Going to Japan

oh my, I envy you so much :sigh: to go to japan would be a dream come true. to visit places like akihabara or to enter a real japanese temple... to talk to a real japanase person... to eat REAL sushi in a REAL sushi bar :why2: I really don't see how I could go to japan since it costs... A LOT :...:
 
kenyoo said:
oh my, I envy you so much :sigh: to go to japan would be a dream come true. to visit places like akihabara or to enter a real japanese temple... to talk to a real japanase person... to eat REAL sushi in a REAL sushi bar :why2: I really don't see how I could go to japan since it costs... A LOT :...:
Click to expand...

Meh.. you get used to it after a while. :goodboy:
 
$2000:omg2:, im glad to have saved you the money
 
Meep. I only have two words for Japan, "University Exchange Program."

Only one more year to go until I can register:crazed:

I can't wait!
 
Kinda late, but have fun man. Japan's a wonderful country, I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do. So you plan on going all over? Lucky. I've always wanted to tour around Japan, but it would cost an arm and a leg. I've been to Tokyo, Yokohama, Sendai, the Aichi prefecture (Nagoya, Kyoto, Takayama), so if you have any questions about those places, then let me know! You can seriously blow off a good 3 weeks in Tokyo alone...because it's so freakin' huge. In fact, I think I blew off 2 weeks in Akiba alone last summer. XD There's so much to see over there!

My favorite places in Tokyo:

Akihabara- Every otaku's dream

Harajuku- If you're into J-pop, they have a ton of idol shops here...including the Hello! Project store. They also have the Yoyogi arena just around the corner, and lots of artists hold concerts here during the summer. You'll see lots of goth loli's here! If you have time, get a crepe from one of the stands. Some of the best crepe you'll ever have!

Shibuya- Definitely the fashion district, where you'll see a lot of fashionable people.

Shinjuku- Some nice shops here and there, and the red light district! (kabuki-cho) if you're into that kinda thing, haha.

Suidobashi- Right next to the Tokyo Dome. I think anyone should go to the Tokyo Dome at least once. It's amazing at night.
 
hi guys...newbie here, heheh

can somebody find me a job there so i can live in japan. :) right now i'm a qualified graphic designer... more or less motion graphic designer as i am working in a broadcast station...so can anybody help me? so to hijack the thread ;)
 
I think you may have already gone, but may as well keep suggesting things for other people to read.

I'm a big fan of going to places most people don't. Akiba, Harajuku, and so on, those are the kinds of place every tourist goes to, and theres nothing wrong with that. You definately wanna see those places if your on a tight schedule. But I think the regular places are far more interesting as you can see slightly more normal japanese people and realize as I have that life is pretty much the same anywhere you go.

One of my favorite places in Tokyo, and I recommend it if you have a free night to go drinking, is a city called Takadanobaba. Its on the Yamanote line between Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. Its very close to my university and on any given Friday or Saturday night, the streets will be packed with drunk japanese students.:hematemesis: Its really a sight to behold. Especially the tennis circles cuz they have so many members. I was at a nomikai for my club a few weeks ago and saw a bunch of drunk tennis girls making out with each other.

:dizzy: スゲー is all that came to my mind.

discosupafly is right. After while, its just like... I live here. The amazingness wears off.

And for lomojeo, do you speak japanese? Thats not my field, but it seems like the kind of job that would be difficult to obtain if you dont speak japanese. Ganbare!
 
Yea, not sure if you have gone or not. I can imagine that when you get there you'll still be able to check this thread for more suggestions as well. A good book for your bag would be the lonely planet. They have actual sources that travel/live in the country so it's extremely up to date and accurate.
lomojeo, I would look into teaching English to live and work in Japan. Finding real world work is extremely difficult without language knowledge. Especially in the field of art.
shujin said:
discosupafly is right. After while, its just like... I live here. The amazingness wears off
Click to expand...
not sure I agree with either of you on this. I've been here for 4 years and I'm still amazed that I'm still here. I guess it's all in how you live your life. But drunk girls making out with each other is a top site! I'll see it this weekend as well.
desioner
 
desioner said:
not sure I agree with either of you on this. I've been here for 4 years and I'm still amazed that I'm still here. I guess it's all in how you live your life. But drunk girls making out with each other is a top site! I'll see it this weekend as well.
desioner
Click to expand...

I should clarify I suppose. I meant more along the lines of "culture shock" things like cosplayers and what not.

Japan is fantastic place with a great many wonderul things to see even after my 2 years as well.

Make sure you check out Daruma, which is like a Waseda University landmark ( or at least it should be). There you can see exactly what Im talking about. Theres even a puke only sink in the mens room ha ha. Its directly across the rotary from the station's Waseda exit.
 
Id love to visit japan over my summer vaction one day, i probably well in 3-4 years, but id sure would hate to live there for life, im too accustomed to NY, and since most my relatives live here
 
If you only go to one city in Japan, make it Kyoto... If you ever live in a city in Japan, make it Kobe... Kobe is so sweet.. Ocean, mountain range, and beautiful architecture..

As for myself, I prefer out in the sticks such as the place I call home....Nara-ken
 
Ins@nity said:
Seems like the JR pass will justify its cost after just 2 or 3 train rides.
Awesome.
I'm not one to plan too much in advance. The JR pass seems like it will give alot of freedom. I'll definitely get one. Thanks.
Click to expand...
The JR pass will save you a lot of money - also, I think you can buy it here in the West for a discounted price. My wife buys it before she goes back home to Japan - she says it is MUCH cheaper here in Canada. Also, it will give you the freedom to see a lot of places you wouldn't ever go to because you couldn't afford it.

Make sure you get to as much as Japan as you can. It is beautiful all over. I lived there for 3 years but did get to travel as much because travelling was expensive and because I worked and could only travel on Japanese holiday times, which if anyone has ever lived there, this is a crazy time to travel (as everybody is doing it the same time) - and they jack up the prices of everything three times the usual. Since I was trying to save money, it wasn't really an option.
 
desioner said:
Yea, not sure if you have gone or not. I can imagine that when you get there you'll still be able to check this thread for more suggestions as well. A good book for your bag would be the lonely planet. They have actual sources that travel/live in the country so it's extremely up to date and accurate.
lomojeo, I would look into teaching English to live and work in Japan. Finding real world work is extremely difficult without language knowledge. Especially in the field of art.

not sure I agree with either of you on this. I've been here for 4 years and I'm still amazed that I'm still here. I guess it's all in how you live your life. But drunk girls making out with each other is a top site! I'll see it this weekend as well.
desioner
Click to expand...
I never saw drunk girls making out in my stay at Japan, but I did see two 15 year old girls (who were secret girlfriends) kissing and holding hands and touching each other on a subway ride to a tennis match I was going to at 8am on a Saturday morning. Needless to say, that was quite a rude awakening. I mean rude in the good way ... they were in their sailor moon school uniforms - Kawaii!!
 
Evil Kitten said:
I sure hope the rest of the Japan is prettier than Tokyo. I only spent a couple days in Ueno but man was that city UGLY. Drab, dull, and boring architecture for the most part. Sure, there are some really interesting buildings scattered around, but the vast majority are really plain and look kind of sooty. You would expect a lack of architectural sophistication and cleanliness in a city like Bangkok or Manila, but I was surprised to see it in Tokyo. As for the cost, it doesn't really bother me that Japan is expensive, what bothers me is that you get a rather poor value in return. Outside of food, nearly everything was overpriced in my view, especially lodging and transportation.
Click to expand...
Hi Evil:

While I would agree with you about the ugliness of Japan and true it can be a VERY expensive city with not a high value to your Yen - there are some bargains around if you look.

When I lived there, I lived in this area just west of Shinjuku on the Keio line, and I found many really cheap things. Examples - buying fresh veggies directly from the little farms or from the farm vending machines (I loved those things), I found a very cheap clothing store where I would get shirts for 500 Yen and pants for 1000 Yen, rice from the real farmers rice store and also found an import shop that had foreign food for cheaper than some local foods (go figure). Also, there are "TONS" of deals to be had (food especially) at Ueno's flea market Ameyoko -food is VERY cheap by Tokyo standards.

Also, how can you forget the Gyunyu cream stands (the little dorai like pies filled with red beans, or cream for 100 Yen). I miss them so much - of course they are fattening - but SO good.
 
Get a cheap flight to Japan?

Hi,
I really would like to fly to Japan more often, but here in Europe the prices for a flight to Japan are so high. Does anybody has an idea, where or how to buy cheap tickets to Japan?
That would be a great help.
Thanks!

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom