So here has been to japan?

if you go with japan journeys they pay for all attractions and travel if it is based on the tour plan. so they give u the ghibi tickets when you get there! when free time is available we have been going with some of the guys in the group who are veterans of the tour. they go every year and they know the area so they have been helpful in showing us newbies the area. and everyone is very nice and helpful!

got to go. i am going back into the batting cage. hope i dont get hit in the nuts again!

ps also going to get some cool japanese metal shirts!
 
ilmaestro said:
It's not like you can smoke anywhere you like as long as you are indoors, or nowhere you like if you are outdoors. A lot of places have designated smoking areas, and as for outdoors I would draw a comparison to the attitude towards alcohol in America.
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I guess that sort of makes sense, just having to have designated areas both inside and outside. It's just after having being so used to no indoor public smoking at all for the last however many years, it seems uncivilised to have any other way now :lol: I don't really like getting hit by a huge cloud of smoke whenever I walk past a pub or whatever nowadays either mind you. I say we ban it altogether indoors and only give them designated outdoor areas too.

It's crazy when I think back to a few years ago, at how a Jenny's cafe I used to occasionally go to used to be the most disgusting cigarette hotbox you could imagine, but it was just the norm. The smoking ban was vital.
 
In practice, it is as jarring as you would expect. I didn't realize how amazing the smoking ban was until the next time I went back to Japan, and specifically into an arcade (one of the places where you can't really avoid the smoke unless you are there exclusively for the UFO machines). Now, I just can't believe how long it took to bring into practice here, but it (smoking) is more ingrained into Japanese society than it has ever been in England imo.
 
ok so today was busy! we went to studio toei , famous for sailor moon, dragon ball z, one piece and many more. we were given a tour of the studio and were allowed to ask questions. i asked if there was a chance that sailor moon would make a comeback and they said they were thinking about it! :D (massive sailor moon fanboy here)! we were allowed to take pictures of the place(something even japanese people arent allowed to do) and we were given free swag afterwards. i now have 3 one piece boxers and a studio toei watch! in the qna i actually sat at the head of the table which is where the president normally sits. we watched a few minutes of the new one piece and dragon ball z films which no one else in the world has seen outside of the studio!

i ended up in a place last night called a showbox which is where you can just walk in a club for free and watch a band play for free. dont asked how i found it i was looking for lunch at the time.
brought the cd of this korean girl rock group who were amazing and got it autographed for free! with a photo as well!

i will be putting pictures when i get back. its a pain to do from here.
 
I'm hoping to go again later this year now the yen is falling to more reasonable levels. I've been twice before, touring, so will probably do 2 weeks based in Tokyo partly to keep the cost down but mostly because I've not really spent much time there.

If it's your first time then I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I Spent the first few days of my first trip just wandering round with a silly grin thinking OMG I'm in Japan. It's all you expect and more.

Tip. Take a hat and lots of sunblock as it'll be very hot in August but as you're from Portugal you probably won't notice it as much as those of us used to more temperate weather.

Enjoy :D
 
Random said:
If it's your first time then I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I Spent the first few days of my first trip just wandering round with a silly grin thinking OMG I'm in Japan. It's all you expect and more.

Tip. Take a hat and lots of sunblock as it'll be very hot in August but as you're from Portugal you probably won't notice it as much as those of us used to more temperate weather.

Enjoy :D
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Yes its gonna be my first time. I know I will enjoy a lot for sure and i can see that comment of yours happening "just wandering round with a silly grin thinking omg Im in Japan." lolol

Yes Im used to sun but thanks for the tip anyway. ;)

By the way, i have read that they use more cash than card. Since you've been there twice, do you advise to change from euro to yen there on here in Portugal? Just let me know some tips please, i know i need them though im reading stuff about going there.
 
bakum4tsu said:
By the way, i have read that they use more cash than card. Since you've been there twice, do you advise to change from euro to yen there on here in Portugal? Just let me know some tips please, i know i need them though im reading stuff about going there.
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This is something I put together for somene else who asked a while ago. Mostly obvious stuff but it may help:

General tips (probably obvious)

When I went I booked it as a package through an agency. It wasn't one where I was grouped with other people except for tours. This meant that everything was paid for up front other than day to day expenses so I bought Yen before I went and also took travellers cheques although these are fading from use. A lot of smaller places outside of the cities may not take credit cards.
Take a hat.
Take a high factor sunblock - I used 40 as I have fair skin and burn easily. I went out one day without last time and burned pretty badly. I had mild heatstroke that evening but as I said I burn easily.
Drink lots of water. Easy to do as there's vending machines all over the place.
Watch out for bikes. It's legal to cycle on the pavement even in the cities.
Most hotels offer a tour pickup/drop off service so it's easy to get on one but research a little first for those things you want to see. Link
If you want to go to the Ghibli museum, you should, then you have to book in advance. There's no tickets sold on the door. Link
Avoid Golden Week if possible. This is a week long public holiday in Japan so expect attractions to be busy. You've done this so not a problem.
Don't assume they all speak English. They don't. But you can usually manage by pointing and smiling.
Don't try to give tips. They'll look at you as if you're mad.
Take plenty of socks as most temples are shoes off.
It's an 11 hour flight from Heathrow to Tokyo. If you have to change as I did at Manchester then allow 20 hours from home to hotel so be prepared to be knackered the first day or so. I left home at noon Monday local time and arrived at 16:30 Tuesday Japan local time.
Be prepared for serious jetlag when you get back. 8 hour difference means 4PM here = midnight JST.
Go to your local travel clinic for vaccinations. Shouldn't be any but worth checking. 6 weeks before you leave.
Have a great time.

Don't worry too much, part of the fun is being lost in a totally different culture. Japan is one of the safest countries in the world so just take it as it comes and you'll be fine. My first trip was my first long haul and my first holiday on my own and I had no problems.
 
I'd advise changing some money before you go (especially since the rates are getting pretty good at the moment). Japan is getting better but a lot of places still don't take card (and foreign credit cards can freak some people out still).

If you need more cash over there, Japanese post offices are brilliant since their ATMs have English instructions and there's usually a post office nearby. 7-11 convenience store ATMs are also usable by foreign cards, as are (IIRC) Citibank machines. Any other ATMs in Japanese banks are generally no good, don't even bother.

I never stay in a hotel large enough to be able to change travellers cheques at the desk and so I've never bothered with them due to the hassle.

R
 
Thanks for the tips.

Im from Portugal so my flight goes from Lisbon to Frankfurt and then to Tokyo. I leave around 8am portugal time on the 21 of august and arrive in tokyo on the 22 of august at around 8am too lol so its arrive and bam! street with me! lol its gonna be a long day eheh Better sleep in the plain to recharge batteries.

I have found out yesterday that i have a friend studying in Tokyo and I will meet him there so i should have help a a little guide in some stuff which is great.

Regarding ghibli museum, i need to ask the agency if they can get tickets or not for it. If no, i suppose you can get tickets in tokyo in some places. I was looking for the price in the website you mentined and it was 6000 yen and i thought it was a bit cheaper than that. Can anyone confirm?

Any experiencies with the metro? thats probably the thing that im fearing the most though i am already "studying it" and it should be ok when the time comes. I trying to place in metro/map place the closest metro stations near the things i want to visit. It will take a bit of time and work eheh

Wanna visit of course Tokyo Big Sight too eheh (for those who dont know its where it takes place the great Tokyo International Anime Fair )
 
Arriving and getting stuck in immediately is the best way! So long as you're excited enough, it can work :D

Re: Ghibli, there's a lot of information here:

http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/ticket-information/

The Loppi machines are very easy to use so the main issue is that you're going to be trying to buy a ticket at very short notice, and they might be sold out. I have no idea how popular it is.

When I went there I used these guys to pre-book a ticket and they were reliable:

http://mybus-europe.jp/myBusUK/museumDe ... tegoryID=5

Re: Metro, don't get confused by the fact that there are two main train systems in central Tokyo. The Tokyo Metro isn't always the best way to get from one place to another; the local JR trains can be just as cheap and the system is more modern, with much more English signage. As you don't have much time there, I strongly recommend getting a Suica (contactless prepaid travel card) and loading some cash onto that right at the beginning. You can then move between the JR lines and the Metro freely without worrying about getting the right ticket or transferring. There are also some private railways around to make things even more complicated - though thankfully this year they finally unified most of the contactless card systems with the major railways.

Anyway, back to Suica, if you're coming into Narita airport and then going straight to Tokyo you can pick the Suica up at the airport station. They have some special deals (depending on where you are going obviously) like the Narita Express/Suica bundle ( http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/suica_nex.html ). Since the airport station has staff who are used to foreigners, it's a good place to get yourself organised.

Suica is also good for instantly paying for food at convenience stores and vending machines. You can rent coin lockers for your luggage at stations using a Suica card instead of fumbling for 100yen coins, and shops like Book Off accept it as a form of payment even for larger purchases.

You can also use the Suica on weird routes like the Yurikamome monorail which goes to Big Sight. It's more scenic than the alternative Rinkai line, and I recommend using it at least once to get a good look over the bay and see things like the huge Gundam. There'll be some awesome displays and fairs on over the summer as well; last year there was a giant slide built to look like Shirahoshi Hime from One Piece which you could watch people scrambling around from the monorail.

R
 
Thanks for the tips.

I have read about Suica before, i will take a look then. Sounds easy to use which is really important.

Regarding ghibli museum, well im not really a fan of the studio, it was more of to say i was there since i went to japan. Ill see what i can do about the tickets. Those pounds prices were more acceptable than the yens that were being advised in the official website lol Though im not sure if that website you have mentioned can sell outside uk.

So you say the train its a good choice to, depending where we want to go right? This might get tricky lol I know its gonna be fun ahaha
 
Maybe the easiest solution with Ghibli would be asking your friend to check availability at the machine for you if he's near a Lawson (which he generally will be if he's in central Tokyo). Of course, if you aren't that worried about missing it then you can just take a look when you're there and leave it to fate :D

It certainly shouldn't be 6,000yen, that's more than most concert tickets. Standing under the giant Gundam for a picture is free if you want to impress people by doing something touristy and anime-related.

The trains are really good, there's a loop line which goes around central Tokyo and connects most major stations (Yamanote line) and it runs just as frequently - if not more frequently - than the Metro. Signs and announcements are bilingual. I don't know whether you're using Portuguese resources to plan routes but this site is brilliant for English speakers:

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

It tells you exactly how much each trip will cost, lets you filter out types of transport you don't want to use and even lets you view timetables and see whether you need a seat reservation. By the way, if you use a train which forces you to reserve a seat (like the Skyliner, a different train which connects Narita Airport and central Tokyo), all you need to do is go to the ticket machine or desk and buy an extra paper ticket with the seat details.

I make it sound complicated but the trains are really simple and the staff are super-helpful. Even if there is trouble with communication they always take good care of foreigners confused by the system. Since your English is so good you'll be perfectly fine; it's foreign visitors who don't speak English I always worry about. Japanese companies tend to assume all caucasians are American and don't cater well for speakers of other languages.

R
 
Yes i might ask my friend if he can investigate those Ghibli tickets later on.

Yes i wanna take a photo to that giant Gundam, even though im not a fan. That is an amazing big size robot lol

Im using mostly english websites to plan and gather information and learn stuff. I will use the one you just advised now too.

I still have 4 months to learn and plan so im confident that by the time, i will have a good idea of stuff, though when you're in field, i think things will always be different eheh

I wanna go to Tokyo Tower of course, do you know if there are always big queues in there?

Don't know if I said before but I will stay in Shinjuku. Meiji Shrine is not far away from where I will be staying so I wanna go there too.

For now these are the places i would like to go: Meiji Shrine, Tokyo tower, Tokyo Metropolitan Gov Building Observatory, Tokyo Big Sight, Yasukuni Shrine, Akihabra (of course), Japanese sword museum maybe. So far i have these things planned but plan to get a few more of course lol Any other places u think I should try? I have havent looked that much for them, got a little tokyo guide book already that I will take with me and has a lot of information but I havent read it that much yet. That book at the metro map and tokyo map too, its great. Not sure about train map.
 
I imagine the queues in Tokyo Tower will be small now, as the Tokyo Skytree has replaced it and is getting huge crowds. My friends tried to visit the Skytree last summer and found the tickets had all sold out long before they got there (that's another place to try to reserve in advance if you decide to go!).

Shinjuku is a brilliant area to stay since it's connected to so many transport lines, both JR and Metro. You can get the train to Shibuya then walk to the Meiji shrine, it's not far and you'll get to see the famous Shibuya scramble crossing, the Hachiko statue and some huge, weird shops as you walk. There's also a large underground Mandarake store for used anime/manga goods in Shibuya if you have time to pop in, which now has a large Animate store above it for brand new items too. Then in Harajuku near the Meiji shrine you can visit the Evangelion shop if you want.

Oh, and one of Shibuya's Parco buildings (Parco Part 1) has a floor which has become something of an anime shrine lately. There's an enormous One Piece shop with life-sized decorations (Mugiwara Store), a noitamina shop and several other interesting places which vary every few months. Worth a look if you're passing by.

If you like games, the Capcom Bar in Shinjuku is amazing. Expensive, though (you have to book a timeslot there, you can't just pop in for a quick drink and leave). Another expensive yet memorable dining experience is the ninja restaurant in Akasaka.

I'll try to remember some other places which might appeal :3

R
 
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