was in Japan thread

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:24 am

So I have some money to blow. Next week I'm going to be in Japan. Any monster attacks in progress that I should know about? Typhoons? Lolis from outer space?

I booked a hotel room in Ginza. My plan thus far consists of 1) ride the train to some place 2) wander around on foot and try not to get lost 3) buy lots of crap and ship it back home as needed

adversity1 · Post by **adversity1** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:29 am

ED-057 wrote:
I booked a hotel room in Ginza.

damn, mistake #1

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:38 am

2) wander around on foot and try not to get lost

Mistake #2. Fun, but you will most certainly get lost.

Taylor · Post by **Taylor** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:46 am

Luckily it's really easy to find out where you are. Sometimes up to two buildings in a ward will have their district and block number written on them.

fd_analog · Post by **fd_analog** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:40 pm

You guys are so negative!

Ginza is a good place to stay, the hotel should be of a very good standard.
Also, transport links to Shibuya and Akihabara are both good.

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:29 pm

1) ride the train to some place

I approve of this.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:25 pm

fd_analog wrote:You guys are so negative!

Just keepin' it real.

Also, transport links to Shibuya and Akihabara are both good.

The Ginza line sucks though. There's a station ever 100 meters or so. Good for clothes shopping though, if you don't mind paying double the world wide standard price.

fd_analog · Post by **fd_analog** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:32 am

GaijinPunch wrote:The Ginza line sucks though. There's a station ever 100 meters or so. Good for clothes shopping though, if you don't mind paying double the world wide standard price.

The Ginza line is a good line to be on for tourists visiting Tokyo. You can travel to Shibuya easily, get a good transfer for the monorail to Odaiba, Asakusa is the last stop, and Akiba is no problem. Plus you can always use the Hibaya Line to get to Ebisu and take a pleasant walk to Daikanyama or Nakameguro.

There are some nice restaurants in Ginza, the dinner prices are somewhat expensive, but lunch sets are surprisingly reasonable.
Ginza is the high-fashion shopping area for people over 40, expect to see Chanel, LV, Prada, Cartier etc. stores. Expensive, but some of the buildings are magnificent and worthy of a few snaps. It's worth taking a look in these stores just to experience the truly World Class service!

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:30 am

Yeah Ginza was kind of an arbitrary choice. Sounds like the Ginza line is a little on the slow side with all those stops. I don't really have a clue about the geography of the area though. I had a book with maps of Tokyo train routes but I let my brother borrow it.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:01 am

he Ginza line is a good line to be on for tourists visiting Tokyo. You can travel to Shibuya easily, get a good transfer for the monorail to Odaiba, Asakusa is the last stop, and Akiba is no problem.

If you want to go to those places, cool, but even when I was a tourist, I thought Asakusa was a waste of time. It's miles away from the "fun" part of town, and gawdy. Go to Meiji Shrine + Shinjuku Gyoen -- close together, and way nicer.

Odaiba, fair enough. Stay away from the Hibiya Line at all costs unless you're into amazingly inconvenient lines.

I don't really have a clue about the geography of the area though.

Nobody does. Just embrace the confusion. At least there's English announcements now. Wasn't always like that.

adversity1 · Post by **adversity1** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:09 am

GaijinPunch wrote:Shinjuku Gyoen

I'm a big fan of this area.

fd_analog · Post by **fd_analog** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:31 pm

GaijinPunch wrote:
he Ginza line is a good line to be on for tourists visiting Tokyo. You can travel to Shibuya easily, get a good transfer for the monorail to Odaiba, Asakusa is the last stop, and Akiba is no problem.
If you want to go to those places, cool, but even when I was a tourist, I thought Asakusa was a waste of time. It's miles away from the "fun" part of town, and gawdy. Go to Meiji Shrine + Shinjuku Gyoen -- close together, and way nicer.

Odaiba, fair enough. Stay away from the Hibiya Line at all costs unless you're into amazingly inconvenient lines.

I don't really have a clue about the geography of the area though.
Nobody does. Just embrace the confusion. At least there's English announcements now. Wasn't always like that.

You're quite right about Asakusa, there isn't an awful lot to see there, but you can get a direct train to Nikko via a transfer from Asakusa which is well worth it for a day trip.

Why is the Hibiya Line inconvenient? It's the quickest way to Ebisu from Ginza, Ebisu is a good place for eating out, and it's only a short walk to Daikanyama which is definitely the best place for clothes shopping in Tokyo. Nakameguro is the first stop on the line, which is a nice place for walking, particuarly along the Meguro River.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:29 pm

If you go to Ebisu and Ginza, fine. I'd probably just walk to the former from Shibuya. For Daikanyama, I'd definitely walk. I never go to Ginza, and don't lose any sleep over it. Anything Ebisu has, plenty of other places have better. And the issue w/ the Hibiya line is useful stations on the Hibiya line, which it lacks. If I have to go to Roppongi I just go to Nogizaka and walk.

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:16 am

good stuff guys, thanks for the info

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:48 pm

Say ED-057,

Are you gonna check out Akihabara? Yeah, I went there three times and still didn't get to see everything. Checked this Japanese plastic model kit shop and they had professionally assembled/painted Gundam kits. The cheapest price was priced at 30,000 yen and up. There was a little sign printed in English saying "Yes, we offer international shipping for all models". I didn't inquire about how much shipping would be to the USA though...I'm sure it would have been pretty expensive with the extravagant packaging of a fully built model kit sent via EMS shipping method. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 7:55 am

Yeah I'm definitely going to Akihabara. What size were the Gundam kits? I had a figurine shipped via EMS once. The box is 13cm x 16cm x 30cm and I think shipping cost was around $20. The yen was worth less than a penny the last time I bought something from Japan, now it is reversed (unfortunately for me).

Animaitor · Post by **Animaitor** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:11 am

Hey ED-057! This might be a little too late but if you come to Akihabara let me know and I might have some time to take you around on my lunch brake. I work near Yodobashi and know the area pretty well. Send me a PM.

As a side note and if you area a Gundam fan, Odaiba might be nice to visit now. They just finished building a life size Gundam RX78. The Emerging Science and Innovation, Miraikan is also in Odaiba and even though is not awesome, seen the latest Asimo version in real life is pretty cool!

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 4:23 am

Here is a WIP that might come in handy. Being updated by some Assembler members.

Animaitor · Post by **Animaitor** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 5:31 am

This is the one I recommend to all the friends that come to visit. It just covers Akihabara though. GaijinPunch, that's a nice one!

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:28 am

flight diverted due to volcanic eruption

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:04 am

Animaitor wrote:This is the one I recommend to all the friends that come to visit. It just covers Akihabara though. GaijinPunch, that's a nice one!

I didn't start it -- am only contributing. I like the one you linked, although it would be nice to load multiple categories at once. And I can also pick out some inconsistencies. In regards to Super Potato...

They will probably have what you're looking for, at an appropriate price.

I wonder how much they paid for that blatant lie.

And yeah, there's a whole world outside of Akihabara... well, at least a handful of places worth going to.

Animaitor · Post by **Animaitor** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:25 am

As long as you don't land in North Korea you are cool.

Khan · Post by **Khan** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 3:35 pm

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 3:43 pm

some of the best times I had were just riding the train by myself and getting off at places which i though sounded cool

I hit a couple of shit holes doing this but if all else fails you jump a train and head to akihabara and buy some toys

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 4:49 pm

Lordstar wrote:some of the best times I had were just riding the train by myself and getting off at places which i though sounded cool
I hit a couple of shit holes doing this but if all else fails you jump a train and head to akihabara and buy some toys

There's so much to see and do in Akihabara indeed...if you feel like whipping out your credit card and charging it too the max, you most can certainly do that as well. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 2:40 am

I'm here, only two days late

BTW I should not have eaten that omelette on the plane.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 2:55 am

if you feel like whipping out your credit card and charging it too the max, you most can certainly do that as well.

Not everywhere.

I'm here, only two days late

Buy an umbrella. There's no sign of sun until Friday, and even that's scheduled to be short-lived.

Animaitor · Post by **Animaitor** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:52 am

Do I hate June in Japan!! Still, I rather get all wet riding my bike than taking the train at 8am. Listen to GaijinPunch and bring an umbrella everywhere you go if you don't want to end up like me.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:24 am

I rather get all wet riding my bike than taking the train at 8am.

I've got this mindset that I have to do my scheduled excercise come rain, shine, or whatever. That generally means me running in the pissing rain, and my wife giving me the fucking craziest look when I come back.

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:56 pm

GaijinPunch wrote:wife giving me the fucking craziest look when I come back.

Not necessarily a bad thing, right?

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