An island nation in East Asia known for many aspects of its unique culture and having one of the world's largest cities, Tokyo as its capital.
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Can you still buy used panties in vending machines as a souvenir from Japan?
In 1999 I came across a vending machine of used panties while hiking through Japan. Apparently it was made illegal in 1993, but still in 1999 they seem to be wide spread. Is this still the case, or ...
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1answer
107 views
How can I find a good school to learn Japanese in Tokyo?
So I'm trying to live in Tokyo, and would like to learn japanese. I'm looking for an immersion school that will teach me Japanese starting from the basics to intermediate level (JPTL4-JPTL2).
I used ...
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1answer
70 views
Universities open to public in South Korea and Japan?
In California and most other states in the USA, at public universities (and sometimes private universities), it is possible for anyone who is not affiliated with the institution to walk into a ...
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2answers
622 views
Subway, train or both when travelling around Tokyo
We will spend a week in Tokyo in april and I am now looking into the best way to get around the city. The subway seems to go everywhere but there are also normal trains connecting most places. How ...
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2answers
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Staying on the Nakahechi route without walking
The Nakahechi route is part of the Kumano Kodo walking trail network in Honshu, Japan. I am taken with the idea of staying on this route in particular but do not want to do more than moderate ...
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3answers
321 views
What are the cheapest ways to get from East Asia to Australia?
I have a return ticket that gets me from Turkey to Korea to Australia but it cannot be extended beyond the end of May.
I'm thinking of forfeiting or refunding some leg(s) of my ticket but as my ...
6
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2answers
128 views
Amusement parks in the Tokyo area
What big popular amusement parks are there in the Tokyo area? I am looking for anything with fun rides, a bit of history if possible and nice surroundings. If the locality is close to other ...
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2answers
147 views
Unambiguous contact details for Japanese people
What are some good ways of getting unambiguous (yet not too intrusive) contact details for Japanese people you meet on your travels?
Apparently, Japanese people don't have a middle name, and I've ...
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2answers
666 views
How to buy tickets for a sumo wrestling game?
We are curious about sumo wrestling and would like to visit a game while in Tokyo. According to Wikipedia the big tournament happens 6 times a year but not in April when we are visiting. So what other ...
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1answer
113 views
Japan Rail Passes, will I need one?
When I got to Japan, I am going to spend 8 days in Tokyo (doing central sight seeing), 5 days in Osaka (with 3 return train trips to Kyoto to see the area) and a day in Hiroshima then a train ride ...
6
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2answers
282 views
Can tourists meet onsen geisha nowadays?
Japan's most famous geisha are from Kyoto, Japan's former capital and still a major cultural capital of Japan. But I've also heard of onsen geisha, far away from the big cities, who are at the bottom ...
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Portable wifi hotspots in Japan
Instead of getting a prepaid SIM chip, I'm thinking of renting a mobile wifi hotspot. I've found these two so far. Two questions:
Are these reliable? I will be mostly in the big cities.
If I'm not ...
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154 views
Visa: How specific must the itinerary be when visiting Japan?
I am planning on visiting Japan and I am required to get a visa for entering the country.
One of the requests for me to get a visa is to specify what my itinerary is, the problem is that I don't know ...
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1answer
246 views
Internet access in Japan
What options are there in terms of prepaid Internet services? Are the charges reasonable? I will be there for no more than two weeks so prepaid seems to be the sensible option.
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1answer
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Cheapest place to buy a JR Pass
I realize that the cost of the pass itself is fixed, in yen. However, I see that travel agents often add extra costs, in the form of "delivery fees" and "processing fees" etc ($15 for delivering a ...
6
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1answer
131 views
More creative snow festivals than Sapporo snow festival
The Sapporo snow festival was pretty good. There was lots of delicious food stalls, information booths, and I even signed a petition calling for the return of Japan's "northern territories" (the ...
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3answers
130 views
Do official health agencies recommend getting the “Japanese Brain Fever” vaccine for travel to Japan?
I will be spending four weeks in Japan, visiting all of the "main islands" except for Hokkaido. Some of the activities would be hiking across the woods and mountains as well.
The vaccine is for ...
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4answers
307 views
Jogging in Tokyo and Osaka
I'm not a huge fan of jogging on crowded sidewalks even in the US, and I expect many sidewalks in Tokyo and Osaka will only be more crowded.
What locations in these cities would you recommend for ...
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1answer
260 views
Male nerd here, how on earth can I listen to an “otohime” / “sound princess”?
The other day, I read about "otohime", also known as "sound princess":
Many Japanese women are embarrassed at the thought of being heard by
others during urination (see paruresis). To cover the ...
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4answers
155 views
Kamakura, Japan: Feasibility of day trip from Tokyo?
I will be in Tokyo for a conference and was hoping to check out Kamakura for a visit.
Is it practical to travel to Kamakura for a day trip, or should I look into overnight accommodations?
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1answer
153 views
Taking photos in Japan
I plan on taking photos of everywhere I go in Japan and am wondering if there are certain places, e.g. airports or possibly temples, where photos are not to be taken.
A link to online resources would ...
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2answers
341 views
Can you receive mail at hotels weeks before you arrive?
Do hotels accept mail for guests that haven't arrived yet? Even weeks in advance?
I am buying tickets for an event (see this question), but the vendor can only mail tickets to a Japanese address. I ...
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1answer
85 views
Is it considered “cheap” to not eat dinner at your ryokan?
I'm booking accommodation near Izu Inatori for the dontsuku matsuri (don't google it at work!) and I'm considering whether to book dinner at my ryokan.
I suspect that I'd rather be able to eat out so ...
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1answer
326 views
Safety and practicalities of eating dolphin meat in Taiji, Japan
At a recent Japan festival, amongst the various tourist brochures I got, one was for Wakayama prefecture, which included a page for Taiji. If I visited there, I'd have to decide whether or not to eat ...
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1answer
49 views
Hard copy travel guides with information on Tohoku post-tsunami
The 12th edition of Lonely Planet Japan entirely removed Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. I ended up bringing the 11th edition (pre-earthquake) with me when visiting Japan.
Are there hard ...
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1answer
65 views
Guided tours of Japanese nuclear power plants
Do any Japanese nuclear power plants offer guided tours of their facilities? I'm aware that most nuclear plants in Japan are currently not producing electricity, but that's not a big problem.
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ROC to TYO - how can I reduce the cost of my flight?
I'm trying to find the cheapest flight I can from ROC, Rochester, New York, to one of the airports in Tokyo for a six week study abroad in Kobe. I'm wondering what the cheapest, OR easiest routes from ...
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1answer
301 views
Is Willer Express reliable?
I'm organizing few days in Japan and I would like to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto during the night.
In a previous question I asked for a good connection.
I finally decided to use an overnight bus.
...
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1answer
75 views
What are the typical/traditional events taking place during Christmas and New Year's day in Tokyo?
I am looking for traditional events taking place in Tokyo during either Christmas or New Year's day. Could you make some suggestion of cultural events you can only enjoy at these particular moments?
...
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2answers
468 views
Where to get Ghibli museum tickets: JTB or Lawsons?
As I understand it, there are two options for getting tickets to the Ghibli museum: through a local travel agency before we get to Japan, or at a Lawson's convenience store after we get to Japan.
I ...
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2answers
441 views
Health retreats in Japan
I am looking for health retreats in Japan. Specifically places that offer meditation (not necessarily zen), healthy food, a relaxing environment and beautiful scenery. I would like to stay somewhere ...
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1answer
83 views
Can group tours help you see more of remote regions of Japan, such as Tohoku?
I'm going to Japan by myself in February, and I'm thinking of spending about a week visiting the Tohoku region.
Wikitravel mentions that some train services can be infrequent, with buses being a ...
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1answer
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Are there electrical plugs and/or wifi in Japanese shinkansen?
Do the Shinkansen trains have wifi? How about electrical plugs?
If it depends on the train, these are the ones I'll be taking:
Hikari 546 (Hiroshima->Shin-Kobe)
Hikari 470 (Shin-Kobe->Tokyo)
Max ...
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1answer
61 views
What is the best way (price wise) to travel from Japan to Mexico and Venezuela, then come back?
What I want to do is go to those two countries for a week each. Basically the order doesn't matter much for me. But I must depart from Japan and come back.
I was wondering if there was someone ...
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1answer
153 views
Where can I book rooms from others' cancellations?
I'm trying to spend a night in Iwaki, Fukushima province, but tripadvisor.com is telling me there's no rooms available there for the night I want (September 10 to 11).
I assume that most people going ...
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1answer
130 views
What are my chances of getting into the Tsukiji fish auction if I arrive by 5:25?
From the Tsukiji article at Japan-guide.com, I understand that they start taking names for auction visitors at 5am, and let the first 60 in at 5:25, and the next 60 in at 5:50.
Because the trains ...
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1answer
214 views
Looking for micro breweries in the Tokyo area
We will spend a couple of days in the Tokyo area and it would be really fun to visit a microbrewery there. So I am looking for microbreweries in the area or places that serve their products.
(photo ...
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1answer
66 views
Where can I find a local guide for Japan?
My friends and I are going to Japan in October. A coworker mentioned that there's a site where university students will gladly guide tourists in exchange for transportation/food costs and learning ...
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4answers
431 views
Carrying large amounts of Cash in Japan
Is it, generally speaking, safe to carry large amounts of cash (US$4000) in Japan?
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3answers
153 views
Is researching dating tips for a specific country worthwhile, useless or counterproductive?
I'm planning on visiting Japan for two weeks. While dating isn't the purpose of it, I hope to socialize a bit with people my age, including some apres-ski, and wouldn't mind if it resulted in dating.
...
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4answers
3k views
Where can I find the official school holiday schedule for Japan?
I've been looking for some 20 minutes now and can't find any pertinent information. Where can I find the official school holiday calendar for Japan, 2013?
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4answers
108 views
Finding cheap apartment for a month in Japan and South Korea?
In these countries, if I decide on a whim that I would like a regular apartment for one month, what's the best method to find something CHEAP (less than 300USD) no matter where I am?
Craigslist or ...
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2answers
437 views
Will luggage offices in Japanese train stations hold bags overnight?
I understand that many JR stations have luggage offices (手荷物預かり所) that will temporarily keep your luggage for a fee. Is it possible to leave luggage there overnight?
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1answer
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Tax refund in Japan
I'm an Italian tourist and I bought a certain amount of things here in Japan.
Is it possible to have a tax refund at the airport? In particular Narita airport.
In case it is possible, what kind of ...
4
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1answer
193 views
Best connection Tokyo - Kyoto
I'll travel to Tokyo during the first 2 weeks of November.
What's the fastest and not too much expensive way to reach Kyoto from Tokyo?
As reported here: a Shinkansen ticket form Tokyo to Kyoto is ...
4
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2answers
179 views
Overcoming the language barrier while experiencing traditional Japanese culture
I'd like to see live performance of traditional Japanese culture. For example, watching noh theatre or bunraku, as opposed to merely seeing artworks or pottery. Unfortunately, my Japanese is fairly ...
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1answer
128 views
Is it possible to use the JR Pass at these stations in Tokyo?
I'm thinking about staying in this Horidome hotel because I read it's a good place to get to other places.
I'll buy a Japan Rail Pass, but I didn't understand if I can use it at nearby subway ...
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1answer
61 views
What are the opening dates for ski areas at Nagano?
Are there fixed dates for the openings of ski resorts at Nagano or does that depend on the snow fall?
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1answer
124 views
Japan tourist visa without ticket for expat in Shanghai, China
I'll be in Shanghai under a business visa for 5 months. During the third month, I would want to travel to Hokkaido, Japan for one week break. I'm a Malaysian and I'll need to obtain a short-term ...
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1answer
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Daisetsuzan (Hokkaido, Japan) Grand Traverse, how hard?
I'm planning a trip to Japan and I'd like to spend one week immerse in Japanese nature. I've read something about the "Daisetsuzan Grand Traverse", which is a 5 days and 55km trekking on a route that ...
