Going to Japan

[Lebowsk1]

Looks like I'm off to Japan soon. I'm very excited, I'm not going to pretend otherwise, it's like a dream. Just thinking about Japan is exciting to me, so to actually step off a plane and BE there....

So I'll be staying in/near Tokyo. Looks like maybe in a cheaper hotel to start with and then moving to a nicer one closer to the action. Gonna be there for 2 weeks. My pal who I'm going with can get discounts on the flights so it's all good.

The point? Anyone else been there and got stories to tell? Any advice, do's and don'ts? What should I learn before I go? Any tips on where to hang out?

Y'knowm the kind of thing.

Heh I definitely want to scope out the A-cho arcade and maybe watch the ranking battle... anyone know where it is?

[ytwojay]

http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/

[Lebowsk1]

^ Hah yeah I've read those. Unless I'm mistaken, that's the dude teaching in Japan who has to fend off the ass-thumbing. I mostly remember that, and the way he is moved by the gift he receives from the girl.

When you look at it, that's kinda Japan in a nutshell right there, the extremes I guess, or at least how I view it (as someone who hasnt YET visited).

I'll probably read those again though, or at least read the newer ones. Any more stuff is welcome, links and stories and just any advice. I'll post a write-up of my 2 weeks here when I get back (although I'm not going until spring time.... I made it clear that we have to go when the cherry blossoms are out, just wouldnt be Japan without them)

[Return of Shiki]

^ Hah yeah I've read those. Unless I'm mistaken, that's the dude teaching in Japan who has to fend off the ass-thumbing.

I wonder where that guy disappeared to???

[ytwojay]

I wonder where that guy disappeared to???
He still posts regularly here.

[catchafire]

Yeah, it's Azrael... Duh.

[Akelexre]

Visiting is better then living there. If you're just staying for a couple of weeks, you'll have a good time. Have fun.

[MAGUS1234]

to get preboard on the flight say your feet get numb from bad circulation...always works....lol

[Shade]

I wonder where that guy disappeared to???

Noob.

[{PFH}-Lake]

I wouldnt mind going there cause I want to see what it is like cause I dont belive anti-jap haters or jap fanboys. I want to go there to judge for my self.

[Fudd]

I'm pretty sure Shiki was being sarcastic, hence three question marks.

[Return of Shiki]

I'm pretty sure Shiki was being sarcastic, hence three question marks.

Quoted for truth.

noobs.

[ezekial45]

Is there any hostility towards foreigners in Japan? Specifically, people of African decent (Is half Black)? I've been to France before (Example) and the natives there were complete jerks. Is this place, Japan, genuinely more friendly?

[Debaser]

Is there any hostility towards foreigners in Japan? Specifically, people of African decent (Is half Black)? I've been to France before (Example) and the natives there were complete jerks. Is this place, Japan, genuinely more friendly?

No, French people are just assholes to Americans in particular. If you want to know how Japanese people react to black people, click on that link a few posts up.

[Shade]

Quoted for truth.

noobs.

Maybe you were, maybe you werent. I vote for the latter.

[Azrael]

Heh I definitely want to scope out the A-cho arcade and maybe watch the ranking battle... anyone know where it is?
Um...Kyoto. 500km away from Tokyo, so hopefully you have a Shinkansen rail pass or something of the sort.

I'm going to a-cho today so I'll take a glance at the ranking battles schedules. Off-hand, I think there's going to be a GGXX #R Slash tourney on the 13th.

Is there any hostility towards foreigners in Japan?
Yes.

While I'm sure the Japanese will not be as open and up-front as the French about it, there are undercurrents of "we don't like you", which manifest themselves in subtle ways.

[AdverseSolutions]

sup i just finished having sex with a japanese girl

[Shade]

sup i just finished having sex with a japanese girl

Pics, or it never happened.

[D.Fox]

don't get mad when japanese chicks don't jump all over your nerd cock.


With that said, I just finished having sex with a Korean girl a few hours ago.

[Biolink]

Sweet Man.Be sure to bring back pics.

[DaDesiCanadian]

Maybe you were, maybe you werent. I vote for the latter.

No, it's pretty obvious he was being sarcastic.

[Shade]

No, it's pretty obvious he was being sarcastic.

Ok. My mistake. Happens all the time.

[Azrael]

I just finished having sex with...actually, no, I just got back from a-cho. Here's the tourney schedule, the numbers should be easy enough to understand.

[1]

Damn, that would be a cool poster to have for my room. :karate: /Geek

[ytwojay]

No, it's pretty obvious he was being sarcastic.
Wasn't obvious to me. ;o

[Lebowsk1]

If he was being sarcastic (as it would now seem), does that mean he's mocking the fact that I wasnt aware that the "teacher dude" was Azrael and was a poster here? I remember being linked to the writings via Shoryuken, and I showed that I'd read them, so I wasnt being a complete n00b...

So yeah Azrael, sorry for not knowing who you were mate and thanks for the info. Can't say I'm a GG fan though, ideally I'd like to catch an Alpha 3 RB. Sounds like it is kinda a long journey anyway so maybe not...

Anyone got info on arcades in Tokyo?

[Gaijinblaze]

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=110821
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=124084

[Lebowsk1]

Well I was thinking maybe I should have done a search... so I guess it'd be best to let this thread die. But I might bump this up with some notes/a writeup on my trip once I'm back. :wgrin:

EDIT: ok the above is wrong, check the next post

[Lebowsk1]

Apologies for double post but it seems the two links posted (bare) above were in answer solely to my query regarding arcades in Tokyo. Although I appreciate that very much, I'd also like to get any advice I can on all things Tokyo related so I guess this thread could stay active after all!

Man, it's kinda confusing here eh, what with all the subtle sarcasm and what-not....

So yeah ok my next question: I like hip hop. Is there much of a scene in Tokyo? I'd really like to see some live Japanese rap, would be awesome... but do you think it would be wise going to a show? So I guess this also branches out into advice relating to all kinds of evening activities, like clubbing and drinking in bars etc.

Defintiely want to do some of that.

[Ryu & Ken]

I was going to america this august for evo, LA, new york and disney world

My friend has now cancelled and now I am thinking, is it worth me going to Japan alone in Tokyo and Osaka instead

As I will be going alone, so what do you guys think

[Biolink]

I think you should still go.It would be nice to go with a friend and bar-hop,but I think you can still have some fun by yourself.

[Ryu & Ken]

I think you should still go.It would be nice to go with a friend and bar-hop,but I think you can still have some fun by yourself.

dude I am doing Ryu or Terry Bogard ( in other words, I will be travelling by myself since my friend is not going) and I dont drink alcohol ?

I just went to America in March in LA and LV but I thought about Evo and Disney world this time BUT going to Disney world yourself is sad.

So I wouldnt want to go to America and not visit Disney world, so that why I am asking about Tokyo and Osaka instead.

I am going for 3 weeks in August and I am thinking how much will it be for plane tickets, accomendation and public transport or car rental ?

[Biolink]

I should have specified.I think you should travel to Osaka and Tokyo instead.

[Azrael]

So yeah ok my next question: I like hip hop. Is there much of a scene in Tokyo? I'd really like to see some live Japanese rap, would be awesome... but do you think it would be wise going to a show? So I guess this also branches out into advice relating to all kinds of evening activities, like clubbing and drinking in bars etc.

Defintiely want to do some of that.
Well, yeah, there's a scene at least. Why not see a show? Unfortunately I'm kind of impartial to hip hop and as such, I don't know much about shows and what not. I'm sure you can find something with Google's help though.

Tokyo is the best place in Japan for night life/clubs. If Taito pokes his head in this thread he can help you there, as he did the Tokyo nightlife for a few years. The best I can do is give you this link - http://www.cyberjapan.tv/contents/tokyoclubguide/indexE.html It's a listing of clubs in Tokyo with reviews, and directions.

Roppongi has a reputation of being kind of dirty. The foreigners there seem to be the worst of the bunch, and you'll find a bunch of Japanese tricks just looking for some quick foreign cock. Ducky and I once went into a trance club and pretty much everyone there was tripping out on some kind of drug (probably E).

So I wouldnt want to go to America and not visit Disney world, so that why I am asking about Tokyo and Osaka instead.

I am going for 3 weeks in August and I am thinking how much will it be for plane tickets, accomendation and public transport or car rental ?
Whether or not you want to go really depends on you...

A ticket in August will probably be at least $1000, if not more. Hotels just depend on where you choose to stay. Public transportation...trains are cheap and will get you to most places that you will want to go. If you're planning to go to Tokyo AND Osaka though, you'll need to ride the Shinkansen. It's $150 and a 2 1/2 trip one-way. You can buy a JR Rail Pass for $500 (I think) that'll let you travel all over the country. It would be more than worth it if you decided to go to other places besides Tokyo and Osaka. Car rental...don't bother.

Tokyo and Osaka are really just big, gray, ugly cities. As said before though, if you're after nightlife there's no better place in Japan than Tokyo. It's also where you'll find the best SF comp in, well, the whole world. If you're into electronics and what not, you can visit Akihabara, and also take a look at maid cafe's, the otaku subculture, and a whole bunch of other stuff that is kinda weird (and will be scarce outside of Tokyo). Not too far from Tokyo, I think Yokohama is nicer and cleaner. There's a ramen museum, and the Landmark Tower which has the fastest elevator in the world.

The people of Osaka are more colorful and open than in Tokyo. You won't see nearly as much weird shit, but you'll still see some head-turning stuff (like the manba-face people). Stop by "American Village" in Shinsaibashi to see a bunch of Japanese people pretending to be American, it's great.

If you're after nature and scenery, Kyoto and Nara are much better choices. Nara's main attraction is the deer park and Toudaiji, home of a huge Buddha statue. Kyoto has a lot of varied places - the infamous Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavillion), the Zen rock garden of Ninanji, the beautiful Arashiyama, et al.

Do keep in mind though that if you're planning a trip to Japan in AUGUST, that it will be hot and almost unbearably humid.

[Biolink]

Azrael,were you born in Japan,or did you go there for work,school,etc...

[mattpsx2]

Azrael,were you born in Japan,or did you go there for work,school,etc...



see -> http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/

[OmNiExiZt]

The point? Anyone else been there and got stories to tell? Any advice, do's and don'ts? What should I learn before I go? Any tips on where to hang out?


Arcades are readily available and most are open 24hrs. Try out all of the food you can, most of it is damn tasty. Go to a hot spring or bath house and shower before you get into the bath. Don't rape anyone or felch/grope women on the trains. Granted that you can get away with the groping thing (i've done it a few times) I wouldn't advise it since I don't know what japanese jail is like and I've never been caught. I don't have any wild stories because everything here seems almost normal to me with the exception of the extensive tools and things that can be found in the sex shops. Want to see Cosplay at it's finest? Go to Akihabara on a Sunday afternoon. As long as you mind your manners and don't slap bitches at random, you should be ok.

*ONEZ*

[D.Fox]

wtf, subway groping?

[G.O.T]

im interested in trying to get ticket to jp.
What is probably the estimated totl of what a person would be spending up there, and getting the ticket?

3,000 maybe?

[OmNiExiZt]

im interested in trying to get ticket to jp.
What is probably the estimated totl of what a person would be spending up there, and getting the ticket?

3,000 maybe?

You could probably find a ticket for about $800 and that's off season and reserved at least 4-6 months in advance. You could find a pretty decent hotel for about 65$ a day, but you have to be looking for a place to lay your head and not live like a pimp. Getting around is pretty cheap if you use the subway or get yourself a JRcard. If you can find someone from SRK who is real cool, you might be able to crash at their place for a week or 2 and the only money you'd have to spend then is feeding yourself, train rides and entertainment. So $3000 is more than enough depending on your living arrangements and how you spend it.

*ONEZ*

[Taito]

Tokyo is the best place in Japan for night life/clubs. If Taito pokes his head in this thread he can help you there, as he did the Tokyo nightlife for a few years.
Actually, the scene there changed so drastically in 2 years (probably thanks to all the post-club fights and criminal activity, caused by foreigners and Japanese) I can't really help anyone on that. Maybe if this thread is still around in a month or two I can add better suggestions.

Generally speaking, Shibuya is serious about real Hip Hop, Roppongi is a meat market.. Yokohama is a mix of the two, but classier and less crowded. If you do choose Roppongi, all the clubs are free on Thursday nights.. it's also far less crowded than on weekends, with less competition.

[Biolink]

wtf, subway groping?

Crammed trains FTW

[OmNiExiZt]

Actually, the scene there changed so drastically in 2 years (probably thanks to all the post-club fights and criminal activity, caused by foreigners and Japanese) I can't really help anyone on that. Maybe if this thread is still around in a month or two I can add better suggestions.

Generally speaking, Shibuya is serious about real Hip Hop, Roppongi is a meat market.. Yokohama is a mix of the two, but classier and less crowded. If you do choose Roppongi, all the clubs are free on Thursday nights.. it's also far less crowded than on weekends, with less competition.

:The Truth:

Are you going to be making back out to Japan anytime soon Taito?

*ONEZ*

[Taito]

I'm in Okinawa right now.. matter of fact I stayed at Yokota over New Years' weekend. Did you notice a dude walking around in the BX wearing a blue-and-white Nike warmup suit?

[Biolink]

Are you a student as well Taito?

[Taito]

Military and hating it.

[Biolink]

Aside from your line of duty,seems cool enough I guess.

[Preppy]

The advice I should have known before I went:
* Carry mad cash. It's going to be painful finding a US-card-taking cash machine. REALLY painful
* Carry a phone card OR a Japanese phone and make sure you have numbers of various friends on you at all times
* The craziest stuff is stuck in alleys up three floors. Do research on any area you're going to, it'll be worth it. Super Potato was pretty hard to find, but well worth it. So much crazy stuff available over there - have fun.
* Get maps of where you're going. You generally won't need them - I *never* travel with maps - but it's maybe the one place in the world that seems to be worth it.
* You can stay in Internet cafes if you get stuck out at night without enough cash to get home
* Carry lots of cash. (Why, yes, I did get stuck with no money and no cash machine within ... forever ... and only got bailed out by buying DS Lites on my credit card that I then resold to Phi and company :smile: )
* Way too much stuff closes at about midnight. Plan for it. =P

[D.Fox]

Are there any certain holiday weekends where i'd rather be in Japan than in Seoul. I dunno, i'm thinking of traveling around to keep me motivated but I dunno.

[OmNiExiZt]

I'm in Okinawa right now.. matter of fact I stayed at Yokota over New Years' weekend. Did you notice a dude walking around in the BX wearing a blue-and-white Nike warmup suit?

Cool, I thought you were still in the UK. I took leave from Dec. 19 and I just got back lastnight. The plan was to comeback and at least have the weekend off. But they started up this bullshitass exercise and here I am at work pulling 12's until like Wednesday. Is this your first time in Okinawa? I got a 3 friends over there now and one of them is pretty much a lifer that can show you around. Unfortunately for me, my time here is getting short. I'll be leaving this March if my extension doesn't get approved. More than likely it won't. But I'll be going to Shaw, so it aint all bad. I've been to both Kadena and Yokota for 2 years each. I'd give you some advice about Okinawa, but so much has changed since I the last time I was there, that most of it would be useless. So far as what all of my friends that are there now have told me, a lot has changed. If you want those names, then PM me and I'll get them to you. And I'll let them know to look out for you.

*ONEZ*

[DragonSama]

I when to Tokyo in September and I had a blast there. Here’s what I can tell you

For the love of all that is holy fly a Japanese airline. The main reason for this is not that it is necessarily better but at least you get to eat real means and they feed/ water you often. When I flew united I starved and was dehydrated by the time I got to shanghai. When I flew JAL to Tokyo I got 2 meals a snack and drinks on the regular.

The cheapest place I could find was Hotel Sunlight in Shinjuku. That hotel was in quick walking distance to Kabuki-cho (really hopping at night) and I had easy access to the subway there. I could get around almost anyplace I wanted to go in about 10-15 minutes on the train. The rooms there are small. There is a little hallway that has the bathroom and then at the end of the hallway there is a bed and an end table right next to it with barely enough room to crawl (literally) into the bed. It was as you would expect of a Japanese hotel very clean. For $80 a night I can’t complain.

You might want to avoid the rush hours when taking the train. Mainly because there is no room for your big Gaijin ass on there when they are cramming people on the trains by putting their foot on your ass and pushing until you are in. Then if you need to get off right ways you need to somehow get the mass of people rotating so you can get to the door. I saw one poor woman try in vain to get out of the middle of a packed train to make her stop and not make it to the door. She was in the center of the mass screaming and crying as the train pulled away.

You don’t need to know Japanese to go visit Japan. I learned a bunch of Japanese and when I tried to speak it they would just reply in English. When I tried to order ice cream at a little shack outside of Meiji Temple in Japanese (although I will admit I was speaking slow) the girl just looked back at me and in English said “Ok so you want one chocolate ice cream and a bottle of water. That will be 800 yen please” However it does help especially..

It is good however to learn how the Japanese say numbers because if you go shopping someplace like Asakusa or go to a temple you will be dealing with old people who don’t know English at all.

You can’t take pictures in Akiharabara. At least I couldn’t because whenever I pulled out a camera they would tell me no. Why this is I have no idea.

Japanese girls are all jealous of other girls. I was there with my wife (who is Chinese) and they would look at her with me then give her the evil glare or a jealous look. Especially when they look at her chest and then realize they don’t have one. (yes I saw several girls look at her chest then look at the lack of their own).

If you are Asian then you are automatically assumed to be Japanese. If you do not speak Japanese they are offended. When we got off the plane the flight attendant was talking to my wife in Japanese about where to get the bags and she kept telling her she wasn’t Japanese. The woman didn’t get it so I point to my wife and tell the lady “chugoku-jin desu” she looks a little mad and then speaks to me in English assuming she does not speak English either. So many people would talk to her in Japanese and she keep trying to tell them that she wasn’t but they kept going anyways that it wasn’t funny.

If you go around proclaiming yourself to be an otaku or acting like an anime character they will think you are an even bigger dork then the people back home do.

Japanese clubs can be fun. However if you are going there with the intentions of hitting it with some Japanese girls be selective because there are a lot of girls who are just straight up skanks. Don’t expect there to be a swarm of girls around you because that shit just don’t happen.

Prepare to be owned hard at the arcade. You are not ready for what they will throw at you. I managed to hold my own at Melty Blood and 3rd Strike for a match or two but damn if it wasn’t the hardest matches I ever played outside of a tournament.

if you plan on taking any electronics with you then buy a power converter with the plug adaptors because while it my look like standard 2 prong plug that shit is running 220 and will smoke you and your stuff in seconds.

Maps are a must! I had a Lonely Planet Tokyo and a Japanese map book and they saved my ass on countless occasions.

If you need to convert money the only place I know of is a money exchanging booth that is set up right outside Akiharabara Station next to Yodobashi camera. The Banks will not change your money.

Have a Visa card. Most places take it. However you should plan on spending cash almost all the time.

Japan was a blast for me and I might be heading there on business this year.

Have fun.

[Ryu & Ken]

I think I will come to America this year and go to Japan next year, as I will have more money to spend as I think I will spend more in America.

I will learn JPN and go as I will have one more year to learn and spend a better time there

[Lebowsk1]

Whoa ok thanks for all the advice and tipoffs so far, this stuff is gold.

Well, yeah, there's a scene at least. Why not see a show?
I guess I had a bit of hesitation after you said there is a lot of general suspicion of foreigners, and well you know what hip hop can be like. But after reading some other comments here I'm thinking that the atmosphere might even be better/friendlier than at UK hip hop shows. Wouldnt be hard to beat our hip hop scene to be honest. :sweat:
The best I can do is give you this link - http://www.cyberjapan.tv/contents/tokyoclubguide/indexE.html It's a listing of clubs in Tokyo with reviews, and directions.
That looks great thanks a lot. Any other Tokyo guide links are welcome of course. I'm just reading the TimeOut guide that my friend has leant me.
Actually, the scene there changed so drastically in 2 years (probably thanks to all the post-club fights and criminal activity, caused by foreigners and Japanese) I can't really help anyone on that. Maybe if this thread is still around in a month or two I can add better suggestions.
Yeah I hope it will be. Damn that sucks... do you mean foreigners fighting with Japanese or just a general decay in behaviour all across the board?
Generally speaking, Shibuya is serious about real Hip Hop,
Shibuya sounds too cool. Definitely need to see some Japanese emceeing.
* The craziest stuff is stuck in alleys up three floors. Do research on any area you're going to, it'll be worth it. Super Potato was pretty hard to find, but well worth it.
What is "Super Potato"?
For the love of all that is holy fly a Japanese airline. The main reason for this is not that it is necessarily better but at least you get to eat real means and they feed/ water you often. When I flew united I starved and was dehydrated by the time I got to shanghai. When I flew JAL to Tokyo I got 2 meals a snack and drinks on the regular.
Hm yeah I guess I'll have to look into that. I'm going from the UK. Ok at this point I should probably admit something really embarrasing... I've actually never been abroad (I'm 27 next month). Sort of ridiculous but there you go. However my travelling companion is quite experienced and has been all over the world so I'm hoping he'll be able to handle the booking of the flights and so on.

It's gonna be a baptism of fire but what the hell. Will be a complete mind-fuck, having been stuck on this STINKING ISLAND for so long and then stepping off a plane the other side of the world.
You might want to avoid the rush hours when taking the train.
Ok this is very true because I hate rush hour in London, never mind Tokyo. So are we talking 7:30 - 9:30 and 17:00 - 18:30 or there abouts? Eugh the crowds are gonna be a drag but I hear the transport system is better than the London underground at least, not as many delays and so on?
Mainly because there is no room for your big Gaijin ass on there when they are cramming people on the trains by putting their foot on your ass and pushing until you are in.
I know it'd be a taste of the culture so to speak... but I'd rather not be in that situation at all. Ever. Not that I'm claustrophobic, I'd just rather wait like an hour and have a bit of personal space.
Japanese clubs can be fun. However if you are going there with the intentions of hitting it with some Japanese girls be selective because there are a lot of girls who are just straight up skanks. Don’t expect there to be a swarm of girls around you because that shit just don’t happen.
Hahah yeah I'm gonna be approaching Japanese women like I do any others: with some respect and trepidation lol. Can't deny that it'd be great to hook up with one... I've been with a lady from the Philippines ("I love the way she fill her jeans" heheh) and although it wasnt for a long time, she was mindblowing. Even wrote a poem about when we met. But yeah, y'know, I'm not really the kind to go getting up in any old piece of ass.
Prepare to be owned hard at the arcade. You are not ready for what they will throw at you. I managed to hold my own at Melty Blood and 3rd Strike for a match or two but damn if it wasn’t the hardest matches I ever played outside of a tournament.
Shit yeah I don't know if I'll be able to hold my own at any game there to be honest... wish I was a bit better. Don't they have scrubs over there?

As for not acting like an anime character... lol You can appreciate how exiting this is for me, having never been abroad at all, I might be a bit hyper, but not anime-shit like close my eyes, smile and rub the back of my head. The cosplay-in-the-park sounds like a must though, will be some awesome pictures to get there.

Heheh my mate is a casual Street Fighter fan at best and he was joking about how my suitcase will burst open at heathrow airport on the way back and like hundreds of chun li resin figures will scatter everywhere, being highly embarrasing. But I'm thinking more key chains and nicknacks.

Ok... I'm going to read some more of this TimeOut guide and will have more questions later.

[improve]

advice and tipoffs? pffftt.. bring your samurai sword and learn how to breakdance... now thats advice.

[Preppy]

For the love of all that is holy fly a Japanese airline. The main reason for this is not that it is necessarily better but at least you get to eat real means and they feed/ water you often. When I flew united I starved and was dehydrated by the time I got to shanghai. When I flew JAL to Tokyo I got 2 meals a snack and drinks on the regular.I think I flew Delta/Song (?) and they gave us 2-3 meals and ice cream and let us watch unlimited movies out of a selection of ~60 or so. I didn't know United was that bad. Delta/Song was incredible.

You can’t take pictures in Akiharabara. At least I couldn’t because whenever I pulled out a camera they would tell me no. Why this is I have no idea.We generally just tried to ask politely and didn't get many nos. But picture-taking seems much more deliberate over there Get used to that funny sideways "V" J-POP! hands thing. It's fun.

Prepare to be owned hard at the arcade. You are not ready for what they will throw at you.Ooooooh - and you're also not ready for how fun gashapon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gashapon) (we would have bought hundreds of dollars of these if we had had enough yen on us), UFO Catchers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufo_catchers) (we DID spend hundreds of dollars on these), and their redemption token/pachinko games are. Bring lots of yen. The strangest stuff is insanely fun. And by lots of yen, I don't mean $10 - I will bring $200 per arcade bare minimum next time. Have enough will power to get out. :lol:

I spent $60 on the "Dragon Warrior" role-playing token pusher game(?!?), and even still had to keep waiting for J&P who were stuck there trying to beat the first level. So some guy randomly walked up with a $400 bucket of tokens and had me play with him using his tokens until they were ready to leave. These people play the strangest games seriously: he had an identity card for the machine and was glad to have my help leveling up. Imagine FFXI powered by quarter shoveling... wow.

if you plan on taking any electronics with you then buy a power converter with the plug adaptors because while it my look like standard 2 prong plug that shit is running 220 and will smoke you and your stuff in seconds.Great point - we also bought a USB hub to plug in all of our phones with. They didn't give out too much juice, but it solved our lack of outlet problems (8-10 people in one tiny room).


One of many Super Potato write-ups (http://www.tokyopia.com/tk/archives/000378.php). More crazy Japanese goodness. We walked away with all sorts of stuff - DDR hand pads, some crazy MvC1 guide book (the kind it'd take you weeks to get through), etc etc etc.


OOOOOH!
Porn: One of us bought a stack of porn at the corner store and forgot that a lot of stuff is mosaiced or blurred. So be aware: his crushing disappointment was hilarious. AAAAND: Japan is big on recycling (it's a tiny overburdened country)... so we randomly went downstairs and found stacks of porn mags in the recycling area. So... maybe if you're interested, take a quick look at the recycling bins and save yourself a bunch of money for stuff that's likely not worth it (magazine-wise at least). (Aaaaand, from my point of view: don't just randomly look at the backs of the porn movies in the shops. Japan is a strange strange country and you'll see stuff that will burn your eyes out. I felt queasy for an hour or so afterwards. Lesson learned.)

EDIT: better super potato picture (http://japan.row1.info/details.php?image_id=150)

[Saotome Kaneda]

I'm in Okinawa right now..

Hit me up on PMs. How much longer are you here? You need to get up with the rest of us.

[Azrael]

Porn: One of us bought a stack of porn at the corner store
Your friend actually bought Japanese porn? That's just disgusting and wrong.

[Biolink]

Isn't Japanese real life porn edited out(IIRC)?

[Return of Shiki]

I just went to America in March in LA and LV but I thought about Evo and Disney world this time BUT going to Disney world yourself is sad.

So I wouldnt want to go to America and not visit Disney world, so that why I am asking about Tokyo and Osaka instead.

I am going for 3 weeks in August and I am thinking how much will it be for plane tickets, accomendation and public transport or car rental ?


Do you mean Disney World or Disney Land?

Disneyland= Los Angeles (Anaheim), California
Disney World= Orlando, Florida

Because if you go to Disney World AND Evo, you have to fly all the way from Nevada to Florida which is a hell of lot more expensive.

You must have DEEP pockets.

And while I've never been to Disneyland, unless you are 8 years old or a HUGE Disney fan, Disney World is the Most Overrated Place On Earth™.
Universal Studios and Busch Gardens curbstomp Disney World.

[Ryu & Ken]

Do you mean Disney World or Disney Land?

Disneyland= Los Angeles (Anaheim), California
Disney World= Orlando, Florida

Because if you go to Disney World AND Evo, you have to fly all the way from Nevada to Florida which is a hell of lot more expensive.

You must have DEEP pockets.

And while I've never been to Disneyland, unless you are 8 years old or a HUGE Disney fan, Disney World is the Most Overrated Place On Earth™.
Universal Studios and Busch Gardens curbstomp Disney World.

Or right, I thought it would be good disney world, well since I am going to LA, LV & NY and only wanted to go to florida for Disney world.

Would you say skip Disney world and just got Disney land if anything and if so how much smaller is land to worls ?

[Biolink]

Disney World


http://xray.chem.ufl.edu/aca2005/_private/D_property.jpg

Disney Land

http://www.pazsaz.com/pic/dismap.jpg

Disney World is unneccesarily huge

[Preppy]

Oh and Disney Tokyo was kind of lame. The Indiana Jones ride wasn't in "Disneyland", it was in the other park there. But AstroBlasters is still fun no matter what. But if you're going to go to Disney Anywhere, make sure you look up the AstroBlasters cheat sheet - my scores sucked and I couldn't figure out why until I read up.

[Ryu & Ken]

Does Disneyworld have a proper golf course there as well ?

[Taito]

..
..
Sounds good guys. Just let me get settled in first. This is where I'm gonna be for a few years btw.

[D.Fox]

You don’t need to know Japanese to go visit Japan. I learned a bunch of Japanese and when I tried to speak it they would just reply in English. When I tried to order ice cream at a little shack outside of Meiji Temple in Japanese (although I will admit I was speaking slow) the girl just looked back at me and in English said “Ok so you want one chocolate ice cream and a bottle of water. That will be 800 yen please” However it does help especially..

It is good however to learn how the Japanese say numbers because if you go shopping someplace like Asakusa or go to a temple you will be dealing with old people who don’t know English at all.

Japanese girls are all jealous of other girls. I was there with my wife (who is Chinese) and they would look at her with me then give her the evil glare or a jealous look. Especially when they look at her chest and then realize they don’t have one. (yes I saw several girls look at her chest then look at the lack of their own).

If you are Asian then you are automatically assumed to be Japanese. If you do not speak Japanese they are offended. When we got off the plane the flight attendant was talking to my wife in Japanese about where to get the bags and she kept telling her she wasn’t Japanese. The woman didn’t get it so I point to my wife and tell the lady “chugoku-jin desu” she looks a little mad and then speaks to me in English assuming she does not speak English either. So many people would talk to her in Japanese and she keep trying to tell them that she wasn’t but they kept going anyways that it wasn’t funny.

If you go around proclaiming yourself to be an otaku or acting like an anime character they will think you are an even bigger dork then the people back home do.

Japanese clubs can be fun. However if you are going there with the intentions of hitting it with some Japanese girls be selective because there are a lot of girls who are just straight up skanks. Don’t expect there to be a swarm of girls around you because that shit just don’t happen.

Prepare to be owned hard at the arcade. You are not ready for what they will throw at you. I managed to hold my own at Melty Blood and 3rd Strike for a match or two but damn if it wasn’t the hardest matches I ever played outside of a tournament.

if you plan on taking any electronics with you then buy a power converter with the plug adaptors because while it my look like standard 2 prong plug that shit is running 220 and will smoke you and your stuff in seconds.

Have a Visa card. Most places take it. However you should plan on spending cash almost all the time.



For anyone that cares, non that they'd be in this thread, These are some pretty good keypoints that I'd associate with Seoul, South Korea too. Just switch out Japanese with Korean, and I had no intentions of offending anyone with saying switch around.

[Shibuya]

stay away from whore houses.....they are everywhere!!!!

[Calibur]

I

You don’t need to know Japanese to go visit Japan. I learned a bunch of Japanese and when I tried to speak it they would just reply in English. When I tried to order ice cream at a little shack outside of Meiji Temple in Japanese (although I will admit I was speaking slow) the girl just looked back at me and in English said “Ok so you want one chocolate ice cream and a bottle of water. That will be 800 yen please” However it does help especially..

It is good however to learn how the Japanese say numbers because if you go shopping someplace like Asakusa or go to a temple you will be dealing with old people who don’t know English at all.

You can’t take pictures in Akiharabara. At least I couldn’t because whenever I pulled out a camera they would tell me no. Why this is I have no idea.

Japanese girls are all jealous of other girls. I was there with my wife (who is Chinese) and they would look at her with me then give her the evil glare or a jealous look. Especially when they look at her chest and then realize they don’t have one. (yes I saw several girls look at her chest then look at the lack of their own).

If you are Asian then you are automatically assumed to be Japanese. If you do not speak Japanese they are offended. When we got off the plane the flight attendant was talking to my wife in Japanese about where to get the bags and she kept telling her she wasn’t Japanese. The woman didn’t get it so I point to my wife and tell the lady “chugoku-jin desu” she looks a little mad and then speaks to me in English assuming she does not speak English either. So many people would talk to her in Japanese and she keep trying to tell them that she wasn’t but they kept going anyways that it wasn’t funny.

If you go around proclaiming yourself to be an otaku or acting like an anime character they will think you are an even bigger dork then the people back home do.

Japanese clubs can be fun. However if you are going there with the intentions of hitting it with some Japanese girls be selective because there are a lot of girls who are just straight up skanks. Don’t expect there to be a swarm of girls around you because that shit just don’t happen.

Prepare to be owned hard at the arcade. You are not ready for what they will throw at you. I managed to hold my own at Melty Blood and 3rd Strike for a match or two but damn if it wasn’t the hardest matches I ever played outside of a tournament.
.

LOL. this is so true! For 3D games, Im not that impressed with the comp. I do fine in Tekken, and I generally destroy them in Soul Calibur. Virtua Fighter I lose before I push the start button.

Hope you enjoy Japan, but I recommend you get out of Tokyo and into the country side. You will have a really skewed view of the country if you dont.

[Taito]

Yeah I hope it will be. Damn that sucks... do you mean foreigners fighting with Japanese or just a general decay in behaviour all across the board?

It was Japanese dudes fighting with bouncers.. foreigners starting riots in clubs that rivaled that NBA Pistons-Pacers brawl.. the last straw was probably when people started breaking into cars, and a Navy dude robbed and killed some old lady.. so it's just a decay in behavior in general that the local community got tired to dealing with.

Shibuya doesn't even mess around with that.. last time I checked none of the clubs would allow a foreign dude in without a Japanese escort (which isn't hard to do, just talk friendly to some broad on the street that was planning on going in the club anyway).