Japan
Apr 8th, 2004, 05:15 AM
#1
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Japan
I need help from anyone out there that
has been to Japan.
Is it really expensive to ship things back?
Are pearls out of reach for the average tourist? Do they have American food?
Is the transportation system easy enough
for tourist who do not speak the language? Are cabs really prohibitly expensive? Which 4 star hotel is the best? I really would appreciate any
input from anyone who has been there?
Thanks,
GTL
has been to Japan.
Is it really expensive to ship things back?
Are pearls out of reach for the average tourist? Do they have American food?
Is the transportation system easy enough
for tourist who do not speak the language? Are cabs really prohibitly expensive? Which 4 star hotel is the best? I really would appreciate any
input from anyone who has been there?
Thanks,
GTL
Apr 8th, 2004, 08:49 AM
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1. I never shipped anything on my own nickle, so I don't know what the cost is.
2. There seemed to be pearls everywhere - including the mini-mart at the train station
3. In the cities, you will be able to find plenty of different types of food, including American. I ate at a Hard Rock Cafe in Osaka. In the countryside, you will find less variety, but unless you are way out in the countryside, you will at least be able to find a McDonalds or a Mos Burger.
4. Public transportation is really good and there are plenty of signs in english. The stations are well marked and the signage is good. You shouldn't have any problems.
5. I don't think cabs are prohibitively expensive. It's been a few years, but if memory serves, in Matsuyama a cab from the airport to the train station (about a 30 minute ride) was between $15-20. And there is no tipping in Japan so the price is what you pay.
6. That depends where in Japan you will be. I've stayed in Osaka at the Nikko next to the Kansai airport which was nice, but not convinient to anything because the airport is on an island. I've also stayed at the Nankai South Tower Hotel in Osaka proper. It was a very nice place right in the middle of town. It's above the subway and train lines so you can get pretty much anywhere from there. The other places I stayed were in a town way off the beaten path and they weren't 4*.
7. An extra piece of advice - Japanese kids learn english in school, but the focus is on written english not conversation. I found that for most Japanese people, their conversational english was pretty terrible. So, carry around a pad of paper and a pen. If you need to ask a question and the person can't understand you, write it down. Chances are they will be able to understand the written words better than the spoken ones.
2. There seemed to be pearls everywhere - including the mini-mart at the train station
3. In the cities, you will be able to find plenty of different types of food, including American. I ate at a Hard Rock Cafe in Osaka. In the countryside, you will find less variety, but unless you are way out in the countryside, you will at least be able to find a McDonalds or a Mos Burger.
4. Public transportation is really good and there are plenty of signs in english. The stations are well marked and the signage is good. You shouldn't have any problems.
5. I don't think cabs are prohibitively expensive. It's been a few years, but if memory serves, in Matsuyama a cab from the airport to the train station (about a 30 minute ride) was between $15-20. And there is no tipping in Japan so the price is what you pay.
6. That depends where in Japan you will be. I've stayed in Osaka at the Nikko next to the Kansai airport which was nice, but not convinient to anything because the airport is on an island. I've also stayed at the Nankai South Tower Hotel in Osaka proper. It was a very nice place right in the middle of town. It's above the subway and train lines so you can get pretty much anywhere from there. The other places I stayed were in a town way off the beaten path and they weren't 4*.
7. An extra piece of advice - Japanese kids learn english in school, but the focus is on written english not conversation. I found that for most Japanese people, their conversational english was pretty terrible. So, carry around a pad of paper and a pen. If you need to ask a question and the person can't understand you, write it down. Chances are they will be able to understand the written words better than the spoken ones.
Apr 8th, 2004, 07:26 PM
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My son lives in Tokyo and every time he visits, he brings a bag of things home, so he will have less to ship when he returns for good. According to him, shipping is very expensive. According to us, when we send gifts or things he needs, it is very very expensive.
There is American food, but again, expensive..large hotels will provide you with something familiar, there are some very good French restaurants in Tokyo.
I want to stay in the hotel from Lost in Translation, I think it is a Hyatt.
Have a wonderful time~
There is American food, but again, expensive..large hotels will provide you with something familiar, there are some very good French restaurants in Tokyo.
I want to stay in the hotel from Lost in Translation, I think it is a Hyatt.
Have a wonderful time~
Apr 8th, 2004, 07:28 PM
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*ps*
Young people/students, learn English and love to practice, they will be the most helpful. There are small kiosks with police in them whose sole job is to help tourists and people trying to get around. They will help you with a smile and they speak English ~
Young people/students, learn English and love to practice, they will be the most helpful. There are small kiosks with police in them whose sole job is to help tourists and people trying to get around. They will help you with a smile and they speak English ~
Apr 8th, 2004, 08:39 PM
#9
The Park Hyatt Tokyo has the Lost in Translation Package, see: http://tokyo.park.hyatt.com/tyoph/offers_06.html
Apr 9th, 2004, 08:29 AM
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GTL - Japan is a great country. Don't worry, you'll be fine. I spent about 5 weeks there on 2 different trips a few years ago for work. My only regret was that we were all working so much, we didn't get to see more of the country. I wasn't worried about it then because my team was supposed to go back several more times, but then our company got bought up, our project cancelled and everybody in my department was laid off. Such is life. Lesson learned - take advantage of opportunities when you have them.
Apr 9th, 2004, 12:29 PM
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Don't miss going to a Karaoke bar! Play in a video parlor, or just watch, it really is just like the movies!
Thanks,mrwunrfl (did I ever tell you I love that name?) the Park Hyatt, goes on my wish list!
Thanks,mrwunrfl (did I ever tell you I love that name?) the Park Hyatt, goes on my wish list!
Apr 10th, 2004, 01:16 PM
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Thanks to everyone that has contributed. I really feel better. I am
truly looking forward to this trip. I have had some major health problems in the past 8 months. Now that I feel better I will take advantage of the opportunity. No one knows what tomorrow will bring, Thanks much to all af you.
GTL
truly looking forward to this trip. I have had some major health problems in the past 8 months. Now that I feel better I will take advantage of the opportunity. No one knows what tomorrow will bring, Thanks much to all af you.
GTL
Nov 13th, 2005, 03:46 PM
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A trip to Japan at age 19 was my first trip on an airplane totally alone, and it went ok until I got to the airport. I guess I experienced culture shock. I couldn't find a bathroom, I didn't have yen to buy a soda, and the US Navy's supposed system for getting me to my ship was a little screwed up that day. I didn't understand how to change money. blah blah blah. Here are my notes:
1. I loved Japan once I finished crying at the Airport.
2. Climb Mount Fuji. Buy the walking stick and get all the wood burnings you can. It's worth the time and money. You only need to do it once in your lifetime to say you've done it. "I climbed Mt. Fuji" sounds pretty cool. People think it's like climbing Mt. Everest. It is decently easy though. Like a really long hike.
3. Toilets. There are some regular pedestal "western" style toilets to be found, but for the most part, especially public toilets are just porcelain troughs in the ground, like a urinal laying down. now, I'm female. don't know what you are, but squatting in a bathroom as if I'm behind a tree in the woods was a little wierd, then I decided that I liked it. There is no toilet paper in the public restrooms. However, when walking around the city, instead of giving out paper fliers with info, they give out small packages of tissue with advertisements printed on the plastic. keep that even though you can't read it. you'll be happy you did. My parents went there last year and said there were lots of western toilets, but they were only there for a day (hotel and airport, no adventures)
3. Not sure of your age, but I remember the Gas something (Gas Lamp?) bar was pretty wild in Tokyo. Also managed to find a Salsa club where they had Salsa instructors who were Latino but spoke Japanese and no English. very interesting. Lots of cool stuff to experience.
4. The alcohol (which I drank lots and lots of) affected my system differently than in the US. See #3. Luckily I usually woke up back on my ship so I had western toilets to suffer on. Don't know if I would have been able to squat that long!
5. Vending Machines: Everything in Japan can come from a vending machine. Hot coffee (in a can...odd), never saw hot tea but it must be there, lots of cold drinks, some very wierd, alcoholic drinks (try chu-hi in the sour apple flavor. like a liquid blo-pop that makes you fall down), of course candy and stuff, Ice Cream (which is normal in the US NOW, but back then I was amazed at the Ice cream vending machine).
Just remembered that after I went I created a website about it. Gas whatever turns out ot be Gas Panic. The Salsa Place was called Salsa Sudada. here's the link to my page if you want. you can see a picture of a chu-hi can. http://www.geocities.com/professiona...japanpage.html
click the pictures to see more.
also, if you can't find american food and want to try something decently normal but japanese, try the meat on a stick. can't remember what it's called. maybe someone else can give us the name. it's basically shish kabobs but with a japanese name.
cool thing about restaurants: conveyor belts. instead of walking up to the buffet, the buffet goes past you. how wonderful. I Like to Eat!!
1. I loved Japan once I finished crying at the Airport.
2. Climb Mount Fuji. Buy the walking stick and get all the wood burnings you can. It's worth the time and money. You only need to do it once in your lifetime to say you've done it. "I climbed Mt. Fuji" sounds pretty cool. People think it's like climbing Mt. Everest. It is decently easy though. Like a really long hike.
3. Toilets. There are some regular pedestal "western" style toilets to be found, but for the most part, especially public toilets are just porcelain troughs in the ground, like a urinal laying down. now, I'm female. don't know what you are, but squatting in a bathroom as if I'm behind a tree in the woods was a little wierd, then I decided that I liked it. There is no toilet paper in the public restrooms. However, when walking around the city, instead of giving out paper fliers with info, they give out small packages of tissue with advertisements printed on the plastic. keep that even though you can't read it. you'll be happy you did. My parents went there last year and said there were lots of western toilets, but they were only there for a day (hotel and airport, no adventures)
3. Not sure of your age, but I remember the Gas something (Gas Lamp?) bar was pretty wild in Tokyo. Also managed to find a Salsa club where they had Salsa instructors who were Latino but spoke Japanese and no English. very interesting. Lots of cool stuff to experience.
4. The alcohol (which I drank lots and lots of) affected my system differently than in the US. See #3. Luckily I usually woke up back on my ship so I had western toilets to suffer on. Don't know if I would have been able to squat that long!
5. Vending Machines: Everything in Japan can come from a vending machine. Hot coffee (in a can...odd), never saw hot tea but it must be there, lots of cold drinks, some very wierd, alcoholic drinks (try chu-hi in the sour apple flavor. like a liquid blo-pop that makes you fall down), of course candy and stuff, Ice Cream (which is normal in the US NOW, but back then I was amazed at the Ice cream vending machine).
Just remembered that after I went I created a website about it. Gas whatever turns out ot be Gas Panic. The Salsa Place was called Salsa Sudada. here's the link to my page if you want. you can see a picture of a chu-hi can. http://www.geocities.com/professiona...japanpage.html
click the pictures to see more.
also, if you can't find american food and want to try something decently normal but japanese, try the meat on a stick. can't remember what it's called. maybe someone else can give us the name. it's basically shish kabobs but with a japanese name.
cool thing about restaurants: conveyor belts. instead of walking up to the buffet, the buffet goes past you. how wonderful. I Like to Eat!!
Nov 14th, 2005, 01:14 AM
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mrwunrfl summed it up pretty good. It is fairly expensive to ship boxes back to the US, but so is cost of excess baggage on the airlines. You could ship things you won't need right away via surface mail but it may take 2 to 3 months to arrive back home. My suggestion is to travel light, especially if you are traveling with suitcases between cities.
