Traveling to and in Japan. Any pro tips, pointers, must see/do while there

[Obviously Oblivious]

tBW and I will be traveling over to Japan around the time my son's student teaching assignment wraps up near the end of May. Looking for the best suggestions of things to do and see over there, how to get around, areas/cities to visit, etc.

We will be over there for approximately two weeks so I'm curious if any HBOT folks have some experience traveling over there and any suggestions on being a tourist in Japan. Thanks much!

 

[GES4]

tBW and I will be traveling over to Japan around the time my son's student teaching assignment wraps up near the end of May. Looking for the best suggestions of things to do and see over there, how to get around, areas/cities to visit, etc.

We will be over there for approximately two weeks so I'm curious if any HBOT folks have some experience traveling over there and any suggestions on being a tourist in Japan. Thanks much!

Find a hotel near a major train station. Last time we were there (flying into Haneda this past March) we stayed near Shinagawa Station which was perfect for city access and also we could take a single train from the airport to our hotel (and back). Highly recommended.

Also, if you have an iphone, go to your wallet and hit the plus sign drop down to "Transit Card" and add the Suica card. You can use your phone to access most any transit gate in the city. It is beautiful.

 

[GES4]

tBW and I will be traveling over to Japan around the time my son's student teaching assignment wraps up near the end of May. Looking for the best suggestions of things to do and see over there, how to get around, areas/cities to visit, etc.

We will be over there for approximately two weeks so I'm curious if any HBOT folks have some experience traveling over there and any suggestions on being a tourist in Japan. Thanks much!

My family's collective favorite neighborhood is Harujuku (but I have three daughters fwiw). We've also stayed in Asakusa and Shibuya which are great and pretty central. I do highly recommend Mount Takao for a day trip. A terrific restaurant for katsu was Katukura in the Shinjuku Takashimaya. Gyoza Lou in Harujuku was really good and cheap for dumplings. Kanda Yabusoba is a great soba restaurant near Akihabara. Ueno Park is a great place for a stroll. This past March it was SUPER cheap. Everything except hotels. Tokyo is definitely one of the top 3-5 places in the world.

 

[Breastman]

The Japan Thread

www.surlyhorns.com

 

[jasonrann]

You're going to eat like a king. I'm a little jealous!

 

[mnole03]

Read up on social norms. They’ll treat you infinitely better if you make the effort to follow them.

 

[Breastman]

What exactly is your son's teaching assignment? Is he in Japan now? Whereabouts? If he's already there, I would think he'd have lots of info on things to do and knowledge of getting around.

If you're there in late May/June, you're going to hit some rainy season. If you're a baseball fan, you've gotta hit a local game or two. Screw the Giants.......go see a Yakult Swallows game at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo or a Hanshin Tigers game in Osaka. Good fun.

 

[GES4]

What exactly is your son's teaching assignment? Is he in Japan now? Whereabouts? If he's already there, I would think he'd have lots of info on things to do and knowledge of getting around.

If you're there in late May/June, you're going to hit some rainy season. If you're a baseball fan, you've gotta hit a local game or two. Screw the Giants.......go see a Yakult Swallows game at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo or a Hanshin Tigers game in Osaka. Good fun.

Yokohama BayStars. Get a takoyaki and a whiskey highball from the vendors.

 

[Breastman]

Ha! Almost said Yokohama as well. Great ballpark.

 

[The Tradition]

Long flight… bring a neck pillow…

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Pro tip: don't hire Shohei Ohtani's ex interpreter no matter how cheap he'll work...

 

[SolarHawk]

We have talked about Japan someday, my biggest reservation is the language barrier. To those who have gone, is it a problem?

 

[BGHAWK]

We have talked about Japan someday, my biggest reservation is the language barrier. To those who have gone, is it a problem?

All train stations/carriers have someone speaking English, and I have to think hotels etc., also would be no problem. If you get down off the beaten path into small villages or towns, it might be a little harder. We had no problems more that 50 years ago, and I think it would be even easier now.

 

[Breastman]

We have talked about Japan someday, my biggest reservation is the language barrier. To those who have gone, is it a problem?

Big cities, you're perfectly fine. Japanese people study English in school for over 6 years. They're just timid using it. If you're going out to the sticks like Shizuoka, Aomori or Morioka, you might find a barrier. But the hotspots are no issues. This also applies to places like Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Seoul, etc.

 

[GES4]

We have talked about Japan someday, my biggest reservation is the language barrier. To those who have gone, is it a problem?

Simple answer. No.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

What exactly is your son's teaching assignment? Is he in Japan now? Whereabouts? If he's already there, I would think he'd have lots of info on things to do and knowledge of getting around.

If you're there in late May/June, you're going to hit some rainy season. If you're a baseball fan, you've gotta hit a local game or two. Screw the Giants.......go see a Yakult Swallows game at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo or a Hanshin Tigers game in Osaka. Good fun.

He’s entering his last undergrad semester at Iowa and will be getting his degree in education with aspirations of teaching at the elementary school level. The last semester is all student teaching. He’ll do 8 weeks locally in the CC-AM district and he applied for an international placement in Japan and got one of the two slots available nationally. He’s headed over in March and he’ll be teaching English to 4-6 year old children and living with one of his student’s family during his 8 week assignment in Okayama. We plan to travel over near the end of his term to meet his class and then travel with him for a couple of weeks before heading home. We’re all excited about the opportunity to finally visit Japan.

Can you get baseball tickets easily once in country or should we purchase before traveling over? We plan to visit Kyoto and Tokyo for sure but would appreciate other recommendations for cities to spend a few days in or manageable day trip options as well. I’m hoping to see a sumo event but not sure it’s going to work out, we’ll see.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

All train stations/carriers have someone speaking English, and I have to think hotels etc., also would be no problem. If you get down off the beaten path into small villages or towns, it might be a little harder. We had no problems more that 50 years ago, and I think it would be even easier now.

I’m now using Duolingo to get some rudimentary Japanese under my belt before heading over. My son is light years ahead of me in that regard as he’s now beginning to read the language in the Hiragana system.

 

[BGHAWK]

I’m now using Duolingo to get some rudimentary Japanese under my belt before heading over. My son is light years ahead of me in that regard as he’s now beginning to read the language in the Hiragana system.

Learning their numbers will also help.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

He’s entering his last undergrad semester at Iowa and will be getting his degree in education with aspirations of teaching at the elementary school level. The last semester is all student teaching. He’ll do 8 weeks locally in the CC-AM district and he applied for an international placement in Japan and got one of the two slots available nationally. He’s headed over in March and he’ll be teaching English to 4-6 year old children and living with one of his student’s family during his 8 week assignment in Okayama. We plan to travel over near the end of his term to meet his class and then travel with him for a couple of weeks before heading home. We’re all excited about the opportunity to finally visit Japan.

Can you get baseball tickets easily once in country or should we purchase before traveling over? We plan to visit Kyoto and Tokyo for sure but would appreciate other recommendations for cities to spend a few days in or manageable day trip options as well. I’m hoping to see a sumo event but not sure it’s going to work out, we’ll see.

That is awesome - did he also study Japanese?

Can't add the the suggestions as i just came in the thread out of curiosity, as my wife and I have talked about visiting as well; but interesting as hell path he is doing. Wish I would have done something like that outside of a two week J-term comparative law class in San Juan.

 

[praguehawk]

Geisha and sake. You are welcome.

 

[millah_22]

We have talked about Japan someday, my biggest reservation is the language barrier. To those who have gone, is it a problem?

google translate

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

That is awesome - did he also study Japanese?

Can't add the the suggestions as i just came in the thread out of curiosity, as my wife and I have talked about visiting as well; but interesting as hell path he is doing. Wish I would have done something like that outside of a two week J-term comparative law class in San Juan.

No, no formal Japanese study, just Duolingo for him as well but he’s far more advanced in their program than I. He’s always been a big fan of Japanese pop culture. That reminds me I need to expose him to Kurosawa’s work before we go over.

 

[BelemNole]

no tips - they don't do that there.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

Geisha and sake. You are welcome.

Apparently geisha services are a disappearing art form there, still available but due to limited supply is becoming a somewhat prohibitively expensive form of entertainment.

I plan to imbibe in some sake while there, but probably will confine myself to beer and whiskey. Rice wine isn’t my thing and Japanese whiskey is now arguably some of the best in the entire world.

 

[JuiceHawk]

Watch Parts Unknow Season 2 Episode 7.

 

[Brian_Fantana]

No, no formal Japanese study, just Duolingo for him as well but he’s far more advanced in their program than I. He’s always been a big fan of Japanese pop culture. That reminds me I need to expose him to Kurosawa’s work before we go over.

Interesting. Always wonder how teachers that teach English abroad to younger students handle the language barrier if they don't speak it. I guess they provide interpreters. Either way, cool way to start one's career. If he runs into Anna Sawai, the Actress from Shogun, make sure he knows the rules of HROT!

 

[BGHAWK]

Apparently geisha services are a disappearing art form there, still available but due to limited supply is becoming a somewhat prohibitively expensive form of entertainment.

I plan to imbibe in some sake while there, but probably will confine myself to beer and whiskey. Rice wine isn’t my thing and Japanese whiskey is now arguably some of the best in the entire world.

Suntory is a popular whiskey. I didn't care for Sake but was probably in the minority. Now for beer, I would love to have a Sapporo or Kirin, brewed in Japan, not the ones brewed over here.

 

[FAUlty Gator]

I don't know about OP but the first two words that would be entered into my google map would be "Nuru massage".

 

[cfbfan23]

What a great trip. It’s been almost 40 years, but I went to a Japanese when I was in 5th grade.

We were in Tokyo for most of the stay. We also took trips to Mr. Fuji, Nikki and Kyoto which were fantastic. Language barrier wasn’t too bad then and imagine it’s probably much better now.

I want to go back. The dollar goes so much further now than it did in the mid-80s.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

I don't know about OP but the first two words that would be entered into my google map would be "Nuru massage".

Methinks you’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time on Pornhub sir. 😆

 

[BGHAWK]

What a great trip. It’s been almost 40 years, but I went to a Japanese when I was in 5th grade.

We were in Tokyo for most of the stay. We also took trips to Mr. Fuji, Nikki and Kyoto which were fantastic. Language barrier wasn’t too bad then and imagine it’s probably much better now.

I want to go back. The dollar goes so much further now than it did in the mid-80s.

In 1968 it was 360 yen to $1.00 American dollar.