, a bit of shopping and some lounging about in the hotels.

I've always wanted to see Japan (not insanely craved, but that kinda back of the mind thought of how it'd be a cool place).

Do people think it would be a nice place for part of a honeymoon?

In terms of getting away from people it would be ideal. In terms of location its about as different as you can get without things starting to go a bit unpredicatable, dodgy and stressful - which is not something you need after organising a wedding !

Also you'll get no mobile calls or texts which is good.

You'll need to spend time outside of Toyko if you want to relax. Kyoto or Osaka would be a good place to start. Fly into Kansai and out of Tokyo.

Watch Lost in Translation and consider spending a night in the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo where the film is set. It will cost about 300 or 400 euro I think. If that's too much then at the very least visit it for a beer (about 5 euro). The bar is over 40 floors up.

tampopo

Yeah, I don't know what happened. I posted onthis thread about three weeks ago, but it seemed to have disappeared.

I've been three times in all. Got married over there, and spent honeymoon travelling around Japan.

Based in Yokohama, I visited Tokyo, Matsumoto, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Okinawa, Kamakura, Hakone and I'm sure a few other places I can't remember at the moment. I was the first Irishman to get married in Yokohama, which was...cool I suppose!

I disagree with sonnenblum about the deep frying insects, I just have never seen it or heard of it, though not to say it exists. I would agree about the racism and misogyinistic behaviour, kind of like here up to thirty years ago when women had to leave their jobs on getting married or pregnant.

I think the transport is GREAT! The amount of people they get from A to B and on time scheduling, it puts CIE to shame, the idea that they can't sneak more capacity from the Clonsilla/Drumcondra line into Connolly cos of the Belfast trains and the Dart is just the most ridiculous thing I have heard in this country since being in Japan - oh, just remembered, the 6.1 news a few months ago, the lad from either DCC/DTO or the RPA/Luas/Connex/Veolia standing at the corner of St.Stephens green wondering whether to run the connecting Luas down Dawson St. or across to Georges St. and around.... and Grafton Street behind him the most bleedingly obvious route!!!

el diablo

I spent 2 weeks there recently. I checked out Tokyo, Okinawa, Yokohama, Kyoto etc.
Had a great time, the people are friendly, everything is very efficient (especially transport) and it's cheaper than Ireland (well, it's definitely cheaper than Dublin).
Okinawa is great and so much different to the rest of Japan. It's so laid back and uncrowded with lovely white sand beaches and coral reefs. And it's warm all year round....:D

tampopo

Okinawa is hot as fook in June, when I was there. I heard that school children are forbidden to cycle to school. Taxi businesses do a roaring trade.
Cherry blossoms start in January there, in Yokohama/Tokyo region it's more like April...

el diablo

tampopo wrote:

Okinawa is hot as fook in June, when I was there. I heard that school children are forbidden to cycle to school. Taxi businesses do a roaring trade.
Cherry blossoms start in January there, in Yokohama/Tokyo region it's more like April...

yep, I was there (Miyako Island,Okinawa) in February/March and it was very pleasant. Temperature was in the early twenties and the beaches were deserted. Pretty hot and humid at the moment I'd say....:p

Delorian

I'm going to Japan in December for two weeks and am wondering how difficult it is to get to Okinawa from Tokyo. How would I go about booking flights there, is it worth it? I don't plan on staying in Tokyo for the two weeks anyway, so I could break up the journey to & from Okinawa and see more places.

BTW, the main reason I'm going is the fantastic looking aquarium I say on a Discovery Channel documentary.

el diablo

Delorian wrote: »

I'm going to Japan in December for two weeks and am wondering how difficult it is to get to Okinawa from Tokyo. How would I go about booking flights there, is it worth it? I don't plan on staying in Tokyo for the two weeks anyway, so I could break up the journey to & from Okinawa and see more places.

BTW, the main reason I'm going is the fantastic looking aquarium I say on a Discovery Channel documentary.

There's no problem finding flights from Tokyo to Okinawa. as far as I remember there are several flight a day from both Narita and Haneda airports.:)