My friend lived there for like six years when we were around 10, and he said that he was the only white person he ever saw there, and literally everybody had a DS and his school had to ban Picto-chatting on the buses because kids were being harassed with it
I went for two weeks, ventured around Tokyo visiting nice little restaurants and the like, then down to Kyoto which is fucking beautiful. I went to places like the national history museum which is certainly worth a look, the golden palace, Geisha towns, Hiroshima and a crap load more. There's tons to do.
Word of warning, do not fucking climb Mt.Fuji. Myself and my brother packed more water than we thought we needed along with food etc, we ran out due to the heat near the top and it took us 6 hours to get down. We were so dehydrated, there were shops at the top but selling bottles of water for the equivalent of £7 and we ran out of money. Yes maybe we were un-prepared but holy crap it's the closest I've been to dying, we almost fired a flare until we realized we were almost back at the camp.
Oh and yeah, I left my DS on and walked to the train station in Tokyo to get on the Yamanote line, streetpass had like 100+ new entries.
Here's my brother half way up the bastard mountain:
[IMG]http://i39.tinypic.com/2j4adqb.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE=triFeral;41160196]Aokigahara Forest
or just for the novelty go to [URL="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=obama+japan&hl=en&safe=off&hnear=Obama,+Fukui+Prefecture,+Japan&t=h&z=11"]Obama[/URL][/QUOTE]
Is Aokigahara forest the one where people go to commit suicide?
[QUOTE=Angoose;41199152]Is Aokigahara forest the one where people go to commit suicide?[/QUOTE]
Yuhhuhh. I think a lot of the forest is restricted off for that reason though.
[video=youtube;4FDSdg09df8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FDSdg09df8[/video]
That's where I saw it, pretty interesting video to those who haven't seen it.
The Hakone region is generally quite nice this time of year. The local spa and resort is also worth the chance to bathe in coffee or red wine.
also here's a couple of tips: don't tip.
they don't accept tips. or atleast its disrespectful.
if you're think it's imported. it's probably pricey, things like icecreams and that kind of stuff shouldn't be too expensive.
I went to Japan with a JR pass, best experience of my life so far.
It goes without saying, but wake up early every day and don't waste a moment. There's so much to do depending on where you are, it's insane. One of the first things you will notice about kyoto are that there are 7Elevens and Lawsons fucking everywhere. Which was fortunate for us since I went in summer and we had to stop for a drink every half hour. Kyoto is a nice enough place, we stayed at the ryokan capsule hotel (they have regular rooms besides the capsules), the staff there had perfect English and ended up giving us a discount when we stayed for an extra 2 days. One thing we noticed about Kyoto (we entered the country via Tokyo btw) is that the skirt size for high school/college students uniform was shorter than everywhere else we had visited...
As said above make sure you visit Fushimi Inari. We took so many photos of that place, and we ended up going twice. Some amazing views, especially if you go around dusk, best part about Kyoto IMO.
You have free and up to a certain time, unlimited travel on the Shinkansen so make sure to use it! Take spontanious day trips to random parts of the country. Kanazawa was one of my favourite places in Japan and is well worth a visit, even if just for Kanazawa Castle. They have a lot of great resteraunts, reasonably priced hotels if you're staying for longer than a day, a good beach etc
When it comes to Tokyo, you will never have enough time there to do everything. Akibahara is amazing, whether you're into the whole anime thing or not. The Game Centers are lots of fun, and you can get some dirt cheap electrical goods. Visit Shibuya, Shinjuku, and you should try eating at a Yakiniku at least once (each table has their own individual grill, you cook your own meat on it, just try not to set fire to the place like we did)
If you have any questions about the hotels we booked or whatever else, send me a PM.
Oh, also, make sure you learn some Japanese before you go
[QUOTE=Spectre1406;41192811]Go to Odaiba and check out Sega Joypolis.[/QUOTE]
Haha i went there and thought it was pretty shit. The rollercoaster was ok. you had to shoot targets using a controller on the harness to advance. we went on with 2 japanese girls who had no idea what to do so we got a bad score, but it was pretty fun.
most of the other rides are sit in a seat that bobs around while you watch a PS2 graphics video and occasionally get sprayed with water :D
i spent most of my time in the arcade there and cleaned out a pokemon claw machine, lost my QR code ticket and couldnt get out because you need to scan it to activate the barrier on exit.
had to try and explain to the staff id lost my ticket, i didnt speak japanese, they didnt speak english
[QUOTE=Laferio;41188770]
I know this post might be a joke but for good information, drugs are HIGHLY illegal in japan.[/QUOTE]
Smoke some Tofu.
[QUOTE=Spectre1406;41162555]KitKat
Tons of them, in various flavors.[/QUOTE]
KitKats are British
Go to a Shinto shrine and disrespect some of the local deities
Keep an eye out for these guys[video=youtube;UOSF9YCfTB8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOSF9YCfTB8[/video]
[QUOTE=AidanCKY;41226891]KitKats are British[/QUOTE]
There are like six billion different flavors in japan though
[QUOTE=Maximum Mod;41227209]There are like six billion different flavors in japan though[/QUOTE]
Red bean soup KitKat.
:3
Most of all don't do any stupid shit. Americans have too much bad PR in Japan. So don't rape, murder, steal, attack, cheat or disrespect anyone, but still have fun. that is all :).
[QUOTE=InvaderNouga;41232746]Most of all don't do any stupid shit. Americans have too much bad PR in Japan. So don't rape, murder, steal, attack, cheat or disrespect anyone, but still have fun. that is all :).[/QUOTE]
I do find it hilarious how you get some Japanese folk and even the authorities giving you the funny look unless you stitch a Canadian flag to your backpack or bag. They suddenly become a lot more welcoming.
[QUOTE=Laferio;41160464]I just got back from japan after about a week and a half. It was pretty fucking cool, a couple of things I need to mention to you OP before you take off.
the faucet about the toilet bowl is not for washing your hands.
[/QUOTE]
WHAT? Are you sure this is true? I thought it was the opposite.
after doing a bit of research apparently you can wash your hands I guess (?) somebody correct me if i'm wrong. gonna have to give my grandmother a call. don't think you can wash your hands on that.
Fuck I really want to hit up Japan, looks suh weet
[img]http://d24w6bsrhbeh9d.cloudfront.net/photo/3043502_700b.jpg[/img]
I'm pretty sure pic above was created in one of the FP's LMAO pics thread several years ago.
[QUOTE=Spirit_Breaker;41265079]I'm pretty sure pic above was created in one of the FP's LMAO pics thread several years ago.[/QUOTE]
You'd be right
[QUOTE=Spirit_Breaker;41265079]I'm pretty sure pic above was created in one of the FP's LMAO pics thread several years ago.[/QUOTE]
Is that a 9gag tag seriously claiming the whole image? How much do white people stand out in Japan anyways?
[QUOTE=Laferio;41240546]after doing a bit of research apparently you can wash your hands I guess (?) somebody correct me if i'm wrong. gonna have to give my grandmother a call. don't think you can wash your hands on that.[/QUOTE]
I washed my hands in every toilet. well in the sinks by the toilets. didnt notice any toilet police arresting people for being hygenic, or see any warnings saying DONT WASH YOUR HANDS FILTHY TOURIST.
Using the bidet spray for washing hands is a bad idea though...
You should check out the black market.
My friend got 5 alienware laptops for 50 USD each, all confirmed to be real (or real enough that it fooled dell employees)
[QUOTE=Skellyhell;41303680]I washed my hands in every toilet. well in the sinks by the toilets. didnt notice any toilet police arresting people for being hygenic, or see any warnings saying DONT WASH YOUR HANDS FILTHY TOURIST.
Using the bidet spray for washing hands is a bad idea though...[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I can't imagine any situation where someone would tell you not to wash your hands. At least I didn't run into anyone that did.
And there typically isn't a 'faucet' on a toilet. But washing your hands in the bidet is pretty strange.
[QUOTE=katbug;41310504]You should check out the black market.
My friend got 5 alienware laptops for 50 USD each, all confirmed to be real (or real enough that it fooled dell employees)[/QUOTE]
this sounds cool
what about the customs?
Boss coffee and Calpis is really good, but UCC is only okay.
[QUOTE=Megafan;41310939]Yeah, I can't imagine any situation where someone would tell you not to wash your hands. At least I didn't run into anyone that did.
And there typically isn't a 'faucet' on a toilet. But washing your hands in the bidet is pretty strange.[/QUOTE]
I think ive clocked onto you now, some toilets have a tap that turns on when you flush to refill the tank, to save water rather than filling the tank and having water from a sink, you can wash your hands in them because the water going into the toilet tank is clean, but water inside the tank and used for flushing may be slightly unclean
[editline]4th July 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=titopei;41314141]Boss coffee and Calpis is really good, but UCC is only okay.[/QUOTE]
BOSS coffe is amazing, and you can get a hot can on practically every street
[editline]4th July 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Giraffen93;41312903]this sounds cool
what about the customs?[/QUOTE]
electronics customs for the UK atleast was fine, my friends all bought tablets really cheap and had no issues taking them home
[editline]4th July 2013[/editline]
Make sure you take photos of all the glorious engrish too!
[img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/487519_10151539306485412_1049467064_n.jpg[/img]
[img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/599448_10151539310365412_964301855_n.jpg[/img]
[img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/887268_10151548740040412_1750441363_o.jpg[/img]
[img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/296517_10151535836925412_692672040_n.jpg[/img]
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