Anyone been to Japan before?

[Yellow Saddle]

Cool your jets, mate. There was no insult. But it is not that helpful to someone who is asking for advice on Japan to tell them your very personal story of diarrhea as if it were some general feature , of Japan that they should watch out for.

No "mate". It was a story about venturing out without a translator. If it was too graphic for you or you don't get the allegory, ask or be silent.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Three worthwhile day (or weekend) trips out of Tokyo.

1. The shrines at Nikko are actually worth seeing despite the tourist hype.
2. Hot springs are everywhere and they are always good (the etiquette is very important though so make sure you know it before going), but it's worth going out to the ones around Hakone, then taking the cable car out over the sulphurous mountainside before completing the ciruit by taking one of the ridiculously kitsch European-style boats over the lake.
3. Kamakura, one of the old capitals of Japan, not reinventing itself as a bit of 'green' capital, and also Zushi, the Tokyo surfers' day out, beyond.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

No "mate". It was a story about venturing out without a translator. If it was too graphic for you or you don't get the allegory, ask or be silent.

One for the ignore list. Bye-bye.

 

[Brandane]

Japan. Was there in late 1978 and again in early 1979 as a first trip deck cadet on a merchant cargo ship (m.v. Stratheden owned by P&O).
Loved every minute of it. Kobe, Yokohama, Nagoya, and a few other ports.
Went to see the Stranglers in concert in Osaka, October 1978.
Caught a bullet train to Tokyo and got drunk in the Sapporo beer hall.
Had my first McDonalds (ok it wasn't a cultural visit!) at the Motomachi in Yokohama.
We actually did manage some cultural stuff, visiting Temples, and visiting some very dodgy escort bars in Kobe where a bottle of beer was the equivalent of about £2, in 1978!

 

[Hitchington]

Thanks for all the advice.
I've seen return flights for £420-£500, will now probably be going for 10 days, maybe more. Not taking my bike but have read on seat61 I can get a weekly train pass for about £190 for ANY train in Japan so will do a few days in Tokyo then travel by train around Honshu maybe even going north to Hokkaido. I know it can be expensive but I aim to do it as cheaply as possible (capsules and hostels) eating in cafes etc...

 

[Hitchington]

And no worries about getting diarrhea in Japan, I'll just sing and dance this to the doctor, they'll know exactly what to do

 

[theclaud]

One for the ignore list. Bye-bye.

A move you might regret if you need technical advice...

 

[TheDoctor]

Get to Kyoto if you possibly can. And it's not impossible to manage on your own - signage in stations is all bilingual and many Japanese people have at least some English.

 

[jonny jeez]

Keep your insults to yourself.

Has the post been edited...because I don't see any insult?

 

[sidevalve]

Try reading 'ride in the neon sun' by Josie Dew. It's a story of a cycling trip around Japan. Ok maybe a bit old now but still interesting

 

[Brandane]

Therefore, my advice to you is: learn to spell diarrhea.

Diarrhoea.

 

[nickyboy]

A move you might regret if you need technical advice...

Yup, @Yellow Saddle is my "rim man" which sounds terribly graphic but is actually far more mundane

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Thanks for all the advice.
I've seen return flights for £420-£500, will now probably be going for 10 days, maybe more. Not taking my bike but have read on seat61 I can get a weekly train pass for about £190 for ANY train in Japan so will do a few days in Tokyo then travel by train around Honshu maybe even going north to Hokkaido. I know it can be expensive but I aim to do it as cheaply as possible (capsules and hostels) eating in cafes etc...

Good for you @Hitchington. Enjoy. Oh and do report back on here

 

[jefmcg]

Thinking of going October time for a week, need some recommendations and top tips.

I was there in the mid eighties. My strong advice is to be a slightly weird looking young woman**

If you wind up drinking with US marines, don't go back to their hotel room. The corridors have cameras, and it's humiliating to expelled from a service hotel at 3am. Plus nothing is open in Tokyo at that time, so the nuns you are staying with will think you have been murdered. (Ok, so maybe your experience will be different)

Learn some japanese. Even a little well help a lot, and set you apart from the other tourists.

The food is wonderful. It's nearly impossible to get decent Japanese food in the UK, so be prepared for unexpected flavours. It's a delight once you get used to it, or relax into it.

You can buy beer from vending machines in the street, and under 18s don't buy it, because it's illegal.

** I had the weirdest experience in Tokyo. I was there with a large bunch of women of all ages (though not many old enough to remember the war). The group included my friend who I shared a hair dresser with, and looked a lot like me, as well as many other young women. But at one stage a group of students wearing what looked like 19th century military uniforms (Japanese school uniforms are weird) came up to me , and waved their camera at me and asked for a photo. I reached for the camera, assuming they wanted me to take their photo. No, they wanted me in their photo. They bunched around me at took a photo. By the third time this happened, I was used to it. I very much regret not handing them my camera so I'd have a photo to prove this happened. I still don't understand this. As I say, I was with a lot of women, and this happened to me 3 times (at least) and did not happen to any of my travelling companions.

For reference, here is me in Japan.

And here is a bunch of the other people, including my much better looking friend with the same hair cut.

 

[Hitchington]

Good for you @Hitchington. Enjoy. Oh and do report back on here

will do