planning a trip to japan

well...i have been a huge fan of video games pretty much all my life...and ive decided to visit the motherland japan when i get married(on my honeymoon) i wont be getting married to my girlfriend untill next year but we have decided to go over to japan after we get hitched, so basically i have a few questions,me being an idiot who has only dreamed about going there....i dont know the language...i dont know how people are(id assume better than in really poor countrys where they steal your passports) and basically all i know where to get started is saving for the trip, and plane tickets

so my question is
how much japanese would i have to learn exctally,like just basic phrases,like restroom and ask for directions,the whole language or none id say they some know english

is it a high crime(i know no where near as bad as america)....like purse snatching,or rape(i have to watch out for my woman)

i guess in general im just asking for tips on it.....any help would be great

mblvshj said:

is it a high crime(i know no where near as bad as america)....like purse snatching,or rape(i have to watch out for my woman)

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Now you scare me... No, raping is very accepted in this community. Police dosn't exist.

Man!

Take as much money as you can. People there are nice and polite. I met more nice people in the month I was over there than in my entire life in the states. Stay for as long as you can and take a ton more pictures than you think you should or want to. That was a big regret of mine. Cut your hair short before you go. It is hot there, at least it was to me, and hair cuts were expensive there. This might not be an issue if you are just going for a week or something though.

If there is any way, take someone along who is fluent. I know that probably isn't an option, but that is what I did. If you can do it, pay for them, it is really worth it. You'll get to do so much more.

Walk everywhere unless you are doing a big commute. It saves money and you get to see a lot more than just the stuff around the train/subway stops. Oh, get transport maps when you get to the areas you are going. They are easy to figure out even if you don't know any Japanese.

Go to Kyoto. If you are looking to see loads of traditional temples and shrines, Kyoto is the place. I thought I wouldn't care much for it, but it was easily the coolest stuff I have ever seen.

There are lots of used video game shops, especially in Osaka. I found a great one in Nagoya I think called "Hard Off." Yeah, funny name, but I walked out of there with about 20 Neo CD games at 2 bucks a pop. If you can find stuff like that, you can not only get cheap cool stuff, you could even sell some of it when you get back to help pay of some of the cost of the trip. I bought 3 boxed neo CDs for about $40 each, mailed them home then made some money selling them. If you mail anything back, ship it by boat. It takes like 2 months to get it, but it is really cheap.

Don't focus too much on the video games. Games are rad, but there are a lot more fun things to do there and see. The temples and castles are incedible.

Avoid hotels around train stations. They are more expensive due to their location. I saw very little slum areas and people were a lot more trustworthy, or at least I felt they were. So find the cheapest hotels in poorer areas and move around a lot to make the most of your time. I even just slep outside one night at a bus depot. I had everything I brought with me on my back and I wasn't worried at all.

Seriously though, take pics. There is a good chance you may not get to go back. I took about 170 pics in a month, and that wasn't nearly enough. I'm afraid I have forgotten stuff already because I didn't take enough pics. Take extra memory cards. You can never have too many pics.

Try to talk to people. You'll never see them again so don't be embarrassed. I had the most fun talking to homeless people. They seemed more "upscale" than the homeless people in the states, haha.

oh, and I'm sure this isn't spelled right, but this is how it sounds:

su-teki nah oh-pai
barely pronounce the "u" in "su." It almost sounds like "steki"

It means "nice tits."

thanks a bunch loopyeddie you were a big help...ill wait to get a neo cd then untill i go there...lol...from what you described it sounds great....so i cant wait

mundocombo....it says you live in spain....well i dont know if that is true...but when you enter a foreign land you sorta wanna know thing like that....espically if you care about your loved ones....america has the highest crime rate outta any country....i dont let my girlfriend leave the house alone unless shes gotta go to work...you constantly hear about murder,rape and shootings,it makes my girlfriend afraid to go anywhere by herself....so if it makes "scary" about asking questions for my and my girlfriends safty the so be it

The only advice I can offer you...dont spend a ton of money on your wedding reception. My wife and I were supposed to honeymoon in Japan when we got married in 05. However, our wedding cost more then we though it would so we had to nix the idea and go with a back up. The things you will remember from your wedding are usually the things you paid the least for

Congrats on your upcoming wedding and say hello to Japan for me.


-DZ

loopyeddie said:

Take as much money as you can. People there are nice and polite. I met more nice people in the month I was over there than in my entire life in the states. Stay for as long as you can and take a ton more pictures than you think you should or want to. That was a big regret of mine. Cut your hair short before you go. It is hot there, at least it was to me, and hair cuts were expensive there. This might not be an issue if you are just going for a week or something though.

If there is any way, take someone along who is fluent. I know that probably isn't an option, but that is what I did. If you can do it, pay for them, it is really worth it. You'll get to do so much more.

Walk everywhere unless you are doing a big commute. It saves money and you get to see a lot more than just the stuff around the train/subway stops. Oh, get transport maps when you get to the areas you are going. They are easy to figure out even if you don't know any Japanese.

Go to Kyoto. If you are looking to see loads of traditional temples and shrines, Kyoto is the place. I thought I wouldn't care much for it, but it was easily the coolest stuff I have ever seen.

There are lots of used video game shops, especially in Osaka. I found a great one in Nagoya I think called "Hard Off." Yeah, funny name, but I walked out of there with about 20 Neo CD games at 2 bucks a pop. If you can find stuff like that, you can not only get cheap cool stuff, you could even sell some of it when you get back to help pay of some of the cost of the trip. I bought 3 boxed neo CDs for about $40 each, mailed them home then made some money selling them. If you mail anything back, ship it by boat. It takes like 2 months to get it, but it is really cheap.

Don't focus too much on the video games. Games are rad, but there are a lot more fun things to do there and see. The temples and castles are incedible.

Avoid hotels around train stations. They are more expensive due to their location. I saw very little slum areas and people were a lot more trustworthy, or at least I felt they were. So find the cheapest hotels in poorer areas and move around a lot to make the most of your time. I even just slep outside one night at a bus depot. I had everything I brought with me on my back and I wasn't worried at all.

Seriously though, take pics. There is a good chance you may not get to go back. I took about 170 pics in a month, and that wasn't nearly enough. I'm afraid I have forgotten stuff already because I didn't take enough pics. Take extra memory cards. You can never have too many pics.

Try to talk to people. You'll never see them again so don't be embarrassed. I had the most fun talking to homeless people. They seemed more "upscale" than the homeless people in the states, haha.

oh, and I'm sure this isn't spelled right, but this is how it sounds:

su-teki nah oh-pai
barely pronounce the "u" in "su." It almost sounds like "steki"

It means "nice tits."

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Japan is safe but more dangerous than many foreigners think. Just act responsible and avoid shady areas and you will be fine. You will be able to tell the places you should and should not go, so just use your best judgment. Violent crime is low compared to most other countries in the world. Thievery and pickpocketing is prevalent in the big cities, but not nearly as bad as the USA or Europe. Just be cautious and you probably won't have a problem.

Japanese people are extremely accommodating to foreigners, but do not confuse this with them actually liking you. It is in most educated Japanese people's nature to be naturally polite, but do not use this as an excuse to be an ass and take advantage of this politeness. Just be respectful and act normally and you will have a great experience. I am sure this is not the case with you, but a lot of foreigners (ahem military) who are in Japan really take advantage of Japanese hospitality and it gives us all a bad name.

Contrary to the above post, I would not advise talking to homeless people because many of them are extremely bitter and unsafe. This is another country, not another world. Would you talk to a shady homeless person where you live?

Hotels in general in Japan are pristine. The rooms will be small at budget places, but cleanliness will never be a problem. I can recommend some nice budget business hotels for you in Tokyo or Osaka if you like, but since you are on your honeymoon, I'd assume you want to stay at some nicer places. If so, PM me and I will make some recommendations. Basically all of the big chains (Hilton, Marriott, Intercontinental, Sheraton) are going to be very high end.

If you are staying for a week or two, I seriously would only dedicate one or two days max for game hunting. Most of the stores which carry the retro stuff are located in the same are in Tokyo and Osaka, and one store could pretty much have everything you need. There is so much to do there, and although I love games as well, spending any more than a day or so on them really is kind of a waste in my opinion.

About the language. Outside the hotel, almost no one will be able to speak English. a large amount of Japanese people know a lot of English words, but cannot form them in a sentence properly, so it can be hard to communicate. Learning a few basic phrases, no matter how much you screw them up, will go a long way as most Japanese people appreciate it when foreigners attempt to speak their language.

For the most part, Japan is a great country with a ton of stuff to do. Since you have time, I would really suggest doing a lot of research about places to go and things to see. You ARE on your honeymoon, so I would definitely advise taking a "rest" for $40-50 at a love hotel. If you don't know what those are, do a google search. Love hotels are really unique to Japan (maybe Korea) and can be a blast for lovers. If you have any specific questions just PM me. I use to live there and could talk about Japan for hours on end.

I'm not saying this to be a jerk, just because I don't want to retype some earlier long posts: try an advanced search in "Unrelated Topics" on "Trip Japan" and see what comes up. A lot of good threads have been written.

Here's a post from last september where I summarized some good previous threads:

Guys, playboycougar and hidden character, if you want plenty of info you can check these old threads (some may cover more areas than you have already planned for, or spur interest in new things to do):

(1) http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124404

(2) http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135502

(3) http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115788

Just to reiterate, the Lonely Planet Japan guide is the guidebook for the Japan traveler.

Have fun!

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Japan is as safe as safe can be. If you're the victim of crime in Japan, you're almost certainly helpless and/or completely urban unsavy.

Japan is surely the safest place I can think of. There's virtually no crime here, and I've lived here for over 4 years. Everyone is super polite, even the homeless. Don't listen to that one dude who advised you to be scared of the bums. It's not like in the US where they'd murder your ass for $5. The people you need to watch out for are the Americans, the Africans, and---well just everyone who isn't Japanese.

As for travel, my only suggestion is that you must go to the Akihabara district of Tokyo. That's for sure. And you must 100% definitely visit Super Potato in Akihabara (Tip: it's located behind Club Sega) if you like video games at all. It's probably the greatest game store I've ever been to... And be prepared to dedicate at least 2 days to Akihabara, because you will NOT have enough time to browse all of the crazy game and toy shops there in 1 day.

Knowing directional Japanese would be a bigger help than anything. Ordering food and whatnot is pointless because once they see your pearly-white face, they're gonna speak English to you no matter how good your Japanese is.

The least of your worries is going to be getting shanked or robbed...your biggest worry will be not having enough money. I spent $900 in 2 days in Akihabara, so be prepared.

Me and my wife went there too for a holiday and like everyone says its probably the safest place on earth! All the japanese people are polite, I only had one that wasn't - it was in a small restaurant and the waiter didn't like the fact I couldn't speak japanese! Strange place that, everyone was getting drunk and wearing suits in there without having much food, even though it had alot of pictures outside of it............

Take alot of cash, there isn't many places where you can pay with card or withdraw cash.

Be polite, saying thank you or excuse me in Japanese seems to be good, but just don't be rude about their way of living. There were a couple of instances I recall, one where a couple of English guys were saying how stupid the Japanese were in the middle of lots of Japanese people, when they were waiting for the traffic lights to change, even though it was only like 2-3 steps across and no cars coming. It was strange I must admit, but it isn't stupid, if everyone do that, then there would be alot less accidents and to say that with all those Japanese people around . Also these English guys, in a band or something (I know, I keep on running into them, I live in the UK by the way ) in the airport were complaining amongst themselves about the food being shit and they've no choice but to get a curry, I mean WTF, this is Japan you knew this when you came over, if you don't like it you can have Macdonalds, just don't go into a Japanese restaurant and complain about these things!

Also the usual, a guide book really helps, read it through before you go (I guess you've probably done that ages ago) and plan for where you want to go at different times, as some places have strange closing days/times, I missed a couple of places because of that. Also there are leaflets in hotels about different places.

I stayed in Dai-ichi Hotel Annex which is probably a 3 star, English speaking staff, a couple of minutes to Shimbashii station, a convenience store just over the road and walking distance to Ginza. If you want, theres a bigger Dai-ichi Hotel right next to it, which I think is a 5 star hotel (well it is your honeymoon! )

Make sure you hit the fish market in Tokyo, probably the most interesting place you could visit.

ChrisR

enix2093 said:

Japan is surely the safest place I can think of. There's virtually no crime here, and I've lived here for over 4 years. Everyone is super polite, even the homeless. Don't listen to that one dude who advised you to be scared of the bums. It's not like in the US where they'd murder your ass for $5. The people you need to watch out for are the Americans, the Africans, and---well just everyone who isn't Japanese.

As for travel, my only suggestion is that you must go to the Akihabara district of Tokyo. That's for sure. And you must 100% definitely visit Super Potato in Akihabara (Tip: it's located behind Club Sega) if you like video games at all. It's probably the greatest game store I've ever been to... And be prepared to dedicate at least 2 days to Akihabara, because you will NOT have enough time to browse all of the crazy game and toy shops there in 1 day.

Knowing directional Japanese would be a bigger help than anything. Ordering food and whatnot is pointless because once they see your pearly-white face, they're gonna speak English to you no matter how good your Japanese is.

The least of your worries is going to be getting shanked or robbed...your biggest worry will be not having enough money. I spent $900 in 2 days in Akihabara, so be prepared.

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This is so unnecessary, but I just cannot stand when I am misquoted. I never said to be afraid of bums. I said you should not talk to them because a lot of them are extremely bitter and it is unsafe. You, having lived in Japan for 4 years, should know this. I was responding to a quote of someone who was recommending talking to homeless people. Why on Earth would you go out of your way to do this? Regardless of the fact that Japanese homeless people probably are not as bitter as those in other countries, and most likely nothing would happen, I have had bad experiences with bums, and have seen fights with them, so why take the risk?

I almost died when you said Japan virtually has no crime. I don't mean to be a dick, but do you seriously live there? If so, do you read the news? Crime in general in Japan is much lower than the rest of the world, but this does not mean you can be a careless tourist and not take precautions. Again, the odds of a problem happening are lower than other counties you could visit, but again, why have the false belief that there is virtually no crime. The fact of the matter is, thievery and pick pocketing is a problem in the big cities, and if you don't believe me, then ride your local subway in Osaka and read the signs on the trains saying to be careful of pickpockets. Real need for a sign like this if there is virtually no crime right? I will agree that the Africans and South Americans there can be unpleasant sometimes, but you will only run into Africans by going to clubs, strip clubs, hip hop clothing stores, or ahem "adult establishments of physical pleasure." The South Americans mostly are the ones playing instruments on the street, and can be obnoxious as hell when they are drunk.

Finally, about the English. Being a white person in Tokyo is losing its novelty (although is still there in other, more rural parts of the country). Every year there are more and more foreigners, and walking around in any of the touristy areas, ESPECIALLY Akihabara, will guarantee you to see many of them. That being said, Japanese people do not expect you to speak Japanese, and they will attempt to avoid communication at all costs with you unless necessary. However, they will attempt to speak English to you if they must, but I promise you that 9 out of 10 times they will not have a clue of what you are saying. The reason why I am saying this is because although Japanese people are extremely accomodating to tourists and will go way out of their way to help you, do not expect them to speak English on the level of the Dutch.

Don't get me wrong. I love Japan and miss it every day. My gf is Japanese, I have friends there, and her family is all there. It is a great country, BUT it does have its fair share of problems just like every other place in the world. My advice would be to just take regular travel precautions and have a great time. It really is a great country with a lot to offer. I wish you a really fun and safe trip.

PS Take LOTS AND LOTS of money and remember that there still are a lot of places which DO NOT accept credit cards!!

If the spics are going to mug me in Japan... , God, I would be so pissed off.

I don't have the time to read through other people's posts so maybe I'm saying what's already been said but...
Japan is a very, very, very (I can't stress this enough) safe place to travel in. You really shouldn't be worried at all. Knowing Japanese would certainly be helpful but if you plan on staying in only Kyoto, Tokyo, and other cities with buttloads of tourism, it really isn't needed at all. When you go to buy your shinkansen tickets, they'll speak to you in English, when you go to your hotel, they'll speak to you in English... it's really only necessary when asking directions.

If you intend to travel the country, get a JR Pass. It can only be purchased outside of Japan but it can really give you your bang for your buck (provided, again, if frequent or long distance travel is in the works).

Finally, buy the "Lonely Planet" book for Japan. It will tell you all of this and more. I spent two weeks in Japan all by myself and it was absolutely invaluable. And have a great trip!! (and honeymoon)

I've been to Japan a few times. I love the place, but it definitely is kind of weird. Here's a few tips and observations.

"Friendliness" - Depends on where you are. In most of Tokyo, it's like..."oh great another white guy" Totally blase. You will not talk to anyone. Just point at the pictures in the menu and grunt. People are nice, but it's out of tradition, not any particular affinity for you. However, if you get out of the city it's a different story. A friend and I were walking around Yokohama looking confused (We were--couldn't find Chinatown) and a very friendly man at a gas station came out and asked us if we were lost. He showed us where to go and everything. This will not happen in Tokyo. The friendliest people in Tokyo are the older people--they would talk to me etc. even if their English wasn't the best. You'll never have a decent conversation with anyone under 50 though.

Crime -- It seems to me, that street crime in Japan is at the very least totally invisible. I was amazed that I could walk for miles through Tokyo at 2 AM and not encounter any shady characters or a hint of a slummy area. It's truly bizarre. (And quite convenient given how expensive Taxis are) I don't consider pickpocketing a major crime--as far as violent crime and stuff like that goes...I don't think you have to worry.

As for the foreigners in Japan--even the African immigrant pimp dudes are cool. Since they speak perfect English, they were some of the only people in Japan I could have an actual conversation with. After declining their, uh, services, I often had some pretty good discussions with them about life in Japan. After spending a few weeks in Japan--you're desperate to have any kind of conversation with anyone since nobody speaks English...or if they do, they don't bother. So even talking to a pimp was cool.

Video games -- this is the important stuff! As others have stated, you *HAVE* to go to Akihabara. And not only that, you have to schedule 2-3 days there. Being a super nerd, I spend like 6-8 days just excavating the place every time I go. There's so much STUFF! There's also lots of weird porn and pseudo-porn that you can't help coming across when digging through Akihabara--definitely freaks out my western brain, but it's generally hilarious.

Osaka is a great spot too--Den Den Town is the Osaka version of Akihabara (which used to be home to a Neo Geo World...the sign is still there!). Osaka is a little more gritty than Tokyo (Tokyo is so ridiculously clean it's seriously unbelievable) but not any worse than your average American city. You can get better deals because it's not as well traveled as Akihabara. Plus it's a great excuse to get on the Shinkansen (bullet train) which is truly magnificent!

There are other game and toy shops all over the place--Shinjuku, Ikebukero has a nice Toys R Us, etc. etc. It's fun and easy to explore given the INCREDIBLE mass transit system.

Arcades are incredible. Very clean. Often organized by floor--so floor 1 is crane machines, floor 2 is all fighting games, floor 3 shoothers, etc. Very cool. Lots of retro stuff too.

Getting around - Getting around Tokyo is a snap. The further you get from the big cities though, the less English (or Romaji) you see. Get a Lonely Planet guide to Japan and Tokyo, and then use that to figure out which subway stops you need to go on. In most Tokyo subway terminals there's a sign with English versions of the Kanji for each stop. But the place where you buy your token is all in Kanji. So what I would do is memorize the first and last character of the stop I wanted ("Ok--the first character looks like a duck on fire, the last character looks like a christmas present under a table") and then look for those characters on the map where I buy my token. I used this for reading street signs too.

I know virtually no Japanese, but I can get around quite easily. At most restaurants the menus have pictures, or there's rubber food in a case in front of the place.

Cost - I don't find Tokyo or Japan as a whole that expensive. I stay at decent hotels, and eat pretty well, and don't spend a lot of money. The food is *FANTASTIC*...and the best part. NO TIPPING. What I do end up blowing all my money on are games and junk like that. Which is fine by me.

The prices you see in Tokyo aren't THAT great--ebay has pretty much ruined bargain hunting worldwide. People know how much stuff is worth--with that said, in places like Akihabara you'll find stuff fairly cheap--cheaper than ebay at least. Unless it's super rare. Also, if you're buying new stuff make sure you scope out 5-6 stores before you buy. There is FIERCE price competition in Akihabara--if you buy what you're looking for at the first store you see it at, you'll be disappointed when you see it for %10-30 less somewhere else.

In regards to crime in Japan, let's not forget The Yakuza, but if you stay out out of the places they hang 'round in, it should be no worries--just STAY AWAY FROM THEIR TURF!!

Jonathan said:

In regards to crime in Japan, let's not forget The Yakuza, but if you stay out out of the places they hang 'round in, it should be no worries--just STAY AWAY FROM THEIR TURF!!

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Corky shoots from the hip.

chrisr said:

Make sure you hit the fish market in Tokyo, probably the most interesting place you could visit.

ChrisR

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This is a very good suggestion. When I was living there, I put this off for a long time, because "visiting a fish market" just doesn't sound that interesting... and when I suggest it to other people, they're like "yeah... doesn't sound that interesting."

It is though. Totally worth the trip. Chances are, your wife will enjoy it more than Akihabara too.

Tsukiji Fish Market

I also suggest doing Karaoke with just you and your wife (unless you plan to meet friends or family there?). Most places have a wide selection of english songs, and it's generally a lot of fun.

So what exactly IS up with this fish market? I have the same experience as you sorta--everyone tells me to go there, but I skip it every year because "hey it's just a fish market". How interesting can it possibly be? I did hear the seafood restaurants around there are fantastic, so I guess I'll add it to my list for this year's TGS trip.

I don't know about Japan, but I was just in Hong Kong and Beijing and couldn't find Neo stuff anywhere. I thought Hong Kong would be full of it, because several eBay shops are listed as being in Hong Kong. I spent hours in Kowloon trying to find carts....

Better luck in the motherland.

imagamer2 said:

I don't know about Japan, but I was just in Hong Kong and Beijing and couldn't find Neo stuff anywhere. I thought Hong Kong would be full of it, because several eBay shops are listed as being in Hong Kong. I spent hours in Kowloon trying to find carts....

Better luck in the motherland.

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In HK (I think it you get off at the Mon Kok subway stop) you need to hit the Golden Market. You will find AES carts there. Otherwise, you could visit Queenie for MVS carts at Cosmico.

ChrisR

You are living my dream. Good luck to the both of you.

The best advice would be to take as much money as you can and use credit cards whenever possible to ensure a good exchange rate.

this thread is terrible

soulthug said:

this thread is terrible

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Why do you post here, then?


BTW: is you on your sign?