Anybody ever to Japan?

[anonymoose]

We’re going next March. No tour. Heard the trains are awesome so we’ll probably do a lot of that.
A friend did a tour and they visited temple after temple. Said it was boring.
Suggestions?

[AProudLefty]

Stay away from suspicious places. A friend of mine went in what he thought was a bar and it turns out to be where the Yakuza was. He looked around, realized where he was and slowly backed away.

[Doc Dutch]

We’re going next March. No tour. Heard the trains are awesome so we’ll probably do a lot of that.
A friend did a tour and they visited temple after temple. Said it was boring.
Suggestions?

I've been across much of Japan back in the 1980s. Hiroshima for the museum, peace bells and such. Over the hill from Hiroshima is Iwakuni, both a joint Naval Air base and also the site of Iwakuni castle. Good little Feudal Japan museum there. Matsushima in the north is interesting and has a good temple. Tokyo is good for a day or two just for the sights and sounds. Mt. Fuji is a popular suicide point for Japanese. Consider going there.

Don't expect the food to be like Japanese restaurants. Their staple food is noodles - Soba. Tofu too. Meat is extra. You'll find out why Japanese are a lot skinnier than Americans.

Their laws are strict on misconduct, drunkenness, etc. Don't violate any laws, mind your manners. Don't mistake politeness for weakness because they aren't weak.

Learn basic phrases in Japanese, what I call "restaurant and bar" Japanese. Japanese learn English in school so they speak at least a little. However, if you're the "ugly American" showing no respect for a shop owner they'll decline proving they know English. They're an honorable people who, on average, would rather lose a sale than look stupid in front of an Ugly American.

OTOH, if you are friendly, polite and attempt to speak Japanese, meaning you humble yourself first by looking ignorant, the smiles come out and they'll be equally polite and helpful. Between the two of you, all your questions should be answered.

[Doc Dutch]

Stay away from suspicious places. A friend of mine went in what he thought was a bar and it turns out to be where the Yakuza was. He looked around, realized where he was and slowly backed away.

It's good to stick to the main streets in any foreign country or Blue City in the US.

[AProudLefty]

I've been across much of Japan back in the 1980s. Hiroshima for the museum, peace bells and such. Over the hill from Hiroshima is Iwakuni, both a joint Naval Air base and also the site of Iwakuni castle. Good little Feudal Japan museum there. Matsushima in the north is interesting and has a good temple. Tokyo is good for a day or two just for the sights and sounds. Mt. Fuji is a popular suicide point for Japanese. Consider going there.

Don't expect the food to be like Japanese restaurants. Their staple food is noodles - Soba. Tofu too. Meat is extra. You'll find out why Japanese are a lot skinnier than Americans.

Their laws are strict on misconduct, drunkenness, etc. Don't violate any laws, mind your manners. Don't mistake politeness for weakness because they aren't weak.

Learn basic phrases in Japanese, what I call "restaurant and bar" Japanese. Japanese learn English in school so they speak at least a little. However, if you're the "ugly American" showing no respect for a shop owner they'll decline proving they know English. They're an honorable people who, on average, would rather lose a sale than look stupid in front of an Ugly American.

OTOH, if you are friendly, polite and attempt to speak Japanese, meaning you humble yourself first by looking ignorant, the smiles come out and they'll be equally polite and helpful. Between the two of you, all your questions should be answered.

LOL good advices. My friend is very good with English. Sometimes I help him improve his English. It's around 80 to 90% English knowledge and understanding. I suspect it's the same generally.

[anonymoose]

It's good to stick to the main streets in any foreign country or Blue City in the US.

We walked around the backstreets of Seoul and didn’t have a problem.

[AProudLefty]

I've been across much of Japan back in the 1980s. Hiroshima for the museum, peace bells and such. Over the hill from Hiroshima is Iwakuni, both a joint Naval Air base and also the site of Iwakuni castle. Good little Feudal Japan museum there. Matsushima in the north is interesting and has a good temple. Tokyo is good for a day or two just for the sights and sounds. Mt. Fuji is a popular suicide point for Japanese. Consider going there.

Don't expect the food to be like Japanese restaurants. Their staple food is noodles - Soba. Tofu too. Meat is extra. You'll find out why Japanese are a lot skinnier than Americans.

Their laws are strict on misconduct, drunkenness, etc. Don't violate any laws, mind your manners. Don't mistake politeness for weakness because they aren't weak.

Learn basic phrases in Japanese, what I call "restaurant and bar" Japanese. Japanese learn English in school so they speak at least a little. However, if you're the "ugly American" showing no respect for a shop owner they'll decline proving they know English. They're an honorable people who, on average, would rather lose a sale than look stupid in front of an Ugly American.

OTOH, if you are friendly, polite and attempt to speak Japanese, meaning you humble yourself first by looking ignorant, the smiles come out and they'll be equally polite and helpful. Between the two of you, all your questions should be answered.

I've always wanted to stay at those types of motels.

[Doc Dutch]

We walked around the backstreets of Seoul and didn’t have a problem.

It depends but as a general rule of thumb, best to be cautious in unknown territory.

You said "we're going" so I'm guessing you'll have a woman with you. A purse is an easy target for someone on a moped. Best each of you have an elastic money belt for extra cash, credit cards and, especially, your passport.

Lose credit cards or your passport in a foreign country would prove to be more excitement than you desired. Since you've already been overseas, you probably know the drill already.

[Doc Dutch]

I've always wanted to stay at those types of motels.

They're great for a "date" or a "nooner".

[Jack]

We’re going next March. No tour. Heard the trains are awesome so we’ll probably do a lot of that.
A friend did a tour and they visited temple after temple. Said it was boring.
Suggestions?

"Pachinko
Pachinko is a type of mechanical game originating in Japan and is used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a Japanese gambling niche comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling.Wikipedia"

You'll end up running into one of these places. When they tell you to go collect your Winnings down the street and in an Alley, don't think they are trying to rip you off. It's some kind of weird fucking law that they can't pay you off where you actually won the money!

[Sailor]

We’re going next March. No tour. Heard the trains are awesome so we’ll probably do a lot of that.
A friend did a tour and they visited temple after temple. Said it was boring.
Suggestions?

What part are you going to Doc?

[anonymoose]

What part are you going to Doc?

All over I guess. This is wife’s idea. My buddy says it’s pretty boring but he was on a tour. We don’t do the tour thing. We do our own. Fly in to Tokyo ant out of Tokyo I assume.

[Sailor]

All over I guess. This is wife’s idea. My buddy says it’s pretty boring but he was on a tour. We don’t do the tour thing. We do our own. Fly in to Tokyo ant out of Tokyo I assume.

Definitely get Japanese Rail Pass. Are you looking for adventure, serenity or both?

[AProudLefty]

Definitely get Japanese Rail Pass. Are you looking for adventure, serenity or both?

Geishas are pretty expensive. And if you go to that city, do not ever stop geishas from walking.

[anonymoose]

Definitely get Japanese Rail Pass. Are you looking for adventure, serenity or both?

Both