Just hurt my wallet

Musty Pie

Musty Pie

Musty Pie

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Joined
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So its happened, after a year of talking it over with the GF of 8 years we have finally booked our holiday to Japan.

Its cost us an arm and a leg just for flights and hotel. However after doing a fair bit of research on the area etc we are happy with our choice.

We are staying in a hotel called Sun route plaza in shinjuku. Has anyone stayed here or close? From what i have read on various review sites the hotel is ace although the rooms seem a little small (not a problem for the misses who is 4" 11, However im more concerned standing in a just over 6")

So instead of coming across as bragging im actually after any travellers advice? Suggestions on what to do and what to avoid etc. This will be our first time to japan and although i know two people who go to university out there the majority of the two weeks trip will be spent with just the GF.

The misses wants to check out the fish market (5am start :o ) and also she loves to shop (I don't know a women who doesn't?) Check out a kar

So guys help me plan some awesome things to do!

We will hopefully have about 2k between us to spend in yen, and we will probably end up getting 2x 7 day passes on the JR trains to get to places a little further afield


Its also about time i popped the question, and i just know that japan would be the best place to do it. But the fact that we are living appart still with our parents etc (22 years old) has always held me back. Am i being unreasonable and should i just grow a pair and get on with it?

Yea i know 2 topics thread!
 
Akihabara, avoid it, it will hurt your wallet even more.

If she likes shopping, go to Harajuku, lots of weird and wonderful boutiques\2nd hand clothes shops may sound a bit charity shop-esque, but it's all hand picked fashionable\quirky stuff... Like a fred flintstone shirt, t-shirt.

There's far too much to list in a short time, but yeah, just wander about. Be sure to always have a stack of 100Y coins with you for 'cades, and fun, and please... Try the fish.
 
anticonscience said:
Always wanted to go to Japan, should be a great trip.

And I have to ask, have you ever had another girlfriend?
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Haha Ive had others but was rather young and didnt last long, the school type GF's you know the type

I got really lucky and found someone that just worked for me.


Besides i don't have to convince you!! :p

(maybe im convincing myself :D
 
I went in 2007 for 4 weeks and it was amazing. Can't wait to go back.

Are you just staying in Tokyo? How long are you going for?

The fish market is certainly an experience, my friend was too lazy to get up but I went about 6.30am and although I missed all the action there was still a lot of fish and activity. Lots of people eating the freshest of fresh sushi in the local places around the market as well.

The Government Building is free to go up and can give you an amazing 360 view of Tokyo and I was told it is better than going up the Tokyo Tower which is more of a 'tourist trap'.

Spend a day and go to mount Fuji, I regret not taking more time to visit and we turned up in the afternoon which did not leave enough time to go up the mountain and it was cloudy so we couldn't see much of it.

Get a Japan Rail Pass if you're planning to use the rail network a lot. You need to get this before you travel to Japan. I don't think it can be used on the metro system though so if you're just staying in Tokyo it might not be as useful.

I'll try and add anything if I remember.
 
bsoltan said:
I went in 2007 for 4 weeks and it was amazing. Can't wait to go back.

Are you just staying in Tokyo? How long are you going for?

The fish market is certainly an experience, my friend was too lazy to get up but I went about 6.30am and although I missed all the action there was still a lot of fish and activity. Lots of people eating the freshest of fresh sushi in the local places around the market as well.

The Government Building is free to go up and can give you an amazing 360 view of Tokyo and I was told it is better than going up the Tokyo Tower which is more of a 'tourist trap'.

Spend a day and go to mount Fuji, I regret not taking more time to visit and we turned up in the afternoon which did not leave enough time to go up the mountain and it was cloudy so we couldn't see much of it.

Get a Japan Rail Pass if you're planning to use the rail network a lot. You need to get this before you travel to Japan. I don't think it can be used on the metro system though so if you're just staying in Tokyo it might not be as useful.

I'll try and add anything if I remember.
Click to expand...

thanks yeah i knew we had to get a JR rail pass before we left and i have been given a site that is apparently the best place to get them from.

Is there anyway of getting like a metro pass or something for getting around tokyo?

We were planning on getting a 7 day pass to travel to other places further afeild so mount fuji (I think) is already on the list of things to do. I think something like that requires a whole day (we read in a book that it took about 8 hours to get up and down it? Dont know how accurate that is? Do you have to climb/walk it or are there cable cars or something?)

Im so excited about going now i think most spare time i do get will be researching what to do in order the get the most our of our two weeks. The language barrier is something im also a bit nervous about. My friend is getting me a rosetta stone language course so i can try pick up some basics.

Anyone know of any good phrase books i should also pick up?
 
22yrs old is to young to pop the question.

You asked, I replied :)

Give her an Eternity ring instead. (Google it if you don't know what it is).
 
.Lethal said:
22yrs old is to young to pop the question.

You asked, I replied :)

Give her an Eternity ring instead. (Google it if you don't know what it is).
Click to expand...

I know what an eternity ring is. ;)

I really don't see 22 (23 at the end of this month) as being the issue, age is irrelevant. But yes thanks for your answer. More on WHY would be nice though? I'm not disagreeing with you but im not going to take your statement and just believe it. Id rather have at least a reason to go with it.
 
My ex-GF's parents were together since they were 16 and still together they must be about 40 now. They got married when they were like 23 as well. So you're right age doesn't matter.
 
Ah Tokyo, wish I was there now, (I went last April for the second time).

- Looking on Google Maps where your hotel is it's not that far from where we stayed in Tokyo (Keio Plaza Hotel, a bit north and west of where you are). The area between the Keio Plaza and Shinjuku station has some nice restaurants (I recommend a little place opposite Shinjuku Post Office (it's on the corner of the side road coming off the road running up the side of the Post office towards the station and opposite a Lawson convenience store) ... meals there worked out ~£7-8 a head including a large beer).

- Tokyo Tower is worth a visit on a nice day, I went quite early in the morning and it was very empty. The Meiji Shrine si nice to visit. You also have Shinjuku Park to the East of your hotel which is pleasant to walk around on a sunny day. Ueno Park is also good and there are a lot of museums in that area, (I went to the Science Museum there). Asakusa Temple is worth a visit and the Edo museum is supposed to be quite nice (although I haven't been there myself).

- The fish market is worth a visit but be aware that it is a working market. It is not the safest place to be with little motorised carts zooming around everywhere. You will be yelled at if you get in the way and you could get knocked down if you aren't quick enough. There are some nice little sushi bars between the market and main road with open at 6am.

- The public transport, (light rail or underground), is very easy to use. I didn't use it at all the first time I was in Tokyo but this year we used it a lot. Grab a copy of the map with the place names in romanji and you should be ok. Over the ticket machines there are maps with the fare to each station from your current location marked. Each station also has a letter and number code so if you know this you can tell from the signs which direction platform you need at the station. If you are not in a hurry then the Yamanote loop line will get you to various places and if you go wrong then ... well ... you are just going in a circle :) Note that the underground is operated by several different companies so if you are changing you may not be able to buy a ticket for your entire journey, (if both lines are Tokyo Metro ones then look for the orange transfer gate). If you get the fare wrong so the barrier won't let you through then look for the nearby yellow excess fair machines. The Shinjuku station complex at rush hour is an interesting experience!

- Shopping wise, Ginza, Shibuya, most importantly Akihabara (if you are going by underground then take exit 3 and just keep going straight and you end up coming down the side of one of the big electronic stores opposite the rail station). The UDX building (big office block) in Akihabara has two floors of little restaurants, and sometimes more importantly pretty reasonable public loos. Department stores are good for getting lost in and normally have good food floors in the basement (with good cake!).

- Try and pick up a few words of Japanese before you go, (hello, please, thank you, sorry ... that sort of thing), but most of the time people are happy to try and help you. Not understanding what is going on is part of the fun.

How are you getting in from the Airport to your hotel as (from Narita) it's quite a way and can be expensive? There is a limo bus service from the airport to Shinjuku station which costs (if I remember correctly) ~Y3400 per person each way.

I found it very useful this time to do lots of research on places to go in advance (and how to use the transport system) which made things so much easier once we were there. If you want I may be able to mail you some of the info we collected in advance?

edit:
FabienO said:
Safety. Not an issue. Japan is probably one of the safest places in the world. There really isn't anywhere or any place at any time you should avoid. They abhor theft out there, so you'll see a lot of wallets sticking out of back pockets etc etc.
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Within reason I'd absolutely agree with this. I'm not comfortable in large crowds and don't like going out that much but even Saturday night around Shinjuku station I felt very safe even in the huge crowds.

I didn't bother getting a rail or underground pass in Tokyo. Think about your routes (sometimes a 5 min walk will save you a lot of hassle on the underground with changing tubes). I was going round quite a lot and it still ended up that it was cheaper just to buy tickets when needed ... only had an issue once when I went somewhere, then coming back i bought an underground ticket from the machine and couldn't work out how to get back into the station :p
 
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I went to Japan last year. Shinjuku is pretty nuts.

My tips for Japan are, never stay inside. Japan is one place by day another by night. It's beautiful. What my fiancée and I did was pick up a little Tokyo guide pamphlet when we were there which detailed the different parts of Tokyo. We then did 1,2 or 3 of them each day.

When in Tokyo, get a rail pass, one for the underground. It saves a lot of time and hassle. People don't speak much English and are quite shy when they do, but they will always try and help.

Safety. Not an issue. Japan is probably one of the safest places in the world. There really isn't anywhere or any place at any time you should avoid. They abhor theft out there, so you'll see a lot of wallets sticking out of back pockets etc etc.

Don't be afraid to take the initiative and go somewhere where they don't speak a word of English. Like a rotating sushi restaurant. Which is a MUST.

BTW Government Building guy above talked about, is free. Do it at daytime to see Mt Fuji or night time to see beautiful lit up Tokyo.

The JR Rail pass is VERY expensive and you have to buy it before you go there. I honestly recommend not buying it for just 7 days. A week in Tokyo isn't enough. When I got the rail pass, it was for two weeks, barley felt like I saw barely enough and I went from Fukuoka -> Tokyo. Save the rail pass for when you're really going through Japan. If you 'do' choose to buy it, visit Himeji Castle, and Hakuba for sure. Weigh the costs of a rail pass vs train journeys for a few other close locations.

You're taking ¥2000? or £2,000 and converting? ¥2000 is only £15. I hope it's the latter. Japan is very expensive, especially Tokyo. Easy to spend £60 per day.

Learn some basic every day phrases, polite ones.

Thank you for the food. "Gochisosama De****a" pronounced... Goh.chee.so.sah.mah.de.sh.tah

Thank you. "Arigato Gozaimasu" Ah.Ree.Gah.Toe Goh.Zai.Mass. OR "Domo Arigato" Doh.Mo Ah.Ree.Gah.Toe

"No thank you" "Kekko Desu" Keh.Ko Dess

http://www.jref.com/language/japanese_common_phrases.shtml

<My Japan Video
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=105166&id=509201466 <Japan Photos

Regarding the proposing thing. You'll know when you want to do it, no need to ask us. If you do decide to do it, I recommend doing it in Palette Town. There is a 115 meter tall Ferris wheel which will provide privacy and 15minutes to build the courage. There's also an amazing arcade there for fun and it isn't even that busy. I accidentally took my fiancée on the perfect date that day. Started in Euno shopping district where were browsed all the cool merch, anime, clothes, very cool youngster stuff. Walked to Akihabara to go to a cat cafe (Cafe where there's loads of well groomed cats around to pet), then went to Starbucks (her favorite), then went to Lotteria (An AMAZING burger place MUST GO), then took monorail around Tokyo (at night) to get to pallet town, hit the arcades and the pet store, then took the 15minute ferris wheel to finish it off.

but seriously, spend as little time inside as possible, both day and night. Tokyo is amazing at both times. Enjoy. P.s. do the pamphlet thing, pick one up, try and do it all! :P
 
NormanPorkinson said:
How expensive is Japan once there?
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Not to bad ... depends on what you are doing. Subway fares in Tokyo are ~Y130-220 (so ~£1-2 dependent on exchange rate).

Hotels are expensive to eat in .... so don't. We were eating in nice little places and it normally worked out at ~£7-8 per head for a nice meal and a large beer.

The expensive bit comes with the shopping ;)
 
.Lethal said:
22yrs old is to young to pop the question.

You asked, I replied :)

Give her an Eternity ring instead. (Google it if you don't know what it is).
Click to expand...

I did it age 18, now 23, still never regretted it. Age doesn't decide whether someone should commit or not.
 
memyselfandi said:
Ah Tokyo, wish I was there now, (I went last April for the second time).

- Looking on Google Maps where your hotel is it's not that far from where we stayed in Tokyo (Keio Plaza Hotel, a bit north and west of where you are). The area between the Keio Plaza and Shinjuku station has some nice restaurants (I recommend a little place opposite Shinjuku Post Office (it's on the corner of the side road coming off the road running up the side of the Post office towards the station and opposite a Lawson convenience store) ... meals there worked out ~£7-8 a head including a large beer).

- Tokyo Tower is worth a visit on a nice day, I went quite early in the morning and it was very empty. The Meiji Shrine si nice to visit. You also have Shinjuku Park to the East of your hotel which is pleasant to walk around on a sunny day. Ueno Park is also good and there are a lot of museums in that area, (I went to the Science Museum there). Asakusa Temple is worth a visit and the Edo museum is supposed to be quite nice (although I haven't been there myself).

- The fish market is worth a visit but be aware that it is a working market. It is not the safest place to be with little motorised carts zooming around everywhere. You will be yelled at if you get in the way and you could get knocked down if you aren't quick enough. There are some nice little sushi bars between the market and main road with open at 6am.

- The public transport, (light rail or underground), is very easy to use. I didn't use it at all the first time I was in Tokyo but this year we used it a lot. Grab a copy of the map with the place names in romanji and you should be ok. Over the ticket machines there are maps with the fare to each station from your current location marked. Each station also has a letter and number code so if you know this you can tell from the signs which direction platform you need at the station. If you are not in a hurry then the Yamanote loop line will get you to various places and if you go wrong then ... well ... you are just going in a circle :) Note that the underground is operated by several different companies so if you are changing you may not be able to buy a ticket for your entire journey, (if both lines are Tokyo Metro ones then look for the orange transfer gate). If you get the fare wrong so the barrier won't let you through then look for the nearby yellow excess fair machines. The Shinjuku station complex at rush hour is an interesting experience!

- Shopping wise, Ginza, Shibuya, most importantly Akihabara (if you are going by underground then take exit 3 and just keep going straight and you end up coming down the side of one of the big electronic stores opposite the rail station). The UDX building (big office block) in Akihabara has two floors of little restaurants, and sometimes more importantly pretty reasonable public loos. Department stores are good for getting lost in and normally have good food floors in the basement (with good cake!).

- Try and pick up a few words of Japanese before you go, (hello, please, thank you, sorry ... that sort of thing), but most of the time people are happy to try and help you. Not understanding what is going on is part of the fun.

How are you getting in from the Airport to your hotel as (from Narita) it's quite a way and can be expensive? There is a limo bus service from the airport to Shinjuku station which costs (if I remember correctly) ~Y3400 per person each way.

I found it very useful this time to do lots of research on places to go in advance (and how to use the transport system) which made things so much easier once we were there. If you want I may be able to mail you some of the info we collected in advance?

edit:


Within reason I'd absolutely agree with this. I'm not comfortable in large crowds and don't like going out that much but even Saturday night around Shinjuku station I felt very safe even in the huge crowds.
Click to expand...

Thanks (got to love OCUK sometimes) I would love as much as you can give me mate (mail in trust) All the above is very useful information and i will show my girlfriend what she needs to see :)

Yeah the rail system is something that i am worried about. It looks very complex but im sure once we are there and use a little but of logic we will work it out.

The language thing is something im trying to sort as we speak, looking for little guide books etc and will try and learn as much of the basics as possible before i go.
 
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