Kiken & Minzoku in Japan

[Kiken]

Minzoku and I are planning a trip to the crazy little quad-island in late May (23rd through 30th).

If any of you guys living in Tokyo would like to hang out or play amateur tour-guide, we'd be greatful (we'll be flying in through Narita).

One thing I'd like to ask though, can any of you suggest some decent hotels to stay at for the duration of our trip (along with homepages if possible)? Going through travel-guides/agencies is one thing, but I'd actually prefer to inquire with folks actually living there.

Anyway, thanks for any help you can provide.

[IlMrm]

You guys are gonna have so much fun.

When I was there I stayed everywhere from a capsule hotel, to high end hotels. I really like the ryokans too.

I went to a Japan Travel Bureau here in the US help me with the hotel booking, the rail pass, and the plane ticket. In Japan I went to Japan National Tourist Organization(JNTO) to help me reserve rooms at ryokans. I definitely recommend checking out the JNTO in Tokyo.

I stayed at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo, across the street from the JR Shinagawa station. Highly recommended.

[Edge]

I and a couple of friends went to Tokyo in September.
We also stayed at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel.

The sight is amazing and also the rooms are very comfortable... but it's not that cheap.

I can only reccomend the obvious Akihabara, Shinjuku, Tokyo Tower, Meiji Shrine stuff... And take some extra money with you, you'll need it in Akihabara. ^_^

Man, when I think of it I'd wish to step on a plane right now to go back there.

[DC906270]

i went for a week in October, and enjoyed it, but it is very hectic and so i was kind of glad to be coming back to tranquil ol' Britain at the end.
not a lot there for tourists really, other than exploring the city. no real sights maybe i missed something. i found a good city guide on my last day there, which recommended some places to go. wish i had this at the start really still, highly recommended. be prepared to get lost A LOT and walk your legs off (i must have been walking about 10 miles a day due to getting lost)

[Kiken]

Minzoku and I will officially be landing about mid-day on the 24th and will be leaving early on the 30th.

We'll be staying at the Ochanomizu Inn for the duration of the trip.

[greg]

Too bad our trips won't match up. Undamned and I are going to Japan at the end of April.

I don't know of anybody else who is located in Tokyo. Gaijin Punch and Eight One have both moved back to the States. Yamo Skrap has gone missing from the forum. I'm not sure if I still have his e-mail.

[Dave_K.]

Icycalm is there (http://www.insomnia.ac/).

[NTSC-J]

I moved to Tokyo a few days ago so I'm not exactly well versed in the sights and sounds, but by the time you guys come down I should be better off. I've got a pretty busy schedule, but I'm sure I could find the time to go arcade hopping with you.

[Kiken]

I moved to Tokyo a few days ago so I'm not exactly well versed in the sights and sounds, but by the time you guys come down I should be better off. I've got a pretty busy schedule, but I'm sure I could find the time to go arcade hopping with you.

That would be very cool.

[icycalm]

I left Tokyo about a month ago. I have to leave Japan every three months, then stay away for a couple of months and then return, because I am on tourist visas. I'll go back middle of June, most likely.

In any case, my favorite place in Tokyo has got to be the Yurikamome railway. I highly recommend you check it out.

Go to Shimbashi sometime after sunset, preferably around 10pm (but not too late, because I think the trains stop running around 11). Then buy the cheapest ticket you can get (I think it's about 300-350 yen). Get on the first train, and do your best to sit right at the front, so you have a good view. Then sit down and enjoy the ride. It's fucking awesome.

Normally, you'd need another 350 yen ticket to get back. But what I do is go all the way to the end of the line, then get out and hop on the return train and then get out one stop BEFORE arriving back at Shimbashi. That way, it looks like you've only gone one stop.

The whole round trip takes maybe 30-40 minutes. You can go with a friend or, even better, a hot girl.

Here are some pics on my site. Of course, it looks unimaginably better if you are there.

[Minzoku]

One question I need answered, what are some stores I should be looking for while there if I want to check out garage kits? I'd like to get some shmup craft if I can find any, in addition to the boatload of OTHER stuff I want to get there

[Shocky]

One question I need answered, what are some stores I should be looking for while there if I want to check out garage kits? I'd like to get some shmup craft if I can find any, in addition to the boatload of OTHER stuff I want to get there

I was in one such store in Akihabara three years ago, it was probably "Gamers", with some 7 storeys. They had all kinds of stuff, shmup soundtracks and garage kits. Apart from shmups, I vividly remember seeing a Hakaider + bike set, where there was a separate brain supplied with the figure (?!). Anyways, if it wasn't Gamers, it was the other big store across the street.

I'm leaving Tokyo on May 22.. haha we'll do a change of guard =)

Gotta try that Yurikamome railway. Thanks for the detailed instructions, icycalm. It's these kind of tips that are the most valuable!

My favorite place in Tokyo is Odaiba in general, especially Palette Land, with this arcade hall of insane proportions. Luckily you could put coins into these mechanic panda or lion "cars" and ride around on them, so feet wouldn't get so tired when moving from game to game.

[Minzoku]

What's with people LEAVING when we're coming to visit? Is it really cheaper to change countries within that one-week timeframe?

[Nullsleep]

wow, amazing timing! I'll actually be in Japan from May 21st to 29th, so
there will actually be quite a bit of overlap in our visits.

I'm going to be there as part of a chiptune-related world tour that I'm
doing with a friend. We'll be playing a show in Tokyo on May 27th, and
will probably be around the city most of the time before that (except for
possible visits to Kyoto and Osaka).

It would be cool to meet up at some point. We're definitely planning to
explore Akihibara extensively, and visit some game centers. Will you
guys have internet access over there? Email will probably be the most
convenient form of communication.

Exciting!

[greg]

Gotta try that Yurikamome railway. Thanks for the detailed instructions, icycalm. It's these kind of tips that are the most valuable!

My favorite place in Tokyo is Odaiba in general, especially Palette Land, with this arcade hall of insane proportions.

For clarification for you as well as Kiken and Minzoku, the Yurikamome is the monorail you ride to Odaiba. I don't know the name of the entire artificial island, but I just call the whole place Odaiba. Most Japanese people seem to just call it Odaiba. They can see the place on TV every morning. This is because it is home to Fuji TV, the big building with two towers and the metallic sphere in between. Also on the island is Tokyo Big Sight, where the Tokyo Game Show used to be held. Now it's actually in Chiba at the Makuhari Messe, the last I ever went.

I don't know the Palette Land you're talking about.... It's separate from the Sega Joypolis, right? I think I know what you're talking about. It used to be called Neo Geo Land or something, but it disappeared when SNK tanked. I was there in the fall of 2001 and the sign still said "Neo Geo Land." If another arcade has taken its place, it's definitely worth checking out.

There's a maritime museum on Odaiba as well, if you're into boats.

Here are some pics on my site. Of course, it looks unimaginably better if you are there.

Those are some completely awesome pics! I'd say Odaiba is especially best at night. Get there later in the day and wait for sundown. the giant ferris wheel is beautiful, there's a multicolored light display cast upon the sphere of the Fuji TV building (I almost typed "terebi" out of habit...), and while taking the Yurikamome back to the mainland, check out the beautifully lit Tokyo Tower in Roppongi nested away between some skyscrapers. Don't miss it!

If you really want to spend a lot of time in Odaiba, they do sell an all-day Yurikamome pass for about 1200 yen. I also recommend taking the Yurikamome to the last stop, Ariake, transfer to Kokusai-Tenjijo station and take that train line over to the Tokyo Sealife Park. I love fish, so that really knocks me out. Not as awesome and breathtaking as the Osaka Kaiyukan aquarium, but it's still pretty cool.

I'm planning on taking Undamned to Odaiba as well. I'll also be meeting up with a friend of mine in the Navy who is stationed in Japan. We're going on a full Tokyo exploration and otaku shopping expedition.

Go to www.jnto.go.jp and fill out a form requesting free maps of Tokyo and miscellaneous travel info. They'll send it free of charge.

Edit:

We'll be staying at the Ochanomizu Inn for the duration of the trip.

I believe that either Ochanomizu station or a nearby station there is a cool waterside cafe. It looks beautiful at night. I've passed by there from Akihabara on the Chuo Line. The train line runs parallel to a canal/river.

Edit again: (I love discussing Japan!)

One question I need answered, what are some stores I should be looking for while there if I want to check out garage kits? I'd like to get some shmup craft if I can find any, in addition to the boatload of OTHER stuff I want to get there

Akihabara, Nakano, and Ikebukuro. The three otaku mecca. Look there. I'm sure there is probably a Yellow Submarine shop somewhere in Tokyo. Towards the end of my life in Himeji, a Yellow Submarine shop opened up there and I was happy, along with several other cool toy shops.

Ikebukuro: Exit east side of the station and head for the Sunshine Building and look for signs directing you towards it. There's all sorts of cool shops there: Gamers, Manga no Mori, K-Books, and Animate. Plus several other smaller shops everywhere. If you like Sakura Taisen, check out the dedicated ST store Roman-Do in the Sega Gigo arcade.

Nakano: Take the JR limited express train west from Shinjuku on the Chuo/Sobu line. Exit Nakano station northside. Head towards the covered shopping arcade street (ask for the "shotengai" if you can't find it), and follow this all the way down to the end until you get to the Broadway Building. OTAKU HEAVEN! Several different Mandarake shops, each with its own specialty: toys, models, manga, anime, video games. Scour the entire building to find all sorts of neat crap. You will not regret it! Guide is here.

[NTSC-J]

Yea I actually prefer Nakano to Akihabara and go nearly everyday. Lots of great stuff thats easy to find without much of a crowd. Nerds can spend days in the Mandarake shops on the Broadway and still not see everything it has to offer.

[greg]

If you can read Japanese somewhat, I recommend buying the Tokyo Mania Shop guidebook. It's six years old, so some of the shops no longer exist, but it's a cool guide with maps to aid you on your otaku shopping expeditions. For example, just today I was looking through it and finally found where the Liberty store is west of Ikebukuro station, right where my hotel will be next week. I've been looking for that shop for a long time. I'd always see ads for it, and I always presumed it would be in the Sunshine Building area. It's right there on the map for Ikebukuro, and I never thought of looking for it there.

It categorizes the mania stores by anime, manga, toys, plamodel (plastic models), gareki (garage kits), military replica, cards, etc. Very useful guidebook. Unfortunately, the publishers never released a followup, so the 99/00 edition is all you've got. You can buy it used from Amazon.jp's Marketplace.

[Shocky]

I'm going to be there as part of a chiptune-related world tour that I'm
doing with a friend. We'll be playing a show in Tokyo on May 27th, and
will probably be around the city most of the time before that (except for
possible visits to Kyoto and Osaka).

It would be cool to meet up at some point. We're definitely planning to
explore Akihibara extensively, and visit some game centers. Will you
guys have internet access over there? Email will probably be the most
convenient form of communication.

Chiptunes = cool. Too bad I'm not there anymore for the gig :/ Btw do you know Huoratron?

I'm taking a Nokia 770 Internet Tablet with me, so I can surf the web or read emails if I find open WLANs. Do you guys know if there usuallly are free WLAN's in Tokyo? Anyways, I have to ask my travel companions if we'll have time for some serious shmupping, because of them is the local DDP:DOJ king. It's just going to be a tight schedule, Sunday is naturally reserved for seeing the living wonders of Harajuku and Jojogi park, and there's this big festival (Sanja Matsuri) in Asakusa just before.

Gotta try that Yurikamome railway. Thanks for the detailed instructions, icycalm. It's these kind of tips that are the most valuable!

My favorite place in Tokyo is Odaiba in general, especially Palette Land, with this arcade hall of insane proportions.

For clarification for you as well as Kiken and Minzoku, the Yurikamome is the monorail you ride to Odaiba.

Yeah, I noticed that when I saw icycalm's photos =) There was the giant ferris wheel and all the things I saw when I took this automatic (?) monorail to Odaiba. Btw, I wouldn't recommend the ferris wheel, the ride is pretty lame. It is interesting though because you can see the wheel in so many japanese movies & stuff, for example in MPD Psycho they have their confidential discussions in a ferris wheel cabin.

I don't know the Palette Land you're talking about.... It's separate from the Sega Joypolis, right? I think I know what you're talking about. It used to be called Neo Geo Land or something, but it disappeared when SNK tanked. I was there in the fall of 2001 and the sign still said "Neo Geo Land." If another arcade has taken its place, it's definitely worth checking out.

Sorry, it's actually called "Palette Town". I guess that's the name of the complex, which consists of all kinds of possibilities for having a good time. It's located where the ferris wheel and Toyota's car exhibition/driving course are. I don't think the arcade was called Neo Geo anything when I was there (2003), and it's definitely not Sega Joypolis (I think that was in the Aqua City complex). This is way bigger than Sega Gigo or any of the Joypolis arcades (well, I only saw two of those, the other was in HEP Center in Osaka).

OK, it's not all just video games, there are baseball and golf simulators and such there too. And this mysterious "Murder Lodge", a wooden cabin with a table inside and some.. I don't know, headsets or something there and a promise that it will scare the living * out of you. I've regretted ever since that I didn't try it Anyone know what's the secret? What happens if you pay the 300 Yen and go inside the cabin? Hmm.. maybe it's still there and I could try it again in May when I'm in Tokyo.

I'd say Odaiba is especially best at night. Get there later in the day and wait for sundown.

Right you are! The same applies to some other places too, like the Tokyo government metropolitan building, it's best to go just before dark so you see Tokyo first in daylight and then gradually the sea of light emerges.

[Nullsleep]

Chiptunes = cool. Too bad I'm not there anymore for the gig :/ Btw do you know Huoratron?

Haha, yes I know Huoratron! We played together in Brooklyn last year at the
closing show of the Data Destruction Tour. His stuff totally kicks ass, hope to
share the stage with him again sometime.

[Minzoku]

I'm going to print out this entire thread plus links and keep it on me during our trip

Thanks, everyone!

[bpe]

Good stuff, thanks everyone ! I especially didn't realize Ikebukuro was so cool, went there last year and was a bit underwhelmed... I'll have to revisit I guess

Those Odaiba long exposure shots are amazing ! It's kind of funny too, here's the opposite -- long exposure with the train zipping by

Anyway, I wanted to add that I'd suggest skipping Tokyo Tower, it's one ugly mofo, especially compared to the real thing in Paris. And fairly expensive too. Palette Town was a bit "duh" I thought.. bleak lighting, very very few shmups, and most of the stuff looked like it could fall apart any moment (and that was last year, so by now it probably did collapse). :p Just felt very cheap and 80s all around.

Also, if you dig musea, don't forgot the National Museum in Ueno park, and the Edo Tokyo museum.

[Minzoku]

Oh, crap, we're here in Ochanomizu and partially screwed because I forgot my credit card What the hell.

Just checking in. Apparently there's an Internet thingie in the hotel, so we can contact this way, THANK GOODNESS FOR ADVANCES IN CIVILIZATION.

[BulletMagnet]

Good to hear you've arrived safely, we'll be sure to pass the greetings on to the Gradius Gerbils.

Shame about the credit card, but hey, there's always panhandling.

[Icarus]

i went for a week in October, and enjoyed it, but it is very hectic and so i was kind of glad to be coming back to tranquil ol' Britain at the end.

I went to Kyoto a few Augusts back, and I didn't want to leave the place. ^_-

not a lot there for tourists really, other than exploring the city. no real sights maybe i missed something.

If you're going to Tokyo, then maybe there isn't much to see, but there is plenty to do. Shopping, visiting one of the random gardens that seem to sprout up in patches in the city center, checking out sights on the outskirts, people-watching is always fun as well.

Hop on a shinkansen if you want to go somewhere to see more traditional Japanese things like gardens and shrines. ^_^

Oh, crap, we're here in Ochanomizu and partially screwed because I forgot my credit card. What the hell.

Damn, that's unlucky. When I travel anywhere I always get so paranoid roughly a week before I go; I have everything out and packed, checked, double-checked and triple-checked, at least two or three days before I set off.

Glad to hear you've both arrived safely. On the subject of funding, is there no way to transfer cash from your bank account to a card that one of you has via the net?

[Minzoku]

Kiken has a card, but it seems to have a limit/not work in Japan, and I don't have one at ALL. We can get Western Union if I can find this place:

SURUGA BANK LTD
7-1 NIHONBASHI-MUROMACHI 1-CHOME
TOKYO BRANCH
TOKYO , 103-8689

Barring that, we're okay, but we're on a severe budget, otherwise

[NTSC-J]

If you have a debit or atm card I can take you to some ATMs that will help you out. I'm pretty close to Ochanomizu, so it'd be real easy. My phone # is 080-5495-8056. Sometime this weekend I can give you two a tour if you like.

[Minzoku]

Neither of our phones work, but we're at the Hotel Ochanomizu Inn, room 508. Kiken's debit/check card doesn't seem to work at the 7-11 nearby, though, perhaps because it's a localish branch. We'd love to meet up, though

[NTSC-J]

There are ATMs that will take any international card. I use a Washington Mutual free checking card and if that works, whatever you have will work too. There's a Citibank in Shinjuku that will take it, Ochanomisu is real close to it.

I'm free most of this weekend, so name a time and place and we can meet up.

[CIT]

Kiken has a card, but it seems to have a limit/not work in Japan, and I don't have one at ALL.

Try going to a post office. Post office ATMs will take almost all international CCs and debit cards.

[Minzoku]

I'm free most of this weekend, so name a time and place and we can meet up.

We'll try the Post Office first, but we'd be happy to meet up anyway Do you want to meet at the Taito building in Akiba tomorrow, 11-ish? We'll be on the shooter floor